Yoga fun with Leisa the Hippie Chick Trainer.......Upward facing Dog

Upward Facing Dog - Benefits

* Expands your chest and shoulders.

* Strengthens the muscles that control your shoulder blades.

* Stretches your hip flexors and core musculature.

* Strengthens your low back musculature.

* Relieves some forms of low back pain.

* Therapeutic for asthma sufferers as it opens your accessory muscles of breathing.

Start by laying face down on your mat, legs should be long with a feeling of extension through the length of the toes and spread hips-width apart. Bend your elbows and place your palms flat to the ground, fingers spread, hands completely plugged into the floor and have your finger tips along side your chest.
Your wrist joints should be parallel to the front edge of the mat, with your wrists and elbows at a 90-degree angle. Elbows should stay tight to your sides.

From here, press down through the top of the feet; the top of all 10 toes should press into the floor. Press the palms down and gently lift your body off the floor. The ONLY parts of your body touching the ground should be the tops of the feet and the whole hand.

Once your arms are fully extended, double-check that your wrist joint is still under your shoulder-- aligning the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints together. (This positioning is critical and ensures a safe, less stressed lower back.) The most common mistake in this pose is having your hands too far out in front of you, creating tremendous low back pressure.

 

Benefits of Yoga

 

You've probably heard that yoga is good for you. Maybe you have even tried it and discovered that it makes you feel better. A regular practice can offers all kinds of mental and physical health benefits. Some, like improved flexibility, are clearly evident. Others, including mental clarity and stress reduction, may be more subtle but are just as powerful. When put together, all the benefits below contribute to an increased feeling of well-being, which helps explain why so many people find yoga so addictive.

 

Flexibility: Moving and stretching in new ways will help you become more flexible, bringing greater range of motion to tight areas. Over time, you can expect to gain flexibility in your hamstrings, back, shoulders, and hips. As we age, flexibility naturally decreases, which leads to pain and immobility. Yoga can ameliorate this process.

 

Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in Tree Pose) or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Facing Dog). Holding poses over the course of several breaths also builds strength.

 

Muscle tone: As a by-product of getting stronger, you can expect to see increased muscle tone. Yoga helps shape long, lean muscles.

 

 

Balance: Improved balance is one of the most important benefits of yoga as you get older. Poses where you stand on one leg and, for more advanced students, inversions, are great ways to build core strength.

 

Joint Health: People with arthritis often see marked improvement in their pain and mobility with regular gentle yoga practice. People with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can also benefit from specific types of yoga exercises.

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Mind, body and soul - Grounding yourself, Eat plenty of Greens, Get outdoors

Keeping grounded "Click here"

Hiking outdoors has plenty of perks: nice views, fresh air, and the sounds and smells of nature.

It's good for you, too. Hiking is a powerful cardio workout that can:

• Lower your risk of heart disease
• Improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Boost bone density, since  walking is a weight-bearing exercise
• Build strength in your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and the muscles in your hips and lower legs
• Strengthen your core
• Improve balance
• Help control your weight
• Boost your mood. "Research shows that hiking has a positive impact on combating the symptoms of stress and anxiety," says Gregory A. Miller, PhD, president of the American Hiking Society. "Being in nature is ingrained in our DNA, and we sometimes forget that."

One of the biggest advantages of leafy green vegetables is that they can tell you a lot about their nutritional value. The darker the color of a leafy green, the higher the antioxidants. Eating more salads is great. But take it a step further and learn to try spinach, arugula, and other greens rather than iceberg lettuce.

Eating more of these dark, leafy greens means you will get more vitamins A, B, C, E and K. Vitamin A helps with your vision, B increases metabolism, C with your immune system, E reduces free radicals, and K can help with osteoporosis just to name a few benefits.

The fiber found in dark, leafy greens helps with digestion. Fiber actually has 2 benefits. First, it cannot be digested by your body. That means that it cannot be broken down so it will give you a feeling of being full longer. Second, it helps your digestive system actually move food more quickly.

Despite the unfair reputation that vegetables, especially leafy greens, have gotten over the years they taste great and have many uses other than salads. You can add spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, bok choy, and other mild flavor greens to smoothies. This will not add much flavor to your homemade smoothies but will add a ton of nutrition, making it an easy way to increase your vegetable consumption. Heartier green vegetables like kale, spinach, turnip or collard greens, or chard can be added to soups giving them a slightly different flavor and texture as well as adding all of these great health benefits.

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Mind, Body and Soul Tip 5 - Smile, Live your passion, Ground yourself

Smile more - It feels great :) Jump in puddles cause you can

Smile more - It feels great :) 

Smiling Makes Us Attractive

Smile more - It feels great :) 

We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in. 

Smiling Changes Our Mood

Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

Smiling Is Contagious

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

Smiling Relieves Stress

Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

Smiling Helps You Stay Positive

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

Live your passion

There are no big secrets to making your dreams come true and doing what you're passionate about. But there are three ingredients found in every dream realized. They are:

• * The belief in yourself and in your dream
• * A heaping dose of passion and imagination
• * A lot of hard work

Ground yourself

Ever feel the urge to walk barefoot on the beach or feel the grass between your toes? As it turns out, this urge goes much deeper than simply feeling good. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that there is a significant electrical interaction between the Earth and each one of us.

Earth, as it turns out, is not neutrally charged as was originally believed - it has a negative charge. This means that is has an abundance of electrons. This charge does not interact with us too often since we live in insulated buildings and wear insulated footwear. In other words, we rarely touch the ground!

Why does touching the ground matter?

Humans evolved, like all animals, walking on the ground without insulating barriers between the Earth and our feet. It is common knowledge that the soles of our feet are extremely sensitive due to a high concentration of nerve endings. Since nerve tissue is electrically conductive, it is easy to understand that the bottoms of our feet are highly conductive surfaces.

Stay Balanced, Stay Grounded!
When you ground yourself, you are utilizing nature's most powerful form of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory: free electrons. The effect does not need to come from an injection or a drug; it comes directly from the Earth. All you have to do is put your bare feet on the ground!


Learn more - About staying grounded
Read more - learn more about your passion

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Leisa Timms

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Mind, Body and Soul Tip 4 - Out with old and in with the new, Clean out your fridge

Mind, Body and Soul for you

 

Clean Out Your Refrigerator for Good Health

Another idea to Clean Out Your Refrigerator is to read ingredients lists and nutrition facts and make decisions to:

Replace items if they include trans fat, partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and preservatives. These ingredients won’t help you meet your health goals.

Stock items that offer nutrition for the calories. Foods with labels showing at least 20% of your Daily Value for Vitamin C, Vitamin A, iron and calcium are considered good sources of those nutrients. For example, stock yogurt or pudding instead of jello.

Stock whole foods that are as close to nature as possible. If it didn’t grow, should you be eating it? There is no such thing as a Pop-Tart tree and it’s tough finding Cheeto seeds.

Try This and Toss That

Try a butter/canola (or olive oil) blend spread and toss the margarine (unless it is contains no hydrogenated oils).

Try a fruit spread and toss the high fructose corn syrup jelly.

Try real cheese (cow or soy based) and toss the processed cheese food.

Try 100% fruit juice and toss the fruit punch, fruit aid and fruit drink.

Try omega-3 enhanced eggs once you’ve used your traditional eggs for cooking and baking.

Try organic milk (with no growth hormones or antibiotics) once you’ve used your traditional milk.

Try real meat (as in roasting a chicken) and toss the lunchmeats that are enhanced with nitrities, sugar and salt. If you can’t cook, try lunchmeat brands such as Hormel Natural Choice or ApplewoodFarms.

Must Haves in a Healthy Refrigerator

Hummus for snacks and for use as a spread—a nice replacement for fatty dips and cream cheese.

100% Whole wheat carriers (naan, tortillas, pita or English Muffins)—great grains to carry your leftovers or eat with melted cheese for a quick snack.

Calcium-richFoods—fortified soy milk, calcium-enriched orange juice or organic non-fat milk and yogurt.

Fresh spinach—colorize your salads, sandwiches, eggs, dips or any cooked sauces with this powerhouse veggie source.

A cold pitcher of something healthy—water with lemon or iced green tea. Stop using so many water bottles and ditch the soda!

Cold fruit, washed and ready to eat when you need something sweet and refreshing.

Cut up veggies in a see-through container—“out of sight, out of mind” is not a good idea here, so don’t put the veggies in the produce drawer! If you are too lazy for do it yourself veggies, buy cut up veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store.

Jazzy additions—hot sauce, brown mustard, olives, pickles and roasted peppers—keep these items on hand to add a crunch and to give you the salty taste without eating synthetic food.

Get ready, get set, clean out your refrigerator! To learn more read on http://www.everyday-sports-nutrition-for-women.com/refrigerator.html


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Mind, body and soul Tip 3 - Grain Products

Your Daily GrainsThe latest MyPyramid guidelines recommend eating three or more ounces of whole-grain foods each day. At least half of your grain choices should come from whole grains. To find the total amount of grains you should be eating, visit www.mypyramid.gov.
A one-ounce serving of a grain food is equivalent to any of these:

• 1 slice bread
• 1 ounce (about 1 cup) ready-to-eat cereal
• 1/2 bagel, English muffin, or bun
• 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
• 1 four-inch-diameter pancake or waffle
• 1 seven-inch-diameter tortilla
• 5 to 6 whole-grain crackers
• 3 cups of popcorn

Be sure to figure how many "ounce-equivalents" are in the portions you eat. You'll probably be surprised at how quickly grains add up.
Now that we have identified your daily grains, it is time to learn, in greater detail, the grain choices you should be making. In the next section, we will look at which breakfast cereals and breads to select for your diet to give you the best disease-fighting potential.

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Leisa Timms

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Mind, Body and Soul Tip 2 - Rejuvinate with Lemon Water

1. Gives your immune system a boost.

Vitamin C is like our immune system’s jumper cables, and lemon juice is full of it. The level of vitamin C in your system is one of the first things to plummet when you’re stressed, which is why experts recommended popping extra vitamin C during especially stressful days.

2. Excellent source of potassium.

As already mentioned, lemons are high in potassium, which is good for heart health, as well as brain and nerve function.

3. Aids digestion.

Lemon juice not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, burping, and bloating.

4. Cleanses your system.

It helps flush out the toxins in your body by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver.

5. Freshens your breath.

It also helps relieve toothaches and gingivitis (say what?). Because the citric acid can erode tooth enamel, either hold off on brushing your teeth after drinking lemon water or brush your teeth before drinking it.

6. Keeps your skin blemish-free.

The antioxidants in lemon juice help to not only decrease blemishes, but wrinkles too! It can also be applied to scars and age spots to reduce their appearance, and because it’s detoxifying your blood, it will maintain your skin’s radiance.

7. Helps you lose weight.

Lemons contain pectin fiber, which assists in fighting hunger cravings.

8. Reduces inflammation.

If you drink lemon water on a regular basis, it will decrease the acidity in your body, which is where disease states occur. It removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation.

9. Gives you an energy boost.

Lemon juice provides your body with energy when it enters your digestive tract, and it also helps reduce anxiety and depression. (Even the scent of lemons has a calming effect on your nervous system!)

10. Helps to cut out caffeine.

I didn’t believe this until I tried it, but replacing my morning coffee with a cup of hot lemon water has really done wonders! I feel refreshed, and no longer have to deal with that pesky afternoon crash. Plus, my nerves are thankful.

11. Helps fight viral infections.

Warm lemon water is the most effective way to diminish viral infections and their subsequent sore throats. Plus, with the lemon juice also boosting your immune system, you’ll simultaneously fight off the infection completely.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-lemon-water-you-didnt-know-about.html

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Leisa Timms

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Success Education Entrepreneur



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Mind, body and soul Tip 1 - Get moving and Start walking

The benefits of walking

Many people think physical activity makes you more tired, but the opposite is true. Brisk walking boosts your energy levels; it puts a spring in your step and increases your confidence. At the end of a walk, most people feel more relaxed. Walking also helps you manage your weight, lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, and reduces your risk of heart attack.

Kids also benefit from physical activities like walking. It helps them build strong bones and muscles, promotes healthy development, improves their posture and coordination and helps them concentrate at school.

Plus, walking is so easy. You don’t have to go to the local park. Hop off the bus one or two stops earlier and walk part of the way to and from work. Walk the kids to school and get the whole family to walk to the local shops or favourite local restaurant.

If you’re concerned about boredom, the cost, it being impractical with young kids or just too much too soon, then don’t worry - we have simple solutions that work.

http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/mums-united/getting-active/Pages/why-walking.aspx

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Yummy breakfast - fit for a king

Breakfast is considered an important meal because it breaks the overnight fasting period, replenishes your supply of glucose and provides other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.

Glucose

Glucose is the body’s energy source. It is broken down and absorbed from the carbohydrates you eat. In the morning, after you have gone without food for as long as 12 hours, your glycogen stores are low. Glycogen is the glucose that has been stored in your muscle tissue and liver where it is released slowly overnight to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

Once all of the energy from the glycogen stores is used up, your body starts to break down fatty acids to produce the energy it needs. Without carbohydrate, fatty acids are only partially oxidised, which can cause reduced energy levels. Eating breakfast restores your glycogen stores and boosts your energy levels, as well as your metabolism for the day.

Yummy salad wraps for lunch

Great food

Morning Boost

 

Protein and Fruit for your morning start

MORNING BOOST

Egg on toast with Avocado

Side serve of tomato

1 apple

 

 

 

I would love to hear from you....

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Leisa Timms

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Zumba / Fitness Coach 
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5 Stress Relievers The Natural Way To Gain Abundant Energy, Vitality and Well-being

How often are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed?  Let’s take 5 minutes to look at 5 natural stress relievers.  Looking for simple and all natural ways to relax and reduce the negative effects of stress on your physical and emotional well-being?  Then try these five great natural stress relievers.

 

1. Chamomile Tea:  Chamomile has amazing soothing properties and is a wonderful sleep aid so it is a great stress reliever to help you unwind and relax before bed. However, chamomile is not recommended for pregnant woman.

 

2. Aromatherapy Linen Spray: I love using this! Linen spray is another great natural stress reliever.  You simply spray your bed sheets with this light lavender sleeping spray that is made with lavender and a blend of other essential oils for a purely natural way to relax and relieve stress while helping you to get a good night's sleep.  Beautiful!

 

3. Aromatherapy Bath Products: Baths that include any variety of aromatherapy products can be great stress relievers as well.  Not only do you enjoy the relaxation of a warm bath and a nice long soak, but by using a variety of oils or aromatic bath salts you can ease muscle tension, headaches, and sooth tired aching feet.  Some great essential oils to try include lavender, chamomile; which is very soothing to the skin, sandalwood, and jasmine.  These are great stress relievers to try at night as well since many of them can help you to relax enough that you can get to sleep easily.  Burning essential oils is another way of feeling the benefits of these beautiful calming blends.

 

4. Exercise:  Yoga, Tai chi, Cardio, Weights, Walking, Running, Zumba etc…. Any type of exercise is fantastic for mental and physical health.  Exercising regularly helps your body burn excess calories and requires recovery.  This in return will help you burn energy giving you great momentum to sleep well to work out the next day!

 

5. Learn to Meditate: Meditating can be an effective stress reliever. Helping you to become more focused and to calm your mind and spirit and to help you focus which can be a great stress reliever; especially when you use it throughout the day.  For example, if you are getting stressed at work you can meditate for a few moments at your desk, taking a few deep breaths and work past whatever the problem is that is stressing you out.

 

So there you go, five simple and natural stress relievers that can help you relax with no side effects to worry about.

 

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Leisa Timms

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