Thanksgiving is a special time. Generally marked by family get-togethers, feasts, and possibly football, Thanksgiving is also an opportunity for personal growth and development. While your tummy is getting its share of exercise processing all the good foods, use this Thanksgiving to grow personally with these mental exercises.

Listen generously: Listening is more than hearing. Listening is hearing, understanding, and empathizing. The accomplished listener is highly regarded. Do people seek you out for conversation? If they don’t, it’s probably not that you don’t have anything to say; it may be that you say to much. A great listener is perceived as a great communicator. Ironic isn’t it?

Be curious: Combine curiosity with listening to grow by learning new things. The curious listener asks lots of questions. Open ended questions are best; ask questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no. Though you may be well acquainted with your family members, you’ve likely been seeing them primarily as Uncle George and Aunt Mary. Both George and Mary are functioning adults with experiences, opinions, and expertise. Find out more about them with open ended questions and listen.

Forgive: Do you hold a grudge against a family member? If you’ll be seeing that person this Holiday season, do yourself a favor and forgive. Many family disagreements affect relationships for years. Long term feuds are harmful to all involved. Holding a grudge and maintaining an anger toward a friend or relative hurts you most of all. Give yourself the gift of forgiveness by forgiving the transgression. You’ll be surprised by how good that feels.

Accept: Some people have habits that annoy other people. Face it, we all annoy others at times. This Holiday season is a great time to accept other family members and friends for who they are and focus on their positive traits. Remind yourself of Aunt Jessie’s generosity and your brother Bob’s keen sense of humor. Overlook their annoying habits. You’ll find that when you focus on their positive traits the traits that used to annoy don’t seem as annoying anymore.

Be Gone Soreness Tips:

1. Stretch out the muscle: If your hamstring is sore, stretch it out. Lie on your back, bend in your knee, extend your leg to the ceiling, place you hands as high as you can on your leg (but not directly behind your knee), and give a gentle pull, towards your nose. Feel the stretch in your hamstring, release and pull again. Repeat 3 times.

2. Massage: Can you get your significant other to give you a massage? We’ll if their massage usually isn’t that  great, just try to do it by yourself. Here’s how: let’s use the hamstring again. Either sit or lie down on your back, gently massage your hamstring by long strokes moving towards your heart. In other words, your hands should be moving towards your heart, not away. This will help relax the muscles.

3. Drink Water: We all know that water is the main component in the body. We lose water plus other minerals when we sweat while working out. So it seems obvious that we should have water near us all the time. Especially before, during, and after a workout. It is also great to help reduce build up in the body. Be sure to stay hydrate at all times, even when you’re not working out.

4. Eat a Banana: We’ll you don’t have to exactly eat a banana, but what are they known for?, POTASSIUM. Potassium helps control muscles, and is a crucial component in helping maintain water balance in the body. So you have to replace it once you have worked out. Drink a glass of orange juice, have a banana or potato, anything that is rich in Potassium.

Hopefully after following these tips you will notice a difference in your muscles after a great workout. If you still have a lot of soreness, you may be over doing it. In that case watch how you workout more carefully, and taking it down a notch and see how you feel after that workout.

Sleepless nights cause a variety of problems including: lowering your immune system, cause weight gain, heart disease, mood swings, etc. Having one of these isn’t really worth it right? You want to live long and have a great nights sleep every night, feeling refreshed in the morning. Sometimes we forget how many sleepless nights we have in a week, solution: Diary. It’s funny how much the mind wants to delete so that we can fill it up with more “important” things.

So write your sleeping habits down. Dr. Oz suggest that it should include:

What you did before bed,

What time you went to bed,

When you woke up,

How long it took you to fall asleep,

Time you spent napping during the day.

Dr.Oz also gives us some great tips that can really help you fight off the sleepless nights. (It won’t help you fight off the monsters in your closet or under your bed though!)

Let’s get the tips:

1. Obey the 15 minute rule – If plan on going to bed but you can’t fall asleep within 15 minutes, GET OUT OF BED. It will not do you any good staying there and continue to try to fall sleep, your body is not ready. Try to go into another room and do something that will not stimulate the body,  once you start to feel sleepy and your dosing off, try to go back to bed. Continue routine until you are able to fall asleep.

2. Bed is used for two things: Sleep and Sex – You confuse your body when you work, watch tv, read, etc. in bed. Train your body to learn that when you lie in bed, you are going to sleep.

3. Wake Up the Same Time – Regardless of what day it is you should wake up the same time. This includes weekends, holidays, literally everyday. This will get your body in a routine and it will set your biological clock. After about a week or two your body will be waking and hopefully falling asleep at the same time.

4. Create a Sleep Environment – Your bedroom is the one place you should always feel like you can relax. Keep cool colors for relaxation, and get rid of those illuminating lights (clocks, phones, light borders around the window, etc.). Anything that makes your eyes react after getting use to the darkness. If your spouse snores, get the snore strips, and minimize the movement of pets. Also, keep the room at a cool temperature, 65 degrees F, fits most bodies.

5. Power Down – Start a sleep routine a few hours before you are ready to go to bed. A hot shower would be a nice addition, especially since fall and winter are coming up. Just remember to keep the same routine every night until your body gets into the routine.

6. Put the Head to Rest – It may sound odd for you men, but your spouse can spray your pillow with lavender, a natural smell that helps prompt relaxation. Make sure your pillow is soft and relaxing so that you don’t have to fuss with it too much to get the perfect position for sleep.

7. Steer Clear of Sleep Stealers – Top things to avoid before sleep: Exercise a few hours before bed, no hungry tummy (but don’t go to bed with a full stomach). Alcohol is a good sedative, but try to avoid it when you are close to going to bed. This also applies to caffeine.

8. Get Help – If these tips don’t help you get better sleep, be sure to go to a Sleep Specialist. You may be one of the 70 million people that have a sleep disorder. The sooner you do this, the sooner you will get rest and the reduced chance of getting a more harmful disease.

Fun Fact: There are 81 different types of sleeping disorders, and over 70  million people in the United States have one or more of these disorders.

As Reported on Dr.OZ October 14th, 2009. Online Article located at: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/sleep-hygiene

According to a study conducted by Chuck Gerba, PhD, a Professor of Environmental Microbiology at the University of Arizona, Gerba states that your desk DOES have more germs than a toilet. Gerba says the reason for this is because people do not frequently wash their hands while sitting at their desk. If you think about it, how many places are your hands touching (papers, coffee cups, shaking hands, staplers, phone, pens, etc.) and then you are touching other objects on you desk like the key board of your computer. Gerba reports that there is over 400 different types of bacteria lingering on your desk at any given time, and one third of the desk tested in the survey has the parainfluenza virus. The parainfluenza virus is the virus that carries what we know as the cold and flu. If your office is warm and a viable place for breeding, bacteria will take full advantage, they do not have anything holding them back!!!; no birth control, rules, ethic morals, no sense that you have a big project going on or coming up; so be sure to pull the smack down on them before they get too rowdy.

So how do you give the filthy bacteria the boot? Gerba recommends that you wipe down your desk with anti-bacterial wipes on a regular basis, especially during this season, since the flu virus can run ramped and employees along with yourself may go in the office a little under the weather. To get rid of the bacteria you don’t have to spray your office equipment directly, you can spray on a towel and then wipe. Wash your hands often or have anti-bacterial hand sanitizer on your desk; just make sure it is alcohol based. Wipe your phone down everyday, you are using it several times a day and even if you don’t use it, wipe it down. And again don’t touch your face. One more great tip, if you are going to cough or sneeze, do it into the bend of your elbow, that way you are not getting the bacteria on your hands and spreading it onto your desk or shaking hands with the germs. Also, be sure to disinfect 2 – 3 days after you notice someone is sick in the office, and continue your regular disinfecting schedule.

Full Article Germ and Bacteria Hot-Spots: 12 Things You Should Know http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/body/germs-bacteria/germ-bacteria-hot-spots/

When you are a newbie to Pilates one of the first exercise series that you learn is footwork. These are great exercises to really feel how you are working your feet on a daily basis and how you should be working them. During your foot work you should notice whether you are balanced across your foot or if you feel more pressure on the outside or inside of your foot.

The focus in Pilates can seem really intense… After all you have to focus on pull-in in your powerhouse, lengthen, wrap, and a bunch of other stuff, and now we want you to focus on your feet. Yes we are adding one more item to focus on to your list. Just think, your building more and more neuron pathways! If you keep your focus turned on, especially the focus on your feet, you’ll be able to get better posture and hopefully relieve some of the pain in your knees, hips, or back. It may seem odd that you could have pain in your back caused by an imbalance in your feet, but think about what carries you around all day long, and about how much your feet have to work to get you where you want to go.

So give them a little relief by focusing on your feet a little more at your next Pilates session. Or you can try out the foot corrector created by Joseph Pilates himself. Trust us your feet will love you; give them a little attention and your knees, hips, and back will also soon follow with a Thank You of their own.

There is a great website called Pilates Blog. Here you will find so many articles all about Pilates. Anywhere from the History to real people getting fit with Pilates. There is also videos, apparel, and information to get you started on your Pilates adventure.

Pilates offers a great number benefits to your mind and body. It’s a great way to get your mind to take control of your body and not the other way around. Many of us have trouble with this fact because we are so use to letting our body control what we are able to do. Not to say that humans do not experience pain that the mind can not control, but the day to day pain that transpires, the mind can control if you let it.

And with Pilates, your mind will be able to get more in touch with your body, therefore learning if your body is really in pain or if your mind is just saying it because you give it the reaction it wants. The human mind has the power to control the movements we make and push ourselves to the limit to get the body that we ohhh soooooooo desire.

An article titled “The Benefits of Pilates: Just what can Pilates exercise do for you?” written by: Barbara Russi Sarnataro and reviewed by: Brunilda Nazario, MD, they outline 3 Fantastic Benefits of Pilates. To sum them up they are:

1. Body Awareness

2. A Stronger Core

3. Body Control.

To find out what they mean by each of these benefits go here: Benefits of Pilates.

If you still craving more of a reason to jump up and do Pilates here are a few more reasons:

1. Body Efficiency

2. Leaner more Stretched Muscle

3. Flexibility

All of these reasons we have personally experienced, and that’s why were in the the Fitness business, to show you how you can also achieve your goal with Pilates. And believe us after your first session even though you didn’t run or do intensive cardio you will be feeling the burn. You will be sweating, but your body will be saying: THANK YOU. STRETCH ME , MAKE ME LEAN, HELP ME LIVE LONGER.

The longer your do Pilates, the more you will become “MASTER OF YOUR BODY”.

Other Great Benefit Links:

http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/top-six-benefits-of-pilates-exercises-74468.html

http://www.pilatesinsight.com/pilates/pilates-benefits.aspx

Think about what you are doing to your body and how you are adding to its’ life. Our bodies chemistry is not cut out for digesting so many unnatural things. Adding to the complexion of losing weight, we run our lives in fast forward mode, that includes more sitting at the desk, driving time, and the feeling of there is no time to exercise.

We do not believe the excuse that there is no time or money to exercise. When Joyce was a Teaching Assistant at CSUN, she told the students that there are parking structures 6 levels high and stairs to climb and run up. This is free exercise. We are lucky to live somewhere where there are trails all around that are great to go hiking at. The beach is close enough to drive to and take your dog to play in the water. Time is all about scheduling what you can and leaving time for yourself. If you are one of those compulsive workers like my fiancee, the best thing you can do is exercise. When you exercise you will find that you are more relaxed and able to focus, it is also a great stress reliever.

With all this in mind no wonder we have trouble staying on track. Here are some great ways to make sure you keep the faith:

1. Buddy up. Find SUPPORT

This is a great way to get through the ruff spots. No one understand you like the person you buddy up with. Especially if you are on the same program regiment. This should be someone who will give you great support and help talk you out of shoving that cookie down your throat. One of the greatest helper you will need is support, so surround yourself with those who know what your goal is and support it. Avoid those who are going to sabotage your hard work.

2. PLAN PLAN PLAN

If you take the time to plan out your meals and shop before you get caught up in the heck tick week life,     you will save yourself a lot of disappointment. Plan meals that are easy to make and that can be taken to work. Not only will you save money from packing your lunches you will save time in figuring out what fast food to hit up, save in gas because you don’t have to drive, have more time to text or chat with your love one.

3. Make it Simple

When your first trying to figure out what food works with your body instead of against it. Remember your body does not transform over night so give it some time, and make meals that are simple to make and do not require a lot of time. The time you save on making that big fancy dinner can be used to workout, doing Pilates : ). Keep your meal cycle down. We don’t always need to eat something new an different, therefore if you keep to a few good meal chooses you will find that your body will know what it is getting and will be more willing to help you to your goal.

4. Take advantage of simple things

What we mean by this is instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. When your walking remember your posture and suck that tummy in and up. Enjoy the weather and walk with your love one. Let this walking time be the place where you vent and get out what happened in the day. Train your mind that exercising will reduce your stress. Tap your toes while at work to keep the blood flowing smoothly. All the little things that you incorporate into your daily life style will add up. If you have a dog train them to run with you, and walk at your pace. (Joyce had to train my doggy Peanut to do this. She knows now who the BOSS really is, but sometimes she let her wear the pants. hehe) Trust me your dog will love you for the outdoor adventure.

5. Cut the Sweets

Sugar makes your body go crazy, Joyce is a recovering sugarholic, like some of our clients. She use to want to be a baker and my mom told me, “I should find a different profession to enjoy”, she was right. At the height of it Joyce was far from the place she wanted to be, so she have trained my body and my mind to eat what my body needs to build muscle and lose weight. It has not been easy and we’re not saying you can never have sweets but they must be minimized to the bear minimum, if not cut out completely. Kick the addiction and join the fight to get your body where you want it to be. Just consider Sugar to be your enemy and everything you workout you are in a boxing ring kicking its……Koon Gondeh (Big Butt).

(A Regular size Kit-Kat Bar has 50 % the amount of Saturated Fat for your daily intake. This is based on a 2,000 calorie diet and most of us don’t even have that many calories to expend in one day. So, if you eat one you most likely over ate your daily amount if not more of Saturated Fat.)

6. Find out your METABOLISM

Before Joyce started here she was already working out 4 times a week doing intense cardio. Joyce was getting so fraustrated that the scale was not saying that she lost any weight. That was because she was following the mentality that workingout=eatting less. Joyce has learned since then, that this is completely untrue. She was undereatting and therefore her body was starving for food and it would eat at my lean muscle that I was building. Since, Joyce figuring out TRUE METABOLIC RATE on our wonderful KORR METABOLIC ANALYZER, she has been feeding my body and it is no longer starving. Her body is happier and finally allowing it to create lean muscle and keep it on. Clothes fit better and look better, so come on in and find out what your Metabolic Rate is.

7. Keep the Faith

We should have put this up by the Support but we think it will work better down here. Remember you are trying to change your lifestyle for the better. Your body is use to getting what it wants, its’ stubborn, and wants to stick with what it knows. You as the leader of your body, must be patience and find a way to implement change without causing a body riot. We are here to help you do this, and we have great success stories to prove if you do what the trainers say, you will lose the weight. Your body will be slow on the up take but keep strong and it will fall into the routine. When that happens is different from body to body. Mine personally took 5 weeks.

There are so many more reasons of why you should stay on track once you have started. Remember how you felt when you weren’t doing anything to become healthier and look forward to where you will be when you have reached your goal.

You wouldn’t believe how great laughing is for you, and your body. When you laugh your whole body gets a great workout and it even helps out your immune system. Well, let’s go through the body and see what happens when you LAUGH IT UP!

Your Face: 15 small muscles contract, which in turn increases blood flow that makes your face turn a little pink and gives you that wonderful glow.

Mouth: In a Loma Linda University study they found that laughing raise levels of disease fighting immunoglobins by 14 percent. In an another study it was found that laughing also increases the number of good T-cells, giving a boost to your immune system.

Eyes: When you really get a good laugh going and you start to cry, you may be reducing stress. So next time you feel like you are just overwhelmed, watch a funny movie, call up a friend that makes you laugh or, you can watch the cat who plays the piano on youtube.com .

Vocally: Your diaphragm begins to go crazy, pumping up and down to get a good amount of oxygen flowing into the blood. Also, instead of yelling next time just laugh at the situation, since it takes just as much effort.

Blood Vessels: For those of you who have diabetes, know someone with diabetes, or for your general knowledge of diabetes, laughter is a greater fighter against disease, stress, and helps your immune system. Laughing can also possibly help keep glucose levels in check.

Pain Reliever: Now this may not work for excruciating pain but next time something hurts, try to remember a funny story or situation that will help you laugh. This will not only take your mind off what is going on but will help in getting through the situation at hand.

Belly Laughs: A great laugh can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, just as much as a 10 minute workout. What a great and quick exercise! This is not to say you should replace your workout with laughing but throw it in as a great addition. No wonder our bellies’ hurt so much after we laugh.

Funny Cats Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IytNBm8WA1c

I hope you get a good laugh from this video.

Photo From: www. eyeonda.com