Leaf Peeping & Label Lessons Learned in Vermont by Mirabai Holland © 2011

Last weekend I went hiking in Vermont and the Fall color was astonishing.

I went along for about two hours at a brisk pace enjoying the fresh air.

Much of my exercise is teaching fitness classes and creating new routines for exercise DVDs. So, it was refreshing to just free my mind, move my body and drink in all those trees dressed in red, yellow, orange mixed with green. Sometimes its good to mix up your exercise routine. I felt renewed.

When I finished my hike we went into a little country food market.

So cute with all those red and white checkered tabletops filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade jams, honey, maple syrup and cider. I spotted a bottle that said “Fresh Apple Cider” thinking how fresh it would taste, this being apple season and all. I continued my walk and I’d gotten a considerable distance from the store when I decided it was time for swig of cider. As I was about to sip, I glanced at the ingredients label expecting to see APPLES. But instead it read

APPLES, and Potassium sorbate, a preservative.

I wanted to throw that cider against a wall!

I was thirty so I drank a little and whether it was in my mind or not, it seemed to taste not as fresh as I imagined it would. So the lesson here, is just because you are in an adorable country market, don’t take for granted that all the foods will be fresh and adorable too.

So caveat emptor: let the buyer beware!

I also filmed a brief vlog (video blog) post while I was there. Enjoy!

Here’s a fresh exercise approach on DVD for your Holiday Gift Guide by Lifestyle Makeover Pro Mirabai Holland MFA Available at www.easyexercisevideos.com

Fabulous Foreverâ DVD 7 Pack Level 1 & 2 by Mirabai Holland MFA

Retail Price: $59.95, $6 S & H
· Sustainable: Anti Drill Sergeant approach gets you fit while staying in your comfort zone. Pleasant enough to stick with for life
· Complete: 7 DVD set takes you from beginner through advanced. Comes with 4 ft latex band that trims and tones your body
· Convenient: Work out at home; take it anywhere
· Cost Effective: Less than a month or two at the gym: Buy it once; use it forever.

The Wellness Mandala By Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2011

Autumn, leaves are turning, frost is on the pumpkin and flu season is knocking at our door. I’ve got no excuse. Even my neighborhood drugstore is giving out flu shots these days.
Thinking about avoiding the flu always makes me wax philosophic.
So I started thinking about wellness. What is wellness anyway?
It’s the absence of disease. If you are not sick you are well.
But it’s more than that isn’t it? It’s quality of life and for some it’s the balance of all things. I like this balance concept so I dug out one of my favorite balance tools:
The Mandala: the wheel of life. I wrote down all the types of wellness I could think of and ended up with 6 categories that I stuck on my Mandala. Here they are:
Physical Wellness
· Taking care of your body, eat right, exercise
· Visit your doctor regularly

Mental Wellness
· Keeping an open mind and trying to see other’s point of view
· Allowing your curiosity to take you to new places and learn new things.

Emotional Wellness
· Trying to keep a positive state of mind
· Cultivating self esteem
· Reaching out to others for support

Spiritual Wellness
· Recognizing your beliefs.
· Allowing your core values to direct your actions.

Social Wellness
· Developing positive inter-personal relationships at home and work
· Allowing yourself to give and receive love: to and from everyone that means that much to you including animals
· Participate in social situations; try not to stay on the sidelines.

Environmental Wellness
· Making your home environment peaceful, pleasant, safe and comfortable.
· Choosing an occupation and a workplace that doesn’t drive you nuts.
· Try to have a positive impact on our natural environment.
Recycle more, pollute less.

When the wheel is in balance it spins evenly. When even one of these categories is out of whack, the whole wheel starts to wobble.
So as a wellness professional I respectfully suggest you get rolling!

Send your Moving Free with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

CAN YOU BE FIT AND FAT? by Mirabai Holland © 2011

You don’t have to be thin to be fit. A number of the people I work with in my practice are both fat and fit. They work out and don’t always lose weight but they are reaping the health benefits that regular moderate exercise can bring to everyone.

According to Dr. Steven Blair in a study from University of South Carolina report published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association. (2007)

“There is a great benefit to being fit” Blair noted, “even if you are, in fact obese…across every category of body composition, unfit individuals have a much higher death rate than those who are fit…Our follow-up has shown that the death rate for women and men who are thin but unfit is at least twice as high as their obese counterparts who are fit…Fitness appears to provide protection against early mortality no matter how much you weigh”

So if you’ve got a few extra pounds on that you are finding impossible to shed, don’t obsess and don’t use it as an excuse not to exercise. Get yourself on a pleasurable and sustainable fitness program. You’ll feel and be healthier and you may eventually end up thinner too.

Here are some safety guidelines for exercising while carrying some extra weight:

Do low impact cardio activities like walking, biking, swimming or low impact aerobics. High impact exercise like jumping or running while carrying extra weight can over-stress your joints.

Stay in your target heart zone. If you’re a normal, healthy person, here’s the formula for finding yours:

220

- Your Age

Your Max Heart Rate in Beats Per Minute

Your should exercise at between 55 – 85% of your Max heart rate.

A good rule of thumb is you should be just barely able to carry on a conversation while exercising.

Here are a few tips for making your exercise program Pleasurable and Sustainable.

- Find something you like or at least don’t hate!

- It helps to exercise with a friend or loved one.

- Use your favorite music to help motivate you.

- Find a regular time in the day and make it a habit.

- Try to do at least something 5 days a week.

- Don’t over do it. Stay in your comfort zone.

Enjoy! And remember, fat or thin Fitness = Longevity!

Aqua Exercises by Mirabai Holland.mov

Aqua Toning: Beat the Heat And Firm Up by Mirabai Holland © 2011

With this summer’s heat wave in full sizzle, it’s time to jump in the water and cool off as best you can. Here are three Aqua toning exercises you can do at the beach, the lake or the pool.

Aqua Exercises: Stand in water shoulder height with your feet at least hip width apart and knees slightly bent, breathing normally. For all exercises keep water weights or air filled water bottles submerged. If you are just getting started you can use your hands as paddles for less resistance than aqua weights or plastic bottles.
Weights with water for less resistance.
Less water for more resistance.
waRows: Back and Arms
Keep weights just below the surface and using the broad side for resistance, push one slosh weight straight out in front of you while pulling the other straight back behind you. Then switch directions keeping the weights in the water the whole time.
Shoulders/arms/triceps Extend arms in front of chest, palms down. Move arms straight down and extend in back of your hips.
Biceps: Upper arms/forearms Arms are at sides palms up. As you hold the weights. Slowly pull arms as you bend elbows and bring weights up to your shoulders. Then lower them back down.
Send your Moving Free with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Talking Off The Pounds By Mirabai Holland © 2011

Was it Einstein who said “I talk to myself in order to have an intelligent conversation”?
Maybe it was Buddha.

Anyhow, I’m in a conversation with myself right now. I’m trying to knock off a few winter pounds, (If you think being a fitness pro makes you immune think again) and I find talking to myself is not so crazy. We all need a support system. Mine happens to be me.

So every night before I go to bed, I have a little chat with myself. I plan my meals for the next day and approximate calories, and the type of exercise I am going to do. I like to switch it up so I’m not doing the same thing every day, which sometimes requires a little more planning.
I get my workout clothes and other stuff ready the night before so I have no excuse and I tell myself what a good idea that was.
Although I teach classes and work with clients, my body has gotten use to that, so when I want to lose weight, I need to do more.
For motivation, I talk to myself about a piece of clothing I’m determined to get into.
I put myself on a realistic, achievable timeline. So, if I’m trying to lose five pounds I give myself about 5-6 weeks.
Now this sounds like I’m really in charge doesn’t it? But I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.

For instance, this morning my husband brought home a bag of bagels for breakfast.
As soon as I saw them, calorie numbers started to flash in my brain. So instead of denying myself all together, I told myself I could have a serving that would equal the calories, if not the nutrition, of the oatmeal I was about to prepare. And I must say I savored every bite.

As I ate my half a bagel watching my husband eat a bagel and half, I told myself that I made the right choice. I had my taste, and I was thankful for it, and I wanted those pounds off more than I wanted the rest of that bagel.

So if you are looking for some support, why not try talking to your best friend, you!