Peace and Fitness

"Do not follow the idea of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things". Dogen

Welcome to peaceandfitness.com. The idea for this website came from a burning desire to share my passion for health and fitness with the public as well as with my many dedicated and wonderful local students and clients. From fitness tips, and opinionated blogs, to favorite links and more, this site will offer information about all aspects of body/mind wellness. I encourage feedback and hope to be able to answer any questions you may have.

Wishing you peace and fitness always... and all ways

Grab Your Nuts!

November 22, 2011 by bonni Leave a Comment

If you are hosting Thanksgiving, consider putting out mixed nuts as part of your appetizers. With anti-aging, blood-pressure lowering, immune, blood vessel and brain boosting properties, a handful of mixed nuts is a great thing to munch on while having a cocktail, enjoying loved ones…and maybe some football, this Thursday. Rich in vitamins, healthy fats, anti-oxidants and fiber, they may even reduce the body’s response to stress, which is always good, especially this time of year.

As stress levels (good and bad stress) continue to rise, let’s continue to eat and move in ways that help rid the body (mind and soul) of those elevated stress hormones. Drinking plenty of water, getting in those daily doses of movement, even those 10 minute walks, and getting ample sleep will help keep smiles on everyone’s faces as we celebrate our bounty of blessings.

This is the time of year I begin to focus on making sure we take time to stretch, breathe, and practice stress reduction (and gratitude, of course) in all my classes. If you are local and need a break from everything, come on out at 7 tonight and join me for a peaceful “stretch reduction,” class at Tamarac Fitness Center. I will also be teaching Senior Strength at 11:30 am and Cardio-Sculpt at 6pm.

Filed Under: Food, health and happiness, Holidays and celebrations ·

Happy, Healthy and Terrific

November 21, 2011 by bonni Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving this week, and the start to the holiday eating, drinking, shopping, visiting, hosting, spending and unfortunately stressing, officially beginning, it is time to take a deep breath and hang on to not only savor the ride, but to come off (or out) of it feeling happy, healthy, terrific and only the better off from all of it.

As it gets harder and harder to get in your daily workouts, make sure you set some time aside for them. Maybe it’s only twice a week at the gym instead of 3 or 4 times…maybe it’s only a 30 minute (cranked up) workout, instead of an hour. Maybe yoga or Pilates is more effective and purposeful some days, than jumping up and down or treading for an hour. Try to find workouts that better not just your body, but also your soul. If time is really crunched or you find yourself away from your usual routine, WALK. Even 3 ten minute walks a day will help keep the holiday pounds away! As we travel together through the next 5 or 6 weeks, look at each one as they begin to unfold and find some time for YOU.

Knowing Thanksgiving will be a day of indulgence, let it be! I truly believe we all should have one day a week where we let ourselves enjoy the foods and libations we deprive ourselves of the rest of the week, anyway. In as much as we want to achieve and maintain our health and weight goals, we also need to enjoy holidays with our families and loved ones, WITHOUT feeling guilty about a serving (ok, or two) of stuffing or a piece of apple pie. If you are hosting the holiday, stock up (or ask your guests to bring) containers for leftovers. It will make waking up on Friday morning and getting back on track much easier.

Thinking ahead, preparing and MOVING will help us prevent that extra 7-10 pounds of holiday fat from finding a home on our hips, thighs, bellies and butts. We can do this. We can enjoy it all and still feel happy, healthy and terrific when we turn the calendar to 2012.

Filed Under: health and happiness, Holidays and celebrations, Motivation/Inspiration ·

Half Empty, Half Full…How Heavy?

November 20, 2011 by bonni Leave a Comment

Thanks to Susan for sharing this one:

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water.

Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘half empty or half full?’….. She fooled them all… “How heavy is this glass of water?”, she inquired with a smile .

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.

It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it

for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it

for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an

ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “and that’s the way it is with

stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, you have to put itdown for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with theburden – holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down.

Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night… pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, put them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now ‘supposed’ stress that you’ve conquered!”

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Which Garden Will You Tend?

November 19, 2011 by bonni 1 Comment

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach

Filed Under: health and happiness, Quotes ·