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

Face Off

January 18, 2012 by bonni 1 Comment

This week’s BL episode was dubbed “Face Off” week and and opens with Joe wanting to go home and Alison greeting the contestants in a room with a huge buffet of Chinese food. (Gulp, this will be the case when Ellen and I and our 100 or so SilverSneakers students converge on the East Fusion Buffet for our annual luncheon next week). This is season 14′s first food temptation and the team who eats the most calories wins a 2 point advantage at the weigh in (to be used however the winning “eater” chooses.) This whole “who can eat the most calories” challenge makes me sad and angry but I am happy to say, while each group got 5 minutes in front of the buffet, willpower prevailed. Only Cassandra, on the black team, ate…and as a team they decided she eat 2 fortune cookies for only 60 calories total. Why it looked like she was eating soooooo much food, I didn’t understand. The 2 cookies would be enough to win the challenge and the chance to pick the weigh-in, face off, pairs. One contestant from her black team would get pitted against a red team member and each person that wins their weigh in face off, wins a point. Team with the most points wins the weigh in. Cassandra picks some interesting face off duos.

After the challenge, we learn Joe has packed his backs and gone home, telling the other contestants, but not Bob. His brother, Mike, went home last week and obviously neither of them had what it takes to go the distance. His leaving means red team automatically wins that point at the weigh in. Needless to say this pisses Bob off more than anyone else. Dolvett is so pumped by the face-off theme, he has them facing off in the gym as well. We see some drama between Cassandra and Conda when they compete in a burpee challenge with bosu ball in hand. They rematch in another challenge and Cassandra remains the winner.

Next is the challenge and it was a decent one. They must make an assembly line and get water from one area to another to melt a block of ice that holds the prize. In a twist, their trainers are there to help them, but only in the form of coaching and cheering. Red team emerges victorious and wins a video call from their loved ones, but several team members give it to their partners on the opposing team.

We see Bob pay a visit to the aqua team who went home the first week but have a chance to come back if they lose 50 pounds, together, in 4 weeks…I think that would mean they come back to weigh in next week. But for this week, it’s time for everyone to weigh in. Cassandra splits her two pound advantage win by giving one to Megan and one to Gail. Jeremy would be the only contestant to pull double digits this week, losing 11 pounds, but everyone did lose and in the end Black team would win the face

off sending red team to the elimination room where Lauren, quite surprisingly, was voted off. I truly believe they all voted for her because she does have the determination of an athlete and they thought she would do better than anyone else at home. When we see her she is down 53 pounds and competing in a half-marathon, accomplishing her goal of under 3 hours.

Next week, the teams compete for exclusive rights to the gym. I generally love to see what the other team does, as it is usually more impressive than the gym workouts.

I have quite a few things on my mind this morning other than BL, but my face time with the computer screen is over. Forgive my typos as my time was up 5 minutes ago! Before I sign off, thanks to everyone who went backwards to go forwards with me yesterday. I just love your willingness and energy. Lots of good workouts!!! Make it a wonderful Wednesday. More tomorrow.

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Isn’t That a Little Backwards?

January 17, 2012 by bonni 1 Comment

I remember when I first started running, one of the tips I was given by an avid runner and an anatomy professor, was to not get into the rut of simply running forward. It was suggested I run sideways (grapevines) and even backwards. This tip was to not only to avoid overuse injuries, but also to intensify my running workout. When I first stepped on an elliptical machine, one of the things I quickly realized was that I could go forward and backward and work ALL the muscles in my legs, butt, core and arms and while going backwards, noticed how my heart rate went up. In boxing or kickboxing, I was told early on in my training, that its not just about the punches we throw, but more importantly how quickly we bring our arm back from the punch. When I train with weights, I try really hard to work opposing muscles to keep the back of the body and strong as the front. I remember a story about a male bodybuilder who was so focused on building up his chest, that he tore a muscle when he went to put his arm around his wife while they were sitting side-by-side. His chest was so strong and tight, but he neglected to stretch efficiently and didn’t do ample back work to keep the back of his body as strong as the front.

We all need to think about doing things backwards and upside down in order to get in better workouts, prevent injury, prevent boredom and keep us physically (and probably mentally) balanced! One of the things I absolutely love about yoga and Pilates is that this concept is never neglected. If we roll up, we roll down AND we roll over. Leg circles never go one way without going the other. If we sit in forward bend, we will also find ourselves in cobra, updog or bow. If we stand in forward bend, we will probably do a modified back bend, and a side stretch. It’s about so much more than symmetry, though that alone is paramount. An there is nothing like downward facing dog which encourages blood flow to the brain amongst so many other wonderful benefits. Handstands and headstands, for those that can, will also bring a world of benefit to the body and mind.

Going backwards, to go forwards, can be as simple as reversing your “regular” routine. Try warming up and doing your abs first, if you always do them last (and don’t most of us?). If you work in a circuit, reverse it. Try doing your Saturday workout on Monday and then going backwards through your weekly workout.

Remember, our brains (and hence our bodies) love habituation. That can be a great thing, or it can be not so great. If your body and mind don’t know what to expect from your workout, it is going to create change in your outcome. So don’t just mix things up, but remember that going backwards might be just what you need to keep moving forward with the continued success you are looking for.

I’ll be at TFC for Senior Strength at 11:30, cardio-sculpt at 6 and Pilates/Yoga at 7 and chances are good, I’ll be keeping today’s blog entry in mind as we workout, so if you are coming to class, that’s your warning!

Biggest Loser week 3, tonight. See you tomorrow. Thanks for stopping in and hoping some backwards thinking is just what you need to keep moving forward!

Filed Under: Fitness, weight loss ·

Truths and Dreams.

January 16, 2012 by bonni Leave a Comment

I believe it was last Monday morning that I blogged about a very simple truth. We are a heavier society because we eat too many calories. Period. This morning I would like to add another simple truth. We are too sedentary. Period. In fact, on an average, adults in the US spent more than 8, count em, 8 hours a day in front of screens in 2009…computers, TVs, phones, video games, etc., With the surge of tablets over the past 2 years, I am sure the number is MORE than 8 hours today.

If you are struggling with your weight, your weight loss, or your weight maintenance, cut your calorie intake and get moving. We have completed the first half of January and it’s time to get serious about those goals we set 2 weeks ago. If you work in front of a computer, pick a time you are going to get in your daily activity and stick to it. If you, like many others, are already bored with your routine, get out of the box and find new things to do. In fact, mixing things up is exactly what will trick YOUR body and your mind and make your dreams become realities.

I will be mixing things up in my work and workouts today. I will not be at TFC for the 8:30 class, but the good news is, Ellen will be there to sub for me. I will be training clients this morning, but I will be at TFC for SilverSneakers today at 11:30. Holidays are a great day for us to do something a little different. Happy birthday, Dr. King. Thanks for mixing things up, all for the better, in our lives. I honor your dream. Let us all honor our own dreams, as well. Remember that reaching our goals requires focusing on our dream and surging past our obstacles.

Filed Under: Fitness, Motivation/Inspiration, weight loss ·

Here’s to the Unsung and the Really Awesome!

January 15, 2012 by bonni 2 Comments

I have often mentioned that I am definitely NOT a perfectionist! This you already know from reading my blog. Yesterday’s subject title was meant to be “Adopt Happiness,” but in my imperfectionist way, it ended up being “Adpopt Happiness.” So go ahead and feel free to adopt some even as you are ad-popting! I say worrying about perfection holds us back from doing and being so many things.

There are so many people, that may never be perfect but they are none-the-less unsung heroe and awesome persons. All around us there are people that we should spend our time celebrating instead of focusing on the “un-sung.” It’s just another way to see the half-full glass! I love that our very own local Sun-Sentinel commentary writer has begun a column called “The Unsung.” These are people that make our South Florida a better place, like Ricky Holloway who has worked tirelessly and mostly unheralded (until today!!!) at Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor in Dania Beach for the past 39 years. I am also excited to see that Kyle’s brain is on the same page as he and his friend Courtney launched their version of the half-full glass with a simple gesture at www.reallyawesomepeople.com

Just as peace begets peace and gratitude begets gratitude, seeing the awesome and the positive begets positivity. Wishing you all peace, gratitude and a whole lot of awesome on this beautiful Sunday morning.

Filed Under: On the peaceful side ·