Well HELLO 2017 !

Happy New Year EVERYONE!!! As a fitness professional I suppose my first focus should be on exercise, diet, New Years resolutions.. However this year, is different. With all that has transpired in the last few months around the recent election and all the emotions swirling I feel that my focus shifting inward. One of the things I say to clients and if you’ve ever trained or taken class with me you already know is; “Working out is nothing more than working within.”
I’m calling upon that phrase as we kick off this year to encourage all of us to dig a little deeper. Lets be a little more mindful of our bodies, of our stress levels, of what we allow to lift us higher and also what effects us negatively. One of my steadfast rules to working out has and continues to be, “no negativity in the workout”. That being said, my own personal goal this year is to stay engaged politically as a female but not be consumed with worry, frustration or anger. My goal for my clients is for you all to commit to a solid workout program and FOCUS within. Consciously connecting to what our bodies do and how we FEEL during the day makes a huge impact because it keeps you aware IN the moment. Take the five extra seconds and really focus on that extra rep in the gym, or that extra few seconds holding a sprint during a cycling class, and use your mental capacity to turn your thoughts into a positive rather than a negative.
I work out six days a week, and no matter how I feel I am in session with clients or on a bike instructing a room full of people. REGARDLESS of what has happened to ME during the day, I put my worries, fears, frustrations, joy, pain, into the workout! I USE what is happening within my life to work(out) my life.

We all have the capacity to SHIFT our energy and make choices that will either result in a positive or negative experience. Its all about mindset and aligning yourself in the direction of your desire. Set a goal, set an intention and go after it. Focus on that goal fully, feel the energy of your full capacity to MOVE, be grateful for every chance you get to use your body fully (some people don’t have that luxury) and commit fully in the moment.
Show up in class, be in the gym, mind your diet, meal prep, do what YOU need to do that will help YOU. Here are my five tips on how to reset and bring the focus back :

1)LOG OFF. Get off social media. Instead of posting every gym selfie and hashtag under the sun FOCUS on your workout, how you feel and what your body is doing. The time you take posting, applying filters and finding the right angle could be better used into program design. Book a session with me, and I’ll show you what I really mean about optimizing time 😉

2) After you log off, DON’T LOOK BACK. Give yourself a set amount of time where you will commit to the basics and grind on your workouts. Go forward, and don’t beat yourself up over things in the past that you can’t change. Work with me or your own trainer to set up a plan for yourself. One week, one month, six weeks of a solid commitment to being in a workout routine. Know what your goal is, map it out and execute!

3)SHOW UP. With the exception of being ill or an emergency, show up to your workout. Show up for yourself. Instead of a resolution, make a commitment and stick to it. Do not over commit. Start small, and go forward from there.

4) Ditch the negative. If there’s anyone or anything in your life that is deterring from your progress, listen to it less. I can’t make the blanket statement to just ignore it because some of us have to help those who do not hold our values. However, we can filter, re-frame and move forward. My idea here is for you to FIND YOUR FIERCE and move in the direction of your desire.

5) DO YOU. Seriously. Mind your business this year. Try not to compare yourself to anyone but yourself. Strive to BE your BEST and grab your personal gains on your own time. Comparing yourself to anyone else is never a good idea. Keep it simple, enjoy your process and give yourself the chance to allow change to happen.

Peace & Love,

Dani

Summer’s Over, It’s Horrible!

Or is it? I’m not one to look forward to shorter days, colder temperatures and gloomy grey skies. I like the heat, sun and would wear a bikini everywhere I could if possible. But lets get real, I live in NJ not LA so the reality is we have a change of seasons and guess what? Change is good! Just like I change up my clients workout programs to keep them in the mode of progress I look at the change of seasons similarly. Here are my five tips for my fellow beach bums to get through the changes and stay happy and healthy!

1) Supplement with Vitamin D, it’s a well known fact that many people in our region of the country are Vitamin D deficient due to lack of exposure to sun. Shorter days can bring on mood changes and whats know as SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition that causes depression and lethargy that coincides with lack of sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and acts as a hormone in the body and is responsible for keeping your mood stable, provides energy and creates systemic balance. Be sure to check your Vitamin D levels first OR you can stock your fridge with cruciferous greens that contain bioavilable Vitamin D! Just be sure not to over cook them! Broccoli, Spinach, Kale, Bok Choy and Swiss Chard are some of my favorites! Get them at your local farmers market or choose them at your foodstore when they are first delivered for maximum freshness, be sure to eat them within two days of purchase to ensure you maximize nutrient availability!

2) Get outside during the day. Look, I know the joy of sleeping in and I love to any chance I get, however, when the days get shorter I make certain to set an alarm and get outside during the day especially when I’m not working. Its easy to fall into what I call “VampLife” once the sun starts setting early. I’m not and never have been an early riser so I can tell you that waking up late in the fall and then having only a few hours of sunshine is maddening. Open your blinds in the house, let the light in, get your booty out of bed even if you’re tired and get outside. Go for a walk, go get coffee, go to the park and sit on a bench, keep rocking your outdoor workouts! I know my early risers won’t have a problem with that , this tip is geared toward those of you who are more like me 😉

3) Seasons change and so do we. Seasons changing can be a great time to clear your spirit, clean out your closets, release negative energy , let go of whats not working in our lives and reboot the system. It may sound cliche but just like we take out the trash on a regular basis we also need to take out our own mental garbage and clutter. If you don’t have mental space and clarity of mind I can tell you that you’re less like to succeed on a fitness program or reach peak performance in any endeavor. IT ALL STARTS UPSTAIRS. Fitness and success start with what you believe because as humans we ACT in the direction of our belief systems. If you’re bummed out about not being able to spend the weekend at the beach try this; Take an area of your life thats a bit unorganized and devote at set amount of time to organizing it. Watch the way you feel before and then after you complete your task. I know when I attend to the things in my life that I’ve been procrastinating about getting done I feel an instant surge of energy and accomplishment!

4) Shift your energy. Instead of being sad, get glad! Life is short and sometimes we just need to get a grip! We can think about what we can’t do , don’t have or what used to be and get stuck in the past OR we can embrace change and move forward! Change of seasons means that there are new events and activities to try, holidays to get excited for, trips to plan and goals to get! The idea here is to never forget you have options and to avoid the mindset of lack, impatience and complaint. Are we perfect? Hell no. Do we always get it right? No. But to get moving in a more positive direction, if you feel yourself going to the dark side, SHIFT gear into the lighter side of any given situation. not always easy but ultimately it’s your choice that makes the difference and creates the shift.

5) Get centered. Dissatisfaction is a signal that we need to address something (often within ourselves). If we are uncomfortable with change, if the seasonal shift bums your mood, or you just feel down around the holidays, its time to take note. Literally take notes! Grab a pen and some paper and find some time for yourself, by yourself . Make a list of what you’re feeling and see what comes up for you. Self-reflection goes a long way. Change starts within and is inevitable, not always easy to embrace and not as simple as putting on a sweater however, it ALWAYS worth the effort if we take the time to NOTICE whats happening inside us and act consciously in words, thoughts and actions.

But I Don’t Have Time

Guess what? Me either. I’m busy, up early and home late and I spend most of my time as a Personal Trainer catering to other peoples needs, wants, desires and goals. If you want to talk excuses, I have heard ALL of them. Believe me. I heard some last night and just this afternoon. Now, I’m not going to blow up anyones spot but I WILL repeat what I say to myself and to my classes/clients that I meet up with six days a week. There are 24 hours in a day if you can’t find time for yourself then you need a change of mind. Again, it all goes back to MINDSET which is something that is embedded into the fundamental level of each and everyone of my training programs.

Let me break it down for you real simple. You are busy, stressed, overworked, partied out, hungover, your dog ate your sneaker, you’re sore, you have a headache. Guess what? In the time it is taking me to write out this blog I did 25 push-ups. Why? To illustrate a point. There is time, IF YOU MAKE TIME and get your head in the game!

Welcome to my 100 a day challenge. Pick a body part you want to strengthen or tone; so lets say you tell me, “Dani I want my arms to look like yours.” Ok fine. Lets get to work!

Give me 100 push-ups every day for the next week! Most likely you will look at me like I’m crazy at first BUT lets break it down AGAIN. We have time. We have a whole day so for those of you who don’t get to the gym, or to class, or do your 30 minutes of recommended cardio daily this one is for YOU! From the moment you get out of bed, until the moment you lay down at night, you will give me 100 perfect push-ups using correct form. You can modify the exercise by dropping to your knees or using a countertop or table. You can space the exercise repetitions throughout the day. The reason for so many reps is to keep you mindful and to get you into the mindset of thinking fitness, habit, control, and change. Baby steps people, success doesn’t happen overnight!

The idea here is to GOAL SET and then get MOVING! Let me know when you have completed the challenge and as I always say, hold yourself accountable, no Bullsh*t. You have 24 hours, now make it happen!

Watch my video below for push- up demonstrated correctly:

Finding Focus, Hit Reset

How do we hold onto the things that matter when our world seems to be falling apart?

I think the answer to that lies in FOCUS and staying present; Moment by moment. That’s easier said then done when life is happening around us but LIFE is never going to conform itself to our will. Its about how we respond that really makes a difference.

I say to my clients all the time that FITNESS and HEALTH start upstairs- In your mind. “What you think about you bring about, so THINK positive!“ Again, easier said than done when life is throwing you curveballs but just like we PRACTICE a sport or practice yoga, running or weight train in the gym, we have to practice positive thinking and maintain our focus in order for our bodies to function at an optimum level.

When we let the things that happen around us take our focus away from ourselves or we give our attention to too many things at once and lose sight of what’s positive in our lives and become scattered, complacent and negative in our outlook, our bodies suffer as a result. When you lose Focus and Intention and become mentally scattered, your body will respond with pain, illness and tension.

This is why, during times of stress or difficulty it’s SO important to PAY ATTENTION to your SELF. Checking in with your feelings, journaling, meditation, and getting back to your passions in life are brilliant ways to reset scattered energy. This can be hard when life pulls you in ten different directions but it takes practice- and nothing worthwhile happens overnight! When we realize that we are in control of how we REACT to the situations that life throws at us, the sooner we can harness our power and inner strength to keep our minds and our bodies POWERFULLY POSITIVE and function at a SUPREME level of HEALTH. However, it is up to you to hit that RESET button when you have a bad day and MOVE forward rather than getting stuck in a hole.

Love AND Peace

Daniela 🙂 🙂 🙂