I have had many conversations in my blogs about choosing. We choose each thought, each action, and each reaction that we have every minute of every day.
Every thought that goes through your mind is your choice to have. You may think your not choosing every thought, but you are. Who else is in that mind of yours besides you? You have been gathering up information your whole life from all of the people and situations around you, and then you create your thoughts in regards to all of that.
For instance, if you have had family or friends that have not been supportive of you, maybe verbally degrading, your thoughts might be of low self worth, or insecurity. What that is saying is that you have agreed with whatever has been said to you and you have decided, most likely unconsciously, to choose to think lowly of yourself because of how you have been treated.You may have a background where you were told you are the most special person who has ever lived. Your thoughts will most likely be of higher self esteem and self worth because you will believe what you have been told. In both situations you have chosen to think the thoughts that you are thinking because of what you have experienced.
What if you decided not to believe the negative comments and treatment that you have heard, and instead choose to believe that you are a wonderful, deserving, special, person with a lot to offer the world? You can choose to do that if you are conscious of what you are thinking. You can choose to think anyway that you want to, if you are mindful of it.It is not easy to practice mindfulness, but like anything, you must keep practicing it. You have to be aware of your thoughts at all times to be able to choose consciously. This takes practice, but can change your life if you learn to accept that it is you that has the control over your thoughts, actions, and emotions.If you want to lose weight, 
but choose to eat poorly and not exercise, you are choosing to be fat and out of shape. If you want to go to college, but choose not to study in school and get bad grades, you are choosing to not get into college.If you want to get a job, but don't show up on time or act responsibly, you are choosing to not get hired. If you want to save money, but keep spending it, you are choosing to not have any savings. Everything is a choice on your part, no matter what it is.
Everyone is always saying things like, "I want to have this", or "I want to be that", but they choose not to do the things that will get them what they desire. It takes effort, action, and discipline to get these things that you want. You must choose to do what it takes to get the result that you want. 
If you are always in fearful, stressful, thoughts, you are choosing those thoughts that you are having. No matter what is going on, it is always a choice in how you think about it, feel about it, and react to it.
So remember to be mindful of your thoughts, actions, and emotions. It is a liberating and freeing to know that it is "You" that is in charge of how you think, feel, and react.
If you have a victim mentality, you will not like hearing this for you will have no one to blame except yourself for how you are feeling and thinking....but you need to know that there is no one else who is responsible for these things, only you.It would be wonderful if we all had parents and people in our lives that did nothing but praise us and uplift us....that unfortunately is not a reality. But the beauty of it is, you can do that for yourself if you just understand the power lye's within you....not in anyone else. Stay in your power and thrive on good thoughts, actions, and feelings....it will change your life!Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
Do you like to dance? Well, if you do, dancing is a great way to get some exercise and have fun at the same time. It does not matter what type of dancing that you do, it all adds up to burning calories and toning the body.
When I was young, I took ballet classes and loved them. When I was nineteen I took ballet, tap, and jazz, and loved that too! When I was in my early twenties I started doing aerobic dance classes, and found yet another way to get fit and have a great time while I doing it.Dancing can be so much more than exercise. It can be a way to express yourself, and let loose. There are modern dance classes that allow freedom of movement all while burning calories and getting into shape. Being able to move your body in an expression of yourself can be very liberating and freeing.
Depending on your body weight, the more you weigh, the more calories you burn, dance is a way to burn any where from 200 to 600 calories an hour. It doesn't matter if it is an organized form of dance such as ballet or jazz, or just dancing to music anyway that you want to, dancing is a perfect addition to anyone's exercise program.
Have you seen dancers bodies? Dance shows are very popular on television these days. Check out some of these dancers bodies, and you will understand how dance gets you into shape. They are muscular, yet limber. They are strong, toned, and sexy. Not a bad combination if you are looking to be fit and healthy all at the same time looking absolutely fabulous!There are so many choices to use dance for exercise. Most gym facilities offer different kinds of aerobic dance classes. There are private studios in all communities that have a variety of dance classes available.
You can purchase multiple types of dance DVD'S to work out to in your own home, or if you just want to put on some music and simply free dance for thirty to sixty minutes, you'll have yourself a workout that is fun and easy to do.Get together with a few of your friends and form your own dance class. You could meet a couple days a week, and treat it like a workout class. It is always more fun to have friends to work out with, and when it is dance, it is extra fun!So put dance into your repertoire of tools for being fit and healthy. You won't get bored, and you'll most likely look forward to it. When you can make exercise fun, what could be better?
Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
Have you ever heard of that statement, "Follow Your Bliss"? It was penned by a man named Joseph Campbell who was a writer, lecturer, educator, and teacher. He passed away in 1987, but his teachings and philosophies have endured and surly will continue to for many years to come.
Joseph Campbell was known as an American mythologist, but covered many aspects of our human experience, one being the understanding that if you "follow your bliss" you will find true fulfillment and happiness. What Mr. Campbell is referring to is living your life by doing what is your passion, what fills your soul, or what truly makes you happy. If you choose to work in a field that you do not find happiness or fulfillment, you are not following your bliss.
Many people spend their lives doing something that they do not enjoy in order to survive. They may have a job their whole life that they find no satisfaction in, but do it because they feel they have no other choices. They feel trapped and fearful of doing anything else.What Joseph Campbell is saying about following your bliss is, if you find what you are passionate about and do it, your success and support will come as a result.I believe that this is true. You can look around at people who do follow their bliss, and see that their lives fall into place because of it. Those that are always doing something they do not enjoy, may never find true happiness within themselves.
When I was a teenager, I wasn't sure what I was passionate about. I knew I loved to exercise, ride my bike, and do things like hiking, but how could that be what I was supposed to do? Back in those days, personal trainers did not exist, nor did many successful female athletes. It was not something that I thought I could make a living at.I chose to go to college for business, but found out that is not what moved me. When I was twenty-five I found aerobic classes, and realized that I loved doing it and began to teach classes at a friends club.Still it was more of a side job than anything, even when I opened my own studio it was not something that I could support myself with. I kept trying to work in business and sales, but I was not very happy doing it. I was not following my bliss.As time rolled on I began doing more and more in fitness when at the age of 33 I became a personal trainer. I was now doing what I loved, and excelled at it. Things began to open up and happen to support my work. I have followed my bliss now for all of these years, and the universe has always supported my needs. It is magic when you find what it is you are meant to do.
Many of my teenage students are not sure what their "bliss" is at their young age. That's O.K. Just learn to pay attention to what makes you happy, or when you are doing something and you lose track of time. That is usually a sign that you are doing what you love to do. 
Do you love to work with people, love to draw, or build things. Do you like to work with children, take care of others, dance, teach, or have a love music? You might be good at numbers, love to cook, or like myself love physical activity. What ever it is that makes your heart sing, follow that as your path to "Your Bliss" and support and rewards will follow.Remember too, if you are doing something for the sole reason of getting money, you are most likely not following your bliss. Usually that is not going to give you happiness and fulfillment. Money will come if you find your true path and "follow your bliss", I promise you that.So focus on finding what makes your heart soar, and time disappear, and you may be on to what you should be doing in your life. Never settle for less if you want to be happy and fulfilled. It is in your "Bliss" that you will find true satisfaction in life!
Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
I have seen a few ads recently promoting bathing suits for our upcoming summer. Usually they say something about getting ready for summer, meaning, are you ready to put a bathing suit on in public.I have never understood that philosophy. Why is it that summer and bathing suit weather is the only time we should be in shape? What that is saying is, its all about vanity, and not about health. I don't know why that shocks me, given the superficial society that we live in.Media promotes an unrealistic view of women and their bodies. With air brushing and computer enhanced photos they create the flawless illusion that we see. Many women feel inadequate about their own body because of the media's constant attention to retouched photos of celebrity bodies. This past month there have been a couple of female celebrity's, Jessica Simpson and Brittney Spears, who did photo shoots without any makeup or retouching. How refreshing and wonderful of them to make this change. We need more of these types of photo's to get back to reality.
Then there are the Heidi Montags of the world, who in my opinion need a good therapist. I mean really! Talk about being insecure and all about vanity....this girl is the epitome of what is wrong in our culture. She is only about how she looks, which to me looks like a fake, plastic, doll. I hope she gets help soon, so she doesn't self destruct any more than she already has.I think we should adopt a new philosophy of getting ready for life! Being fit in a bathing suit is fine, but does that mean if you are in winter clothes it is O.K. to be fat and out of shape? Does that mean that we stop exercising in the months that we are not showing lots of skin? It all comes down to our intense focus on how we look, not how we feel, and certainly not anything about our health.
Have you noticed that when you are fit and doing the right things for your body, that you "Feel" better? Have you noticed that when you exercise and eat right, you look better?Looking good is a side effect of eating healthy and exercising. Our focus should be on how we feel and our health, not just about how we look. Looking good happens when you take care of yourself with good nutrition, regular exercise, and healthy thinking. 
Feeling good is where we need to put our attention. It is not just the summer months that you want to feel good. Feeling good is where its at. That should be your motivator, not just how your body looks in a bikini.We can all appreciate a beautiful body, but do we need to have that as our priority in life? If you focus on how you feel, take care of your body with exercise, your mind with positive thinking, and your soul with meditation and following your passions, you will look great without having to even think about it at all. What a relief that would be!
So get ready for life, and focus on feeling good. Your body will be beautiful for it!Till Monday,
Queenie
I have talked about the importance of getting enough protein in your diet, and would like talk about protein bars.
From reading my blog on protein we know that being a female requires us to have a minimum of 50 to 55 grams of protein a day for optimal health. We also know that we can get good sources of protein from chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, eggs, and some dairy products. But lets talk about getting protein from protein bars.Some day's it is more difficult to get the amount of protein we need due to being on the run and dealing with a busy schedule. These are the days that having a protein bar will be a good compromise. I wouldn't recommend having protein bars instead of food on a regular bases, but they are good during athletics, and when you are on the go. However you need to know a few things before you choose your protein bar.A study that was done in 2001 by consumer labs found after looking at 30 different nutrition bars that 60% failed to meet their labeling claims. Which means that 18 bars had incorrect information when it came to their labels claims of amounts of protein, carbohydrates, calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol.After doing a little research I found that these bars have a good source of ingredients and will be a good choice for a meal replacement on occasion or to maintain your protein needs.Balance Bars:
Power Bars:
Protein Plus by MET-Rx:
Cliff Bars:
Soy Joy:
Remember you should try to get your nutritional needs from food most of the time, but when you are in a rush, or doing an athletic event, grabbing a protein bar is the next best thing.Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
Today I want to talk about one of the four agreements in Don Miguel Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements". (See Four Agreements Blog) This is something that everyone should be practicing, but unfortunately most of us do not.One of the ways that the author describes this agreement is, "Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love."
How lovely that would be if we all practiced that agreement 100% of the time. Can you imagine a world where everyone spoke the truth, only used words that were kind and loving, and never gossiped or degraded anyone with words? It would be a kind, compassionate, and loving existence for everyone. Hard to grasp!I work on this agreement all of the time. I try not to give my word to anyone unless I am willing to follow through with it. This I have gotten pretty good at. If I tell someone I will do something, then I make sure to do it. If I say I will be somewhere at a certain time, I make sure to be there when I said I would. I have practiced keeping my word to others, and I feel better for it.
Always telling the truth is sometimes difficult for most of us. Little white lies, as we call them, seem to be harmless and we tell these white lies multiple times in a day. An example of this might be getting a phone call that you don't want to take and telling the person that you are busy and can't talk at the moment, but you really are not busy and lied to get out of taking the call.These kind of fibs don't create much harm, except for the fact that you are being out of integrity with you word, and ultimately it will reflect on you not being honest. The caller may not ever know the truth, but you will, and that will effect your personal relationship with being out of integrity.
One of the things I have noticed in my 22 plus years of working with women is that they have a bad habit of saying negative things about themselves. I hear things like, "I'm fat", "I'm awful at this", "I hate my body", "My legs look terrible", "I'm such a looser", "I'll never be able to do that", and so many other negative things that I don't have enough time to write them all down. Females are many times their own worst enemy.Speaking negatively about yourself is in many ways worse than someone else doing it. You have yourself captive 24 hours a day to degrade and belittle yourself. Try stopping the negative chatter by first becoming aware that you are doing it, and then quickly replacing it with a positive thought about yourself. I have always told clients that do this, that they have to say 10 positive things to erase the one negative thing that they just said. It helps.Talking negatively or gossiping about others is really detrimental to ourselves. Why do we spend so much time gossiping? I am guilty of this too...but I have found that when I am gossiping, I do not feel good about it. 
Does talking about someone else's troubles and traumas somehow help us to feel better about ourselves? It is a horrible way to try and feel good about ourselves, and really points out how bad we do feel about our own lives if we have to revel in the bad news of someone else.
Gossiping about total strangers like celebrities is even more weird. Why do we waste our valuable time caring about a celebrity that has slept with someone other than their spouse. What business is it of ours? How does this kind of gossip get on national news? It goes to show you where the attention of our population is...and that my friends, is in the gutter. Telling the truth all of the time is not easy, but would make your life easier if you could practice doing just that. Some people think they have to lie so they do not hurt someones feelings, but I disagree with that. If someone asks you if you like their dress and you don't, you do not need to lie or be mean, just say "It's not my style, but its great for you." That way you tell the truth, and are not hurtful to your friend.So begin practicing being impeccable with your word. Read "The Four Agreements" to get a full understanding of this agreement. It will help you to be a better person, and others will respect you for it.Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
For instance, if you have had family or friends that have not been supportive of you, maybe verbally degrading, your thoughts might be of low self worth, or insecurity. What that is saying is that you have agreed with whatever has been said to you and you have decided, most likely unconsciously, to choose to think lowly of yourself because of how you have been treated.
What if you decided not to believe the negative comments and treatment that you have heard, and instead choose to believe that you are a wonderful, deserving, special, person with a lot to offer the world? You can choose to do that if you are conscious of what you are thinking. You can choose to think anyway that you want to, if you are mindful of it.
but choose to eat poorly and not exercise, you are choosing to be fat and out of shape. If you want to go to college, but choose not to study in school and get bad grades, you are choosing to not get into college.
If you are always in fearful, stressful, thoughts, you are choosing those thoughts that you are having. No matter what is going on, it is always a choice in how you think about it, feel about it, and react to it.
