Welcome to the NEW YEAR!

Anyone who has followed my blog for 2009 knows that is was a terrible year. I stopped posting in September, because it was bringing me down, so I figured it would do the same for others. I instead focused on teaching yoga, reading uplifting books and trying to figure out how to proceed.

A friend of mine told me the other day to just surrender to the negative in hopes that it would then give…she has had a similar year to mine with illness, financial crisis, car accidents and the like. When these things hit you one right after another, surrender is difficult, but sometimes the best route to take.

So, effective today, January 1, 2010, I surrender to the universe. It is my hope that the bad things have passed, with the last one coming in the mail yesterday. And that all of the negative energy that seemed to surround me in 2009, was to show me how wonderful the events of 2010 will be!!

So not being one for New Year’s Resolutions, I am listing out the good things that will happen in 2010 to start producing the positive energy I need to proceed out into the world today! Here we go starting with the smallest and working up:

1. I will focus on a simple diet of wholesome good for me foods that will nourish me through the winter. I will listen to my body and by intuition, eat what it is asking for to find a good balance. I will identify “emotional eating” and instead of eating through it, will find space for meditation to work through the emotion which is causing the desire.

2. I will find movement in everyday. Without a vehicle, which was truly a blessing in disguise on many levels, I will walk daily, I will get back to a comfortable running schedule, and daily yoga will happen.

3. As the year progresses, I will work on creating the living space I desire, which I believe to be in the cabin in the valley. I will create a list and a plan to accomplish full-time cabin living by the time the fall of 2010 arrives.

4. To go along with #3, I will find a good used 4-wheel drive vehicle to allow me the ability to live in the valley. I will have the cash to pay for this vehicle when it comes across my path.

5. I will run a 1/2 and full marathon and complete the Ragnar Relay in 2010. These are challenges that will help me to get my body back on track, as well as allow me time to practice “moving meditation”.

6. At least 2 properties will sell and close in 2010. Preferably 3, but I don’t want to get greedy here!

7. I will allow relationships to work out in the way that the universe intends. I will not force or prod them along, and I will quit enabling everyone in my life. It is important for each of us to walk our own path and sometimes those paths take turns we don’t intend on. I will accept whatever path we each ultimately follow.

8. The job that I need will find me, and my yogic path will become clearer. My eyes will open as to how I am intended to share what knowledge I have with others.

9. I will welcome my first grandchild into this world this summer. This will be the culmination of all that is good in this world.

So, I may have some lofty ideas for 2010, but am sure that will positive intentions and guidance from the universe, they will happen. So, I have tied up 2009 with a bow, and shipped it off to history, not to look back. I welcome in 2010 with great anticipation and joy….

May you be healthy
May you be happy
May you live in peace…..

Namaste,

jen

p.s. My motto for the year, thanks to a good friend is “A better Jen in 2010.” Let’s watch it manifest….

teaching responsibility….

Parents have many opportunities to teach responsibility to their children. If started when young, children learn through modeling how to be appreciative and responsible. How to take care of not only their own things, but the things of others. They also learn how to be sorry when they damage or hurt something that belongs to someone else. Part of this learning process involves making kids take responsibility for their own actions, and not bailing them out when things go wrong.

A perfect example of this recently happened to us, and the saga will continue. As many of you know, we own a few rental properties. We have always rented to folks with pets, because we have pets and we appreciate how wonderful it can be to have a 4 legged companion.

In August of last year, two of my best ever tenants (thanks Matt and Megan!!) decided it was time to move on, and after 2 years, gave me their 30 days notice on one of our little houses. We all met at the house on August 31st, did our final walk-through and I wrote them a check for the return of their security deposit, along with a little extra for some things they had decided to leave behind, and wished them all the best on their move. Oh yes, they had a dog who was wonderful and never did a bit of damage!

The next day, a girl, who had contacted me in July from out of state, signed her lease and moved in. Originally, there was one dog involved, but since signing the lease, she had aquired another one, so I charged her the extra $100 pet deposit, and she moved in. Oh, I neglected to mention that I had given her a $75 break in the rent, because her husband was in Iraq and I felt it was my duty to support the troops, since they are risking their lives to keep us safe and free….anyway, I digress…

The first few weeks went fine, then I started to receive phone calls from the elderly next door neighbor. He complained that the dogs were messing up his yard, and ripping up my yard, and that he thought they might be wrecking the blinds. I called the tenant and she assured me that she was cleaning up the poop, sweeping the sidewalk, and would replace the blinds when she moved out, because, yes, they liked to look out the windows and had wrecked the blinds. Being trusting, and not wanting to intrude on her privacy, I trusted that this was true. The phone calls from my neighbor continued, and I sent a few emails and stopped down there once. Yes, the yard had some holes in it, but mine does too, so again, I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

A few months went by, and now we are in the dead of winter…January 6th, 2009, my phone rings and it is a Winona police officer, sitting outside of the rental house. Can we please come down? There is a dog hanging by a chain out of a broken living room window. Yes, of course, I said and we headed down. Indeed, there is a dog, who has broken the glass out of the window, hanging by a chain! The police officer is afraid to go near it. It is a big dog, and it does not seem happy. I am not going in! I am unable to reach the tenant, her phone has been disconnected, so I know that her parents live in town. I ask the police officer for a phone book. look up the parents number and call the dad. He arrives in about 1/2 hour with boards to cover the window. He doesn’t want to let us into the house for some reason, so I peek through the living room window, and my heart goes up in my throat. The carpet is all removed from the house. There is dog pee everywhere, up the walls all over the floor….the woodwork is chewed up to dog face high….this is a house that was in nice condition on September 1st, and now is totally trashed. The front two windows are scratched, and the blinds and curtains wrecked.

I never hear from the tenant, only her parents. They assure me that they will put the house back together. They will replace the carpet, and paint, and get the woodwork back to the way it was. This is of course a stipulation of the lease, that you will leave the house the way you found it, so they do the work.

In the meantime, a variety of serious personal issues arise, and this in the middle of tax season, has now become to much for me. I end up at the clinic, needing anti-anxiety medication to function through the day. Still, I am not sleeping or eating and the stress is breaking me.

I make arrangements to get the windows of the house replaced. On February 2nd, I receive an email from the tenant, that she is not coming back to the house, so I should rent it to someone else. Ok, I say, but you will need to pay rent until I can find someone, and the security deposit will cover the windows and other incidental repairs that were needed in addition to the carpet and paint. Ok, she says, that is fine.

The carpet goes in, and is definitely not of the quality of the original carpet. Instead of all matching carpet, I know have 3 rooms that don’t match. The paint is cheap, flat white from Menards, rather than the professionally done eggshell that had originally been on the walls, but I graciously accept what they have done, and tell them that meets the requirements of the “making it whole”, but of course the security deposit is being held to cover the $1500 worth of windows and the cost for the police call and some other stuff. Ok, I hear, yes of course you will keep the deposit.

I ask the mother if they would like to do a walk-through prior to me renting it to the new family, but no one shows up. I have no address for the tenant, so I walk through the house, make sure it is clean and ready for the new tenants and go home.

I rent the house on March 1st to a new tenant. My new tenant cleans up the yard, and I give him a break in his rent due to the fact that the entire yard was covered in dog feces. They move in, and all seems well for a while. My husband has surgery in the middle of March and my daughter suffers a painful and devastating miscarriage as well. My anxiety attacks escalate….

On March 23rd, I get an email from the parents of this previous tenant. When will they be reimbursed for the work that they did? She asks. Well, I remind, the windows were $1500 and there were some other items, such as replaced locks, advertising etc. due to the broken lease, that needed to be covered, so the security deposit is gone, and there will be no reimbursement. I hear nothing else until May 13th, when I get a Facebook message from the previous tenant “when are you reimbursing my parents?” she asks. I again remind her of the damage and the costs involved to correct the damage done by her dogs. I also remind her that we let her out of her lease 6 months early.

She, in her sense of entitlement, tells me I am being rude to her and should reimburse her parents for the work that they did, but does admit that she is not due back her security deposit. This she admits in writing in this facebook message.

I explain again, that the damages cost a great deal of money, that she was responsible for leaving the property the way she found it, and that although I appreciated the work her parents had done, that truly, SHE was the one who should reimburse them, as they saved her a great deal of money.

On May 18th, I receive an invitation to appear in small claims court!! She apparently is still not comprehending the error of her actions, and “can’t understand why she didn’t get her security deposit back. I feel that we have this one in the bag. We had talked about it with her parents, she has said in writing that she is not getting it back. Is this not pretty clear to anyone reading this?

Well, apparently, she found a “loophole” in the law, that states that we needed to “provide to her in writing, via first class mail” a list of items that caused us to keep her security deposit. Well, we had no forwarding address, so apparently, I was suppose to know where she was living by osmosis or some type of mind reading ability and mail it to wherever she was living (I still don’t know where she lives) Now of course any individual with a sense of responsibility would have never thought to bring such a suit in front of the courts. A loophole yes, fair? Obviously not. So the judge, even with all of this information in front of her, rules for us to give this ungrateful, entitled and coddled little brat, her money back.

Where is the sense of fairness and responsibility? Where is the honesty? This is the same as stealing from us, and stealing from my own children for her to think she is entitled to anything. She should feel sad, apologetic and appreciative that we did not initially take her to court for all of the damages. We decided to just “eat” the additional costs initially, as we didn’t feel that she would be able to afford to pay us back. Although if this had been one of my children, I would have made them not only apologize, but pay for the damages as well.

So what are we doing now? Something I thought I would never do…it is not in my nature…but we are suing her for damages. We will not pay her back out of principle…not ever…and we are filing a suit for the entire cost of the damages.

I would give you the shirt off my back, I would give you my last dollar….everyone who knows me knows that….I had the winter from hell and it continues….all because parents don’t teach their kids responsibility….all because some parents bail out their kids, leaving these kids feeling entitled to that which isn’t theirs.

If you are as outraged as I am about this decision, let me know. Landlords need to stand up and do a few things. It is unfortunate, but a few bad apples spoil it for everyone else.

1. Don’t rent to people with pets, but if you choose to, charge a huge, non-refundable pet deposit and make it clear that this is NON REFUNDABLE!!

2. Even if you think you know someone, call at least 3 previous landlords, check their credit and call animal control to make sure there are no complaints against this person. If they don’t have 3 previous landlords, keep looking for your next tenant. If you hear even a slight hesitation in the voice of a previous landlord, keep looking for your next tenant.

3. Go to the house to pick up the rent each month. Don’t just stand in the door, walk in, converse and look around.

4. If someone ditches you with no forwarding address, send a damage list to the house of yours they were living in. When it gets returned to you, hold onto the envelope that says no forwarding address. From now on, I will be hand delivering them at the final walk through OR mailing them “return receipt requested” in order to insure that some little tiny loophole won’t be used.

5. Don’t trust anyone. Anyone can damage your property, anyone can screw you after you help them, and apparently, some people aren’t teaching their kids any morals or manners.

6. Give your cell phone number to the neighbors on both sides, across the street, and behind. Any call, get immediately into your car, go to your property and go in. You have just cause now. Also record these calls and have a stipulation in your lease as to the fine for each one. Of course, after one, boot them out.

7. Outline in your lease what the cost is for breaking the lease. Charge AT LEAST the amount of the security deposit for a lease break to cover your time and expenses to get in new tenants.

So, in conclusion, don’t trust anyone until they have earned it. You can always decide to return a deposit to someone if you choose, but make sure that you have clearly outlined the process, make sure you are not your tenant’s friends, but your tenant’s landlord.

I know now why landlords get pessimistic. It is happening to me and I don’t like it at all….all because of some people’s kids….

My Twisted Relationship with Food…

I felt compelled to write my entire story of my relationship with food this morning because some people don’t buy that there is a psychology to eating….so here I go.

When I was a very little girl, I could eat whatever I wanted and I was always about average. I ate doughnuts and twinkies for snacks and in my lunch. Mom made spaghetti and tacos for dinner, and I could eat until I was full. When I was about 11, things started to change. All of a sudden, I started to go through puberty, and I got chubby in places I didn’t like. I always thought my thighs were fat. They spread out and covered the entire desk chair at school.

I joined the track team and started to run. I sucked as a runner, and I hated it, but I did it so I could lose weight. I was about 15 years old. Then, I heard that if you smoked you could stay thin, so I started smoking. That is a habit that took me almost 25 years to break. When I was 17, my mom decided to lose weight, so she went on a diet called PermaSlim. It was part of the big low-fat craze of the 1970’s. I probably weighed about 125 pounds at the time. She started it, so I started it too. I hid Dexatrim in my dresser, I lived on soda crackers and diet coke, and at 5’7″ tall, I ended up at 113 pounds. My clothes were falling off of me. I would do sit ups in bed in order to burn calories. I was battling an eating disorder, but they didn’t call it that then. Eventually, luckily, I started to eat again and then I left for college.

When I got to college, I weighed 113, by Christmas break I weighed 129 and by the time I got married the end of my 2nd year of college, I was at 143. In less than 2 years, I had gained 30 pounds, all while working full-time and attending school full-time. I got pregnant the next year, and went from 143 to 211 in 9 months. After my daughter was born in March of 1986, I went on one of my more extreme diets. I skipped breakfast, had an 8 ounce yogurt for lunch, and a salad with fat-free dressing for dinner. I took a high impact aerobics class at the college. The rest of the day I drank Diet Coke and smoked cigarettes. I was going to be thin again if it killed me. I got back to about 140 pounds by her second birthday.

Then my husband lost his job and we moved. I got pregnant with my second daughter. This pregnancy went pretty well, I only ended up getting back up around 190 with her, and most of it I lost right away. Of course, I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and didn’t give up the Diet coke. I was so afraid of getting fat again. After she was born, I went to TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly). The day of the meetings, I wouldn’t eat all day. I would barely drink water because I was going to get weighed in. I got back again to about 140 or so by her first birthday.

When she was 2, I found out I was pregnant again. This was kind of a stressful time, as we had only planned on two kids, but God had other plans for us. With this third pregnancy, I climbed back up to about 220. After I gave birth to a beautiful 9 pound boy, I went home to care for three children under 7 of my own, plus I provided child care. I had 8 children all under 7 in my house. I wasn’t overeating, I was cooking very well and I was running non-stop for about 10 hours a day. By the time my son was 1, I was still over 200 pounds. I tried starving myself, but would give up after a week or so. I bought a Nordic Track, but when you weight 200 pounds and smoke a pack or more of cigarettes a day, the frustration of that was just to much, so I didn’t stay with it. I tried lots of things, nothing worked, so for many years I gave up. Plus, I firmly believe that in the back of my mind, I was afraid that if I lost weight again, I would get pregnant again…a mental block that kept me from being successful.

When my son was 9, I decided to quit smoking. Cigarettes had just gone to $21 a carton, and I couldn’t rationalize spending that. Plus, I was up to 2 packs a day. I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without losing my breath. I quit cold turkey in May of 2001. On that day, I started walking instead of smoking. I traded one addiction for another. At first I was walking a mile or so a day, but soon it headed up into 3, 4 then 7 or 8 miles per day as the addiction grew. This was also about the time that I discovered yoga. I started practicing yoga daily to help me to stay calm and reduce stress.

I decided in mid- 2002 that I wanted to run a marathon before I turned 40. I didn’t have much time, so I started training. The diet addiction hit again at this time. In order to run a marathon, I would have to be thin, right? I dropped my daily intake of calories to about 1200 and was running 30 miles or so a week, plus lifting weights or doing some kind of resistance training 4-5 times per week as well. I was working out about 2 hours a day on 1200 calories. I was only losing about 1- 1 1/2 lbs a week because my body had kicked into starvation mode. It was holding onto whatever it could to keep me alive. I passed out one day, when my blood pressure got to low. I didn’t stop my quest though. I was doing a daily run and a daily workout video, no matter what. When we got to the race, I weighed 143 pounds. This was after almost a year of eating nothing and working out excessively. My hair was falling out, I had dark circles under my eyes and I was pale. My blood pressure was so low, I got dizzy alot, but God help me I was thin!!

After the race, the only thing I wanted was a Big Mac at McDonalds. I ate it, and when we got home I weighed 148. I had gained 5 pounds after running a marathon, and eating nothing else bad the entire weekend except a Big Mac. This was disheartening to me. I wouldn’t even drink Gatorade at the water stops because I didn’t want to take in the extra calories. I had a problem and I needed to face it.

When we got back from the race, I started to eat a bit more and eased off the exercise a bit. I was still getting in at least an hour a day, but some days it was just teaching yoga, other days running, and other days resistance. I started to gain back weight. This scared me.

I have over the years evened out between 160 and 175 pounds for the most part. I can gain 5 pounds in a weekend if we travel somewhere. It takes me a month or better to lose it again. It is a constant and lifelong battle that I need to face. Coming from “heavy German and Scandinavian stock”, I work hard to maintain where I am at. I will not say it is easy and it never will be for me, but it is worth the effort. I can run a half marathon without thinking about it much. I can do push-ups and sit-ups with the best of them. I am strong and fit, even if I am not stick thin, and you can’t see my 6-pack abs.

I teach 7-10 yoga classes a week, with most of them being either sculpt or power classes. I run 3 or 4 times a week too and do some BeachBody workouts in between. It is truly my passion to help others find their own level of fitness. It isn’t the same for everyone, and I don’t want anyone to get discouraged because they don’t look like the people in the DVD’s or the models in the magazine. Be you, find your place and be happy with yourself. This is the lesson I want you to take from this story of mine.

Yes, I still need to keep track of what I eat. I have to make conscious choices about my food, I need to spend time everyday being a bit hungry. I fight myself to not obsess over food and exercise, but it is a battle everyday.

You can accomplish your goals, just know that once you get there, you will need to work hard to maintain it. It can’t be a diet, it has to be a lifestyle change. You can never go back to the old ways or you will gain back the weight you worked so hard to lose. The satisfaction you will get is knowing that you can keep up with your kids, you can climb stairs without losing your breath and you will be comfortable in your own skin! Ok, I do eat a doughnut every once in a while now because I really like them, but then I pay attention the next day.

If you are ready to take the next step, I would love to help you! I want to help you to become the best you you can be…I want to help you learn to love yourself, find a healthy relationship with food and fitness…

Are you ready??

email me at simplicityquest@gmail.com or visit my website at http://www.yogafitnesswellness.com

When it comes to diets…one size DOES NOT fit all!

I am a chronic dieter. I have tried every diet that has come down the path at some point in my life. I have done Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, fat-free, TOPS (take off pounds sensibly). I have starved myself, having yogurt for lunch (fat and sugar free mind you), and a salad for dinner…that’s it. I have eaten 6 times per day, I have tried Slim-Fast and diet pills…I have not tried the prepackaged ones such as Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig, only because I could never afford to do them. The cost of most of them is what I spend in a week for my entire family to eat! Did you know that only 5% of dieters maintain their weightloss with most of these programs? They are not lifelong wellness programs, but short term fixes.

The problem that I have found with all of them, is that yes, I can lose some weight in the short term, but as soon as I “go off the diet”, I gain back whatever I lost, plus a few more pounds. It is called yo-yo dieting, and many American women (and many men!) have fallen prey to it. The diet industry thrives on this! You try one, it works for a while, then you try another one, and so it goes….I love the NutriSystem ad, where the woman says, I have gone from a size 12 to a size 2, TWICE! And that is a good thing? A program that truly works, should work for the long haul. You shouldn’t have to do it again.

So, what is the answer? Well, it is different for everyone. Our weight loss, or lack there of, is related not only to what we eat, when we eat it and how much we work out. How we are feeling, stress levels and anxiety has much to do with it as well.

Some of us also have food allergies or sensitivities that play into not only weight loss, but headaches, muscle pain and fatigue. It is important to look at not only the what, when and how of what you are eating, but to examine the finer details of your lifestyle and diet habits.

How do you start to find the way that will work for you? I suggest starting with a food journal. Write down everything you eat, and how you were feeling when you decided to eat it, while you were eating it and after you finished eating it. This will help you to start identifying patterns to your eating. Do you eat when you are hungry, or do you eat because you are bored, sad or lonely? Do you see a pattern of consistently craving a certain food such as bread, dairy or sugar? Don’t worry about calories, fat or carbohydrates, just worry about the what and the why.

After you have consistently kept this food diary for at least 7 days, review it for patterns. Maybe on Monday you ate a big plate of macaroni and cheese because you were bored and within an hour you had a stomachache. Perhaps on Wednesday you consumed several servings of Doritos while watching a movie and later that evening you had a headache. You can then start to see some possible correlations between what you ate and how you felt. For example, the stomachache after noodles can mean you have an intolerance to gluten. The headache after Doritos can be in direct relation to the MSG in the chips.

Once you have looked at some of these correlations, spend the next 21-28 days doing what I call “the elimination diet”. Take your diet back to the basics. Vegetables, fruit, lean meats, rice and oatmeal. I also put eggs in this diet, unless you already know you are sensitive to them. We eliminate gluten, dairy and sugar. After the initial 21-28 days, we can start to add back some of these things a bit at a time, and reevaluate how your body reacts. You may be surprised to find that in many cases you have a sensitivity that you didn’t realize you had, and that by eliminating that thing you start to lose weight and feel better. You keep your journal during this entire process!!

Exercise is the other component to a healthy, happy weightloss and maintenance experience. If you aren’t doing anything at all, start with a 10 minute walk around your neighborhood or workplace, at least once, preferably twice a day. Start to build up on that walk for the first couple of weeks. I also recommend a simple yoga sequence or a class. Do the simple sequence at home at least once a day, and try to participate in a group class at least once or twice per week. In a couple of weeks we add resistance training to your regimen. Your program will differ from anyone elses program, because we are all different!!

What I help you do is stay on track. We start the journal, talk once a week either by phone or in person and email as often as needed. We start working on the plan for the elimination phase and I guide you through meal plans and recipes to keep you from getting bored. We pick put exercise plans and I work with you to keep you motivated and on task. Basically, I act as your personal coach through the process. You will eat real food and use simple, readily accessible exercise programs that will become your lifelong steps to wellness. No more yo-yo dieting, just a personalized, common sense plan to get you on track.

So, if you are interested in getting started on a personalized program, that is designed for you, email me at simplicityquest@gmail.com and we can get started! I hope to hear from you soon….

yogajen

Learning more about Yoga-Is teacher training right for you?

In the United States, many people see yoga as just the physical exercise program that helps them get fit and relaxed. Most of us start yoga with the limb of “asana” or the physical postures of yoga. But there are 8 limbs to yoga, each one another step towards enlightenment.

As many start with asana, they start to see the benefits of learning more about all the limbs of yoga. Whether they want to teach yoga themselves, or whether they just want to learn more for their own personal development, taking a 200 hour teacher training course is the best way to gain this additional knowledge. Yes, we could just buy books, dvds and attend a variety of workshops and retreats, but it is nice to have the guidance and structure of a program that can lead us through the limbs of yoga in a safe environment surrounded by others on the same journey.

As I put together the curriculum for my new 200 hour training, the amount of information is abundant and sometimes overwhelming. Deciding which books to use, which methods to employ and how to structure the days to offer the most information and insight in such short amounts of time is a challenge. I enjoy the challenge, and I am learning so much more as I go through the process, that I am also a student….always a student, of yoga.

As I go through this process, I am also going through the process of completing my own 500 hour teacher training program. There is always more to learn. This initial step is just the beginning, just getting your feet wet and then wanting to learn more and more about the philosophy of yoga. It is my feeling that to be an effective teacher, I must also be a constant student. How can I teach what I am not passionate about? How can I teach what I am not constantly gaining more knowledge about? How can I teach if I don’t realize that there is so much more to learn?

Are you ready to take the next step towards learning more about yoga? If you are, or if you are just thinking about it, take a look at MY WEBSITE and read more about the training. There isn’t a curriculum out there right now, as it is currently in development, and will be until the day we start in January.

My goal is to offer a well rounded and enlightening training at a cost that is affordable for everyone. I want to share my knowledge, and expand on my knowledge, learning with you as we explore this fascinating philosophy.

Won’t you explore joining me on a year-long journey of learning, thinking and expanding your vision of yoga? I would love to have you join me….

namaste,
yogajen

Techno-Fasting

Have you ever thought about what you used to do before you had the internet, email and cell phones? Do you remember what it was like before there were answering machines? Some of you are too young, but others of us remember needing to be at home to answer the phone!

In the “old days” (1980) we didn’t have a cordless phone. When we were talking to our friends or significant other, we hid in a bathroom or a closet, with the phone cord precariously stretched beyond its limits. We spoke in a hushed tone, hoping no one was listening to us outside the door, like a younger sibling!

When we stayed out too late, our parents had no way of finding us, beyond calling every friend we had and grilling them for information.

Now, with all of this new technology, we can chat with a friend while we cruise around Walmart. We can check email from almost anywhere, and we are never away from the “techno-clutter” called progress.

What if we fasted from technology one day a week? What if for one 24 hour period each week, you let the machine pick up the cell phone ring, and left your laptop off. What if we took it one step further, and didn’t watch TV for that 24 hour period either?

How would it feel to be totally technologically “blind”? I have had that opportunity a few times over the last 5 years. We own a small cabin in a valley that has no TV, cell phone or internet reception. When you are at the “shack” you are essentially limited to an adult contemporary radio station and old VHS movies. Life goes on outside the valley, while you blissfully sit there, unaware….

It is a challenge for the first day. I sense my emails piling up and I worry that something terrible may have happened to someone I know or love. I drive to the top of the hill periodically to see if I have any messages. Then a sense of calm starts to overcome me. I remember that there are two neighbors down the way with landlines. If something happened, family would call them to relay a message, or someone would come down and let me know what was happening.

By day 3, I am not even thinking about the thousand emails in my inbox, most of which are junk anyway. I am also blissfully unaware of the chaos of the modern world. I have been watching old movies, reading books and walking miles without noise or interruption.

When I get home, the first thing I do is to check the email! I do this even before taking a shower or peeing in the flush toilet (did I mention, we don’t have running water or indoor plumbing at the cabin either?).

Simplicity at its best is found at the cabin. No email, tv, cell phones or anything mechanical that can break….we love our technology, but taking periodic breaks can be like clearing your mind…

Can you give it a try? Take 24 hours and turn it all off….listen to the silence…

yogajen

Finding Time for Yourself….

Every day I hear people complain about not being able to carve out a minute of “me” time everyday. Time for yourself is one of the most important gifts you can give to not only yourself, but your family and friends as well. Me time makes you a better mom, dad, friend or co-worker. Me time can help you get fit, or it can be an opportunity to write, think, just clear your mind. Everyone needs to spend a little time on themselves every single day, no matter what is going on in your life.

Finding the time can be as simple or complicated as you make it! A student at yoga last night said that she takes one hour every day to do something for herself. She is married, has three kids and a full-time job. If she can do it, we all can. Yes, she said, there are things in the house that could be done, but for her sanity, she takes that hour to read, practice yoga, journal, walk or whatever is on her “me” list that day. When she walks back into her regular life after that hour, she is ready to face the world again.

Getting rid of “I can’t” is a great place to start. “I can’t” leave work on time to get to a yoga class because there is to much to do. (It will be there tomorrow). “I can’t” sit down during nap time and read a book because there are three loads of clothes that need to be washed. (Put one in, sit down, start reading…the hour will be up before you know it.) I don’t get off work until 5 (or I get get done at 4), so “I can’t” get to the 5:30 fitness class, because it is to early (to late…fill in the blank). If you get done at five, walk out, put on your workout clothes and head to class. I don’t mind if you are a few minutes late! If you get done at 4, read a book, journal, return phone calls or check your email until class time…..

Ok, so we got the words “I can’t” out, now let’s get rid of “no money”. Most of the me time things are relatively inexpensive. Having a good book to read can be as simple as stopping at the library once a week to pick something up. Or, if you garage sale, making sure that a book is on your list of things to buy. Walking only requires you to pick up a decent pair of shoes every 500 miles or so. Yoga classes can be inexpensive if you buy packages or skip a fast food meal or two every week. (you don’t need that anyway!!).

If you have small children, it is even more vital that you find time for yourself everyday. Small children are wonderful and at the same time can drain you of every bit of energy you have. I actually have one mom who tells her kids that she will come home a “better mommy” after her hour of yoga, so they say “see you after yoga mommy!!”.

If you need help finding time for yourself, journal your day for a while. See where there are things you could modify in order to carve out your time. You will probably find things in your day that can be changed in order to allow you to sit on a park bench, walk or get to a yoga class….it is important, you are important!! If you need help figuring it out, email me at simplicityquest@gmail.com and let’s figure it out together…

Have a great day!!
Jennifer

Weight Loss Statistics and Success

The major players in the weight loss game have a scam going on. Did you know that only 5% of the folks who lose weight ultimately keep it off? Why?

Primarily, the problem is that these programs are thought of as a diet, something you start, do until you reach some goal, and then ditch like a bad habit. Who wants to count points or eat prepackaged food for the rest of their lives to keep it up?

Another problem comes with low calorie dieting. The more time we spend eating too few calories, making our body think it is starving, the lower our metabolism drops, making it harder to lose weight the next time. Eliminating one food group, such in the Atkins Plan, where most carbohydrates are eliminated, essentially forces you into low calorie mode.

Low calorie dieting, makes you feel deprived, and it also leaves you hungry most of the time. I have been on that road many times, I have skipped breakfast, counted points, tallied calories and starved myself on weigh in day so that I would be the “big loser” at that particular meeting. I have stuffed my cart with prepacked “diet” foods in an effort to manage portion control. I did the “low-fat” thing, thinking that if I ate almost no fat, I would lose weight. None of this works in the long run!

If you buy into the “reduce calories and do cardio exercise craze”, you will find yourself being able to eat less and less, and having to workout more and more to continue to lose weight. By the time you reach your goal, you will be at starvation mode calories, and working out hours a day in order to maintain your weightloss. Is this something you can maintain for years? I don’t think so….

The diet industry has us duped into believing their plans, only to have us run from one plan to another when the weight starts to come back on. In my lifetime, on various plans, I bet I have lost a few hundred pounds. Funny, I never had that much to lose, but by being a “chronic dieter” and losing the same pounds over and over again, I have accumulated quite a boatload of weight loss!!

So what is the answer? How did I lose 70 pounds and manage to keep off most of it for 7 years? Ok, I fluctuate by 10-15 pounds, up and down, usually gaining it in the winter and losing it in the summer, but for the most part, I hover between 160 and 175 pounds consistently. Which at 5’7″ is not skinny, but it is a good weight for me. I feel strong and comfortable at this weight, fitting into about a size 10. Nope, you don’t need to be a size 2 and you don’t need to be rail thin. You can eat, you can workout a normal amount of time, and you can find your set-point weight and be happy.

Here in a nutshell is the answer.

1. Start with a few weeks of an elimination diet- Find a good elimination diet that takes out sugar, grains, dairy and “processed” foods. Follow this diet for a few weeks, then start adding back things into your diet. This allows you to assess if you have any food sensitivities or allergies that have been causing you to hold onto weight.
2. Eat whole foods most of the time- no prepackaged anything. No macaroni and cheese from a box, limit cookies, cakes and the like. Eat real veggies, fruit, meats and whole grains. Once you are past the elimination diet phase, you can start to bring other foods back into your diet gradually and create an eating plan that works for you. You can start to figure out a way to eat out at restaurants and make snacks to take with you when you travel, based on the foods that work with your body.
3. Get moving!- Work out 20-30 minutes most days. With a combination of stretching, strength training and cardio work, you can minimize your workout time, but maximize your workout effort.
4. Journal everything you eat- Not to count calories, fat and carbs, but to access how you feel, what moods make you want certain things and start to work through issues with food and fitness that may have manifested over your entire life.
5.Add meditation and yoga to your daily life- 10-20 minutes a day….that is all it takes! 5-10 minutes to meditate and 5-10 minutes to stretch, with hopefully a once or twice per week class to keep you on track and help you to learn new poses to add to your stretching sessions.
6.Face your demons-If chocolate is your downfall, make sure to acknowledge that! In order to be successful at long-term weightloss you need to be able to handle cravings in a different way. Perhaps in the chocolate example, by purchasing the one ounce squares (one serving!) and putting them in your freezer. Allow yourself to have an ounce of dark chocolate each day! Everything is ok in moderation, is the thing you need to keep in your mind.
7.Find a coach- Finding someone to guide you and help you on the journey is paramount to success. This is a person who can hold you accountable, keep you motivated and point you in the right direction when you are falling off the track. I can coach you through Beachbody Just go to the site and sign up as a free customer. I can also coach you personally with a personalized program, set up just for you. Email me at simplicityquest@gmail.com to set up a time for your free personal consultation. I will spend some time with you determining what your goals are, what things you have tried in the past, fitness level and current diet. We can then determine a plan to start to get you on track!

Here is to finding your long-term solution to your health and weightloss efforts! No one wants to do it twice! Find a system that works for you for the long haul….

Namaste,
Jennifer

What is Mind-Body Fitness?

Mind body fitness involves much more than working out. As a yoga teacher, I see many folks come to class initially to get a fit body, but find out that yoga offers much more.

My initial venture into yoga was just that, a venture into the fitness world. What yoga ultimately did was help me to quit smoking, start walking daily, eat better and eventually run a marathon. How does yoga do it? By incorporating not just your body, but your mind, into the activity.

Yoga helps us to gain patience. In some types of yoga, you hold poses for an extended period of time. Letting us take that moment to focus on breath, focus on feelings and focus on what resides inside of us. Some poses will prove difficult and you will gain patience with yourself to work through difficulties.

Yoga helps us to gain insight. Again, when you take the time for yourself, time to look at your inner self, you will gain insight. A new goal might come to mind, or perhaps the solution to a problem you have been pondering for ages.

Yoga helps us to gain fitness. Yes, yoga does help you become fit. You will gain strength and stamina as you work through the poses. Your aerobic capacity will be helped with some forms of yoga too!!

Yoga will help you to seek wellness in other areas of your life. Yoga will help you to WANT to walk instead of drive, it will encourage you to EAT HEALTHY instead of eat junk, it will help you to seek BALANCE in your life rather than being that hamster on the wheel…

So what is mind body fitness? It is a combination of activities for your body, that may encourage other changes in your physical self that help to improve your mind self….

Would you like more information on fitness of the mind or body? Please visit www.paths-to-fitness.com or if you are local to the Winona, MN area, visit www.yogafitnesswellness.com for class schedules and updates!

jennifer

Finishing a Triathlon and Things I hate…

I hate to swim. I REALLY hate to swim. But I do it. Why? Because it is good for me, and because in order to complete a triathlon I have to swim.

I take a vitamin every morning. I really HATE the taste of it, but I do it…why? Because it is good for me and it will make me healthier in the long run.

Running is not my favorite activity, but I do it. Why? Again, in order to finish a triathlon, I have to run, and running is good for me. It helps to keep me fit, keeps my heart healthy and helps to control my weight.

Competing in events many weekends in the summer keeps me doing something physical the rest of the week. I don’t train like crazy, but I do get out almost every day and bike, run or swim. Most days I practice yoga as well, in order to stay flexible and create strength.

You don’t have to like to exercise to do it, you just have to do it. This may sound harsh, but I am sick of excuses. I hear excuses almost every day. I don’t have time, my knees hurt, it was cold out, it was raining, I can’t afford a membership to a gym, I didn’t have a babysitter….etc…on they go.

You make time to watch some TV everyday (don’t say you don’t, I can almost guarantee it!), your knees will stop hurting if you get out and do something physical, dress warmer, wear a raincoat, you don’t need a membership to a gym, you have the whole outside world, take the kids in a jogging stroller, or have them ride their bike along side of you if they are older….there, I debunked every excuse you have….( if you have another excuse, email it to me and I will figure out a way to make it go away.)

You can start a resistance training workout with a $10 resistance band from Target, all you need to start walking or running is a good pair of shoes, and of course, I recommend a weekly yoga class, which is about the same cost as dinner at McDonald’s (which one is better for you???).

So, I finished the triathlon on Saturday. I ran 2 miles, biked 10 miles and swam 350 yards. Did I enjoy every minute of it? Nope. Did I enjoy the training leading up to it? Nope. Do I feel a great sense of accomplishment for having done it? Yup. Do I like the way the training makes me feel when I am done? Yup. Will I do it again? Of course!!

So quit the excuses and get your butt up off the couch, right now, and get outside for a walk or drag your bike out of the basement, pump up the tires and head out for a ride…you will thank yourself for it in the long run….

see you at yoga!!

yogajen