Transform your body. Part I: Building the right foundation

Id have to say working out, being active & living a healthy lifestyle is one of the top priorities in my life even though I don't post much about it. So I've decided to dedicate a series on this topic. I'm not claiming to be an expert in this area but I want to share with you tips that are personally working for me. It's not just about looking good, its about feeling good from the inside out. I'm sure we can all agree on that. So let's start with a few basics...

Define your purpose & set your intention. This will help you stay motivated.
Is it to lose weight, feel better in your body, feel more sexxxy =P, to be healthy? Everyone has their own reasons. For me I wanted to lose weight and look good but as time went on my initial reason for exercising turned into something totally different. I started to understand how great it feels to be active...how great it feels to put good food in my body and I found it interesting to learn about how the body works.

Be realistic about your fitness goals. Telling yourself that you want to lose 10 pounds by the end of Feb is possible but is it a realistic goal for you? If losing weight & keeping it off is what you're after then the secret is not in dieting. It has to be a lifestyle change. One step a a time, one decision at a time. Gradually work your way up. If you jump in head first and tell yourself that you will work out 5 times a week you'll end up disappointed in yourself when you dont meet that goal. Even worse you'll lose confidence in yourself and your ability to follow thru. Instead tell yourself: today I will work out for an hour. or today i will walk up the flight of stairs to work instead of taking the elevator. Its the small actions that add up to the big ones.

Work with your interests & be creative. There are tons of ways you can be active. Pick one that works for you. Im the worst when it comes to cardio machines. I get restless and bored but when I have no choice i bring a book or a favorite magazine to flip thru. Other ways I try to incorporate cardio in my routine it taking cardio classes. It's more exciting. I take cardio kick boxing, hip hop dancing, Zumba and on occasion Step classes(the choreography is a bit more tricky for me tho =P). My tip for you is to keep it interesting. Working out doesnt have to be a chore.



Check out this article from CityGeisha on losing fat rather than losing weight. She explains it so much better than I can. =) She has a few other well written articles on fitness that I think you should read as well.

EDIT: Treasure your health. It seems that in life we are always striving to attain something....more wealth, knowledge, skill, happiness but with health most of us are blessed to be born with it. Dont you find it tragically funny how we take that for granted? Its a process but pls find ways to cherish your mind and body. Its a gift that was given to us.

Find music that pumps you up. Start a workout playlist on ur cute lil ipod & bring it along with you on your next workout and update them and add to them frequently. Keeps things exciting. What songs motivate you? Do you have any favorites. Feel free to share =) Here are a few songs that are on my playlist.

Quote of the week

Sometimes you gotta forget what you want and remember what you deserve

Links of the Week

I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a sparkling year filled with wonderful surprises. Do something different this year. be more active, be more creative, laugh more, relax more...whatever it is find a theme for 2012. Mine is to take more action in manifesting my dreams.

♥ Turn your bedroom into a place where you can relax and daydream. Fill it with things that speak to you. Here's a cool collection of inspiring spaces. Im in the process of redecorating my room. I stenciled my walls giving it a damasked look, played around with feng shui (if you're serious about Feng Shui check out Feng Shui for Dummies. Its an excellent book) and made a folding screen which is also going to be my vision board. All I got to do now is add in the details. This will be an ongoing process bcos I definitely dont have the $$ to buy everything all at once. Which brings me to the next thing...

♥ Get your finances in check. I received 2 books this xmas from my brother in-law. One of them being Suze Orman's Women & Money & Smart Cookies. Im pretty excited to start learning to become better at managing my finances. I feel that its important to be in more control when it comes to money. Last year I was definitely out of control with my spending..taking 2 major trips to LA and NYC and also going to Mexico twice. Soo worth it but now Im left to deal with debt which i have to take full responsibility for. Carpe Diem right? But we still need to learn how to balance it out.

photo credit {i.Anton}

♥ Do something you've always wanted to do. For me its belly dancing. Ive always been very drawn to it. I find the music so enticing and the fluid movements look so sensual and almost hypnotic. So I went ahead and enrolled in a class with Goddess Dance and I absoultely LOVE it. The way your body moves makes me feel very in touch with my feminine side. Its an empowering feeling.

♥ Get in touch with your girlie side. Wear some pretty bows.Or how bout some floral necklaces?

♥ Invite more love into your life. Write more love letters. The Lost Art of Letter Writing. Scented Letters. Japanese Scented Pencils. There's nothing more delightful then receiving a hand written note. Dont be afraid to express yourself. Or get your dainty manicured hands dirty and start making handmade gifts. Check out some DIY projects and freebies at Creature Comforts and also i do it yourself is filled with lovely diy articles. BTW ill be adding a DIY section to my blog =P

♥ Start a blog. Here's a book of blog stars maybe they can help inspire you or read this article: 9 Tips to Start Blogging Successfully. Everyone has different reasons to start a blog...to make money, to share knowledge, to connect with other ppl with the same interests, to use as a creative outlet...the list goes on. Try it =)

♥ What kind of things do you collect? I collect postcards from the places I've traveled to. I also collect stationary. There's something about pretty blank pieces of paper that excites me. I also collect unicorns. obviously. =P Collecting things is a fun hobby just as long as it doesnt turn into clutter.

♥ Get a calender. I've been writing in a calender for years now. I jot down little notes on what I do each day so I can look back & remember things if I need to.

Happy New Years

My little lamb slippers ^_^ very cozy

Happy New years, darlings.

Im sure most of my loyal readers realize by now that I have a tendency to go on Hiatus every once in a while. My reasons for being MIA are usually due to it becoming very action packed (full effects including BOOM, POW, KAZAM. Kind of like fighting crime the old school batman way =P). Especially since there have been a few changes & transformations that are going on in my life right now, I find that I haven't been on my laptop very often if ever. I do have the choice to post with the limited time ive got but I prefer to give my readers quality content not just post an entry just for the heck of posting an entry. I dont want my words to be floppy and stale. Ive tried to remain true to that and I hope it shows Don't worry tho, I have accumulated tons of creative ideas that i am dying to add to my blog.

Pls stay tuned. I wont be too long.
Luv Cindee