Rising Star Fitness

The many benefits of Yoga…

Yoga has been used for thousands of years to keep the body young, strong and healthy. Yogis were really on to something when they began practicing the various postures that comprise their practice all those centuries ago!

For a long time, I believed that Yoga was only for people who belonged to a small group of contortionists, or Hippies still living in the land of 1969. Was I ever wrong!

I began practicing Yoga after learning of the various ways it can benefit athletes. Not only are athletes less likely to be injured, Yoga actually improved their performance in their chosen sport! Yoga also teaches focus, and how to “feel” your body, thus it becomes easier for athletes to “get in the zone”

Yoga is not just for athletes by any means. Any one of ANY AGE or gender can practice Yoga. From Grandmas to toddlers, there is a right mixture of Yoga postures just for you!

About 10 years ago, is when I first became seriously interested in Yoga. At the time I was training quite a bit, and was repeatedly getting injured because of “poor flexibility.” I was told by one of my physical therapists that I had the flexibility of an 80 year old sedentary person in my right ankle. That was all he had to say to get me stretching!

 Back then I used to have CONSTANT knee pain. Upon waking my joints would feel stiff, and it hurt to take my first steps in the morning! I decided this would just not do, considering I was only in my 20’s!

 This is no longer the case. Thank goodness I decided to take up this ancient method of longevity!

 Everyday I take the time to fit in a Yoga workout. Stretching the muscles feels great, and afterward you are totally relaxed, and at peace with yourself.

 I often wonder if everyone in the world were to begin practicing, if things would be at different. I bet there would not be as many cases of road rage, or stress related deaths.

In order to gain all you can from your Yoga program, you have no choice but to let your body tell YOU when it is ready to move deeper into a pose. You can never force it. This in turn teaches you to forgive yourself, something everyone could use a bit of.

 People are often their worst critics. The practice of Yoga teaches you to accept the “present state of your body and mind” as Rodney Yee would say…I just love that statement! Once you can accept things as they are now, you can move on to make positive change in your life…You can then progress with an open mind and heart, and you will soon find that there is a world of possibilities out there for you to explore. You will see that there is nothing you can’t do.

 So I invite all of you to open up to Yoga, after all none of us are getting any younger…but our bodies certainly don’t have to look it, or work like it! J

“Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”

-         Sidney and Suzanne Simon

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

                         -Albert Einstein

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong… Because someday in life, you will have been all of these.”

                                                -George Washington Carver

 ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS A NO NO!!!

 Artificial sweeteners were first introduced to the public (and many dieters) back in the early 1960’s. The public of course embraced these products, and dieters everywhere thought they had found the answer to their prayers. Soon low calorie and artificially sweetened foods became a multi-billion dollar industry.

HOWEVER…..

Obesity rates have increased at an alarming rate since then. So how can eating all those foods with fewer calories than normal cause such a problem with obesity?? Purdue University researchers found that rats given an artificially sweetened snack were less able to compensate for the calories in the snack; at mealtime they ate more and gained three times more weight than animals given normally sweetened snacks! 

So the message here is.....do not eat anything that is not “nature made.”

all man made sweeteners (those made in a lab such as Nutrasweet and Splenda) Have shown to cause everything from stomach distress to cancer. It is best to stay away from them!

Instead opt to sweeten your tea, cereals and baked goods with Stevia, or honey. Both from nature and both have health enhancing benefits. Stevia is calorie free and tasty to boot! And unlike sugar, it actually FIGHTS cavities instead of creating them! I have found that since using Stevia, my cravings for sweet treats has lessened a great deal.

 If you would like to learn more about Stevia, or how to cook with Honey please visit the following websites. PLEASE NOTE!!! Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES AT ANY TIME SHOULD A CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF TWO CONSUME HONEY! This can lead to botulism.

http://www.stevia.com/SteviaArticle.asp?Id=2269

http://www.cookingwithstevia.com/

http://www.honey.com/consumers/

http://www.honeyassociation.com/index.htm

AN AMAZING TRANSFORMATION!!! ATTENTION ALL MOM’S!!!!!

OK…So how many people out there still think that just because you are a mother, having a hot body is out of the question??

Well thank goodness ladies…that whole negative point of view is a lot of hooey!

I am living proof!

This April you will see for yourself! I will be posting my “before and after” shots after giving birth, to current status. I will tell all of you what I had endured during BOTH my pregnancies, as well as after. I will tell you what I ate, how I worked out, and what I had to do to get to where I am now.

 Who ever it was who said that Motherhood was no easy job was right…but what they didn’t tell you was how satisfying it can be J

So make sure to log into Rising Star Fitness on a regular basis. I have a lot of exciting prospects for the future, and I can’t wait to share them with all of you!

Sign up today for your own online training program to get fit in time for Bikini and swim trunk season!! You are never too old to begin a fitness program, or to look your very best!

Just contact me at Amy@risingstarfitness.com to get signed up!! When you sign up you also have the option of entering our “summer shape-up challenge” where you can win fitness gear, and the chance to be our next “fitness star”

Have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

Amy Stebbins, CFT