about me!!! I am always trying to spend the little bits of time we have together to find out more about you. So, know I have you captive I'm going to tell you some random things about me. Some you may know, some may surprise you (I hope!)
-my favourite colour is pink (although it used to be black)
-favourite food - Dairy Queen Blizzard (preferably Oreo)
-place of birth - Wentworth, Essex, London, England
-I don't often cry and have been accused of having broken tear ducts
-am extremely goal oriented, and somewhat of a perfectionist
-LOVE to read - and will read almost anything once.
-wish I could sing:) and desperately wanted to be Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. Used to practise "the Hills are alive..." everytime I saw a suitable rise of green grass. OK, I still do.
- think that dancing is the most pure form of personal expression - because anyone can do it and it's always beautiful.
- have battled with my weight, and dropped over 100lbs after my second child was born
- I believe that each one of us can change the world in our own way
- love horses. love every single thing about them - they are magnificent animals. Worked all my life with them before getting married and settled down.
- dream trip - to go to Israel, Egypt and Palestine
- would like to go on a Mission trip to a third world country
- I don't love Christmas
- exercise keeps me sane, calm and centered
- have shook hands with Cher, seen Gordon Ramsey and Shaggy up close,and talked to David Cassidy.
- have two children (aged 5 & 7) and would love a couple more
- am afraid of heights
- have two cats and a bunny
- am the youngest child , two older brothers
- if I won the lottery I would give most of it away
Well, that's a little bit of my craziness - and next time I see you, tell me something random and interesting about you! Because I really want to know.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
My Goals - How are they going??
Well, not so well. I am still hopelessly attached to Diet Soda, going without for any period of time has me drooling rabidly and mumbling "aaaasppartame" incoherently everywhere I go. I still haven't had another massage (although I have had some "me time" today with a warm blankie and a good book). My plans to cycle the Ride 4United Way with hubby would be best served if I actually got on my bike. And I have so hopelessly overscheduled myself that the hope of enjoying time with family and friends seems more a dream than reality.
So I'll have to restart my engine, and prepare myself to attempt to follow through on my goals. All of them will change my life in small but positive ways, and all are totally achievable. One stumbling block? Me! I have to let go of the fact that these small changes aren't in the bag already. I like checking things off my list, getting my stuff done. And in this rare instance, I have not lived up to my own lofty expectations. Time to forgive myself and move on - something I hope that we all can do if we haven't yet achieved our New Year's goals or resolutions. Not give up, but forgive, move on and grow stronger. Cause if I can give up aspartame - you can achieve anything, trust me!!
Go for it this year friends!
So I'll have to restart my engine, and prepare myself to attempt to follow through on my goals. All of them will change my life in small but positive ways, and all are totally achievable. One stumbling block? Me! I have to let go of the fact that these small changes aren't in the bag already. I like checking things off my list, getting my stuff done. And in this rare instance, I have not lived up to my own lofty expectations. Time to forgive myself and move on - something I hope that we all can do if we haven't yet achieved our New Year's goals or resolutions. Not give up, but forgive, move on and grow stronger. Cause if I can give up aspartame - you can achieve anything, trust me!!
Go for it this year friends!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Sharing the Light
this was a strange week in many ways. Snowmageddon took over the GTA - it's bark was way worse than it's bite, thankfully. Some of our classes were cancelled just in case. I have been very tired, and feeling the effects of the winter blahs, probably much like many of us are feeling at this dark and bleak time of year. I have been tempted a number of times to wrap myself in a blankie, watch a talk show and eat ice cream direct from the carton. We can rarely afford the luxury of some pure, unadulterated sucky me time.
So, feet dragging at times, I got myself up to the classes I had running. It was at times a difficult task to remove myself from the couch, but I constantly preach that often the times we least want to do something, the more we truly need to do it.
There are two moments that I would like to share with you from this last week in my CORE life. I was hired to teach a ZUMBA class to a group of women of all ages on Tuesday night, and the ladies were ready to party!! It was an energizing, rowdy and all around amazing hour of ZUMBA fitness. But the moment came as the opening strains of "Let It Be" started our cool down routine. As I often do, I closed my eyes at the beginning of the song to ground myself and relax into it's familiar tune. I realized that something this time was different. Above the CD recording, I could hear the voices of the women in the room, singing along, raising the ending of the class from fitness cooldown to spiritual moment. It is perhaps not public knowledge, but the choice of Let It Be is of great significance to me. You see, I knew a little girl. She was amazing. And I saw her dance - before I ever knew that God was going to make her His angel so soon. So each time I play this song, I model my movements after her, and blow her a little kiss to heaven.
It was an unparalleled moment, so completely unrelated to that little girl, and yet it created in that room the most beautiful rainbow, with its colours connecting us all in that moment.
Today I taught a class and there was a girl with Down Syndrome. She shyly hung out at the back of the room, unsure of what was to come. As the opening strains of music played, and the class settled into it's familiar rhythms, I could see her face. She was alive. The music sang out from inside her. She was glowing. By the end of the song she was front and center, and giving the rest of the class a lesson on "Feeling the Music 101". She left the class at the end, stopped at the door, and turned around to shyly smile at us all before she left.
We all know life has some unexpected things in store for us. We never know who's life we may change, or who may change ours. And we never will, if we allow ourselves to stay wrapped up, comfortable and avoiding the opportunities we are presented each day.
So, feet dragging at times, I got myself up to the classes I had running. It was at times a difficult task to remove myself from the couch, but I constantly preach that often the times we least want to do something, the more we truly need to do it.
There are two moments that I would like to share with you from this last week in my CORE life. I was hired to teach a ZUMBA class to a group of women of all ages on Tuesday night, and the ladies were ready to party!! It was an energizing, rowdy and all around amazing hour of ZUMBA fitness. But the moment came as the opening strains of "Let It Be" started our cool down routine. As I often do, I closed my eyes at the beginning of the song to ground myself and relax into it's familiar tune. I realized that something this time was different. Above the CD recording, I could hear the voices of the women in the room, singing along, raising the ending of the class from fitness cooldown to spiritual moment. It is perhaps not public knowledge, but the choice of Let It Be is of great significance to me. You see, I knew a little girl. She was amazing. And I saw her dance - before I ever knew that God was going to make her His angel so soon. So each time I play this song, I model my movements after her, and blow her a little kiss to heaven.
It was an unparalleled moment, so completely unrelated to that little girl, and yet it created in that room the most beautiful rainbow, with its colours connecting us all in that moment.
Today I taught a class and there was a girl with Down Syndrome. She shyly hung out at the back of the room, unsure of what was to come. As the opening strains of music played, and the class settled into it's familiar rhythms, I could see her face. She was alive. The music sang out from inside her. She was glowing. By the end of the song she was front and center, and giving the rest of the class a lesson on "Feeling the Music 101". She left the class at the end, stopped at the door, and turned around to shyly smile at us all before she left.
We all know life has some unexpected things in store for us. We never know who's life we may change, or who may change ours. And we never will, if we allow ourselves to stay wrapped up, comfortable and avoiding the opportunities we are presented each day.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Why I LOVE what we do!
When Sean and I started up this fitness venture in September, we had some lofty expectations and absolutely no idea how much work it would be to take even the first step on the ladder to making those come true. Patience, dedication and commitment have definitely become keywords in our lives. If you know me, however, you know that patience is not my strength.
We are now about 6 months into this adventure and I love to look back and remember all the people who have come to be a part of our CORE family. It doesn't matter whether it is a class of two people or twenty, the most wonderful part is watching people's faces relax, fill with delight and laughter, and watch them transport away from the everyday into the right now. It is wonderful each week to look forward to seeing our fitness friends, old and new, and to see how changed they are when they walk (or shimmy) out of class.
So, like I preach to my clients, it will take a lot of patience to achieve the quantifiable results that we want, but in the meantime, I am going to enjoy every second of this amazing opportunity and with the people who let me into their lives each week.
We are now about 6 months into this adventure and I love to look back and remember all the people who have come to be a part of our CORE family. It doesn't matter whether it is a class of two people or twenty, the most wonderful part is watching people's faces relax, fill with delight and laughter, and watch them transport away from the everyday into the right now. It is wonderful each week to look forward to seeing our fitness friends, old and new, and to see how changed they are when they walk (or shimmy) out of class.
So, like I preach to my clients, it will take a lot of patience to achieve the quantifiable results that we want, but in the meantime, I am going to enjoy every second of this amazing opportunity and with the people who let me into their lives each week.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Quality, not quantity!
Thinking alot about goals this year. As someone starting up their own business, you'd think I had a lot of them, but truly I am a little adrift right now. I am in the challenging position of having to live looking no farther forward than today, which is tough. I like goals. I like to quantify my life - to be working towards something. I love the feeling of completion when a goal is reached. Satisfaction and pride in myself. But also, the fear of failure, the intense burn to succeed and the unrelenting voice telling me that anything less than completion is failure.
So I'll be setting goals for myself that result in a better life for myself and those I love, and examining what I hope to accomplish with each goal. Choosing goals that result in a positive feeling, represent a lifelong change, that are attainable via a process that makes me feel good about myself and the world around me.
No more numbers. No one gets lasting satisfaction from defining themselves by a number. If weight loss is your goal, at the end of the day no one feels the benefits numerically. You don't need to be defined by a number that, although we assign it power, basically means nothing. What means a lot, however, is the ability to pick your children up, to play your favourite sport, to live without pain, to enjoy your life. No specific number can represent that kind of life change.
No matter your goals, don't sell yourself short by choosing quantity over quality. Make choices that reflect the life that you most desire to live. And then make the choices that will make those goals a reality.
We want to hear from you! We invite you to share a goal you have for 2011 with us. All responses recieved before February 1st will be put in a draw for a free ZUMBAWEAR "wild" racerback tank!!
Now to put my personal goals out there in the universe:
(a) to have a massage regularly with Pierre from pURe Relaxation ( me time! what' s that?)
(b) to cycle in three charity tours this year with my husband, including trying the longest km Ride4UnitedWay
(c) to let myself enjoy completely time with family and friends and make time to spend with everyone we love
(d) to stop my crazy diet soda addiction :(
Can't wait to hear yours!
So I'll be setting goals for myself that result in a better life for myself and those I love, and examining what I hope to accomplish with each goal. Choosing goals that result in a positive feeling, represent a lifelong change, that are attainable via a process that makes me feel good about myself and the world around me.
No more numbers. No one gets lasting satisfaction from defining themselves by a number. If weight loss is your goal, at the end of the day no one feels the benefits numerically. You don't need to be defined by a number that, although we assign it power, basically means nothing. What means a lot, however, is the ability to pick your children up, to play your favourite sport, to live without pain, to enjoy your life. No specific number can represent that kind of life change.
No matter your goals, don't sell yourself short by choosing quantity over quality. Make choices that reflect the life that you most desire to live. And then make the choices that will make those goals a reality.
We want to hear from you! We invite you to share a goal you have for 2011 with us. All responses recieved before February 1st will be put in a draw for a free ZUMBAWEAR "wild" racerback tank!!
Now to put my personal goals out there in the universe:
(a) to have a massage regularly with Pierre from pURe Relaxation ( me time! what' s that?)
(b) to cycle in three charity tours this year with my husband, including trying the longest km Ride4UnitedWay
(c) to let myself enjoy completely time with family and friends and make time to spend with everyone we love
(d) to stop my crazy diet soda addiction :(
Can't wait to hear yours!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Find Your CORE: Trends, Hype and
Find Your CORE: Trends, Hype and: "So, every industry has its trends, it's fads (remember the pet rock? wish I had thought of that, LOL!) Sports, athletics and competitive gam..."
Trends, Hype and
So, every industry has its trends, it's fads (remember the pet rock? wish I had thought of that, LOL!)
Sports, athletics and competitive games play into two key areas of human nature. Our love of movement, and the desire to achieve. Thus, we have been participating in these from the very origin of the species. Many other forms of movement have also been around for centuries, most of them connected to what I call the "Mind/Body Movement" These activities include Yoga and the many forms of martial arts. These examples are not going to go anywhere, because they are natural forms of movement and exercise, and we don't do them just to get fit. We do them because we love the aspects of them that challenge us as a whole person.
"Fitness" as we call it, was mostly born of a desire to get better at the aforementioned activities. To achieve a level of body preparedness that will help us to be the best we can be at the things we love.
With the onset of increasingly inactive and overprocessed lifestyles, fitness has become the go to industry to "fix us up" after we allow our lifestyles to damage us. Interested in a quick fix, often promises of gym attendance and increased activity go quickly by the wayside as we become discouraged, disgusted and ashamed. A vicious cycle can occur, over and over again, as we continually become overwhelmed with unattainable and unrealistic goals, and intense pressure from the media, society and mostly, ourselves.
Life has changed. Social times are no longer set around sporting or physical activities. Time is short, and time to prepare delicious, home cooked meals is even shorter. We are tired of trying to keep up.
We all struggle with prioritizing, scheduling and with our own percieved inability to measure up. So let's stop trying. Nothing is going to fix itself overnight, on its own, and without effort. Changing your lifestyle and fighting against the current of popular opinion is not a quick fix, but it can be achieved. With patience, hard work, and love for yourself and the process you are undertaking, everything is possible. So choose the things that you love, and use them to motivate, enliven, and ultimately succeed in achieving the results you desire. And that should simply be to care for a body that will help us to be the best we can be at the things we love.
Please feel free to share/comment and let us know the things that you love that motivate you!!
Sports, athletics and competitive games play into two key areas of human nature. Our love of movement, and the desire to achieve. Thus, we have been participating in these from the very origin of the species. Many other forms of movement have also been around for centuries, most of them connected to what I call the "Mind/Body Movement" These activities include Yoga and the many forms of martial arts. These examples are not going to go anywhere, because they are natural forms of movement and exercise, and we don't do them just to get fit. We do them because we love the aspects of them that challenge us as a whole person.
"Fitness" as we call it, was mostly born of a desire to get better at the aforementioned activities. To achieve a level of body preparedness that will help us to be the best we can be at the things we love.
With the onset of increasingly inactive and overprocessed lifestyles, fitness has become the go to industry to "fix us up" after we allow our lifestyles to damage us. Interested in a quick fix, often promises of gym attendance and increased activity go quickly by the wayside as we become discouraged, disgusted and ashamed. A vicious cycle can occur, over and over again, as we continually become overwhelmed with unattainable and unrealistic goals, and intense pressure from the media, society and mostly, ourselves.
Life has changed. Social times are no longer set around sporting or physical activities. Time is short, and time to prepare delicious, home cooked meals is even shorter. We are tired of trying to keep up.
We all struggle with prioritizing, scheduling and with our own percieved inability to measure up. So let's stop trying. Nothing is going to fix itself overnight, on its own, and without effort. Changing your lifestyle and fighting against the current of popular opinion is not a quick fix, but it can be achieved. With patience, hard work, and love for yourself and the process you are undertaking, everything is possible. So choose the things that you love, and use them to motivate, enliven, and ultimately succeed in achieving the results you desire. And that should simply be to care for a body that will help us to be the best we can be at the things we love.
Please feel free to share/comment and let us know the things that you love that motivate you!!
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