Fitness

By The FIRM Master Instructor Annie Lee

My philosophy is all about the 3 E’s: effective, efficient exercise. Here’s a quick how-to video of my personal total body workouts that focus on the 3 E’s.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”     — Eleanor Roosevelt

By The FIRM Master Instructor Emily Welsh

You can work out every day or even hours a day and get little benefit if you are not fully engaged in the process. I have found that if I’m not paying attention to what I am doing when I work out, I move mindlessly through each set of exercises, not getting the best benefit from each repetition. I call this being on “auto-pilot.”

A few weeks ago, I taught my Core Immersion Training at the Century City Equinox in Los Angeles, Calif. Each day, we valet parked our cars before entering the club. Those who live outside of Los Angeles may have to re-read the prior sentence: Yes, we VALET PARKED our cars to go to the gym, as do thousands of other Angelenos all around the city, where valet parking is an unfortunate fact of life in a city where the car is king, and vast distances separate us from getting here to there.

Nothing can stop a perfectly good yoga practice (or day, for that matter) in its tracks like a hurting back. And sometimes, the poses you might think would help your aching body could actually be making it worse.

In the weeks to come and into the fall, there will be many opportunities to participate in various charitable and community run/walks. Go online and you can probably find a race almost any weekend without having to travel too far. Whether it is a local 5K for the community center or a multiple-day walk for a national charity or the city marathon, get those athletic shoes on and join in the fun! There is power in numbers, and nothing is better for your motivation than improving your health and fitness alongside hundreds of other like-minded people.

It’s back-to-school season again! Whether or not you are a parent, we can all conjure up those back-to-school feelings. It’s a time that symbolizes a fresh start, a new routine. It’s natural chance to change things up and get creative with your workout — or get back into a healthy routine and set some new goals? And if you have no routine currently, it’s a perfect time to make that leap. Feel the energy in the air to dig in and get going!

Everyone is moving fast. The level of information bombarding us is staggering. My clients consistently talk about feeling over-amped and overwhelmed. It’s time for an “energetic rebirth” — take an inventory how many places are draining your energy and find new ways to become vital.

Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that helps you live better.

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Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.

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