workouts

Just back from a day at the Yoga Journal NYC convention where Colleen and I were invigorated with the curious and competent students that we encountered. We also had time to go to the presenter’s dinner and had a wonderful time catching up with our dear colleagues of many, many years.

Visiting the Gaiam booth and helping get the word out about Gaiam TV where all of our many years of yoga programing is now housed was a whirlwind. Being a human sandwich-board is both humbling and slightly intimidating, even after all these years in the media.

We’re well into the new year, and the expectations of a better year — and a better you — are still high! We all keep in our mind’s eye what kind of shape we would like to be in, but it needn’t stop there. You can make it happen!

Whenever you’re growing or entering new territory, you’ll feel fear. But the problem isn’t the fear — it’s letting fear hold you back. The beautiful thing is that fear can be greatly diminished in your life when you feel the fear and take action anyway.

What are some of the fears that hold you back from living a life you really want to live? Do you have a fear of rejection, being alone, failure, quitting a negative habit, getting in or out of a relationship, illness, aging, making a career change, losing weight? This week, empower yourself to take an action you’ve been afraid to take. Build a habit of believing yourself so you can trust yourself to keep a promise you make. Your self esteem, courage and belief in yourself will grow, and your fear will diminish.

A “routine” is a sequence of actions that are regularly followed — in other words, a fixed program. I love a good routine. In my head, I call them rituals, because it makes it seem more special. For example, every morning I have my coffee-making ritual. I’ve got my special glass where I heat the milk (via microwave), and I use this really cool milk frother immediately after. It adds an extra “wow!” to my morning drink. Right off the bat, it puts me in a great mood and is an awesome start to my day.

I’ve been asked many times about the perfect exercise routine to achieve “washboard abs.” A good mix of exercises targeting all the muscles of the core — the abdominals and spinal erectors — will create a beautiful, toned shape to the midsection.

Cardio is an all-around health booster. It burns calories, lowers body fat, strengthens your heart and lungs, and increases bone mass and muscle tone.

Cardio also releases mood-enhancing endorphins and hormones! I am oh-so-happy when I get my cardio in for the day — and so is the rest of my family!

The FIRM Master Instructors were in town last week for a video shoot at Gaiam’s headquarters in Louisville, Colo.

Instructor Alison Davis-McLain led a free cardio and full body-sculpting class for Gaiam employees. Check out the photos below from her class.

For instruction from The FIRM, browse Gaiam.com’s The FIRM videos.

We have our first outdoor baseball park in Minneapolis this year (Go Twins!) so the city is abuzz about this year’s season. This year’s weeks of spring training was the highlight of most our newscasts. All the buzz got me thinking that baseball players aren’t the only ones who could use a little “spring training.” The winter season causes many of us to fall into a rut with our fitness routines. Now that the weather is clearing up around the country, people are getting outside more. And as you shed your winter wardrobe of bulky clothes, you may be in need of shedding some of those bulky pounds.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Nancy Butts

No matter your fitness or weight loss goals, there are staple exercises that should be a part of every workout routine. These are my top five personal must-have moves. It was really hard to narrow it down, but after careful consideration, I believe these exercises will help you achieve the svelte and fit FIRM body you desire. We’ll count down to my No. 1 all-time favorite move. Are you as excited as I am?

The holidays make you think about minutes in a whole different way. It’s a time when you eat more, drink more, spend more money and sleep less. You feel time-crunched. You do your last-minute shopping. And as fast as you create the holidays, they disappear.