Month: May 2011

Improve Your Energy with Proper Posture

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Correct, upright posture is essential to maximizing your energy.

The spine is the major conductor of nerve messages.  Its health is
critical to the proper functioning of the organs. That’s why I
included exercises that help relax and lengthen the spine and
supporting musculature in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise
Course, Volume 1; Invigorate and Rejuvenate.

A straight, elongated spine supported by strong, limber
musculature is critical to boosting your energy levels.

Most people have the opposite: a weak, compressed spine surrounded
by chronically tight, even painful, muscles. In fact, it’s been
reported that 80 percent of us will suffer from lower back pain at
some point in our lives.

One of the easiest and simplest ways to improve your posture is to
visualize that your sternum (breastbone) is on a string that is
hanging straight down from the ceiling.

Look and feel how you are sitting or standing right now. Are you a
little slouched or hunched?  Are your shoulders rolled forward? Is
your head inclined forward?

Now imagine that a string is attached to your sternum and an
invisible someone hidden in the ceiling is pulling the string
straight up.  What happens?  If you do this correctly, your
sternum lifts, your chest sticks out a bit, your shoulders
naturally rotate back, and your back straightens.

You should be vigilant about your posture, whether sitting or
standing. It’s so easy to slump or hunch, especially when you are
tired.

I particularly have to watch myself when I am clacking away on the
computre. I have trained myself to periodically check and adjust
my posture.

On the days when I don’t do this, I find that my shoulders, neck
and back are stiff.

We were watching the Eastern Conference hockey playoffs last
night between the Bruins and the Lightning. (Since my Caps are
out of things, I am rooting for the Bruins.)

Every game in the playoffs is hard-fought and action-packed.
Hockey players are among the best conditioned athletes. However,
toward the end of games, you will see some of them hunched over,
sticks on knees, as they gasp for breath.

You see this in other sports as well. Basektball comes to mind.
Toward the end of the game, as they become more fatigued, many
players will bend forward and put their hands on their knees
during any break in the action.

I did this same thing plenty of times when I played hoops.

Ironically, when you hunch over like this, it’s not really
helping you supply extra air into your lungs.

You’ll do much better if you bend forward from the hips, so your
back is straight, and push up from your arms to elongate your
spine. Then you can breathe more deeply into your lower back.

In fact, this is a great exercise to do if you have lower back
pain or tightness. Breathe into the area of pain or tightness
and feel it slowly, gradually relaxing with each breathing
cycle.

Back to the posture thing: I never really thought about it until
I had a martial arts instructor who wouldn’t let us hunch over
and touch our knees.

He was traditional in his approach – to say the least – and could
sometimes be hard core. He basically said that we should train as
we would fight.

Would we stop in the middle of a fight and hunch over, panting,
showing our opponent that we were exhausted?

Of course not! We would stand up straight, chest out, and act
like we were just getting started.

And you know what? Not assuming a posture of fatigue, but
holding onto a posture of energy – actually works!

I discovered first hand that your posture can directly influence
your energy levels. From that time ’til today, whenever I am
training hard and getting tired, I stand up straight, walk around
a bit, perhaps swing my arms or do neck circles to loosen up my
traps and shoulders.

I try to avoid putting my hands on my knees and doing the
hunch over, gasping for breath kind of thing.

Try this for yourself. Next time you are getting really winded or
tired when exercising, or engaging in robust physical activity,
stand up straight and slowly, gradually bring your breath under
control.

You can use this “posture approach” in your daily activities.

For example, if you are getting fatigued toward the end of the
day, or you just carried in some bags of groceries (up stairs
no less) and are winded.

Because your posture is good, you will able to breathe more
deeply and replenish the oxygen you need. More subjectively,
you’ll feel stronger. You can recover and continue your day with
renewed energy and focus.

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

More On Your Inner Smile

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In my last post, I taught you a little about the Inner Smile

(Click here to read the post.)

This is a Taoist energy practice of smiling into the body, and
into specific body parts, to help promote positive energy and
emotions, as well as healing.

I took you through the steps to smile into your heart. Today I’ll
give you the colors and emotions associated with the other
important organs.

But first, let me give you a little more background on the theory
behind the Inner Smile.

Many people live their lives through a patina of stress, anger,
depression, worry, fear, and other types of negative energy.
The Inner Smile helps counteract this by generating a high level
of positive energy that can heal and transform.

We all know that a genuine smile transmits positive, loving
energy. You know how you feel when someone smiles at you in a
sincere way.

Think of the sheer joy you feel when your loved one smiles at
you, or your child is smiling and laughing while at play.

Throughout the ages, energy disciples and masters have recognized
the power of smiling energy. For thousands of years, Taoist
masters have practiced the Inner Smile to help promote energy
and achieve health, happiness, and a longer life.

In the west, we have long known that the smile and the energy
it can generate is an important component of personal power.

When you are relaxed and calm and smile, you can generate and
maintain optimal levels of energy.

So, following the same breathing and visualization pattern I
shared with you in my previous post, put a smile on your
face, smile into each of your organs, and picture your organs
smiling back at you.

Here is the color and the emotion you should associate,
visualize and feel as you breathe and smile into each organ:

-Heart: see deep, rich red (like a rose); feel love, joy and
happiness;

-Lungs: see bright white; feel courage;

-Liver and gallbladder (located on the right side of your
abdomen under your lowest ribs): see green mist; feel kindness;

-Spleen and pancreas (located on the left side of your
abdomen under your lowest ribs, kind of behind your stomach):
see bright yellow; feel fairness;

-Kidneys and bladder (kidneys are in your back, left and right
of your backbone and just under the lower part of your ribcage):
see bright blue, feel gentleness.

Practice 4 to 8 breaths with each organ. Keep a smile on your
face and keep smiling into your organs. Picture them smiling
back at you.

As you smile and breathe, picture and feel your organs at full
health and power. Allow yourself to feel the emotions.
Relax and enjoy them.

Then take them with you into your day.

You Can Do It!

Karen Van Ness
“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind & Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

P.S. If you are interested in breathing more fully and
effortlessly…in building up your lungs and stamina…naturally
strengthening your internal organs and hyper-charging your
immune system…then you will want to check out the Secret Power
of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume II: The Dynamic Energy
Routine. This program can have a transformative effect on your
breathing and overall health and energy. It’s easy to learn and
do on a regular basis. For more details, click here.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Practice Your Inner Smile

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Thanks again to all of you who commented for or emailed me during
the blog contest.

In case you were wondering, I did not make it to the top 10
finalists. (sad face.) Oh well. Fact is, I did this somewhat on a
whim, to see what would happen and to experience the process. And
I have to say, I learned some good stuff from it.

First off, I was overwhelmed with the response and with the lovely
and uplifting comments and emails. It’s gratifying to hear that
the information and perspectives I share through these emails
and my programs have helped and benefited people. I feel grateful
to have such caring, supportive readers and customers as you.
(smiley face.)

I also learned that a lot of people are on Facebook.

Well, duh Karen, ya think?

Yes, I know Facebook has something like a bazillion gazillion
users, or some such incredible number. I just wasn’t sure how
many of my readers and customers were using it. Now I have the
sense that a fair percentage are on Facebook, I realize I need
to do there, such as adding more content and updating my page.

It’s yet another mechanism to share and communicate, which is
a good thing.

Now….on to our day.

A little while ago, I completed my morning exercise routine. One
part of my routine involves performing my Inner Smile. This is a
Taoist practice, although I have encountered it in a few western
breathing and energy practices as well.

Since you’ve made me smile, I would like to teach you a quick n’
easy version of the Inner Smile.

First, here’s the scoop on how you can make this work for you.

One part of Taoist energy practices includes smiling into the
body, and into specific body parts, to help promote positive
energy and emotions, as well as healing.

We know from Western science and medicine that the physical act
of smiling can actually help improve your mood. Try it. Sit
up (don’t slouch), head erect and shoulders back a little
(postural change), and smile.

I mean a real smile: show your teeth, crinkle your eyes a little.

Now…..feel a difference?

You can even smile at yourself in a mirror. Next time you are
feeling tense from concerns about work, a negative interaction
with a coworker or client or child, or worried about some
meeting or presentation, look in the mirror and smile.

(Make sure you are alone if at work, or your coworkers may
think you’re losing it.)

Ok, so we know that smiling can make us feel better. But how
do we smile inwardly?

It’s pretty easy. But you do have to focus.

So relax, get into a good upright standing or sitting posture,
and calm yourself with some gentle, full breathing. Put a
little smile on your face. Not a huge smile or grin (unless
that feels natural to you) – more like a Mona Lisa smile,
with the corners of your mouth turned up.

As your breath gets longer and more relaxed, breathe in (see
and feel this) gentle, golden, loving light, filling your
entire body. Feel this positive energy hum and vibrate inside
you. Continue smiling.

Next, breathe into your heart. With every breath in, picture
your heart getting redder and brighter. It’s a red rose,
slowly opening and getting fuller and bigger.

With every breath out, picture exhaling stale, grayish red
colored energy out through the soles of your feet. You are
exhaling flat red color (or negative, stale energy), and
breathing in bright red color into your heart.

Smile into your heart. Picture your heart smiling back at
you.

Do this for 8 to 10 breaths, then relax and breathe gently
into your lower abdomen, to help consolidate the energy
you have generated.

The heart is associated with the emotions of love, joy
and happiness. So, as you smile and breathe, allow yourself
to feel these emotions. Relax and enjoy them.

Then take them with you into your day.

There is a color and smile associated with other organs,
such as your lungs, kidneys and liver. In your next tip,
I’ll share with you the color and emotions for each of
these.

In the meantime, practice smiling inwardly and smiling
into your heart. It only takes a few minutes, and it’s a
wonderful way to transform stress or worries into positive
emotion and energy.

You Can Do It!

Karen Van Ness
“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind & Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Wow! I’m Overwhelmed

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I’m overwhelmed with the response to my last post.

As you may recall, I asked for your help in “voting for” a blog
post entry I sent in, sort of on a lark (as in, “What the hey?”)
for a contest that Brian Tracy is holding.

The response was tremendous! I’m blown away with the comments
that folks have left. Both on the page itself – as well as via
email for those folks who chose not to comment on the page but
wanted to send along a note of encouragement.

Thank you for responding, for reading, and for commenting.

I feel truly grateful to have such caring, supportive readers
and customers. I appreciate your support. I appreciate YOU!

Just in case you missed that email, and want to get in on
the fun (and the voting), here’s the scoop in condensed form:

I am a big fan of Brian Tracy, a well known personal development
and business coach and author. I have scores of his books and CD
programs. I think he is one of the best self-improvement experts
and speakers out there.

Last week Brian announced a contest and asked his readers to
submit a blog post to participate in a contest. He was looking
for something that relates to self-improvement, personal
development, improving performance, etc. Since I do write on
these subjects I decided, on a lark, to submit a post.

Brian and his team reviewed all the posts. Out of over 500 posts
submitted, they selected 60 finalists. I was happy (and a bit
surprised) to learn that I am one of the finalists!

The next step is to get people I know – like you – to “vote” for
my post. I would love it – if you haven’t already – if you would
check out the post and, if you enjoy it and would like to “vote”
for it, hit the Like button (if you’re on Faceboook) and leave
a comment. Or you can simply leave a comment.

I’m not sure what the outcome will be or what getting a lot of
votes might mean. But I appreciate your taking the time to read
my post and, if you enjoy it and would like to, leaving a
comment.

Here’s the link to go directly to my post:
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness.

As I mentioned the other day: I’m so taken aback at being a
finalist that I haven’t fully thought this through, BUT — I
want to give something back to anyone who takes the time to
support me, read the post and comment on it.

So…I have been recording the comments and will do so right
up until the contest closes tonight (Monday) at 5pm PST /
8pm EST.

I want to be sure to keep track of everyone who commented so
I can send you a special something as my thanks to you.

Not yet sure what this will be, but I’ll come up with something
I think you will really enjoy. Probably an ebook I can email to
you.

In fact, I’m writing a new book now and I might just let you
get the first look at the book, in ebook form, so you can
tell me what you think about it. You’ll get exciting new
information and content sooner than anyone else….AND (if you
like) you can give me advice on how to improve the book so it
really rocks!

Oh yea – please tell all your friends! Feel free to forward
this email, Tweet It or post it on your Facebook page. Once
again, the link is
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness.

The contest expires this evening at 5pm PST / 8pm EST.

Thanks for your support!

You Can Do It!

Karen
“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind & Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

P.S. Remember, all you have to do is click on this link:
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness –
read my post, and – if you enjoy the post and would like to –
“vote” for me by leaving a comment. Thanks for your support!

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Will You “Vote” For Me?

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Hey there! This isn’t the typical blog post I usually write.

Usually I want to share some idea, fact, information or perspective
that I think could be helpful or interesting to you.

This time, I am asking for your help. And you don’t have to do much
at all. In fact, all you have to do is do what you are doing now:
read a blog post from me.

Here’s the scoop:

I am a big fan of Brian Tracy, a well known personal development
and business coach and author. I have scores of his books and CD
programs. I think he is one of the best self-improvement experts
and speakers out there. He’s been doing this for decades, yet is
still enthusiastic and still coming out with great new material.

Anyhoo — Last week Brian announced a contest and asked his readers
to submit a blog post to participate in a contest. He was looking
for something that relates to self-improvement, personal development,
improving performance, etc. So….since I do write on these subjects
and I do write a blog which I update regularly … I decided, on a
lark, to submit a post.

Brian and his team reviewed all the posts. Out of over 500 posts
submitted, they selected 60 finalists. I was happy (and a bit
surprised) to learn that I am one of the finalists!

The next step is to get people I know – like you – to “vote” for
my post. I would love it if you would check out the post and, if you
enjoy it and would like to “vote” for it, hit the Like button and
then leave a comment.

I’m not sure what the outcome will be or what getting a lot of votes
might mean. But I appreciate your taking the time to read my post
and, if you enjoy it and would like to, “liking” the post and
leaving a comment.

Here’s the link to go directly to my post, read it and leave a
comment:
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness.

BTW, I’m so taken aback at being a finalist that I haven’t fully
thought this through, BUT — I want to give something back to anyone
who takes the time to support me, read the post and comment on it.

So…I will be checking the comments and (if they let me) emailing
something to those who vote. Not yet sure what this will be, but
I’ll come up with something I think you will really enjoy. Probably
an ebook I can email to you.

If you like, you can email me directly at kavanness@att.net after
you “Like” and “Comment On” my post to let me know you did it. That
way I will be sure to include you in my special thank you.

And – tell all your friends! Feel free to forward this email, Tweet
It or post it on your Facebook page. Once again, the link is:
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness.

Thanks %$firstname$% for your support!

You Can Do It!

Karen
“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind & Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

P.S. Remember, all you have to do is click on this link:
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/blog-contest/karenvanness –
read my post, and – if you enjoy the post and would like to –
“vote” for me by hitting the Like button and leaving a comment.
Thanks so much for taking the time. I’m going to work on that
special “gift” I want to send to anyone who votes for me
right now. I promise you will love it!

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Save Yourself From the Scrap Heap

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“Many men and women go to the human scrap heap….They have not
known just how to pump the human bellows – the lungs; get energy
out of every ounce of fuel, keep their arteries and veins clean,
kidneys and liver from being poisoned.”

That’s a quote from an old book on breathing.

Even in the “old days”, when the importance of breathing for good
health was more widely accepted, the doctor who wrote this book
felt compelled to do so. He was concerned about the diseases and
conditions he observed in his patients, as well as the people
around him.

Today, it seems like we are even more removed from the natural
healing and invigorating results of proper breathing.

I think a lot of this has to do with the advent of modern medicine,
and all the wonderful medications and drugs that have been
developed.

Coming down with a cold? First action for many people is to take
medicine to help tamp down the symptoms.

Got a headache? Take two aspirin, or extra strength this or that.

There’s even a headache product you roll on your forehead, like
deodorant. Not sure how it works, but the commercials sure are
funny.

I’m very grateful for the wonder drugs and medicines that help
relieve our illnesses, whether acute or chronic. They have reduced
much suffering and helped alleviate much pain and discomfort.

But they have also caused us to forget about our own natural
instincts and intuitions..to move away from more natural methods
of handling illness and pain.

They tend to make us focus on the symptoms, and treat those,
rather than determine the cause of the symptoms and take care
of that.

If you have headaches on a regular basis, taking aspirin or
Tylenol may help you get through your day. But you better be
concerned about what is causing those headaches, and what you
can do to prevent them.

One chronic illness that hits home with me is asthma. When I
was first diagnosed, I was totally into the “give me medicine,
and more medicine, until this thing is controlled”.

Problem was, the more medicines I took, the worse my health
became.

Mortality rates from asthma are increasing in modern times,
compared to times when they did not have asthma medications.

Why is that?

Given all the fancy medicines used to treat asthma, shouldn’t
mortality rates be declining? What did the oldtimers know, and
do, that we don’t?

One thing they knew about was the importance of deep breathing,
and regularly practicing proper breathing and getting lots of
fresh air.

Seems simple, but it’s true: you can live longer and live
better by knowing how to breathe properly.

Learning – and regularly performing – proper breathing is almost
an art in itself. But it’s actually not hard to do.

It just takes a little time and patience. But it’s time well
invested.

No scrap heap for you!

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

P.S. Get a crash course in proper breathing and how to breathe
completely and fully with the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy
Exercise Course, Volume I. You’ll relax and rejuvenate, and feel
more calm and in control, within minutes. For more details, click
here.

P.P.S. AND – To build better lung power, stamina and vitality,
try the second volume of the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy
Exercise Course: The Dynamic Energy Routine. Right now, you can
acquire  BOTH volumes for one special price. Click here
for more details.
Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Turn On Something Positive Inside

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Article first published as Turn On Something Positive Inside on Technorati.

In my previous blog post, we discussed the importance of keeping things simple
when you are beginning a fitness program.

If you’re trying to get in better shape…trying to get BACK into
shape after months or years of relative inactivity…or thinking
about getting back into shape…focus on three key numbers:

(1) Your weight

(2) Your waist size

(3) Your body fat percentage (or, alternatively, your lean
mass percentage).

I also mentioned a “magic ingredient” you should add to your “get
into awesome shape” program.

When sprinkled in and over your efforts, this ingredient will
almost guarantee good results.

What is it?

It’s enthusiasm.

Did you know the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek “en theos”,
which means “filled with the divine” or “God within”?

When you get excited about your life and your work, you bring a
powerful , divine energy to everything you do. And when you are
excited about something, you attract other people to your cause
as well. They want to be around you because enthusiasm is a
winning feeling, a warm feeling, a fun feeling.

Enthusiasm is power. With faith, it can transform adversity,
failure, or temporary setbacks into action – action that moves
you forward toward your goals and dreams.

Seems like many of us in our 40’s and 50’s often lose the
enthusiasm we recall from our youth. It can be hard to muster
up excitement and energy. It’s easy to get caught up in the
schedule, the to-do’s, the responsibilities….and lose sight of
our ultimate vision for our lives, as well as the importance of
having some fun along the way.

For example, it becomes easy to make excuses for not exercising
regularly.

“Too busy…change in schedule messed up my day…no energy at the
end of the day”. And we forfeit one of the most effective ways
to supply energy and enthusiasm into our lives.

Yes, exercising regularly – even for short to moderate amounts
of time – can have a huge impact on your energy levels, your
productivity, your confidence, and your mood. Once you embark
on a program of regular, consistent exercise – even if it’s
only 15 minutes a day – something changes inside you.

It’s tough to put your finger on. But the constructive change
you achieve by exercising regularly, as a daily habit, results
in a feeling of control, of power, of charting your own positive
destiny. In turn, this feeling permeates the rest of your life.

I can’t tell you how many people I have spoken with over the
years who have told me how much more productive they are when
they exercise regularly. And how much more confident they feel.

And guess what.

This observation often comes from people who still need to lose
weight. They aren’t even close to their ultimate goal. Yet they
feel like something mysterious and wonderful has “turned on”
inside.

You can turn on this mysterious power for yourself.

It only takes a small investment of time and effort to do so.
But it’s an investment that will reward you time and again
throughout your life.

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com/

P.S. For more tips and tactics on simple things you can do
each day to help you lose weight, or maintain your ideal
weight, get the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” Program. This
program is simple, fast and effective. It can help jumpstart
your “get back into shape” program so you make more progress,
sooner…and keep your enthusiasm levels high. Claim your
copy today.
Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Three Numbers to Focus on When You’re Getting Back Into Shape

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If you’re trying to get in better shape…trying to get BACK into
shape after months or years of relative inactivity…or thinking
about getting back into shape, here’s a quick tip to help you get
focused.

Before I begin, let me share a couple of things I’ve learned over
the years. Nothing earth-shaking. Just a few solid, simple ways
of approaching any sort of health-improvement or self-improvement
project you elect to undertake.

These ideas come from my own experiences.

On the positive side, from successfully getting into kick-butt
shape for sports, for martial arts and kick boxing competitions,
and so forth.

On the negative side, from having to battle weight issues at
several points in my life…as well as the mental and emotional
humiliation and anguish that come along for the ride when you are
overweight.

Potentially Helpful Learning #1: There are no rewards for quitting.
And there are no rules or laws that say you can’t “try, try again”.

In other words, most people who have tried to lose weight have
given up or quit at one time or another. This includes those who
have successfully lost weight and gotten into great shape.

It’s just a part of the process.

For example, you make some progress and you decide to “relax” a
little. Before you know it, you are eating like a fool, not
working out according to your plan, and you have regained the
weight.

Or the other common example: you start out all enthusiastic,
but don’t see the results you expected as quickly as you expected.
You get discouraged and give up.

This happens to everyone. You’re not a loser if you give up, or
if you relapse! It’s part of the process.

Give yourself permission, right up front, to relapse. Recognize
it as part of the process you have to go through to reach your
goals.

And, if and when you relapse or quit, make sure you climb back
on and continue to ride. Learn from the setback. Move forward.

As long as you get back up and keep trying, you are succeeding.
And the results you seek will surely follow.

Potentially Helpful Learning #2: Keep Things Simple!

When you’re first starting out on a project as important as
improving your fitness and health, it’s best to keep things
simple.

Here’s one example:

When assessing where you are now, and where you would like to
be, regularly measure and record these three key numbers:

(1) Your weight

(2) Your waist size

(3) Your body fat percentage (or, alternatively, your lean
mass percentage).

Why?

Well, your weight is important as an overall indicator of
health and fitness. We all know approximately the range of
pounds, kilograms or stone we can handle and still look and
feel pretty good.

However, your weight tells only part of the story.

Your waistline measurement is actually the more important
measure to focus on. Because it’s an indicator not only of
how lean or heavy you might be, but also of your chances of
developing heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic (and
preventable) diseases.

As for your body fat percentage: like waist size, this number
is as much a health indicator as an indicator of fitness.

You can make substantial changes to your body composition –
meaning you lose fat and put on muscle – before you lose a lot
of weight. And changes in body composition can have the most
dramatic impact on your appearance – regardless of how much
weight you have lost (or gained, if you are thin and trying
to get bigger).

So, focus on body fat percentage as an indicator of increases
in lean mass relative to fat. Improvement here will help keep
you going, even when the scale is not moving as fast as you
would like.

Those are the three key numbers to focus on.

Oh yea, there’s one more thing.

There’s a “magic ingredient” to embarking on your “get into
awesome shape” program which, when sprinkled in and over your
efforts, will almost guarantee good results.

What is it?

You’ll have to wait til my next post, my friend…

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

From Osama Bin Laden to the Pope to Wills & Kate: A Bit of a Ramble

kvanness01

I was going to do a blog post yesterday (Monday), like I usually do.
But I was so hyped up, I decided to take a day to reflect.

Fair warning: today’s message will be a bit of a ramble, and not
the typical type of post you may expect from me.

Are you willing to bear with me? Good! I knew I could count on
you to listen – or actuall, to read.

Like many Americans and citizens of the world, I was thrilled to
hear of the death of Osama Bin Laden. And the fact that it came at
the hands of American armed forces – Navy Seals, to be exact –
backed by the diligent work of intelligence analysts and
resources.

Finally, justice was served. And in dramatic fashion. It was a
very good day not just for America, but for all the civilized
world.

While operationally not as important in recent years, Bin Laden
was still the icon and the focal point for the wave of
fundamentalist, jihadist-oriented beliefs and terrorist tactics
we have increasingly endured over the past three decades. I say
three decades because the heinous acts of terrorism associated
with these evil, backwards, mysogynistic groups really started
back in the 1980s.

Important note: these groups claim to be anti-western, anti-modern,
and doing all this for the cause of Allah and the Muslim people.

In reality, they have killed more Muslims than Americans or
Westerners over the years, and continue to do so today.

Really, does this make sense to anyone? It certainly doesn’t to
the Muslim friends and colleagues I know.

One reason I feel compelled to write about this today is that,
in my “other career”, I’ve been involved in the fight against
terrorism, albeit in an indirect way.

You see, through my work, I help financial institutions develop
systems to detect and prevent the financing of terrorism, as
well as the money laundering and fraud that help support and
fund narco-terrorism, the illegal drug trade, human trafficking
and slavery, illegal arms sales, and other reprehensible
activities.

The anti-money laundering, anti-fraud, and counter-terrorist
financing programs that financial institutions have put into
place help protect us in three principal ways: (1) they help
protect us from fraud; (2) they help protect our financial
system from being hijacked by criminal elements; and
(3) their surveillance results in important leads being
passed on to law enforcement.

I also feel compelled to write about this because I was in
Manhattan on September 11th. I was north of Ground Zero and
not in any danger. Nevertheless, I will never forget that day.
And I know many whose lives were affected – irrevocably – by
the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and
Flight 93.

Now, on to the good news. Actually a couple pieces of good
news….

I found it interesting that several quite significant events
have been juxtaposed against each other these past several
days.

First, Pope John Paul II was beatified.

Now, I’m not a Catholic, although I am a Christian. And I
know more than a few Catholics – including my partner and
the love of my life – who refer to themselves as “reformed”
or “recovering” Catholics.

And I know that JP II wasn’t always on top of things. He
was reluctant to move church doctrine forward so it has
more utility in modern life. I don’t understand why women
can’t be priests. Most disgusting: I don’t think anyone
can ever forgive the church for their handling of the
priest sex abuse scandals.

But….I always liked JP II. Here was a guy who understood
the importance of principles, and who, like Ronald Reagan
(another one of my flawed but favorite heroes) stood up
consistently for his principles..which in turn allowed him
to stand up against communism and totalitarianism.

Next, let’s travel from Rome to London…and my favorite
story of the week, the Royal Wedding.

All week long, I poked fun at my British friends and
colleagues about the wedding. I told them that Americans
were more into the thing than the English people. They sort
of agreed.

Then, Friday, there they were: hundreds of thousands standing
along the procession route, and outside at Buckingham Palace…
and billions more of us watching on TV.

Full disclosure: Yes, I too woke up very early Friday
morning to watch the royal nuptials…as well as make
fun of the hats.

And wasn’t it worth it? How cool to see all the pomp and
circumstance. How heart warming to see those two young people
get married. Wills was so cute, he looked so nervous.
Kate was beatiful and poised. They did a marvelous job in
front of the entire world.

We wish them all the best and hope their marriage can endure
the relentless attention.

Ok, let’s bring all this back around, so I can try to
convey a key point I’d like to share with you.

First off, watching the royal wedding was affirming. Here
was a ritual and a process of perpetuating an important
western institution – the British monarchy – that has existed
for a thousand years. And that young couple will provide
the renewal that the institution needs.

Second, seeing one of the most significant religious figures
of the 20th century honored was also affirming.

Third, we have witnessed an event of supreme justice: a
terrorist icon leading an evil cause and a fight against
western civilization — one which has resulted in the deaths
of thousands of innocent men, women and children all over
the world — killed at the hands of the one country he hated
most.

Two affirming events juxtaposed against an act of justice.

To me, these are signs that, even when our institutions get
a little faded, a little frayed, a little dented around the
edges, we can still believe. Because they endure.

And the future looks clearer and brighter.

Not sure any of this made sense but…thanks for reading,
my friend.

You Can Do It!

Karen

“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011