Rise and shine! As we move into the fall routine, where the sun greets a little bit later each day, many of us find it difficult to get up and get going for the day.
But why not spend those extra moments in bed with some yoga poses. Loosen up and energize that body for the day, and consider it a lovely prelude to the awesome downDAWG yoga class you’ll be checking into (or teaching!) later.

Check out this recent article from HuffingtonPost on 7 “Yoga Poses You Can Do Without Leaving Your Bed”

 
Perhaps we can learn to appreciate that quiet time before we rush into the business of our daily lives, and as the author’s say, “set up some clear intentions and choices.”
Best wishes on a stress-free start to each day!

Interested in the newest craze?

DOWNdawg Yoga is a ground breaking fusion of Classic vinyasa yoga practice, high energy and current hip hop music. This class is busting down barriers and captivating yogis and fitness gurus all over. We offer the chance to get into your favorite yoga flow sequences, get your heart rate pumping while rocking to electric beats all class long. No dance experience necessary.

$50 for all three hours including an exclusive Master Class

For more information contact Krystal,

Krystalmsay@gmail.com

Or check out our Facebook event at http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/160460744105465/
 

down-dawg-poster-revamp-MA

It’s January 28th. January is coming to a close. How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along? One of my goals for 2013 was to complete a 3 week brown rice cleanse. On January 24th I checked that goal off my first 2013 list and it felt amazing. What are you still working on? Staying motivated can be tough. Check out these 10 great tips from About.com to help you stay on track in 2013.

1. Be Realistic!
The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. Strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding that food more often than you do now.

2. Plan Ahead
Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve. If you wait until the last minute, your decisions will be based on your mindset on that particular day. Instead, your New Year’s resolution should be planned well before December 31 arrives. If it’s already to late for planning to start January 1st, pick another date — February 1st, your birthday, the anniversary of your diagnosis — whatever date is meaningful for you.

3. Outline Your Plan
Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have one more cigarette. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your bad habit affects other areas of your life.

4. Make and “Pro” and “Con” List
It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

5. Talk About It
Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

6. Reward Yourself
This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution. If you’ve been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, perhaps your reward could be going to a movie with a friend.

7. Track Your Progress
Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, say, focus on losing that first 5. Keeping a food diary or a symptom journal may help you stay on track.

8. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.

9. Stick to it
Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time.

10. Keep Trying
If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! There’s no reason you can’t make a “New Year’s resolution” any time of year.

Best of luck with your goals this year! Here’s to making 2013 your best year yet!
Amy

The holiday season is a time to celebrate with family and friends. Unfortunately, for many it also becomes a time for over-eating and weight gain. According to the National Institutes of Health, holiday eating can result in an extra pound or two every year. Over a lifetime, holiday weight gain can really add up. The holidays don’t have to mean weight gain. Focus on a healthy balance of food, activity, and fun. By implementing a few simple tips you can stay healthy through the holiday season.

Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

1. Be realistic. Don’t try to lose pounds during the holidays, instead try to maintain your current weight.

2. Plan time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Try 10- or 15-minute brisk walks twice a day.

3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.

4. Survey party buffets before filling your plate. Choose your favorite foods and skip your least favorite. Include vegetables and fruits to keep your plate balanced.

5. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite holiday treats while eating small portions. Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy.

6. Be careful with beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating; non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.

7. If you overeat at one meal go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!

8. Take the focus off food. Turn candy and cookie making time into non-edible projects like making wreaths, dough art decorations or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Try serving a holiday meal to the community, playing games or going on a walking tour of decorated homes.

9. Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering.

10. Practice Healthy Holiday Cooking. Preparing favorite dishes lower in fat and calories will help promote healthy holiday eating. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.

•Gravy — Refrigerate the gravy to harden fat. Skim the fat off. This will save a whopping 56 gm of fat per cup.

•Dressing — Use a little less bread and add more onions, garlic, celery, and vegetables. Add fruits such as cranberries or apples. Moisten or flavor with low fat low sodium chicken or vegetable broth and applesauce.

•Turkey – Enjoy delicious, roasted turkey breast without the skin and save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz serving.

•Green Bean Casserole — Cook fresh green beans with chucks of potatoes instead of cream soup. Top with almonds instead of fried onion rings.

•Mashed Potato — Use skim milk, chicken broth, garlic or garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter.

•Quick Holiday Nog — Four bananas, 1-1/2 cups skim milk or soymilk, 1-1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon rum extract, and ground nutmeg. Blend all ingredients except nutmeg. Puree until smooth. Top with nutmeg.

•Desserts — Make a crustless pumpkin pie. Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in baked recipes. Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk in cheesecakes and cream pies. Top cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of fattening frosting.

Enjoy the holidays, plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, and don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite holiday foods. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

Happy Holidays!

We are spreading the love….the DOWNdawg love that is. We have some exciting courses coming up this Fall and hope to see you there! DOWNdawg is coming to Ontario, Canada to the University of Guelph October 27-28. Registration details available at http://gryphons.ca/sports/2011/5/10/GEN_0510115938.aspx?tab=fitnessrecreation&path=fit_rec

We are also going up Island! Nanaimo, look out you’re next November is looking good. Keep in touch for location and dates. As well as Kelowna, we’ll be seeing you shortly.

We have lots of great classes happening all over Vancouver Island. If you haven’t been to one yet, check us out! We’d love see you there.

Peace!

If you knew you could never fail, what would you attempt? If money was no object, what would you do with your life? Would you change anything? Do you dream of what your ideal life would be? Or are you currently living life to the fullest? If so, please share! In my years of being a lululemon ambassador for the Johnson St store in Victoria, BC, I have been inspired to do great things with my life. And it all started with goal setting. I was gifted a wonderful trip to Vancouver, BC for the 1st annual lululemon ambassador summit in 2010. I was surrounded by truly amazing and talented individuals who were passionate, powerful and above all, living a life that they created through the help of goal setting. My life has never been the same since that weekend. What did I come out with? Well, I was inspired to create Instructor Trainings for DOWNdawg Yoga and here we are, 12 instructors trained and many, many more to come in 2012. I committed to a goal at that summit that I would have shared the DOWNdawg Yoga format and trained 100 instructors by January 2014. I think I need to re-work that goal because I will hit no problem

I am constantly striving and pushing for more out of my life. And not for posessions. I want more balance, spend more quality time with my son and husband, more time with friends, more fitness, more runs, more time for just me……..the list goes on really. Each year I make a vision board that lists my “work towards”, or my goals. Some are short term (3-4 months), some a little longer, 1 year and others 5 years, which completes my vision board. I refer to my vision/goals throughout the year to either cross something off my list, oh, I love crossing something off my list or just to check in and get re-inspired. If there is a certain goal you’ve been thinking about for a long while, here’s your chance! There is no better time than now! You will thank yourself a year from now that you got started today.

Check out this lululemon link for some useful tools to help get you started today on the life you want to live forever. http://www.lululemon.com/education/goalsetting

Good luck with your goals!
Amy

YAY! New DOWNdawg Yoga instructors are about to hit the streets with new, funky and always classes. Five ladies completed DOWNdawg YTT last week. These girls brought their A-game to the training and we couldn’t be more excited to have them join the DOWNdawg family. Please check out our new instructors at www.downdawgyoga.com And continue to check out our website for new classes and times. Just a heads up…..in order to complete DOWNdawg YTT, the girls have to teach karma classes. What does that mean?? Well, let’s just say there will be LOADS of upcoming free classes Anna already has her karma classes planned and ready to go. If you live in the Parksville, BC area check out a class. All classes are listed on our website, under the Classes/Workshop tab. Hope to see you in a class soon!

DOWNdawg Yoga is very excited to announce our involvement with 1 School 1 Day! We are joining the health and fitness community of Victoria and Vancouver in hopes to build a school for the kids of Ethiopia. Join us for this special event on September 24th, 2011 at 1pm at the University of Victoria. To register for this class and help with this amazing cause, please visit: www.1school1day.org This class will be taught by the talented Lisa Reimer. She has a great playlist planned and will rock your DOWNdawg world. This class is a must do this Fall! Please help us make this event a huge success and register today! Many thanks

Can you say EXCITED?!?!? Johnston St Festival is happening again this summer and DOWNdawg will be partaking in the fun Join Monica Elliott, one of DOWNdawg’s finest, for an amazing FREE class in front of lululemon at 1pm this coming Saturday, August 27th. Come enjoy some sunshine, fun tunes and a great workout. This class will not disappoint. Arrive early to reserve your mat. Mats will be provided if you need one. Fun guaranteed