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Confidence and Vitality: The Art Of Healthy Living by @AlkasTotalFit

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by Alka Sharma

You can tell a lot about a person when you watch them walk into a room. They are either timid or confident. Some people almost peek in with a shy fear, while others do not seem to care and command a presence… a confidence.

The confident ones are easy to spot. Demonstrating confidence is being sure of yourself and your abilities. No arrogance, but a secure, calm, quiet, inner knowledge of who you are. Confident people feel ready everyday to take on challenges, tasks, and opportunities regardless of what may be around the corner.

Consequently, it is hard to feel sexy or be confident and full of vitality when you are physically or mentally unhealthy.

 

Confidence Is A Journey

My personal journey towards feeling confident started when I had extreme weight challenges that led me to a lack of self-confidence, not to mention the lack of self-esteem that came with it.

Emotionally, I was a wreck. I became withdrawn from the outside world because physically my body was hurting me. I did not know how to respond with power.

I questioned If we are born with confidence or if we must build it? I concluded that confidence is a person’s ability to believe in themselves and their strengths to succeed. So, it is both a trait we have inside us that must be built.

The greater your confidence becomes, the more aware you become of life, and more engaged. When you gain confidence, you increase your vitality.

 

Vitality Examined

For a long time, my internal emotions were dormant and I had to regain, reclaim, and rejuvenate my confidence. I desperately wanted change. Vital health is our number one asset. As I plucked up the courage to walk into a gym there was this fear that came over me of, “I don’t belong here among fit bodied people.” Simultaneously, another voice was telling me remember the change I was looking for in my life. This was the voice I chose to listen to.

I was on the road to being healthy and I could not wait. Changing felt great. We all need to be pushed at times. Working out releases endorphins and makes you feel energized. You begin to see a new glow about you. There comes a feeling of being full of vigor and joy.

 

Our Health Is Our Wealth

As working out was giving me this joy, I was loving the ride for the first time.  I was seeing the difference, gaining confidence from my posture, walking tall, feeling proud, my confidence was hitting the roof, I saw energy levels increase. My vitality was booming. During the day I became more productive and had a greater mental focus to carry out tasks.

Working out and feeling good about your body is the most amazing feeling.

What is equally important?

Self care practices. Research. Question. Ask. Carve out time for yourself. No matter whether it is going to a spa or getting pampered. Take time for yourself away from everyone including your spouse or kids (it is healthy). Read a good book. Take a class. Learn a new skill. Have tea and soak in the sun.

 

Moving Forward

Mentally we all need this. Carving out time for yourself is essential. It provides us new energy to tackle the days ahead, increase our vigour, our liveliness, that get up and go, that ‘joie de vivre’ feeling we experience that comes from the power of self care.

When I began to adopt the practices of self care, I began noticing huge shifts from an energetic perspective. Gaining clarity allowed me to become focused on tasks, and wow, it was powerful.

Being physically and mentally healthy enables us to successfully merge our personal life, family, relationships, and running and managing a successful busines consecutively.

 

 

Alka Sharma is founder and CEO of Alka’s Total Fitness. She helps women gain inner strength through empowerment, taking control of their health and fitness. By transforming women’s lives, they build relationships while getting strong and fit at the same time all while having fun. Alka is an accomplished professional ballroom dancer having competed both locally and internationally. She truly enjoyed the high of dance performance and training which led to her journey inside the fitness world.

Alka’s inspiration came from Gillian Michaels. Gilian is strong and dynamic both physically and mentally. It’s a character she admires along with her drive and tenacity.This drive and tenacity was apparent when Alka launchd her fitness studio. She can be found at Alka’s Total Fitness.

 

 

 

 

6 Science-Backed Activities For Leaders To Become More Zen In Life by @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

Whether it’s mothers trying to separate teens from their screens to the busy executive going from conference calls to meditation, the evolution of technology impacts all facets of life. The digital world is permeating the fabric of life and its time to redefine the future of living.

As of December 2018, there are over 2.32 billion monthly active users worldwide on Facebook. There were 1.15 billion mobile daily active users. The average time spent per Facebook visit is 20 minutes and every 60 seconds, 510,000 comments are posted.

The average American spends 24 hours a week online. E-marketer trends forecasted that US adults would spend an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018 and by 2019 mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes in the US.

Smartphones and apps have changed the way we work, communicate and play. Technology is a double-edged sword. It brings people together, makes it easier for people to collaborate however the negative impact can be soul-destroying. People’s physical health is being compromised due to poor eating habits, working more late hours, exercising less through to posture issues, headaches, and the quality and quantity of sleep and emotional wellbeing being impacted.

It’s time to take back your overrun attention and life. Let’s dive into 6 actionable activities that support you to get your focus back, live more consciously and build a more mindful life.

Work Smart Rule

The Pareto principle, 80/20 rule is well known for 20% of your work is going to account for 80% of your results. If you apply this universal truth to business and life, you invest 20% of the time on the tasks that yield 80% of the results. Leveraging the principle involves in asking quality questions to decipher what you are investing your time in:

  • What have l done that has moved me closer to my vision?
  • What have l invested my time in that has had a negative or no impact on moving me towards my vision?
  • What would be the steps that l would need to take to move one step closer to my vision?
  • What would be the first thing l would implement to bring me closer?

By being specific, you will determine the very step you need to execute daily to become the most productive version of you. By organizing your daily tasks, you prioritize the key bite-sized chunks, you focus on the tasks with the highest payoffs and you tackle your top 20% of tasks first.  When you execute those tasks, your brain release dopamine, the feel-good hormone. By cultivating small achievements, you propel yourself to greater success.

Zen Time

The practice of mindfulness and meditation has been around for thousands of years. In more recent times, the business world has embraced these practices because research supports how these practices can change the wiring and makeup of your brain. Companies such as Google, Salesforce,  and Toyota have understood the personal benefits of mindfulness to support business objectives.

Training the mind to focus is becoming more critical than ever as your attention is being pulled in 1000 different directions at once. Learning the basics of mindfulness and meditation through courses, books, apps, and YouTube videos is readily available. Commitment to a daily practice, starting with dedicated time in your day to learning to be present. This can be a sitting meditation using an app such as Headspace or practice being in the moment when going for a walk.

The Art of Now

Being in the moment can be a reminder for you to be more mindful of wherever you happen to be. When emotions, thoughts or desires arise, you notice them, be kind to them and allow them to be just as they are. When you embrace the moment with an open mind, you merely observe without judgment. By being in the moment, research supports that by fine-tuning your ability to be present, you decrease your stress responses and increase your positive emotions. When you make room for the full range of your human experience, you will live with more inner peace.

Self-inquiry

Another way is to focus on the inner orchestra of your body by scanning from head to toe. Notice which part of the body you connect with and notice what you feel. Another way is to focus on one part of your body and notice the physical sensations you can feel. When you focus on bodily sensation you release tension that perhaps you were not aware of before. When you bring attention to areas of discomfort within the body you decrease symptoms of stress and improve psychological well-being.

Purposeful Action

Multi-tasking is a mere illusion and addictive. Your brain convinces you that it loves to multitask when in fact training your mind to focus on one thing at a time allows you to produce more meaningful results. When you commit to your actions being purposeful and deliberate, you slow everything down. You shut down your mental autopilot to allow the logical part of your brain steps into the driver’s seat.

Act of Nature

In our modern work, distraction is running rife. Being able to disconnect and go into nature, whether it be a walk, hike or just sitting, you re-sensitize yourself to the life and beauty around you.  Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine published a study that found participants that walked in a forest had lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol (referred to as the stress hormone) afterward than those who strolled through a city environment.

Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing” was developed in Japan during the 1980’s, designed to combat stress from overwork. Today, it has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. By simply being in nature, connecting through your senses of sight, hearing, tastes, smell and touch. By opening your senses, it bridges the gap between you and nature.

Your repeated experiences will shape your thinking and the way you live your life. What your practice, grows stronger.

4 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Exercise by @KatieHaines2

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by Katie Haines

We all know how important exercise is for our health. It’s a critical component of self-care that helps our body work better, keeps our weight in check and gets those feel-good endorphins flowing.

However, when you’re a business owner, exercise becomes more than an act of self-care. When you and your brand are the same, exercise becomes a necessary business tool. And, if you have a team of people who rely on you for employment, your ability to show up and do amazing work is that much more important.

A good workout helps you clear your head and can boost creativity. If you’re a mom-boss with little ones, a gym with childcare can feel like a life-saving break in the midst of a crazy day.

And yet, it’s so easy to push that workout off the schedule when life gets busy. Perhaps you need to open up more time for clients, attend a meeting, or get that blog posted, and that spin class is one of the first things to get cut.

But, regular exercise is one of the most important habits you can cultivate as an entrepreneur. Here are four ways that exercise can help you grow your business and up your game.

1. A good workout takes you outside of your comfort zone.

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve embraced as an entrepreneur is the willingness to be uncomfortable. After all, it’s when we push ourselves to do something challenging, that we step outside of our comfort zone and experience growth.

And yet, most of us do whatever we can to stay comfortable! One of the best ways to reinforce this habit of being ok with being uncomfortable is with a challenging workout. You may start strong, but somewhere during the class or set of reps, you question whether or not you can finish. You’re out of breath, your muscles are shaking and you feel completely uncomfortable. But, you find the energy to keep going. You stick with it. The class ends and you feel great. You didn’t give up and you kept pushing your limits– just what you need to do in business. The more you push yourself outside your comfort zone, the easier it gets to contact that influencer, submit the guest post or speak to a large audience.

2. You gain strength and build stamina.

I recently read a quote of Jane Fonda where she said, “It’s easier to be brave when you feel strong.” Being in business for yourself requires a good bit of courage, strength, and the ability to dust yourself off and keep going.

When you feel strong, it changes the energy with which you approach the day. You begin to trust yourself and gain the confidence that– yes, I absolutely can do it! Those difficult workouts allow you to train both your body and mind to be strong. You feel more empowered when you can easily climb flights of stairs, open a stubborn jar and run to make the train and not feel winded. And, knowing that you have the stamina to handle what life throws down, sets you up for success.

3. It reinforces the value of showing up and doing the work.

It can be hard at times to keep doing the work, especially when you’re in the beginning stages of building a business or if you’re not getting much traction with a new product. When you’re not seeing results, it’s easier to knock off of work early, sleep in, or waste a ton of time scrolling through your Facebook feed.

Similarly, if you work out sporadically, you won’t see the best results you want. Change and progress are built from regular work. They come from a commitment to the process. The more we show up and take action, the more results we’ll see—in our bodies and in our business.

4. Being a part of a group pushes you to show up and work your butt off.

I like group workouts because they push me. If I think I can’t possibly keep going, I look around and see at least 10 other women all sweaty and tired-looking, but still pushing, still working. It helps me reach down and find that last little bit of energy to keep at it. And, I’d like to think that some days, my energy is helping someone else push harder.

It’s so important as an entrepreneur to belong to a group that inspires you, helps you stay accountable and motivates you to keep going. You need that camaraderie, the feedback and the sisterhood. Find the women that you can raise the bar with, in a Facebook group, mastermind or in a local meetup group.

A workout is always worth it. Schedule it into your calendar and make it a non-negotiable part of your day. More often than not, we feel better after it’s over.

We have more energy and we often eat better. When we take care of our bodies, we can be a better partner and a better mom. We can run exceptional businesses and create the things we want to see in the world. We can become the best versions of ourselves and create the best versions of our business.

I’d love to know your thoughts– do you workout regularly? Do you think it’s helped you grow your business? Why or why not?

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Katie Haines is a health coach for busy women who feel like they just haven’t nailed healthy eating or hit their goal weight yet. She helps make healthy easy, so they can stick with it, keep the weight off and feel amazing. Grab your free 7-Day Kick Start to get back on track with your health goals, lose those last few pounds, and feel good in your own skin!