Tag: relaxation breathing

Well, tomorrow is one of the least favorite days for American taxpayers.

It’s the final day to submit your tax returns without incurring a penalty – unless you have already filed for an extension. And even if you get an extension, you still have to pay what you THINK you owe by tomorrow…or be hit with another penalty.

I was reminded of tax day during this morning’s trip to our local post office. I dropped off some orders I was shipping to customers, nd couldn’t help but notice that the line at the counter was longer than normal.

When I lived in Northern Virginia, I used to ship my orders from the Merrifield Regional post office. This post office was -and is – featured on the local, and sometimes even national, news every year on tax day. It’s incredible to see people in a long traffic jam, using the improvised drive-through that the post office sets up. It beats trying to get inside, where it’s wall-to-wall people.

The post office stays open until midnight, for those brave people who wait until the ultimate last minute to do their taxes.

I’ve never understood this obsession with waiting until the last minute to mail in your taxes. Some people do it deliberately, and with pride, every year…year after year.

I guess it’s their way of “stickin’ it to the man”, not giving up a blessed cent, nor filling out those dastardly forms, until the last possible moment.

The annual tax deadline is instructive. It demonstrates how much more efficient you can be when you have a deadline — either self-imposed or mandated from some external force, such as the long arm of the tax man.

For example, I usually complete my taxes by the end of February or early March.

Because preparing taxes is such a tedious process, I break down  the overall task into smaller steps: gather the statements and records I need; organize everything; complete the P&L statement and document deductions; complete the returns on Turbotax; file everything away.

Doing this in steps involved a little time each day over a period of a week or so. Not a terrible process – but not terribly efficient, either.

This year, however, I procrastinated…and had to complete my taxes this weekend. With my back against the wall, I cranked through the record gathering, organization, calculations and statements, and completed and filed my tax returns within about three hours.Plus I also cleaned out old records and reorganized files and folders so I am better organized for the coming year.

What had taken me a week or more to get done in previous years…I completed in only a few hours this year.

Talk about the power of a deadline!

The deadline is a powerful tool to apply to any important action you want to take – or know you should take – to improve your life or your health.

As an example, you may be good about working out on a regular basis.

But you may begin your workout without a plan as to what you are going to do, and how long your workout is going to last. So you may dawdle and do less effective exercises. You may not reach the level of intensity you need to, for long enough, to propel yourself forward toward your fitness and health goals.

As an alternative, even if you have all the time in the world for your next workout (is that true of anyone anymore?), try setting a time limit for yourself.

Set a deadline of one hour from now and get going.

You’ll immediately notice a significant change in your approach. You’ll be forced to plan what you are going to do, and for how long.

You may budget 10 minutes for warming up, then move into a more intense cardio workout for 20 minutes. Then you will spend 20 minutes on strength training, followed by 10 minutes to cool down and stretch.

Of course, you can train in such a way as to combine these separate activities as well. A lot of that is driven by your breathing, and with the level of intensity you bring to each activity and exercise. This approach is what I teach in the Best Breathing Exercises programs.

With a deadline-driven approach, you don’t have time to dawdle or dilly-dally. You automatically move from exercise to exercise with more efficiency. You focus better, and you get more done in one hour than you might have achieved in two hours during your “old” way of working out.

This approach offers an outstanding way to increase the quality, intensity – and results – of your fitness program, or any other endeavor that is important to you.

You Can Do It!

 

 

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

P.S. The great copywriter, John Carlton, is fond of saying, “The deadline is mankind’s greatest invention – because without it, nothing would ever get done!” Use this powerful tool in your own life and see how much more focused and productive you become.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

When it comes to your fitness and health, you’d probably say that they are important to you.

Yet how committed and consistent are you at taking action in these two areas, each and every day?

Since I’ve been laid up after surgery and quite limited in the type of exercise I can do right now, I’ve been giving the concept of frustration a whole lot of thought. To say I’m feeling frustrated at times is an understatement.

I’m used to moving a lot, doing something every single day for my health and fitness, using physical activity and expression as a key outlet for the stress that builds up from a busy, engaged life. I’ve had to re-focus my usual activities to ones I can support now.It hasn’t been easy, but I’m beginning to get into a groove that supports and energizes me.

But let’s get back to you….

It takes a lot to make significant changes in your lifestyle, your schedule, and your attitude and outlook…changes that will propel you towards greater things in your life.

It’s a lot more comfortable to stay where you are, with what you know, and dream about “If only…”

If only I were thinner. If only I could put on more muscle. If only I could get control of this stress and anxiety and live in a more relaxed manner. And so forth…

Seeing the need to change, thinking you ought to change, even wanting to change are all good. But they don’t quite get it done when it comes to actually taking the consistent, sustained action that will enable you to reach your goals.

No, it takes something much stronger. And that something is… frustration.

Yes, that negative, nasty emotion. But it’s true, something very negative can help you make positive changes.

I used to abhor frustration. I hated the feeling. I think frustration and boredom are the two states I seek to avoid the most.

However, I realized from my own experience, as well as working with others, that you’re not reallly ready to do the things and think the thoughts you need to, until you are at the end of your rope and ready and willing to do what it takes to get out of the situation you are in.

If, for example, you get to the point that you are really frustrated with your anxiety and levels of stress, and the fact that you don’t seem to be improving…Or you are frustrated with your appearance and inability to lose the weight…then celebrate.

Get happy! Put your hands in the air and shout “Hur-rah!”

I’m serious. Because when you get truly frustrated, you are ready for a breakthrough.

You are at the point where you begin to ask yourself the right questions, and look for the information or resources that can help you.

So leverage the frustration you may be feeling and use it to help energize and support your efforts to change or improve.

Here’s one more thought on frustration: it can also trip you up.

Once you are on the path to losing weight, or gaining the upper hand on stress…you may at times experience little or no progress.

You may get frustrated at how slowly things are changing. Or you may get frustrated at yourself for slipping up or backsliding. You may think you’ll never reach your goals.

Well, once again, use this frustration as a tool to energize yourself. Don’t let it put you into a funk, or get so down that you give up.

Here’s a great quote I heard a long time ago, that helps describe this point:

“How long would you give the average baby to learn how to walk before you didn’t let him or her try anymore?”

That’s a crazy question, isn’t it? You’ll give your kid as long as it takes, and all the love and support to help them. But dadgummit, that kid is going to learn how to walk!

And think how frustrated babies and toddlers can be at times, when they are trying to master a new motor skill. But they keep at it, again and again and again, until they finally get it.

Why not apply this same approach to yourself?

You Can Do It!

Karen

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

P.S. I’d love to help as you leverage your frustration into action, and seek the information that will help you take smarter steps towards your fitness and health goals. Visit the Best Breathing Exercises website for information on the products and programs that can help you transform your health and energy levels.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

I trust you have begun 2012 in fine form.

If you’re like me, you have probably been inundated with emails, articles and other such talk about setting resolutions and goals for yourself.

I’m a huge proponent of setting and working towards meaningful goals.

But I have to admit one thing:

Goals in and of themselves are not the most important thing.

What IS important is the person you become in the process of achieving your goals.

In order to achieve more, you need to become more.What you become determines what you can achieve and realize in your life. What you become is just as important as what you do.

The real reason to set, work towards and achieve goals is your own personal growth. Growth that helps you create a better life for yourself…and have a more positive and profound impact on the people around you. Growth that helps you make a difference in your world, your community, within your circle of family and friends. Growth that is in alignment with your highest personal values and vision for your life.

Here’s the exciting thing about having a goal:

When you focus on a goal, you immediately begin improving because you have become aware of a new and exciting direction in which to take your life.

You’re already mentally and emotionally shifting in that direction.

As you think about what you would like to achieve, do, or bring into your life this coming year….think also about the type of person you will have to become in order to realize your goals.

For example, some years ago, when I set out to overcome a serious and chronic health problem – a severe case of asthma – I not only thought about the obvious goals, like reducing or eliminating the asthma attacks, or breathing more clearly, or getting off all the darn meds.

What really motivated me was picturing the kind of person I would be if I were free from asthma.

I thought about how great it would be to lose the fatigue and anxiety, to have abundant energy and confidence. To be able to participate fullbore in just about any activity I wanted to – without fear.

You may face your own health or fitness challenge. Have you set a goal and made the commitment to begin overcoming that challenge?

If so, keep in mind the transformative power of deep breathing and dynamic energy exercise

No matter what your goal is – losing weight, improving stamina, transforming stress into positive energy, becoming more flexible and open in body and mind – you can get started more quickly and easily if you put one of the Best Breathing Exercises programs to work for you.

It’s not magic, and you have to make some effort. But remember this:   “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get by it, but what they become by it.”

You Can Do It!

Karen

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

P.S. If your goals for 2012 include getting more fit…breathing more clearly..>overcoming stress and anxiety….or feeling more energetic and healthy, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Best Breathing Exercises programs.

Let me help you make 2012 your healthiest year ever!

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2012

The first step in deciding what you want for the coming year is to think back over the past year….about the good things, as well as the not-so-good things, that came into your life.

Think also about what you did (or did not do) to achieve those good things, or to bring or allow in those not-so-good things.

We learn from our mistakes as well as our successes, so it’s good to spend a few minutes on each.

If you’re like most people, you are your own worst critic.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, the famous founder of Psycho-Cybernetics, always said, “See yourself with kind eyes.”

(By the way, I highly recommend all of Dr. Maltz’s books. Try to find the original versions from the 1960s and 1970s. More recent versions of his works have been re-published by people who added their own stuff on top of Maltz’s. His original material is the best resource, from my point of view.)

“See yourself with kind eyes.” So basic, but so difficult to do sometimes.

So, I recommend you pretend you are speaking with your best friend when you inventory the past year. Just as you would with a friend, be honest, but…spend more time congratulating yourself on the good things – the things you achieved this past year. Spend less time on the not-so-good stuff.

And there ARE good things – no matter how challenging your year may have been. You might have to think a little bit, but they’re there.

The next step is to reflect on what you would like to achieve or bring into your life in 2012.

Now, I’m not talking about making New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions are for amateurs.

I’m talking about setting meaningful, exciting goals for yourself.

Humans are inherently goal-oriented. So setting, planning for, and working toward goals is a natural, powerful mechanism for moving forward in life. Goals are critical to the process of constructive change and growth.

It’s good to have balance in your goals.

In other words, look across the major areas of your life and think about the outcomes you would like to see in each of them.

As I mentioned yesterday, some key areas to consider include:

-health and fitness;

-family and relationships;

-career or business;

-financial;

-personal development;

-spiritual development;

-contribution and service.

You can have specific goals for any and every area of your life. And one of the most, if not THE most, important area is your health.

In fact, I believe that setting a goal or goals pertaining to your health and fitness is critical to having a positive and constructive year.

Here’s why: If your health or fitness is lousy, it will negatively impact every other area of your life. Your energy levels, your confidence, your belief in your ability to set and achieve goals, are all impacted by your success in establishing and following a solid health and fitness program.

If your health and fitness levels are high, you will possess the energy, confidence, and sense of well-being that literally catapult you forward to the achievement of even your most difficult goals.

The most direct way to this inner power (that you already possess) is through your breath.

Your breath is like a super highway that drives straight to your spirit, emotions and internal energy.

That’s one reason why I place such emphasis on cultivating your breath and energy as a fundamental cornerstone of your overall health and fitness program.

And the Best Breathing Exercises programs  – can help you with this. Each one teaches you how to tap into the inner power that you usually ignore or underestimate.

So…Back to setting your goals and planning the outcomes you want to manifest in your life for 2012. Here’s a great way to begin:

Pretend it’s a year from now, and you are looking back over 2012.

What kind of year will you be reviewing? What will you feel really awesome about having achieved or completed? What will you be most excited or proud of?

Usually the first few things that pop into your mind are good candidates for your major goals for the year. Because these are the things that you really want and desire.

And strong, burning desire is the master key to unlocking your internal powers and achieving your goals.

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

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Thank you for the Christmas and holiday wishes that you sent. I can’t respond to each one personally, but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy and appreciate them.

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday – and I have many friends from other faiths who do not – I hope you still took advantage of the holiday spirit and the time off from work and enjoyed yourself.

Hopefully you are still enjoying some time off from work, and hanging out playing with your Christmas gifts…or your kids’ gifts.

My big gift this year – from my beloved partner – was a Nook e-reader.

I love to read. I love learning and exploring through the written word, coupled with my imagination. And I love my books.

I’ve reluctantly given in to the explosion of digital reading options and even publish some of my own stuff digitally. However, I wasn’t sure whether I was ready to give an e-reader a try.

Apparently my “better half” knows me better than I know myself. I love the Nook! We also added a Kindle Fire to the family mix and are having fun exploring both options.

While I will always love my books, and will continue to invest in building and benefiting from what has become a pretty extensive library…I now have a new option for building and reading and exploring. This has added another dimension to my plans for this year, in terms of my own self-development and improvement goals. It’s exciting!

Which brings me to my point for this tip….

You know, right now – before New Year’s Eve – is a great time to take stock of the past year.

Think about what went right. What went wrong. In what areas were you successful? In what areas did you make progress? In what areas did you fail, or simply not follow through, or give up?

Since you are speaking with yourself about these things, and don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks….be honest.

Very important: Give thanks for the blessings and positive things and people in your life. Give thanks and recognize yourself for those things you did achieve, bring to conclusion, or push forward.

Equally important: gift yourself with an honest appraisal of where you are in the important areas of your life.

Look at your health and fitness. Your personal development. Your family and relationships. Your career or business. Your financial health. Your spiritual health. The larger contribution you are making in your community.

How have you done in each of these areas?

This is a ritual I follow each and every year, prior to the New Year.

It gives me a chance to assess where I am in relation to where I want to be…count my blessings….then make decisions about my priorities for the coming year and begin to plan how I will focus on these priorities.

This process – which doesn’t take that long – renews my motivation and my hopes for the future. Desire, hope and expectation are wonderful lubricants to significant, long-lasting achievement. These “friends” result naturally from having interesting, exciting and challenging goals and dreams for your life.

So think objectively and honestly about where you stand today. Are you happy and content with every aspect of your life?

Use this process as a foundation for setting goals and making plans for a successful and – above all – fun and interesting 2012.

You Can Do It!

Karen Van Ness

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

P.S. The New Year is almost upon us. Have you made a commitment to finally improve your breathing, your health and your fitness? If so, I can help! Check out my programs, articles and blog at the Best Breathing Exercises website. Free shipping on all programs is still available!

Plus, I’ll be coming out with some new programs and resources to benefit you in the New Year. I’m psyched for a great year! I hope you are too.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

Hi there! Just a quick note to remind you of my “Holiday Special”.

Due its apparent popularity, I’m keeping it going through Christmas Day – that is, til Monday morning.

So, if you’ve ever thought about ordering one of the Best Breathing programs, please think about doing it for sure this time. The shipping is on me for every one of my programs.

In addition, I’m running a special offer on the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” Program – http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/metabolism.html.

If you order today, you will receive the Ebook (instantly downloadable)…AND I will throw in the print version of the program (the actual book) for only $10  more.

Plus the shipping is on me!

This is my way of wishing you Happy Holidays. Go to http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com to claim your programs.

Most importantly, I’d like to thank you for your support this year. Thank you for coming to the Best Breathing Exercises website or my blog to check it out. Thank you for signing up. And thank you for reading.

I truly enjoy speaking with you, even if it’s virtually, through these blog posts, as well as hearing from you when you email or write me.

My greatest hope is that the information, ideas and motivation I provide through the Best Breathing programs and my messages to you help you take action to achieve greater levels of health, fitness, confidence and fulfillment. 

“Into a world filled with darkness came light…Into a world filled with hopeful hearts came love…”

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my friend. May all your dreams become reality in 2012!

You Can Do It!

Karen Van Ness

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

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011

What is the most common activity of people this time of year? Other than shopping, I mean.

It’s assessing – either consciously or subconsciously – how this past year has gone.

You look back at what has happened, what you have accomplished, and what you have left undone.

If you are consciously doing this, you are actually taking stock, either in your head or on paper.

If you are unconsciously doing this, you probably are feeling either really good about life….or you have a sense of unease or disappointment that you can’t quite shake.

Of course, as part of this process, a lot of people skip over what they didn’t get done this year, and move right into thinking about the new year. That’s because the new year is fresh and full of promise. So…they make resolutions. Probably the same resolution they made a year ago. Losing weight and getting more fit is one of the most common.

But you don’t have to wait until New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to set your goals. Nor do you have to wait to begin preparing yourself for beginning to work toward your goals.

Yes, there’s nothing like momentum. If you can get clear on what you want to do in 2012 now, and begin to do a few simple things to prepare yourself…you will hit the ground running on January 1st.

Even if you are a little hungover.

Well, in that spirit, here are three simple things you can begin doing now, even during the hub bub of the holidays, to improve your health and explode into the new year with momentum:

(1)Drink lots of purified or quality bottled water. At least half your bodyweight in ounces, every day. Water purifies and detoxifies your body. It helps maintain your metabolism and energy at high levels.

(2)Take a daily multi-vitamin/mineral, vitamin C, and fish oil. If there were a law passed that limited me to only three supplements, these are the three I would focus on for general health.

Vitamin C provides so many benefits, I could write a book about it. Fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. And inflammation has been implicated as a root cause or contributor to a number of different ailments and diseases, from arthritis and asthma to heart disease and Alzheimers.

(3)Do some deep breathing and/or dynamic energy exercises each day. Preferably first thing in the morning, to expand your energy and set yourself up for a productive and successful day.

Morning breathing and energy exercises are one of the cornerstones of the fitness and health principles I teach and follow.

Learning to breathe properly and developing greater vital capacity are two of the most significant steps you can take to ensure high levels of health and energy today….and years from now.

You can also do some deep breathing and light stretching in the evening. I tell you, there is no better way to relax after a tough day. Just a few minutes will have you sleeping like a baby.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-learn, fun to do series of exercises, consider one of the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course volumes. Or, if one of your goals for 2012 is to lose weight and get in shape, you can try the exercises and other recommendations in the “Fire Up Your Metabolism” Program.

All of these programs are available at the Best Breathing Exercises web site – check em out at http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/productspage.html.

Like I said, these are simple things you can begin doing now. You’ll feel better, you’ll be healthier…and you will hit the ground in full gear for the New Year!

You Can Do It!

Karen Van Ness

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

Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2011