* Out with the old
Looking around it seems that I have picked up a lot of things along the way that are cluttering up my living space. So I decided to do a bit of a spring clean. And it is remarkable that if your immediate environment is clean and ordered that you automatically feel more at ease.

* Drink more water
I am one of those people that can easily go through a day without drinking any water, and this is surely a really bad thing to put your body through. I now have a bottle of water with me the moment I wake up and this reminds me to drink water.

* Stick to my exercise
After completing exercise it always feels so great, but it’s the sticking to it part that gets rather difficult at times. So a change needed to be made. Find new exercises and ways of training by trying new classes, for example, and not listening to the excuses I try to use on myself.

* Think happy thoughts
Budda said: ‘We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.’ So by thinking positive, and looking for the positive will make a world of a difference.

Change truly is as good as a holiday, and I feel like my old self again.
Wishing you all a great weekend and stay positive.

My friend, an aspiring doctor, informs me that we all have two nervous systems: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. If you are anything like me this doesn’t mean anything to you.

Apparently the sympathetic is also known as the ‘fight or flight’ system, which causes our heart rates and breath to increase- historically this usually kicked in when we needed to fight off beasts and defend our caves.

The parasympathetic is the good guy. This one lowers blood pressure and slows the pace of breaths. When you are in this system, blood no longer rushes to the muscles but can now travel to organs, repairing and healing damage incurred through daily life.

It has been scientifically proven that long, deep breathing encourages the parasympathetic nervous system and results in relaxation and healing. In yoga this deep breathing forms part of its exercises; pranyama.

Try this little exercise:

* Take deep breaths and don’t let your mind wander.

* Only concentrate on your breathing. (This focuses your conscious mind and encourages it to stay connected to your body and the present.)

* When breathing deeply we can influence our state of mind. We can choose to change our breathing pattern and the pace of the mind is similarly calmed and quieted.

The past few weeks have been both stressful and exciting! I was in rehearsal day and night preparing for our preview performance of Count of Eight Entertainment’s ‘A New Perspective’ in Cape Town on the 4th July as well as the opening which opened in Grahamstown in the 7th July 2009!

After driving for 11 hours we eventually arrived in Grahamstown! We went straight to rehearsal and started advertising for A New Perspective. Our opening night went really well! And all the performers had a great time on stage and the audience loved the show! The next day we were all very excited to read our first review!

* National arts festival newspaper. Cue. Vol 23. No 8
“This provocative dance-drama lìves up to its risquè posters. It deals with social ills in urban cultures such as drug use, child abuse and teenage pregnancy. The choreography is immaculate, with polished costume changes. The entire show reads like a theatrical music video and is bound to give you goose bumps.”

I am back home now, and we are preparing for our run of A New Perspective in Cape Town. I will keep you all posted on when and where the show will be running! Hope to see you all there!
I am also in the process of planning my 21st! I can’t wait!

Have a great week!

Peace and Love
Amz J

* Each pound of muscle (1 pound = 0.45 kg) burns between 75-100 calories simply by existing.

* Exercise boosts brain power, by increasing energy levels and serotonin in the brain.

* It is an old wives tale that different kinds of exercises will build different kinds of muscles (larger vs firmer vs stronger muscles; they are all the same)

* The only thing that can be influenced by exercise are: muscle mass, muscle shape and the amount of body fat.

* A normal pulse sits between 60-80 beats a minute. During exercise it can reach 150. The time period during which it takes to get the heart rate back to resting determines the physical shape. A fit person will have the value of 120 after 90 minutes of exercising.

* You are what you eat
Simply by eating healthy you will help your body get into shape. This doesn’t mean that you never can touch chocolate ever again, but rather that you need to become aware of what you eat and make sure to keep a good and healthy balance going. Think of food as healthy fuel rather than an enemy that you constantly need to battle.

* Less is more
Interestingly enough, it seems that doing lots of ab exercises won’t result in the firm abs that we are after. It seems to be an old wives tale that by doing lots of ab exercises the result will be the toned core that we are after.

The route to rather take is to increase the intensity of the exercise than the repetition thereof, and by focusing on the body as a whole than isolating specific muscles. This means that only a small amount of a training schedule should be made up of ab exercises. Quality over Quantity.

So maybe this isn’t such a far -fetched dream of being able to flaunt a toned core for the upcoming bikini season.

Winter is a double edged sword when its comes to working out, its the best time to get in shape for summer but the chilling weather makes it even harder to head outside and do it in the crispy fresh air. So I came up with a great solution, work out in winter in the house!

I’ve seen the infomercials with the testimonials about how great and easy Tae-bo is, so trying it was the logical step on this exercise journey. It’s not as easy as it may look.

You have to clench every part of your body while punching the air, kicking the air, doing a karate spinning kick and uppercuts. So it’s a mind and body exercise because you have to remember to clench while doing the moves.

But Billy is right, he is my champion to a firmer me and like you hear in those infomercials, “its a great work out, I feel so good doing it and I can see my biceps tightening up, my stomach as well and my legs are stronger.”

The most amazing bodies belong to dancers. They are slim, athletic and have strong cores to help hold themselves in positions that most of us cringe at. But you can achieve this body too, if you are willing to work. Dancing, whether tap, Latin, modern, ballet or being out on a dance floor, is not a walk in the park. However, it is convenient and anyone at any age can take part.

A 20-30 min dance session will increase your heart rate and you will enjoy it and have fun at the same time. Any level of dance can get you fit if you maintain the workout. Most dancers work for hours everyday, but you can start slow, depending on your age, weight and eagerness.

You may not be able to do the splits, spin around a pole or win ’so you think you can dance’ right away, but depending on your goals, dancing will increase your endorphins, make you sweat and allow you to socialise, have fun and let loose.

We have all had those moments where we try to convince ourselves with excuses that doing exercise today is not the wisest of ideas we have ever had and that any other day would be a better option. What will be the excuse today, more importantly though how are we going to beat it?

* I’m too tired/ I don’t feel like it
This is the number one prime excuse that everyone has been guilty of muttering at least once in a while. Tiredness and not feeling like it are public enemy number one. The irony of the matter is that exercise actually gives you energy and releases endorphins (the feel good drug for your body). So the point is, the time to really do it is when you are low on energy.

* I am just not into it today
Set small, short-term goals to help you stay motivated. Also by being able to keep record of all the positive changes that exercise has had on your life will be a great help. This list could range from more energy, sleeping better at night, being able to fit into your favourite pair of jeans and more. Post this list somewhere you will see it daily to remind you of why you do the exercise you do.

* It doesn’t seem to be working
Not seeing the results fast enough? Welcome to reality. You don’t, for example, gain weight overnight so losing it will not be a fly-by-night answer either  (sadly). Once you start exercising give your body some time to react. In reality it could take up to 12 weeks before you start seeing some real changes. In the meantime try to remember the benefits of exercise until you see the results you are working towards.

Try to stay strong and kill these excuses before they take a hold of you.

Now this might be a foreign concept for anyone born post the 1980s and well for most of my friends too, who weren’t into that kind of TV programme; but I do and I was. The kicks, steps and music gave me my daily dose of home-based training session.

This has changed a lot, and now sitting in front of the TV usually doesn’t involve a lot of strenuous exertion. But this doesn’t have to be the case. It is still possible to get great cardio exercises done from the comfort of your own home.

Try these:
* While sitting on the couch lift your legs off of the ground slightly and then gently lower them (you might think this is a silly exercise, but this actually helps you burn calories).

* While you are walking around pump your arms alongside your body, and maybe even lift your legs higher with each step- avoid going into a slow jog.

* As you get better fill two small, plastic bottles with water and use them as weights while you walk around.

There are so many ways how you can incorporate exercise into your life and you wont even notice it. Try this and find your own innovative exercises.

Jean Houston said it best, where she said that “at the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”

Laughing has some serious health benefits that make laughing even more worthwhile, such as:
* It has been scientifically proven that a good laugh strengthens the immune system, reduces food cravings and increases pain threshold.

*It seems that a good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension, stress and relaxes your muscles for up to 45 minutes after.

* Laughter is good for your heart as it improves the functioning of your blood vessels and increases blood flow. (This can actually protect you from a heart attack.)

* In addition it strengthens the diaphragm and abdominal muscles while burning calories.

Have you had your daily laugh yet? If not, you may be missing out on improving your health and well being  in a very easy and fantastic way. Just remember these words: “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”  - e.e. cummings