Day 30 is the Beginning of a New Journey

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The seed for growth has been planted.  Remember, you made a pledge to reward yourself at the end of the challenge.  You declared a goal, directed your attention and activity towards achieving it and even though you may not have accomplished it exactly, you have started the process to becoming your Personal Best.  The road to success is not a straight shot, it’s a winding road. 

Think of everything you’ve learned along the way:

1.     Developing a Positive Attitude

a.     Visualization exercises to direct your thinking towards you goal

2.     Learning how to set goals

a.     Making a declaration

b.    Choosing one goal at a time

c.     Having an accountability partner

3.     I AM – imagination, action and memorization.  Imagine your desired goal has been achieved, take “action” steps towards that end and memorize the physiological sensations of success within your body.

4.     Discipline- Be the early bird that catches the worm; show up; and reward yourself along the way.  Remember, exerting continuous will power depletes your resolve; much like continuous physical exercise depletes your strength.  Give yourself a break along the way to becoming your Personal Best.  

5.     Realizing your Dream- you are in perfect harmony with creation, the universe and your life.  You are successful now.  Yes, there is always room for growth; however, you are as perfect as stardust; part of the great cosmos and beyond.  Realize this perfect moment, right now, has been orchestrated to help you grow.

6.     Meditation- “Be still” Contemplate, “Who am I?  Why am I here? What is my purpose?  Even if you take only 5 minutes a day to sit in quiet contemplation, your body, mind and soul will converge and become as one.  You will gain an intuitive understanding of your true nature.  All will be revealed in this altered state of mind.

In just 30 days, look at how much you have accomplished.  You have come so far.  Day 30 is the beginning of a new journey.  Now you can move into your next goal with more resolve and a deeper understanding of who you truly are.  You may have to struggle to burst out of your cocoon however, once you change into that butterfly, you will easily spread your wings and fly.

Congratulations on your win.

Namaste

Clarita

The information we shared with you via our daily blogs and videos was made possible by the staff at Personal Best.  Everybody, at some level, contributed and for that, we are grateful. 

Click Here to see the video: Eat Healthy with Christine's Cuisine

The 30 Day Personal Best Challenge is coming to a close!

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The 30 Day Personal Best Challenge is coming to a close!

Closing Ceremony Tonight at 7:00 pm after Mambo Mania.

There is tremendous power behind the power of the collective consciousness.  Together, we are stronger. 

The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness.

—Emile Durkheim (A 19^th century French sociologist)

Collectively, our group journey solidifies the belief that focused energy on one goal, for 30 days, is possible.  We may not have sailed effortlessly through the challenge; many times the luring calls of the Siren may have landed us against the crashing waves and jagged rocks of failure.  Regardless, we know the course, we have the map, and we can always begin the journey again.  Each time we do, the call of the Siren becomes weaker and we become stronger. 

You get it when you get it.  “Bridging the gap between you and your Personal Best” does not happen overnight.  It takes time to develop and define your “true” self.  The transformation from a caterpillar into a butterfly is no easy feat. 

A caterpillar must first digest itself by releasing enzymes to dissolve its tissues and create a liquefied soup inside its cocoon.  Within this soup, there are “imaginal discs,” or coded cells.  These cells hibernate within the larva from its incubation stages in the egg.  Once the caterpillar develops enough to build his silky cocoon, the process of metamorphosis begins.  However, the intelligence of those “imaginal discs” directs the transformation of that soup to morph into eyes, wings, antennae, and other biological parts of a butterfly.  Then, once the butterfly is fully formed, it takes its wings and flies.

We too carry this “coded” intelligence inside.  Thankfully, we don’t have to dissolve ourselves into a soup of nothingness before emerging into our full potential.  However, our intuition, ancestral memory, DNA, consciousness, collective consciousness, and super consciousness contain the blueprint for a magnificent self; one destined for greatness, happiness, abundance and love.  We may not realize this full potential in 30 days but, if we continue to come together via these challenges, our classes, and personal training sessions we will surely transform ourselves into our Personal Best.  Then we can take our wings and fly. 

I want to encourage all of you to attend our closing ceremony.  Even if you crashed against the jagged rocks and didn’t reach your goal, or, even if you didn’t participate in the challenge at all; you are invited to come.  Those of you who participated know that the seeds of change have been planted.  Now all you have to do is till the soil and fertilize it.  Tomorrow is the beginning of a new journey for all of us, let’s celebrate together, collectively.

Tonight, share within the sacred circle.  Commit to beginning a new life and know that you are not on this journey alone.  We are here together for a big purpose.  We are here to help ourselves, each other, our families, our communities and our world.  

Namaste

Clarita 

How to stimulate your spine with a yoga stretch

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY'S SIGNALS - DON'T DROP THE BALL

Day 28- Are you going to let your mistakes dictate your future?

I had no idea yesterday was a National Holiday.  (It sure seemed like one.)  We went to go get chips and salsa at the Green Onion and found it was closed for Super Bowl Sunday.  What?

I am not a football fan however; I enjoyed watching this particular game; especially because Bruno Mars was the halftime show.  What a class act.

Well, the game was won by Seattle on the first play.  The Broncos lost because of miscommunication.  How many times have we lost the game because of miscommunication?  How many times have we neglected to verify the clarity of our words or actions and moved ahead to the next move only to drop the ball?

It’s so important to align body, mind and soul to allow for open communication between all three.  Together, these energy sources make up our team.  Their intrinsic relationship can make or break our health.  If information passes freely between them and is received to properly activate or deactivate specific functions, the system works succinctly towards health, longevity and wellness.  Conversely, if the information is blocked because of toxic interference or improper feedback loops (The section of a control system which allows for feedback and self-correction and adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output) we can lose the whole game. 

When our body’s signals tell our minds that we are hurting, losing, and in need of recovery, it is best to listen.  Otherwise, neglecting the communication can break our spirit.  And once our spirit is broken, it is difficult to get back in the game.  We must be ever vigilant to withstand the negative forces of miscommunication that can pummel us against the jagged rocks of fate.   

I enjoyed watching Seattle win, another shining example of a vision turning into reality. 

Namaste

Clarita

Click here to view the video.
How to Stretch Your Quads with Clarita

 

 

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT

Day 27- Three Day Countdown to Closing Ceremony

How can you do this?  The answer is, one day at a time, one minute at a time, one breath at a time.  Lahiri Mahasaya, a great Indian Yogi, claimed that there was a short cut to reincarnation.  Any person wishing to reach self realization could do so within one lifetime.  The Yogi explained that each inhalation (prana) is like breathing in a new life, and each exhalation (aprana) a cessation of life; a death.  Human beings can live and die thousands of times in one lifetime.  And if you want to change your life, you can, from one moment to the next.    

We can reinvent ourselves at any given point along life’s path.  We can choose to bring forth into each life; (or breathe) all the painful memories from the past or, release (exhale) all of the pain, anger, stress, or dis-ease.  Conversely, we can choose to bring forth light, happiness, peace and joy instead.  The choice is ours.

There’s a great Nova video circulating on You Tube on the “Human Genome Project.”  This project set out to determine how the body was put together.  The hope was to discover the cause and cure for every disease known to man.  Interestingly, what they discovered was the “Ghost in our Genes.”  

When scientists broke down the sequencing of human DNA, (they suspected it would contain about 100,000 genes), they discovered it contained fewer genes than suspected.  As the mapping of our genes continued, they found humans had the same number of genes as fish and mice.  More interesting was that human’s had fewer genes than plants!

Which brought forth the question: If the human species has fewer genes than others, what is it that differentiates us from other species?   

Scientists within the project discovered that proteins can actually tighten or loosen around certain genes, “tagging” them or “dimming” them; turning them “on” or “off” to the internal scanning mechanisms of the cell.  Additionally, they discovered that these “tags” or “dimmers” could be passed down generationally. They discovered that cells aren’t distinguished by their genes, but by “Ghost in Our Genes”; the thing that shuts them on or off.  This is what they named “epigenetic” (which literally translates to mean “above” the gene.)       

As cells divide, the memory of what a cell is (whether it’s a liver cell or a heart cell) is carried by these switches that turn the genes on or off.  However, occasionally, some epigenetic switches can be changed.   For example, genes destined to become diseased can be affected in the womb or after birth through environmental influences and in turn, change how the switches behave.   

The point is that, even though we may be coded for predisposition to certain diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or addiction, the coding of our genes can be rearrange by our internal and external environment.  We can eliminate the toxins from our bodies, emotions and the planet to literally, break the chains that bind us.

We have a responsibility to our legacy to choose wisely regarding our lifestyle.  Our choices today will affect our children and our grandchildren.  We are the guardians of our genome.  It’s selfish to think that we can be reckless with our wellbeing and the wellbeing of our planet today, and not have it affect future generations.  If we can develop healthy lifestyle choices, we can transform the “code of life”, and transform the future of our world.  And we can do it right now.  Just breathe in, and breathe out.  

Namaste

Clarita
Click here to see video
How to tone your Inner Thighs with Clarita

 

  

HOW TO CREATE HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Day 26- 4 days left

We want to congratulate you for making the commitment to participate in our 30 Day Personal Best Challenge.  Tuesday, February the 4^th, we will host our closing ceremony at the studio.  Please join our sacred circle, acknowledge and celebrate your wins, your setbacks, and share your hopes and dreams for the future.   And, get your name thrown in the hat for the drawing of our grand prize, a Catalina trip on the private sailing yacht, The Siren.

We have a special guest lined up for the event, my spiritual mentor, Ms. Holly Hill.  When asked to summarize who she is and what she does, she says: 

                “My true passion centers around supporting, enhancing and sharing Well-Being. A person's mind-set, skill-set, occupation, relationships and successes all seem to revolve around, impact and reflect our personal sense of Well-Being. To authentically play in the field of Well-Being as a contributor, I am committed to pay attention and embrace the graciousness of Life that is every moment flowing in, through and as me, that I may align within this field of Life's own essence of Well-Being to become as a watered garden, an oasis, a place authentic and generous joy, for myself and for others, that we may find ourselves mutually refreshed. May I be a beneficial presence.  May we know and share our prosperity and joy. May we be well together.”

She is the perfect person to usher you into your new journey, a new beginning with a new set of glasses; a new perspective on health and wellness.  I’ve had the privilege of working with her for almost 2 years and she has helped me breakthrough to a tremendous power.   Power to stand my ground, to know who I am, to understand that every day is a learning experience and that evolution and change are part of growth and expansion. 

Sometimes you are simply unaware that you are carrying old patterns of behavior into new situations.  Those patterns may not be serving you any longer.  It’s like those t-shirts you can’t seem to throw out even though they’re old, thread-bare and holey; they feel comfortable and besides, they hold lots of memories.  Sometimes we just have to let those old things go.  We have to clean house, stuff them in a bag and give them to the good will.  We can still hold onto the memories, however, we don’t have to hold onto the baggage any longer.

That’s why I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s ceremony. Holly will teach you how to enter the next level of growth with a new perspective; armed with the tools to carefully plant the seeds you have sown throughout this journey.   

Again, congratulations for having made a commitment to yourself and working on your health and wellness.  Keep your mind, body and soul in perfect harmony these next few days and… keep “bridging the gap between you and your Personal Best.

Namaste

Clarita    

Living a Fully-Integrated Active Lifestyle

To live a "fully-integrated" active lifestyle, looking at the WHOLE picture is important: exercise + proper body alignment (chiropractic care) + massage + acupuncture and even skincare...especially as you age, are essential for good health.

Everything in the body is related, yet people tend to focus on the separateness of each part rather than the whole. One must understand the value of communication with all of yourself so you can better inform your practitioners, trainers, and physicians, about your needs.  That way, the treatments and services you receive from them can be in concert and supportive of each other.

We have great practitioners at Absolute Best who, together, offer you the opportunity to experience your personal best in mind, body, and spirit!

Salsa With Your Sweetheart

Is your favorite restaurant already booked for Valentine's Day? Are you looking to spice up this February 14th with something other than flowers and chocolate? If so, you've come to the right place because I have an evening planned that will make you want to skip dinner and get right on the dance floor!

Come "Salsa With Your Sweetheart" this Sunday, February 14th from 8:00 p.m. to ??? at Godmother's Saloon in San Pedro. If you've never done salsa before, this Sunday is the night to start because I will be there teaching basic salsa steps from 8-9 p.m. I guarantee you will learn all the right moves to show your Valentine a great night. Even if you're single, join us! You don't want to miss out on the opportunity to find your Valentine on the dance floor. Plus, there will be cocktails to bring out the best dancer in everyone!

Sunday, February 14th 8:00 p.m.

Godmother's Saloon

302 W. 7th St., San Pedro

New Belly Dancing Class Mondays at 7 pm

Last week we announced a whole new class schedule including 2 brand new classes: Belly Dancing & TRX. Here's a sneak peak at the Belly Dancing workout with Kristy (we shot this video with my new Flip Video as Kristy warmed up our Circuit Pilates class.)

NBC Nightly News on Womens Health

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

New Website, New Year

We are so excited that our new website is up and running for the New Year. Just how our studio makes it easy to achieve optimal health in one convenient location our new website now makes it easy to find information on all of our services, book an appointment, watch videos of classes and much more. We've made over our website, now come make over you! A lot of hard work went into the design and layout of the new site and we'd love to know what you think. If you think we've missed something, or have a suggestion, please leave a comment and let us know. Here's to everyone achieving their Personal Best in 2010! Happy New Year!

How to Get Sassy Mambo Hips

Senior Fitness & Balance Tips

Great article in today's IDEA newsletter about Balance Training for Seniors.

I've created a low impact chair workout for seniors you may enjoy:

Sit'n Fit is a chair workout. Seniors who have limitations can still be mobile without the added stress of back strain, arthritic pain or the possibility of falling.

While in a chair, march in place and increase your heart rate for cardio vascular conditioning.

Use resistabands for muscle conditioning - by placing the elastic band under your feet and holding it in place, you can:

1. curl your arms up and down to work biceps.

2. Tilt your body forward a bit and press back with arms to do triceps extensions.

3. Or, you can open your arms up and out to the sides to do shoulder flys.

4. Press them overhead and do shoulder presses.

5. Straddling the chair and twisting your torsos will help improve core strength.

There are actually a myriad of exercises you can do in a chair. Feel free to post questions or add your own exercises!

Thanks for Participating in our Thanksgiving Mambo Mania Fundraiser

Thank you to all who got up early to shake their colitas with me on Thanksgiving morning for my annual Mambo Mania fundraiser!

The class was very energetic and I am so glad to have had you all there to burn some calories and support the Concern Foundation. Hope the rest of your weekend was amazing! See you at Mambo class soon.

Personal Best's Annual Thanksgiving Marathon Class

Make a preemptive strike on those Thanksgiving dinner calories with Clarita's Annual Thanksgiving Marathon Class! Come get a great workout and support a great cause. All donations from the morning class will go to the Concern Foundation which researches children's cancer. So bring those bells and a $10 donation and come feel good with us Thanksgiving morning at 9am.

New Class Schedule at Personal Best is Up!

(Click on Image for Larger Version)

Learn the Thriller Dance with us

This Halloween we decided to replace our Thursday night Mambo Mania class with Michael Jackson's "Thriller." In less than one hour, our students learned the routine and this video takes you through the process. Enjoy!

Dance-based Fitness Takes Back The Spotlight

TV shows like "Dancing With The Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance" have rekindled that flame for dance in so many of us and have many people fondly remembering the 80's when dance-based aerobics dominated the fitness scene. I often hear my clients reminisce about old aerobics classes and videos. They loved the challenge of learning and performing new choreography, plus it was downright FUN!

Finally, I have great news for my clients and all of you -- the demand for dance is BACK and becoming popularly known as "retro aerobics!" You can read more about it on AOL's that's fit, but in a nutshell, more and more gyms across the country are offering a variety of dance-aerobics classes. People are revisiting the classics, like my friend Kathy Smith's first aerobic videos from the 1980s (check out her classics now available on DVD). I have always believed in dancing as a workout and have based my career around it. I can't think of a better way to sculpt your entire body and ignite your metabolism -- all while having an absolute blast! This is a trend that I've been committed to my entire life, and I'm thrilled to see America embracing a form of movement that not only shapes your body, but lifts your spirits too. So, let your hair down and take my Mambo Mania class or update your dance/aerobic video collections with one of my Mambo Mania dvds! Let's party towards our personal best!

What to Eat Before Mambo Mania - Yummy!

Clarita's favorite pre-Mambo Mania snack tip!

Snacks To Keep You On Track

It's very easy to fall into the junk food trap when you are on the go in your car, at the office, or in between getting the kids homework done and dinner ready. By keeping healthy snacks handy, it is easy to steer clear of the chips and candy. Here are a few of my favorite snacks that are tasty, travel well and keep me goin' when I'm on the go: pop open cans of tuna with crackers, pre packaged carrots, celery sticks with low fat dressing, or almond butter, high protein low carb power bars, almonds, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, bananas, apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and lots of water!

Also, when you do your weekly shopping for all these healthy snacks make sure you don't go to the grocery store hungry! You don't want your belly tempting you to make bad decisions. And if you fall off the wagon and end up eating a candy bar during the weak, don't beat yourself up... just stop by for a class at Personal Best.

Here's A Taste Of Afro Cuban Rumba!

This is just a sampling from my Afro Cuban Rumba class. Traditional Afro Cuban dance moves make a great workout for your core, because most of the moves involve contracting your core and rotating your hips. It also works your quads because you are always moving with your knees bent. It is a fun, rootsy workout that doesn't feel like a workout. Most students are concentrating on their footwork and the dance sequences and forget that they are even exercising. In this class there are men and women of all ages and fitness levels, so there is no reason to be intimidated! Download the MP4 of this workout here to take with you anywhere, or if you are in the Los Angeles/Southbay/Long Beach area come take the class at Personal Best, my studio in San Pedro.