Sunday, March 30, 2008

Busy is good

I have been so busy these past two weeks I am sure just like the rest of you. I have had three speaking engagements in the past two weeks plus 7 training sessions. The speaking engagements were a lot of fun. I always enjoy meeting new people.

Two of my speaking engagements were about stress reduction. Most of us do lead very stressful lives and I spoke about three specific stresses. First the good stresses such as the birth of a child, a wedding and yes exercise is a good stress on the body.

The next two stresses - first those stresses that we have no control over and second the stresses that we do have control over. My question to all is - Is your glass half empty or is it half full.

It depends on how you look at life. Are you full of positive energy from healthy eating, getting a good nights sleep, getting in exercise and keeping busy. If you take care of yourself and you are feeling good you tend to let the little stresses slide. You tend to think - Are they really that important to stress over. Is there something you can do to get rid of the stress. If your glass is half full you outlook on life is very different than those that keep their glasses half empty all the time.

I spoke about making your list before turning in at night. If you have numerous items that you needed to complete during the day and you didnt not complete and you have so many items that you need to complete the next day then your mind is racing like crazy at bedtime and it is not allowing your body to relax to fall asleep. If it is written down then it makes it real and you then dont have to think about it until morning. Your list isnt going anywhere.

I spoke about Total Body Relaxation with slow deep breathing and relaxing varied muscle groups. This will allow the body to relax and fall asleep.

The other business that I am involved in is BNI. It is a networking organization that teaches an individual how to network, and how to form deep relationships and eventually how to ask for business. It also teaches How to stand in front of people to speak- the number one fear is public speaking. It is this organization that I thank for teaching me all of this. Actually 75% of my business comes from this organization. You can beat that. NO COLD CALLS!!!

I help start up new chapters and I make sure that the members that are already in the groups are happy and making money. I coach area directors and assistant directors and ambassadors. I was a group this past week and was asked to speak on how to invite visitors for their visitors day. It is usually a 10 minute presentation at a chartered chapter so you can not run on and on. You need to get right to the point. I have been involved in this organization for over 5 years now and love it.

There is so much information and education that it would make your head spin. But that is good.
I do a lot of driving and I am always listening to one CD or another. Depending on the distance I need to drive I will listen to 2-3 of these fantastic CD's in a day. It is great information on lots of varied topics. If you are looking to increase your business with a Givers Gain Attitude than this organization may be for you. You can go to www.BNI.com and find a group near you to visit. If you do go and visit then tell them Ellen sent you. You never know who you may meet.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

ABDOMINALS- TIP of the WEEK

The air is warming up here in the south and soon enough it will be bathing suit weather. Are you ready for your bathing suit? I personally stopped doing crunches over 4 years ago. I just don't like them. So what is the alternative. When I am stopped at a traffic light ---instead of waiting impatiently for the light to change I sit up tall and place both hands on top of the steering wheel and gently press down. You should then feel your abdominals engaging. Of course I start out with isometrics so just hold this position until the light changes. You are inhaling and exhaling slowly. If I am behind my desk I extend my hands out and the same thing I press down on my desk sitting up tall with my hands extended out. This will engage the abdominal muscles. Just make sure that you are keeping your shoulders down and relaxed. Otherwise your neck will tighten up. If you are either behind the desk all day or in the car you can work abdominals. It is a starting point. this can be done a number of times during the day. If you are incorporating the isobreathing style of breathing you are then working the abdominals a little more intensely.
This is by no means the only abdominal workout you should be getting it is just one of the many ways to work the abdominals. You will still need to gain strength by incorporating other exercises for the abs. This is just a little something that you can incorporate during your busy day.
Ellen

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

GOALS GOALS GOALS!!!!!!!!!

Every year as the last few seconds tick away before the new year begins and the clock strikes midnight we are all thinking of new year resolutions. Those are considered your goals for the new year. In general most individuals will end up breaking those goals within the first 3 months. I want to encourage you to write down those goals. If it is written down it is then more real in the minds eye.

My goals for 2008- I wrote down one hundred and eleven of them. With in the first three weeks of the new year I was able to hit 11 of my goals. As of today I have hit 33 of my goals. If it is written you then have a better idea of what direction you want to take in life. No matter what you write down if you plug away every single day you will eventually hit all of your goals.

Some of my goals are very hefty such as having IsoBreathing a house hold word right up there with Yoga and Pilate's. I want to help millions of individuals this year change their lifestyles to a healthier one. I want to have IsoBreathing incorporated into major companies to help employees reduce their stress , better their health and be able to produce more at work with less absenteeism. I also want to have a minimum of 3 speaking engagements a month. So far I feel that I am right on target.

As it is said when trying to grow your business it is a numbers game. I have been sending out letters to companies explaining what I do and how I want to help them out. An added incentive - a portion of the proceeds that I obtain will be donated to the companies favorite charity. I will also continue to donate a portion of the proceeds to the charities that I already donate to.

For those of you reading this how can I help you to keep on track so you can obtain the results that you want to. I have my list typed out and taped on my desk right above where my computer is. this way I see my list every single day, a few times a day. I want to make sure that I am staying on track.

Monday, March 24, 2008

The secret

If you have not heard about The Secret you must see the video or read the book. It is amazing how this can change your life. It has changed mine personally and with my business. It is amazing what a positive attitude can do for you. I listen to many CD's while driving and on line. I have found that all of them state think positively.

You can control your stress and you decide what you want to be stressed about. You can take your business to the next level if you want to. You can lose weight if you really want to. You can do anything that you really want to. If you decide to set a specific goal you can reach it. You may need to figure out the way but if you keep trying eventually you will get there.

Life does not have to be stressful or full of brick walls. Start chipping away one brick at a time. Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure without even thinking about it. If you were to start with a specific goal and write it down. Then think in backwards steps what will get you there. Take it one step at a time and you will see that it may take years to get to your goal but you can get there.

I have taken a class simpleology 101. This also ended up changing my life. I was able to follow the program that they set forth and to this day I still follow many of the steps and my ultimate goal is to have IsoBreathing a house hold word like Pilate's and yoga.

I still have quite a few steps to get there but I am working on it on a daily basis. I am trying to accomplish 3-5 things per day to get me to my goal. I am thinking positively and I am pushing forward even when I get rejected. It is a numbers game and I am making sure that I am stacking the numbers in my favor.

I am writing letters each week to companies to introduce IsoBreathing and how it can help employees reduce their stress so that they can perform better at work. I also came out with a fitness program specifically for those individuals behind a desk all day. I am constantly thinking of new ideas on how I can help individuals and what can I do to have companies buy into this.

Sometimes I feel that this is painstakingly slow but I keep my chin up and take it one step at a time.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

SO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED

When I wrote last it was on St. Patrick's Day. I cant believe that a whole year has gone by since my daughter has gotten married. She is still happily married and moving up in her company.

It is amazing to me that every so often she will call and let me know that - first she needed a new roof of her newly purchased town home. They found this out with a leak. They replaced the roof and then the next call was to inform me that they needed a new air conditioning unit-- it broke down in the middle of a heat wave. Months later they were away for the weekend and a pipe burst on the second floor and flooded the bottom two floors. The downstairs needed to be gutted and redone. Two days ago she call me and told me that there is a leak in the pipe that is right outside of their town home and they will need to dig up her front yard to replace that piece of pipe.

With each of these calls I tried very hard to explain to her that I understand how she feels - upset, frustrated, and stressed oh and dont forget broke with each venture. I have then tried to make all of the negatives in her life a positive. There are so many stresses out there and each and every individual can list at least 5 that they are currently under. There are many different forms of stresses but there are specifically 2 types that I concentrate on. There are those that you have no control over and there are those that you do have control over. All of the above stresses that she and her husband were going through-- she did not have any control over what happened BUT...She did have control over how she handled the situations.

When you are currently going through something there are times that you feel you have no control over it and how could you possible handle it. The best thing for you to do is find a level headed friend or loved one and talk about it. When you are currently going through a situation it will be very difficult to find a positive outcome. YOU and you alone can make the outcome positive. Life is too short to really stress about the little things.

My final words to my daughter the other day was WOW now you have a town home that you can get many many years of happiness living in. you now have A new roof, new pipes, the inside had to be redone so new paint, flooring, counter tops, and the front lawn you were not crazy about and now that can be redone too. Of course it all was very frustrating but stress plays many nasty tricks on the human body. she doesnt need high blood pressure, or for those that over eat when stressed weight gain, a lowered immune system, or headaches just to name a few. Again try real hard to find the positive in any situation and you will end up feeling better and yes down the line you will be able to actually laugh at it.

Monday, March 17, 2008

invisionment

I have been hearing from lots of individuals lately that they want to lose those last few pounds or they are having a difficult time staying on track. I want to pass on some words of wisdom to help all of you. I want you to start in-visioning yourself at your final goal. If it is a specific weight or specific size that you want to get to. I want you to write down your final goal. Then I want you to write down your final goal in a short positive sentence. I look and feel fantastic at a size x or I look and feel fantastic at xxx pounds. Place this statement on your bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, next to your computer and a few other places. Then I want you to say this positive statement a number of times during the day. If you truly believe this then it will happen. You will find that you will start to change your eating habits because you will then think --if I am at my goal weight what would I eat to maintain this weight. You will find yourself watching your portion sizing, eating healthier and cutting back on the junk foods. You will also find that you will ask yourself to maintain this weight I will need to stick with working out on a regular basis. I will need to get in my aerobic activity and you will find that you will start coming up with less excuses and you will stay on track more easily. This alone has kept me on track for awhile now and it is helping my clients a lot. I know that this will work for you too. Try it for one month and let me know how it is working for you.
Ellen

Saturday, March 15, 2008

American Association of University Woman

I am very excited to be speaking this Tuesday to the American Association of University Woman.
While I was at Habitat for Humanity womans build there was a woman who was helping to serve lunch and I notice her tee shirt. I waited until all were fed and then I went up to her to ask if she was part of the AAUW group. She said yes and I introduced myself. It was very exciting for me to meet her because we spoke a number of times on the phone. It is nice to put a face with the name. She also had her co president with her so when I do arrive on Tuesday I will at least see some familiar faces. That is always a comfort when walking into a room of individuals that you dont know.
I asked Jody a number of questions about the audience that will be attending and I am glad that I did. If you do go around speaking I highly recommend that you know your audience. I only had to change one aspect of my talk. The next day I dropped a Bio off at Joans home and we discussed the chair arrangement. It is nice to know how the room will be arranged, the size of the room and the acoustics. It makes for a comfortable talk.
If any of you are going to be in the area it is for 7 pm at the Mandeville City Hall. All are welcome. If you do come please come up to me and introduce yourself. I love meeting people. Hope to see you there.
Ellen

Friday, March 14, 2008

continued what I am up to

I forgot to mention that IsoBreathing will be on Living in Style. This will air varied days and times starting with the 19th of March. On what was known as PAX TV the show will air Tuesday 4/1 at 5:30 pm eastern time, 4:30 pm central time,3:30 pm mountain time and 2:30 pm Pacific time. It will also air on 4/4 at 1 PM eastern time, noon central time, 11:00 am mountain time and 10:00 am pacific time.
Please let me know if you see it and what your thoughts are.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Ellen

What I have been up to

Hi everyone
I just wanted to let everyone in on what I have been up to. You know how the beginning of the year rolls around and as a business professional I set up my yearly goals. One of my goals was to volunteer in a homeless shelter. I used to do this when I lived in Florida and it was very gratifying to know that I was helping someone. Where I currently live there are no homeless shelters but there is the Samaritan center. I go in once a week and shelf the non perishables that individuals donate and fill carts for those individuals that stop by and need food for their families. I have met some wonderful individuals doing this and this is great for the sole.

I also signed myself up through BPW Business Professional Woman to help out at Habitat for Humanity. They are currently building 2 homes that are being built by woman. It was such a cool experience. I met some wonderful individuals and yes of course I was able to set myself up with another speaking engagement. When I got there the ground was muddy from the recent rains. I had a choice to under the house for insulation or up on beams to put on a roof. Well I chose the mud. I am not fond of heights. Another woman stated that she would go up and when she got to the top of the ladder she came right down. I decided there is no place like now to get over my fears. I climbed up and of course I looked down. WOW!!! Even though it is a one story home I was up high with no flooring to walk on. Only a thin 2 by 4 while holding on to the rafters. Of course I had to walk on this thin beam to the opposite end of the house. I tried not to look down holding on for dear life. I do have to say I was terrified but if the other woman up there could do it so could I. It was a great experience and Yes I did have a great time. I held on so thight with my legs as I straddled a beam to hammer on roofing boards. When it was time to get down my legs were shaking so bad from holding on so tightly. (what a great inner thigh workout.)
I did do lots of stretching for arms, lower back and inner thigh. I can say that I am very proud of myself to have gotten up there and not fallen off. In the near future when I get some time I will definitely do this again. I love my tee shirt that I was given.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Isometric exercise and proper breathing......

Title : Isometric Exercise & Proper Breathing Create A Non-Stressful Workout That Yields Results

Summary : Gentle, isometric exercise, combined with a carefully focused breathing technique facilitates quick, reliable, lasting results in a dedicated fitness program.

Article :

Gentle, isometric exercise, combined with a carefully focused breathing technique facilitates quick, reliable, lasting results in a dedicated fitness program.

You can lose more pounds and inches -- without half-killing yourself by enduring high-impact, stressful exercise routines -- simply by changing your breathing technique during a light, isometric workout. Hard to believe? Maybe so, given all the “No pain, no gain!” and “Feel the burn!” hogwash we’ve been fed for so many years – but the good news is that it’s absolutely true.

This is great news for everyone who has burned out on the “Sweat ‘til you’re dehydrated” and “Burn! Burn! Burn!” approach to exercise. Pack all that foolishness up and toss it out; it’s not necessary; it never was necessary, and it never will be necessary for an effective, successful fitness program.

Most people are unaware of how they breathe … and many are likewise unaware that their usual method of taking in oxygen is shallow, short and highly inefficient. When you’re breathing correctly and more deeply, you’re taking in more oxygen, and enabling your body to use that oxygen more efficiently. This makes it possible for your muscles to function at top capacity.

How that works with isometrics is that by increasing the oxygen supply to the brain, you’re enhancing the brain’s ability to send messages to the muscles to contract. As you contract a specific group of muscles and have a targeted focus for your breathing technique, you’re actually forging new pathways of communication between the brain and the muscles you’re working.

It’s somewhat similar to Hatha yoga – which, in itself, is a kind of isometric exercise because you hold certain postures while you breathe deeply and slowly through the nose. But Hatha yoga isn’t specifically focused on physical fitness, whereas the combination of targeted isometric exercise plus a proper breathing technique is.

A training DVD combining isometric exercises and proper breathing technique can easily and quickly show you how to combine the two for reliable, lasting results, enhancing your fitness program and making it work even harder for you – while you don’t have to work any harder at all.

The combination of a proper breathing technique and targeted isometric exercises has the effect of making your body a more efficient, effective machine. One well-known isometrics instructor tells of a client who had broken her leg and couldn’t leave her couch. Within a week, she had lost two inches by utilizing this system, without changing her eating habits or anything else. Granted, the story is anecdotal … but the instructor had her client measure herself both at the beginning and end of the week of using the breathing technique along with targeted isometric exercises that could be done while sitting on the sofa, and the two-inch loss was documented.

With an isometric exercise DVD that also incorporates training in proper, targeted breathing, you can speed up your fitness program dramatically … and while you’re doing so, you won’t be over-extending yourself physically … won’t be over-working your muscles … won’t wear yourself out or feel any discomfort. It’s one exercise system that’s “no pain, all gain.”