5 Non-Physical Qualities You’ll Gain When You Start Exercising Every Day

There's a reason that when you read about habits of successful people, fitness- and health-related rituals are almost always high on the list. How we feel, how we sleep, how much energy we have and our overall state of health affect every area in our lives.

If we want to fuel an active lifestyle, we must eat whole, nutrient-dense foods. If we want to focus at work, we must get proper rest. If we want to keep up with our kids on the playground, we must keep our workouts up so our bodies stay strong. Our physical health needs to be a daily priority if we seek success in our work, respect in our relationships and have a desire to pursue our passions.

Establishing healthy habits can teach us life lessons as well as benefit our overall well-being. The earlier we start, the more it becomes a part of who we are. What we experience in our fitness regimen can often be a metaphor for what we experience in our day-to-day lives and applied to how we handle what life may throw at us. Here are five skills you can sharpen with a daily sweat session – whether you are 8 or 80 years old:

1. Responsibility

Taking responsibility for your physical health is one of the biggest commitments you have to make over your lifetime. Good health is not something you can buy and no one can do it for you. You – and only you – are responsible for the food you put in your mouth, the time you go to bed and the amount of exercise you get. Taking on this type of responsibility can be very empowering and set the tone for how you take on responsibilities in other areas of your life. From making the right choices as a child to ensuring you hold yourself accountable in work and family life, taking ownership of your actions and your day-to-day health regimens are the most positive ways to achieve a productive lifestyle.

2. Discipline

We've all heard the phrase "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." This is not only true in life, but also in fitness. Our muscles only get stronger when we ask them to do something they can't do, and they'll only develop enough muscle to deal with the resistance placed upon them. In order to grow as athletes, we add resistance beyond what we think our bodies can handle, which results in them growing stronger. If we never push ourselves physically, we don't grow. This mentality can be applied to so many life situations where we resist change. For example, you may resist the idea of reporting to a new boss at work because of the fear of change. By participating and welcoming the change rather than fearing it, however, you can open up to the idea that change leads to progress. Where there is growth, there will be resistance. If you are able to stay dedicated and move past the resistance, you will always continue to grow as a person.

3. Creativity

Anyone who has had a good workout can attest to the clarity it can bring. Regular exercise can clear the mind, boost your mood and open up space for creativity. Ensuring proper "timeouts" for a workout – whether allocating 15 minutes for a mindful meditation or dedicating time after work, after school or even on vacation for a heart-pumping physical escape – will undoubtedly free the thought process and empower you to go forward in a more productive and positive way.

4. Determination

By definition, determination is "a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult." Simply put, if you want something, you have to put in the work for it. You are the only person who can determine what that goal is and what your personal limits are. Each year, thousands of people – many of whom have never been runners but who are intent on pushing their personal limits – commit to running a marathon. If you have ever been part of that training process or any physically-challenging task, you know it's determination that takes you through the last leg and keeps you on track toward accomplishing that goal. So, whether you're in pursuit of the dream job, saving for that once-in-a-lifetime trip or angling for a spot on the student council, set a goal, do the work and enjoy the results that come from your determination.

5. Confidence

Getting and staying fit is a surefire way to increase your confidence. People tend to be very self-conscious when they first begin a physical fitness program and can be embarrassed if they can't do a pushup or run for more than a few minutes at a time. But as they become more fit and their bodies become stronger (no matter the age), they build confidence and start to push themselves to do things they never believed they could do. This almost always carries over into other parts of their lives. Maybe you take on that project that scares you or you join that group that seemed too intimidating before. Like your fitness routine, as you dive further in, your confidence grows, your mental prep gets stronger and you are ready to tackle whatever is thrown your way.

The benefits of working up a sweat go beyond even the impactful physical attributes that we often associate with exercise. So lace up your sneakers, get your to-do lists ready and get moving! Sign up now for all of you classes for the week and make the commitment to yourself!  SIGN UP HERE

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How to Make Your Resolutions Permanent

At the beginning of ever year statistically nearly 50% of all Americans make New Years Resolutions. Some of the resolutions that make the top ten list every year are losing weight, staying fit and healthy, and enjoying life to the fullest. Maintaining integrity towards reaching these goals tends to fade as the weeks and months pass into the new year. How does one stay on track with their goals? James Clear an entrepreneur, writer, and weight lifter who thinks a lot about goals, habits, and success, has a much better approach to achieving almost any goal--and it's an approach anyone can use. The idea is changing your perspective and focusing on the process not the goal.

Goals reduce your current happiness. When you're working toward a goal, you're essentially saying, "I'm not good enough yet... but I will be when I reach my goal." The problem with this mindset is that you're teaching yourself to always put off happiness and success until the next milestone is achieved. "Once I reach my goal, I'll be happy. Once I achieve my goal, I'll be successful."

Solution: Commit to a process, not a goal. Choosing a goal puts a huge burden on your shoulders. Can you imagine if you had made it your goal to write two books this year? One would become stressed even thinking about writing a word! We do this to ourselves all the time. We put unnecessary stress on ourselves to lose weight or to succeed in business or to write a best-selling novel. Instead, keep things simple and reduce stress by focusing on the daily process and sticking to your schedule instead of worrying about big, life-changing goals. When you focus on the practice instead of the performance, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time.

At Sana Vita Studio, we share the belief that it is imperative to focus on the practice and we want to help you achieve your goal of improved health and enjoying life to the fullest. Sana Vita Studio's mission is to help you improve your relationship with your body through Yoga, Pilates and Yamuna Body Rolling training by giving you a powerful long term plan to optimize your health and fitness.

There is a progression that we teach that offers tremendous results. Together we can create an optimal plan for you to stay motivated and engaged for the long haul. The key to long-term success is having a well laid out plan to optimize your health. Focus on the process and the results will follow.

We have a full schedule of wonderful classes to make 2015 your best year yet! Also, until the end of January we are offering 1 Private Sessions for $55 to new and existing clients!

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Keep Calm & Eat Less Sugar During Holidays

The Holiday Season is upon us. A wonderful time to enjoy our family, buying presents, and engaging in holiday merriment. One thing that is synonymous with the holidays is baked goods, sweets, and candies. It’s no wonder that a lot of us, even those of us who lead an incredibly healthy lifestyle, end up loading up on sugar much more than we usually do. You won’t fall ill from one holiday indulgence, of course, but the problem is that sugar has addictive properties—and what begins as an innocent treat can easily morph into a daily sugar fix. When you eat a sugary food, a flood of dopamine is released in your brain. That dopamine creates an increased sugar tolerance, requiring you to eat more to get that same feeling of pleasure.

Most of us know that consuming too much sugar regularly is directly linked to diseases like obesity and diabetes. But what you may not know is that it’s also been linked to cancer, and even degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Being mindful this holiday season can carry over into a lifetime of great choices for your over all health.

Our Nutritionist Kelli Bonomo offers these 5 tips to help keep yourself on track, maximize your Nutrition and avoid the Holiday Fat Trap:

1. ) Always keep your Blood Sugar Stable: Three ways to keep your blood sugar stable: Keep meal   intervals to every 3-4 hours, implement the correct portions and watch the ratios of protein, carbs and fats.

2.) When you have a holiday party, dinner or event, keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day. This is the key to preventing weight gain.

3.) If you are going to indulge in the holiday feast, be sure that you get back on track 3 hours later by eating a balance of protein and fat to help lower your blood sugar and prevent weight gain.

4.) When having a cocktail, glass of wine, or a beer, always remove any complex or starchy carbohydrates from the meal, your body has the potential to store alcohol as fat.

5.) Water helps your liver metabolize fat... hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, especially if you have fallen off plan. Flush that body with water to move out all the extra sodium, sugar and alcohol!

Want to keep your nutrition in check into the New Year? Coming in January, Nutritionist Kelli Bonomo will be offering a program "LOOK GREAT IN 8, DITCH THE SCALE" a coaching program that will include:

* 8 week Nutritional coaching series: Includes 3 phases: Detox, Ignite and Thrive
* 1-hour coaching event every Wednesday evening for 8 weeks (time TBA)
* 2 week supply of CORE Meal replacement shakes
* 3 months FREE Access to Online Nutritional Software, includes meal plans, recipe and additional      tools at the THRIVE phase of coaching
* Before and After measurements, weight, body fat and pictures
* More information coming soon!!

CLICK HERE 

For information about the Nutritional Coaching available at Sana Vita Studio 

CLICK HERE 

For information about our studio

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Beat Winter Weight Gain

Do you dread the winter months and putting on winter pounds? Contrary to popular belief, there’s no scientific evidence to prove that we’re biologically predisposed to weight gain in the colder months. Unless you’re a bear, that is. Weight gain during this time is related to holiday eating and a decrease in exercise during the colder months. Research shows that we tend to gain one or two pounds between late November and early January. That may be a lot less than you thought you’d gained eating Grandma’s stuffing, but studies also suggest that we often don’t lose that weight year after year. “It may be that when spring comes around, you see a few more pounds on the scale than you saw the year before”

A great way to maintain your weight though the winter months is to cook meals from scratch.

The simplest way to control your weight is to eat more home-cooked meals made from whole ingredients, Freedhoff says. “There is probably nothing more straightforward than markedly reducing meals out, packing lunches every single day and avoiding the processed food aisle,” he says, adding that meals made with whole ingredients such as lean meats, fruits and vegetables will almost certainly have lower calorie counts than processed and pre-made food.

A wonderful way to embrace the colder months is to cook what is in season. Pumpkins and other fall squash are low in calories, and packed with fiber, vitamin C,making then a healthy addition to your diet. Here is a wonderful recipe for Butternut Squash Shells that is creamy and delicious without the guilt.
Are you interested in learning more tips on keeping your weight in check this season?

Join us at Sana Vita Studio for a FREE TALK with our Nutritionist Kelli Bonomo on How to Avoid the Holiday Fat Trap and Maximize your Nutrition.

November 8th at 1pm SIGN UP HERE space is limited. Sign up to win a FREE 7 Day detox here... only one will win and they must be present at the lecture to win! (99.00 Value)

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