There are many reasons why you want to preserve muscle mass, as well as continue to build muscle, as you age....especially if you are a woman.

Below are some reasons why.....

Building muscle strength:

• Builds stronger bones
• Protects joints from wear and tear
• Better movement to help prevent injury
• Helps maintain stability, balance and overall health
• Helps you burn more calories when your body is at rest
• Assists with a better quality of life
• When you move better, you feel better and then you have a better chance to live independently for the length of your entire life span

I think those are some pretty damn good reasons why you want to preserve the muscle you have as well as inspire you to even build more muscle.

I have always done some form of working out my whole life. I did some working out with weights when in high school. But my first real love of the gym and weights came when I was in college.

Having played sports my whole life, I just figured I would play them in college too....

Everyone will respond a bit different under different circumstances and that includes the challenge we are all facing now.

A reason we all may react different may be related to the amounts of each element we have within us.

More air and ether means we have more Vata Dosha.

More fire and water means more Pitta Dosha.

More water and earth means we are more Kapha Dosha.

And the combinations of these 5 elements, which every living thing has in order to be alive, varies within us and thus the qualities of these elements will show what our unique tendencies may be during these types of challenges.

Let Explore Each One

Vata Dosha

Vata dosha is a combination of air and ether. So a situation where we are quarantined may lead vatas to be a bit more scattered and anxious. Air and ether have the quality of 'motion' to them. So vatas like to go on adventures. They are creative and have lots of ideas. That is one way to see the air quality of 'movement'. Air moves things.

So vatas need to really...

Some Of My Favorite Things

I love so many things but I do have some that are on top of the list. You all know I already love yoga and Ayurveda so no need for me to jot them down here. ;)

Here are a few things I LOVE:

1. Journals and Pens!!!

Yea I'm a sucker for all that is journals, pens and stickers (you're never too wise for some motivating stickers!!!). I love the daily planner I use from Ink and Volt and this pen is one of my favorites...have it in every color.

They also have some awesome notebooks and desk pads for organizing daily tasks and To Do's.

I can't visit their site too often or my checking account funds will disappear!

2. Evernote

Evernote is my favorite digital organizing tool. I've been using it since 2009!!!

You can organize your whole life within Evernote. I use it for my business and for home life. You make notebooks which you can stack within each other to keep all organized and clean looking. And within Notebooks you create notes. I have Notebook for all...

No matter what your unique body/mind constitution, (Ayurveda dosha) is, there are healthy habits that are good for everyone to help keep their mind and body balanced.

One of the keys to healthy balance is healthy digestion.

Another key is a healthy outlook or state of mind.

And there's a lot that one can do to promote a healthy digestion and a healthy state of mind that will work no matter what your dosha is.

Let's discuss a few.

Daily Routines To Keep You Healthy All Year Round:

• Having a consistent nighttime ritual - This consists of going to bed at the same time, or close to it, every night, with 10:30pm being the latest time if possible. It also means shutting your tech stuff down a good 30-60 minutes before you go to bed. You could incorporate a calming breathing practice or light stretching practice before you slide into bed.
• Having a consistent morning ritual - This means getting up at the same time every day, or close to it, by 6am or 6:30 the latest if possible. Then tongue...

 Your Body Is Your Vehicle.

I love this perspective shift!

We need to tend to our car vehicles at some point so they drive well. If we ignore the upkeep, our car won't last as long and/or not drive as well as it could.

Seeing our body as a vehicle brings the same kind of awareness to it. Tending to our body daily will serve it well in most cases; for feeling better, being energetic and stronger, for longevity, for healing faster from physical challenges, for living longer independently and by hopefully being a bit more okay when the final time does come for our vehicle to run out of gas and not be able to be refueled (that deals more with the mind-chiseling mud aspect).

But I do love seeing the body as a vehicle, and I'm going to do my best to keep the gas tank filled until the time comes when it will fuel up no more. AND, it's the reason why I keep moving my body daily.

 So on to my 3 biggest reasons to exercise and keep moving and fueling the body!

Hey all!

I've got a short video for you with some 'Sock Moves' for your next workout. Video taped it before my class this morning at Elevate Yoga in Hazlet, NJ.

Ditch the mat for a change, grab a thick pair of socks and maybe 2 blocks or not and try this one out next time for the core part of your workout.

You can do a few sets of each move or do them altogether and then repeat the sequence.

I just make up names for the moves. I do this a lot in my yoga classes and get a laugh out of folks like my newest name for a pose which was Jack Knife Locust! LOL

When you give this a try let me know how it went in the comments below.

And if you have any questions let me know that too.

Remember to keep your core engaged throughout and blocks will give you more space. Hands on floor will be a little harder.

Get to it! Grab a floor space & socks and put on some tunes you love.

Make your move,

gina

Ps. Your heart will get a nice little workout too!

We hear from many different sources 'out there' that it's all about the journey, not the destination.

In my life experiences thus far, that has become Truth for me.

In this video I am demonstrating a couple big milestones that happened for me today.

Since I fractured my kneecap in July, this is the first time I've been able to do two particular poses fully - Bow Pose and Wheel Pose (Danurasana and Urdhva Danurasana).

The real key thing to know though is this --> that for me it's not about actually being able to get into the full pose. Those things are more of an assessment for me. And it's not actually about looking amazing in each pose either. If that was key for me, I wouldn't be posting these poses out there on the internet.

For me it's about what I feel and sense within me when I'm in a pose....that's where the true learning and transformation occurs for me.

This video has a lot more to say than just the poses it's showing.

It’s all the work, devotion, dedication and...

In mid July I fell and fractured my knee cap. Yea, what a great thing for a yoga teacher to do, eh?!

Luckily it was a non-displaced fracture which means my bone stayed together so I didn't need surgery......yay!

And these past few weeks have my put my practice to the test.

I've had a daily practice of some sort for over the past year and a half now. A steady practice meaning every, single day.

My practice includes some or all of the following:

• Yoga asanas (physical poses)
• Breath work
• Chanting
• Meditation
• Journaling
• Reflection
• Other types of movement/workouts

Forming this practice stemmed from the many years I dealt with and suffered from anxiety. Then once I become a yoga teacher my practice evolved a bit. Then again it evolved and changed and become significantly more consistent after I took a yoga & Ayurveda Teacher Training. Now, like I said above, I practice every single day. Some days a shorter practice. Some days a longer practice. But I do something.

It's my...

It's finally summer here in the Northern Hemisphere.

• skin rashes
• acid reflux
• burning or itching eyes
• inflammation
• excessive sweating
• loose stools
• headaches or migraines & more

• being overly judgmental of yourself and others
• irritability
• anger & more

Here are some quick and simple tips to keep...