Some Monday Motivation....

     Need some inspiration...here ya go! The words that stand out the most to me are WILL POWER! It may be an uphill battle but eventually it will level out and become easier and easier....so stop making excuses and just get out there...take a few steps if that is all you can muster, but do something...anything...I promise you will never regret it:) If you are tired of fat cramping your style it's time to take some control. Remember it did not take you a day or a week or even a month to gain that weight....it will take time and determination and consistency to get rid of it....and for those skinny minis out there who may feel no need to exercise....remember skinny does not automatically equal healthy...you need to get your patoodies out there too;) So lets get get it on because this fat is seriously cramping my style!

Love & Light,

Nirvani

Ayurvedic Cooking....

     Over the last year I have been studying Ayurveda off and on and ordered this fabulous Ayurvedic cookbook a while back. I have tried several of the recipes and love them! I highly recommend this book as it is not just a recipe book, but a guidebook as well on Ayurvedic principles for modern living. For those of you who are not familiar with Ayurveda:


Ayurvedic medicine is a system of healing that originated in ancient India. In Sanskrit, ayur means life or living, and veda means knowledge, so Ayurveda has been defined as the "knowledge of living" or the "science of longevity." Ayurvedic medicine utilizes diet, detoxification and purification techniques, herbal and mineral remedies, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and massage therapy as holistic healing methods. Ayurvedic medicine is widely practiced in modern India and has been steadily gaining followers in the West.


According to the original texts, the goal of Ayurveda is prevention as well as promotion of the body's own capacity for maintenance and balance. Ayurvedic treatment is non-invasive and non-toxic, so it can be used safely as an alternative therapy or along-side conventional therapies. Ayurvedic physicians claim that their methods can also help stress-related, metabolic, and chronic conditions. Ayurveda has been used to treat acne, allergies, asthma, anxiety, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, colds, colitis, constipation, depression, diabetes, flu, heart disease, hypertension, immune problems, inflammation, insomnia, nervous disorders, obesity, skin problems, and ulcers.
Ayurvedic physicians seek to discover the roots of a disease before it gets so advanced that more radical treatments are necessary. Thus, Ayurveda seems to be limited in treating severely advanced conditions, traumatic injuries, acute pain, and conditions and injuries requiring invasive surgery. Ayurvedic techniques have also been used alongside chemotherapy and surgery to assist patients in recovery and healing.

(Read more at http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ayurvedic+medicine)

I will be sharing various recipes each week that I have tried and will rate them for you. I will be starting an actual Ayurvedic study program to become a certified Ayurvedic specialist.  I hope that you will gain as much from this incredible 'Science of Life'  medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years in India and is now making its way into Western Medicine. 

Love & Light,

Nirvani

I'm back!!

Hello Friends!

      Sorry I have been absent for a while... I have been enjoying some badly needed solitude and it has been wonderful! I have discovered that I actually do have a life outside of the internet...hehehe...In the near future I will be sharing more videos and posts of my adventures of this crazy journey of transformation I am travelling. I have no intention of  making this blog only about physical fitness. I intend to share my thoughts and feelings and experiences in all avenues from the physical to the spiritual. One thing I have learned on this journey thus far is that if you hope to lose weight and get fit you must address all of the issues that brought you to this place. Gaining weight is more times than not the side effect of much deeper issues than just the lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Yes, those are two very important issues to address, but if one hopes to transform one's life for the better, it is essential to fix the whole person in mind, body, and spirit. That is when you see real change. The kind that lasts a lifetime!
    I have been deeply engaged in a daily meditational and spiritual practice over the last month and will be sharing my experiences here with you all. So stay tuned because if you are anything like me this fat is seriously cramping my style!

Love & Light,
Nirvani

Distorted Thinking....

       I found this while browsing Tumblr this morning and thought it well worth sharing. I can definitely see myself falling into at least half of these patterns. Distorted thinking creates more havoc in a person's life than just about anything. Frankly, we are what we think. I believe I will print this out and post in on my bathroom mirror and on my refrigerator. 
       Learning to control our thought patterns is not as hard as you might think. The key is in the consistency in which you use to change or rid yourself of negative and potentially harmful thoughts. Learning how to look at these thought patterns without bias and then,(this is very important) replacing them with positive thoughts is absolutely essential to real change. Just as it can be a habit of always thinking negatively, it is a learned behavior to overcome distorted thinking. As my spiritual teacher has conveyed to me time and time again, it is about getting 'real' with yourself. We often believe we are wearing masks for other people to protect ourselves, when in reality we are wearing a mask even for our own self. 
      I began removing some of those masks when I started this blog and admitted to myself and the world, for that matter, that I was in dire need of a transformation of sorts, in mind, body, and spirit. It feels good when you get 'real' with yourself. Initially it can be quite uncomfortable, but when you have, at least for me, you get this incredible feeling of empowerment. So, let's get on with the transformation, because this fat is seriously cramping my style! 

 Love and Light,
 Nirvani

Full Body Glory Baby!

Hey there friends! This is NOT an easy video to share, seeing how uncomfortable I am with my self image at the moment. So if I seem a little nervous or reluctant you might understand why. I had some blood work done the other day and come to find out my thyroid levels are high. This might explain why I am not losing the weight that I would normally be losing at the level of exercise I have been engaging in. I will most likely be starting medication for that this week. Hopefully we will see some results within a few weeks with weight loss and energy levels. Nothing's gonna get this girl down because this fat is seriously cramping my style! Love & Light, Nirvani

Benefits of Walking...

Good Morning Friends,

      I want to share a little bit with you about the benefits of walking. Not running, just brisk walking. If I am tired or sleepy and feeling lethargic in my mind and body, I just throw on my walking shoes and head out the door for a quick brisk walk around the block. I always come back feeling energized and upbeat. Walking is so gentle on your body and there is much less chance of injury, as opposed to running. Walking saves tons of money in gym fees. You can walk virtually anywhere, and if you feel you do not have the time to workout, statistics have proven that three 10 minute brisk walks is equivalent to a full 30 minute workout. Many studies have shown that walking regularly improves sexual stamina, especially in women between the ages of 45-55, with improved sexual satisfaction reported.
      Walking can get you off medications, as studies have shown that those who walk regularly are less likely to take drugs for pain. Many studies have shown that sufferers of fibromyalgia reported much less pain after walking for several weeks. I can attest to this one, as I suffer from fibro. It is amazing how much walking as improved my quality of life. The key is to walk consistently. It is very beneficial to walk longer distances at least once a week. Walking will help you to feel less tired and is a natural high for those suffering from depression. It raises the level of serotonin in the brain.
         Many studies have shown that walking helps women beat breast cancer and have a higher survival rate than those women who are sedentary. Walking reduces chance of stroke in both men and women, so studies have shown.  Many statistics have shown that walking actually reduces chance of dementia. So you can see that walking has many benefits toward good mental and physical health. If you are like me, I prefer walking to running, and the more you walk the more calories you burn. I suggest you find several different walking routes, to keep you motivated and less likely to become bored of routine. I not only listen to music during my walks, but I also listen to favorite talks and Indian sanskirt mantras I like. You can listen to an audio book or you may prefer to walk in silence and just listen to the sounds of nature. Mindfulness walking is a wonderful way to meditate and exercise, by just focusing your attention on your feet and the path directly in front of you, although I suggest you only do this in an area that is completely safe to do so.
      So let's put on our walking shoes and get our big fat glorious bodies out there and get to walking! If you are anything like me , this fat is seriously cramping my style!

Love and Light,
Nirvani

Introduction Video...

I was going to wait to post this video and actually redo it as it was my very first record, but something told me to post it:) Maybe it was to show my viewers that this is the real me...just like any other struggling (cough cough) middle-aged woman. I have a feeling one day I will look back on this video and compare it to some future video where I am amazingly transformed and will say "Wow, that was me in the very beginning of my journey of transformation, look how far I've come!" So here you go....I hope you will stick around for the final take...off to my dressing room now, I've got work to do...it's not easy becoming a star you know;) Love and Light, Nirvani