Monthly Archives: July 2016

Multi-level touch points

In business or personal relationships there are many opportunities for touch points. They can range from personal (stopping in and saying hello) to impersonal (sending an email).

As we move through our life we consider the best way to reach out to others. They can hit any point of the personal or not so personal meter. Always remember there is more than one option and the touch point you use will be determined by your desired outcome.

Email has its time and place as does the stop in. However, we all know that there is a time trade-off with each of these modalities.

The next time you need to make a touch point with a client or personal relationship consider your desired result. Do you wan to be another email in the flurry of hundreds and be easily forgettable? Or would you rather make an impact and be the client or friend that goes the extra mile?

All touch points have their time and place. Be mindful of when and how you select yours. Craft it to your situation and the desired reaction and outcome you would like to achieve.

Make it the best day!

-K

Good Morning smoothie

A great smoothie recipe to start your summer morning! I omit ice, but you can add some in if you would like!

  • 1 Cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon no salt added almond or peanut butter (any nut butter will do here)
  • 2 tablespoons protein powder (if desired)
  • A couple of dashes of cocoa powder

All the ingredients are easily interchangeable. Feel free to experiment. The protein powder and nut butter will help make this smoothie filling as well as satisfying.

Make it the best day!

-K

In need of a break?

It’s hard to listen to your body sometimes. We are trained to push everything to the limit. If we are sore or tired, keep pushing to achieve your goals. What about if your body is exhausted and needs a break? How about a recovery day or two?

Your body and mind need rest throughout the week. It can be from exercise, computers, phones, TV. All of those mediums cause fatigue in different ways.  It is important to recognize when your body needs to reset. It can be in the form of a little more sleep, going easy instead of hard during a workout or not putting as much stress on yourself to achieve.

Our bodies are not machines that never need maintenance. We need to care for them and listen to them. Once you listen to your body more closely you might be surprised at what it has to say.

Make it the best day!

-K

Finding your zen and exploring your zone

What makes you happy and gives you the feeling of being at ease?

Today for me it was on the spin bike with the right music. I was flooded with feelings that made my Monday morning more enjoyable than I could have thought. At minute two my thoughts gravitated towards the following.

  • Being present
  • Setting an intention
  • Positive affirmations
  • Gratitude
  • Motivation
  • Clearing my head

Your happy place and space can be anywhere doing anything. Try to find it more than once a week. You will feel recharged and do things you didn’t think possible.

Make it the best day!

-K

15 Minute Dinner

This recipe is quick, easy and tasty. A little Korean flavor anytime!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
  3. Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
  4. Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.

Enjoy!

Make it the best day!

-K

Saturday Session

Wake up! Dance! It’s Saturday!

Celebrate the week that you had and wonderful weekend that lies ahead.

Live in the moment and celebrate what the day holds for you!

Be present with your family and friends while you live in gratitude!

Make it the best day!

-K

Look up

Many times we get find ourselves looking down or looking behind. Rarely do we look up and forward to what lies ahead. Human nature leads us to think about the past and how we could have done something better or smarter.

Try looking forward and forgetting about the past. You can’t change what happened 2 days or 2 minutes ago. We have the power to change what will happen next. So let’s focus on that.

If we continue to dwell on the past or be bummed about our current situation, nothing will change. Something happened that you are not thrilled about? Don’t dwell on it. Pick your head up, focus on the next task and give it your best effort.

Always look ahead, do the best you can and the results will follow.

Make it the best day!

-K

Lift Fast

There is a comfort in going to gym and doing the same routine. Same weights, same reps, same amount of time on the treadmill, same gains or lack there of.

Your body needs challenges and adjustments to your routine. This can be achieved in many ways from lifting heavier, increasing reps, adjusting the sets. One method of training that most people overlook is speed.

As we get older our speed slows down. We are less active in sports and we choose more leisure activities (drinking beer, sitting down…you get the idea). A key component of training is keeping those fast twitch muscle fibers active. Even if you only lift for speed once a week you will see the benefits.

Lifting with speed is easy and it’s hard. Easy because the weight is about 50% what you would consider “heavy”. It is hard because you have to control the weight while moving faster.

I would recommend starting these speed sessions on machines. They are easier to control and you can limit your chance of injury if you lose control or move too fast.

Take your weight you can normally lift for 6-8 reps and knock off about 55% of that. Then do 4 sets of 10 at fast but controlled pace. The weight should be moving less than one second in each direction. Remember it’s about speed!! Take a minute break and do it again. After you have completed 4 sets of once exercise move to the next.

Don’t overdo it off the bat. Try this with a push movement, a pull movement and an air squat (you can load the squat with dumbbells if you would like)

Remember, our bodies like change. Let’s feed the body new movements and feel great doing it!

Make it the best day!

-K

Treading water or swimming to success?

Going through this week, month or year are we treading water or are we making progress?

If we are treading water, why are we doing so?

  • Not in the game mentally?
  • Lack of personal effort?
  • Distractions?
  • Lack of motivation?
  • Not enough rest?

There are a multitude of reasons why we tread water in regards to work or personal life. Dig deep to find the ultimate reason this is happening.

How can we turn treading water into a full on swim in the direction of success?

Does it involve waking up earlier to accomplish more tasks? Turning off the TV to read or exercise? Or is it changing your mindset to focus on your ultimate desires?

If you feel like you are currently just treading water, look for an answer. Be honest with yourself about the things you feel and do. What activity is just turning the wheel everyday?

Write it down. Pledge to change it. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Make it the best day!

-K

Move!!

It’s been a long day. Sitting at your desk, in your car or on the plane.

Let’s inject a bit of energy into the current situation.

Ready?!

Ok, stop reading this and do one of the following.

Walk around the block

Dance

Sing out loud (Bonus points if you do it in public)

Stand up and shake all the good feelings around

Move the body!!

This is your afternoon shake up. Complete with energy re-boot and no caffeine crash!

Make it the best day!

-K