If you shield the mountain from the windstorms, you'll never see the beauty of the carvings. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

If you shield the mountain from the windstorms, you'll never get to see the beauty of the carvings...

We all go through obstacles, have challenges that we face every day. We have a choice on how these obstacles will affect us, Look back on the last few years and ask yourself if you have grown as a result of all that has happened. Maybe while in the middle of it all you didn't quite realize it but know now that who you are and what you might be doing might never have happened had you not gone through what you did. Hold onto this and remember as you move forward. All that has happened can make you stronger and all that comes your way may just bring you closer to the end result that you see for yourself. All that is ahead can be amazing.

The power of the positive affirmation can be amazing.

An affirmation is any statement we make whether positive or negative that if said over and over again can become belief and even produce results if said enough. I just finished reading this amazing article from Louise Hay, author, lecturer and teacher who has helped people throughout the world discover and implement the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. She talks about the power of the positive affirmation. She writes "We can think happy thoughts. We can think positive thoughts. We can say, “Yes, I can do it!” We can think thoughts that make us feel joyous. We can learn to think only about all the good in the world. We can lift our thoughts up. We can greet the day with a smile. We can let the world know that we’re happy to be alive. We can express gratitude at every turn. We can love our bodies. We can be our best friend. By our actions, we’ll be an example for our children. Just by watching us, they’ll learn how to create a happy and fulfilling life."

Coincidentally, I am headed to NYC tomorrow for a one week training to teach Intensati with Patricia Moreno. Intensati is a intense workout combining yoga and cardio with the power of the positive affirmations. It not only keeps you moving but also works to harness the power of the mind. Most of us need reminders to stay mindful and positive and this week I get to train to bring this to others through movement and exercise.

Check out both links. First one, the complete Louise Hay article and second a video about Intensati. Both are amazing!

http://www.healyourlife.com/author-articles/wisdom/inspiration/your-thoughts-create-your-tomorrows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6hr_rg6YbE

READY FOR AN AMAZING NEW ISA DAY?

I was introduced to Isagenix over a year ago and now with 1-2 healthy Shakes and a few other drinks, bars and yes even amazing chocolates every day, I feel healthier, leaner, stronger and more energized. Not only that but over the past year have been able to share the products with others and have seen amazing results for them including weight loss (5-20 pounds or more), more energy, and more balance in their lives. It takes some time to convince some to take the leap and try the products but I can tell you that now that I have found them I am committed to a lifetime with Isagenix and so are so many others.

What can this mean?

As with many things in our life, ask yourselves the following questions?
Is this worth doing?
Can I do this (can I see myself doing this)?

I can tell you that I am not only committed to the products but also committed to being the best coach I can with my clients. First things first, you have to try the products, get use to the energy they give you and develop a trust as your body becomes familiar with them. You will begin to see the miracle your body is if you give it the nutrients it needs. Secondly, make a commitment to use the products in a specific way that works with your lifestyle. Something I hope we can come to figure out together. As with anything, not just one way works for everyone and I'm here to figure out just what works best with you. Lastly, how do you maintain that wellbeing you achieved? That will be our journey together to figure out what you need, when you need it and how you will need it to make it work for you.

As a certified health counselor part of my job is to help you figure out a way to live a more balanced, healthier life. I have this amazing tool in my practice, Isagenix, that can simplify things for you and at the very minimum help to set you on the right path to a healthier more amazing NEW YOU!

Go to www.danaappelyoung.isagenix.com and go to videos. Watch ARE YOU TOXIC. Its a quick video but one which will show you exactly why we can't get the nutrients we need in our world and why Isagenix is a great solution.

Take the leap and get ready for an Amazing NEW ISA DAY?

THE AMAZING NEED TO FOCUS

Where has all the time gone since my last blog. I said to myself that I would update my blog every Monday morning and every Monday came by and I felt like I had so many other things to do. I promise myself every week I will set goals on Sunday night for the week and I will stick with them. I need to focus, stay motivated and keep moving forward.

I certainly am moving forward but the need to set goals, stick with them, block and focus my time has much room for improvement. We all have so much going on in our lives. We tend to go the path of least resistance and stay in our comfort zones. Well its fall now, summer is over and its time to get moving. I have three months til the end of the year and what is it I want to accomplish by the end of 2009? What am I going to do to make it happen?

Think about this for yourself. Even its one thing you know you want to do by years end. Lose some weight, find a new job, or simply clean out your basement. Write your goals down on a piece of paper, put it by your bed, tape it to your desk in your office. Do whatever it takes but do it now. Wake up every morning knowing today you are going to get that much closer to what you desire.

Its a NEW DAY and I'm going to commit myself to making it amazing in every way I can. How about you?

Life's Journey and the Spiral

If by now you haven't noticed there are spirals located all over my logo and business card. I have always been attracted to the symbol and over the last few years it certainly has come to mean alot to me. It has many meanings but one of them to me is Life's Journey and what a journey it has been for me over the past four years or so. Just last year I found myself working with a Life Coach trying to figure out where I wanted my professional life to go. It didn't take long to figure out that I had a passion for helping others and for health and fitness. It was at this time that I decided to enroll in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). It wasn't long after that my friend introduced me to Isagenix and from there everything started to get clear. Fast forward and its a year later. I have been sharing Isagenix with others since last December and just graduated in July from IIN with a certificate in Health Counseling. What a journey. What now? Well, I'm sharing Isagenix and have become "Health Coach" to many. Now its my turn to give back and coach others in their journey.

The spiral symbolizes the process of growth and evolution. It can be the process of coming to the same point over and over again but at a different level, so that everything is seen in a new light. It is my life journey and yet another chapter in my book of life. Now what. Well, its time for a new chapter and I'm having a blast. I'm out to make a name for NEW DAY, Dana Appel Young, HC, AADP, Health Coach. I'm getting new clients every day. I've found something I'm passionate about and I'm going with it. The challenge of the spiral is to grow and develop at different levels of awareness. During these times of change I have to remember to be creative, flexible, patient, open-minded and constantly be ready for a new journey. The task for me will be to continue to support the change rather than hinder it. New ventures are coming my way and I have to figure out how to find room for them, stay focused and keep moving forward.

Its a journey for all of us. I know it is the symbol that I am attracted to but try to think about the sprial and what it can mean for you. Find something that motivates you. Trust the process and great energy will be released into all areas of your life. Keep evolving, keep moving forward and make it all AMAZING.

All that I seek is already within me

Today my affirmation reads "All that I seek is already within me".


For whatever reason we all have moments where we find ourselves holding back and not achieving the success that we know deep down we are capable of. Why is that? Are we stuck because something in our subconscious is of a negative, disempowering nature and as a result is holding us back. Why is it that I can't seem to make what I know is possible for myself happen? That use to be the type of questions I asked but now I have changed the questions. The "right questions" are the empowering ones. The right questions I should wake up asking are the ones that will lead to a positive outcome.


Coincidently, I am currently reading a great book by Bill Mayer, "The Magic In Asking the Right Questions". And I ask, How am I going to utilize all that I know I am capable of and make my new business a success? How am I going to make a positive impact in someone's life today as their Health Coach? I have been asking myself this and so many more empowering questions for the past few weeks and as a result I am finding that my life is headed in the direction I want to go. There can be no excuses. What I focus on expands. If I continue in the days and weeks ahead to ask myself all the right questions then my desired outcome will begin to happen. There is so much more to learn, so much more to accomplish and I am going to keep focused and continue to ask myself how I am going to get there.

"The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. Do you desire a better life? Ask better questions."

Whether in your personal or professional life try this exercise. Start your day by focusing on the positive and asking yourself the right questions. All that you seek is already within you and I'm guessing might just lead you to amazing results!

YOUR BREATH IS A VERY POWERFUL RESOURCE

The following information is taken from Andrew Weil. One of the many wonderful and amazing speakers at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Breathing is a very powerful resource and while below I have given you more information let me tell you the following words to remember.

DEEPER - SLOWER - QUIETER - MORE REGULAR

"If today you can be aware of breathing for 10 seconds more than you were yesterday, you will have taken a measurable step toward enlightenment, will have expanded your consciousness, furthered communication between mind and body, become a little more whole, and so improved your health. While diet and exercise are important, they are not the sole determinants of health. People who eat excellent diets and exercise faithfully are not always healthy, but the likelihood of being a healthy person who does not breathe well is slim."

LEARNING TO BREATHE: When learning how to breathe, begin by closing your eyes for a few minutes. Practice moving your breath. Keep your back straight. Begin with a deep, audible sigh, then quietly inhale and see how slow, deep, quiet and regular you can make your breathing and still have it feel perfectly comfortable. You should feel that you are getting enough air with no sense of not getting enough air. Do this for at least eight breaths, then open your eyes and breathe normally. This is a simple exercise but an effective one, and you should do it whenever you can.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR EXHALE: If you watch people breathe, you will see that most of them use effort to inhale but none to exhale. Exhalation is usually passive and takes less time than inhalation. When you breathe this way, you do not move nearly as much air in and out of your lungs as you can. The more air you move, the healthier you will be, because the functioning of all systems of the body depends on delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide. To get more air into your lungs, concentrate on getting more air out of them by attending to exhalation.
At the end of a normal breath try squeezing more air out. You will be using your intercostal muscles to do this, and you will feel the effort as they compress the rib cage. Try to make your exhalation as long or even slightly longer than inhalation. Whenever you think of it, practice this technique of extending exhalation and developing your intercostal muscles.

TRY THIS EXERCISE:
Breathe in for for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. Do this cycle four times and work up to eight times.
If you can do it twice a day then you are doing amazing.