Live. Laugh. Lunge.

“Just Live”

I have a secret: I am truly living!

With a summer spent enjoying each moment of my days, rich with family, friends, and special memories, I was able to reconnect to my passions, rejuvenate myself, and reinvigorate my zest for the here and now.

My heart and mind have been grounded, mindful, thankful; I feel as though I am being true to myself and enjoying my time on this earth.

I read a lot this summer: happy stories, sad stories, true stories, helpful stories, mysterious stories, nostalgic stories….There is such power in storytelling! The connection that a reader, listener, viewer can make and experience is other-worldly. There were a few stories that were so important for me to experience at this point of my life; the stories were timely and they were the teaching tools to this road of acceptance and living!

Tears. Cleansing tears during each of these stories showed me clarity and got me to this beautiful space in time. On my family vacation, I cried hysterical tears on the Wildwood Beach that had my family laughing at me for sobbing into the pages of JoJo Moyes’ Me Before You. In the Broadway theater, I ugly-cried with my sister and cousin, mother and aunt to the story of how J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan in Finding Neverland. The following week, I watched the seamlessly, beautiful Radio City Rockette’s high-kicking in their Radio City Spectacular and teared up remembering my years performing as a dancer. Then, most recently, I was listening to a book, Arianna Huffington’s Thrive, in which the INTRODUCTION sent me to sobbing chokes about mindfulness, cultivating meaningful relationships, and experiencing the wonder in the world.

Each of these stories had a message, which struck the same chord in me. “Live, Ariana. Stop overthinking. Stop second-guessing. Stop. LIVE. Be here. Be now. Be kind. Be. LIVE. Give. Forgive. Try. Go. Do. ‘Just Live'”.

There is too much sadness, fear, and discord in our daily lives. We have the power to choose happiness, love, and peace.

Choose love.

Choose peace.

Choose to “Just live”.

legally-approved-live — Image from Pixabay.com

Pride

Hi readers! I am back! You don’t need to hear my excuses (“life got so busy”, lack of time, inspiration, yada, yada) but my life has been blessed, my days have been happily occupied, and my heart has been full.

I am swelling with pride over the accomplishments of my family and friends recently. I WANT TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!!

What have my family and friends done lately???

WORKED HARD. They set a schedule and timeline to see their goals and crushed them.

HAD PATIENCE. Their results did not happen overnight; they had to (and you will have to) persevere to work for what you want.

HAD FAITH. Peter Pan said it best:”All it takes is Faith and Trust…and a little bit of pixie dust” and you can fly, you can fly, you can fly!

WERE DEDICATED. Some days it hurts. Some days your muscles ache. Some days life happens and you truly don’t have the chance to lace up your shoes. Stay focused, stay dedicated; the end result is so, so sweet.

FORGAVE. They forgave themselves when training did not go as planned. They stayed positive when the job didn’t pan out. They forgave mistakes and remained hopeful and hungry for success, for happiness.

HAD PRIDE. They were humble; they did not boast. Yet when the moment showed itself, my family and friends demonstrated blissful pride in themselves for what they worked towards and accomplished.

My family and friends’ accomplishments have been INSPIRING. Their happiness and pride is CONTAGIOUS.

I hope through this quick read that you will feel my pride for them, my goosebumps when I hear and see their accomplishments, my tears of joy over their success. My family and friends have been kicking a$$ and I could not be more inspired and PROUD.

Cheers to you! xoxoxo

Being Consistent

Think about this: How do you stay focused, committed, and consistent with the aspects of your life that are important to you?

Prioritize.

Now, think about this: How can we make our goals, dreams, and aspirations a TOP priority?

I have been feeling inconsistent lately. Especially in these times of inconsistent weather and fluctuating schedules; I have been making excuses and allowing my goals, dreams, and aspirations fall away from being my top priority.

For example, my original goal of blogging ever other day became posting once a week, then once every two weeks, now if I’m lucky, once a month! What happened to my consistency? My commitment to my writing, my thoughts, my self?

The age-old excuse “Life Happened” is my only explanation. On the daily list of priorities, posting to Live Laugh Lunge moved from the number one seed to second behind grocery shopping; then it fell to third behind cooking dinner; next thing I know my blog post is in dead last behind commuting, teaching, doing laundry, planning (lessons, classes, choreography, calendar), studying, washing dishes (and the WORST – putting them away), cleaning, eating, exercising, spending quality time loved ones, sleeping, traveling…you see the problem?!

As humans, it is okay for life to happen. It is normal for us to fall of the wagon. It is important for us to be spontaneous. But the key, to a sound mind and healthy body is for this inconsistency to happen OCCASIONALLY.

How can we reprioritize our daily schedules? How can we manage our precious time more efficiently? How can we keep our goals, dreams, aspirations through our passions and hobbies consistent in the midst of busy schedules and dirty pots and pans?

As the tortoise preaches: “Slow and steady win the race.”

I implore you to make one of your goals a daily occurrence:

Eat at least 1 fresh fruit a day
Drink 1 gallon of water a day
Break a sweat through physical activity each day

Then, I encourage you to make a second goal a weekly occurrence:

Try a new vegetable each week
Study a minimum of one chapter per week
Make it to your favorite class/or explore a new fitness studio each week

Finally, spice up your routine with a monthly goal/dream/aspiration:

Call or connect with someone that you have fallen out of touch with
Take an unexpected trip – to visit family and friends or to make another check off your travel bucket list
Join a book club or read and finish one book each month

Variety is the spice to a rich and fulfilling life! However, there is something to be said for creating and maintaining a constant routine. There is enrichment in setting goals and making daily, weekly, and monthly strides to achieve those goals! There is fulfillment in having dreams and aspirations and taking the slow and steady approach to reaching those dreams! You will create balance, boost confidence, and lead a happier and healthier life.

legally-approved-consistent — Image by Justin Matthew

Yours in consistency and aspiration-grabbing,

Ariana xx

Accountability

Accountability (noun): the quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions

Who holds you accountable? Who takes responsibility for your actions? Your choices? What I teach my students, is “YOU are in charge of you. No one is forcing you to do anything that you don’t want to. You have the power to study or read when you’re supposed to. You have the voice to suggest what foods to choose. You have the knowledge and tools to avoid drugs and peer pressure. You are in control of the choices that you make every single day, that effect your life, for better or for worse.”

This is all well and good and important to teach a young child. Hopefully, their lives contain a type of structure, any semblance of structure. Structure is important in developing good habits. Strong practices. Positive coping and management skills. The habits that we develop in our childhood have the power to shape our futures.

But what often happens when we get older? More independent? More financially settled? We can fall out of our previously stable structure.

Falling out of our structure, our former norm, can cause topsy-turvy in our lives. We may feel chaos, anxiety, low motivation. We may feel freedom, comfort, heightened excitement. We may feel a mixture of these emotions at any moment of the day. Topsy-turvy indeed!

How can we create new habits? How can we build a new, yet sturdy and stable structure? How can we take responsibility for our actions and choices and hold ourselves accountable again?

It is important to remember that our choices are only as good as the TEAM surrounding us. As children, our parents/guardians, siblings, extended family, friends, teachers, coaches, and instructors made up our team. They were rooting for us to succeed. These wonderful people showed us the skills that we needed to build our structures and supported us in our quest to find our personal successes.

When our lives become topsy-turvy and we are open and ready and committed to regain balance, we need to call upon our team to guide us, show us, teach us, and hold us accountable for crafting our structure of The Now.

legally-approved-newsteam — Image by: Ronnie Gray

Putting together your team:

Accept that you want to make a change (i.e. financial savings, increased fitness, dietary substitutions, spiritual realignments)
Reach out to supportive friends or family members with SIMILAR interests or goals in mind
- Your teammate/s will feel honored that you asked them for help on your journey in building your structure of The Now
- They may ask you for help in keeping them accountable on their own, similar journey
- You are the strongest learner when you can create and develop from what you know
Set a SMART goal or goals and share that goal with your team
- Remember, SMART goals are safe, realistic, and timely
Update your teammates with your successes, complications, set-backs
- If chosen appropriately, your team is rooting for you no matter what
Enlist professional assistance when needed
- Seeking consultation from a financial planner may be the person you need to talk to if financial savings is what you strive for
- Joining a gym may be the first step in reaching your fitness goals if working out at home is not the best practice for you
- Hiring a personal trainer, nutritionist or registered dietitian, or health coach may be the professional teammate that you need to reach your health, nutrition and wellness goals
- Have open an communication with your primary care physician before engaging in strenuous or increased physical activity and extreme diet plan if this is not already your norm

You have the power, the skills, the knowledge, the tools to make the best decisions for you and your life IN THIS MOMENT.

Lean on a friend. Recruit a spouse. Talk to a health coach.

Set goals. Work hard. Stay committed. Remain focused. Believe in your abilities. Trust in your team. Be kind to yourself.

Are you ready??

Yours in accountability,

Ariana xx

Snow Day = No Excuses Day

There are few things better than (an early morning school cancellation!) cuddling up on your couch with hot coffee, soft blankets, Netflix, a good book, and the snow falling in sheets outside.

BUT! I implore you to take at least 30 minutes to an hour of your day and get a workout in. Get your sweat on. Detox your skin, your gut, your negative energy.

THEN, enjoy the rest of your day with that hot tea and all the Nutella you have in your pantry. Indulge in your endorphins and commitment to YOURSELF.

All quiet on the outside front. All hard work and mind-body-wellness indoors.

NO EXCUSES!

Yours in snowy day sweating,

Ariana xo

ENCOURAGEMENT!

Have you ever had one of those weekends (weeks? months?) when your healthy lifestyle has gone out the window? You feel bloated. Your clothes don’t fit. Your energy is caput. And you are CRANKY.

How can you shake yourself out of the bad habits and back into healthy living?

Set those SMART Goals:

Weight goal – 5 pounds in 30 days? Doable.

Healthy eating goal – no cheese for 1 week? Doable.

Exercise days in a row goal – 30 minutes every other day? Doable. 30 minutes every day? Doable!

Reach your goal? Set new ones. Doable!

Grab a Partner in Health:

Having a friend or loved one working on their similar health goals as you will make it WAY EASIER to reach for the veggies, put on your sneakers, and join you at the gym. Hold each other accountable and reach those goals faster, stronger, and together.

Try something new:

Changing up your routine will make eating and exercising fun! Avoid exercise plateau by keeping your body guessing. *I highly recommend trying new exercises at studios or gyms where trained professionals can guide you safely.

Want to try being a pescatarian? Try it out! Want to see if those articles on dairy intolerance affect you? Try it out! Feeling sluggish and checking to see if gluten isn’t for you? Try it out!

Say Cheese:

Document your journey. In your favorite outfit, workout gear, bathing suit, take before pictures and weekly photos to SEE your commitment to yourself paying off. Now, I’m not saying you have to post your pictures for the social media world to see – if that’s your prerogative, go for it – but when you can literally see your transformation (brightening of your skin!) it can give you the motivation you need the get that workout in, maintain your healthy diet, and keep focused on your journey back to your optimal health.

BOOM.

Good luck getting back on track!

x, Ariana

You say you wanna ‘resolution’

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It’s 2016! Time for change, time to start anew, time to set goals…and achieve them!

You don’t want to be the person that a) doesn’t set a resolution or goal for yourself or b) set a super tough resolution that you end up breaking 4 days into the new year [hence the reason I’m writing this post on January 4th]

What I learned growing up, in school, in athletics, in sport psychology, in teaching and in coaching is to set SMART goals for yourself.

S – specific – what exactly are you trying to achieve?

A more toned physique? A fatter savings fund? A stronger relationship with loved ones? A greater spiritual connection? A mindful, present, and positive journey? All of the above?

Set specific resolutions in the areas of your life that you want strengthened and improved.

legally approved action-plan.jpg — Image from Picserver.org

M – meaningful – why is this goal important to you?

When you attach emotion to your resolutions and goals, they become a “passionate want, thereby creating a much higher likelihood of achieving your meaningful goal” (Tabaka, 2013).

Write out your resolution or create a vision board for your goals. The more passionate you are about your goals, the more driven you will be to achieve them.

A – action oriented – what are the steps that you’re going to take to reach this goal?

Write it down! Start a gratitude journal to stay present, positive, and thankful. Keep a fitness log or calendar of your physical achievements each day and feel the pull to keep consistent with your resolution. Don’t break the chain!

Pack a fitness bag to bring to work. Meal prep. Set alarms on your phone to get you off the couch and into class, mass, off your HEY NOW.

R – realistic – how do you know that you can achieve this goal?

Is your resolution a reasonable one? If your resolution is a specific number in weight loss, is it an unhealthy amount of weight to try and lose in 1 year? Have you consulted your doctor about this goal?

Did you set a goal to to travel more, but your finances or vacation days are limited?

Is your goal to organize your life, but you live in a large home with years of saved memories and paraphernalia?

Set smaller goals that work up to your ultimate resolution and you will be successful!

success-933215_640 — Image from pixabay.com

T – timely – when do you want to achieve this goal?

Are your resolutions meant to be completed daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Calendars, logs, and journals can help keep you on track to reach your goals.

Some ideas for fun, attainable, heart-warming resolutions:

Buzzfeed’s Achievable Resolutions in 2016

Good luck, be SMART, and enjoy every moment of 2016!

Wishing you much success,

Ariana xo