“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”- Abraham Lincoln

Now that’s a comforting thought. It means we really are in control and responsible for what we achieve in life.

My new acquaintance above, who lives at the Time Warner Center in NYC, seems to be a little bloated and stressed. Someone once told me we are the sum of the 5 people we hang around with most.  Join the club to read Do you want to be fit, energetic, successful, confident, happy, etc?  Do the 5 people you hang around with most possess those qualities?  Yes, great! No, start looking

Kay, above is performing the perfect row: knees bent, head straight, stomach tight, elbows in, and slow & controlled movements.  I’ve written before that besides not stretching enough, poor form is a primary cause of pain during exercise. Follow these rules to make sure you are doing an exercise right: Join the club to read

• identify which muscles you are working on
• breath deeply and don’t hold your breath
• stand or sit tall with head looking straight ahead
• go through a full range of motion
• if you feel pain stop (pain and effort are two different sensations)

A client recently told me the 2 friends she referred to my fitness product where not successful yet.  Here’s how the conversation went.

Client- “How’s the workout”

Friends- “Ok, but I’m not seeing the results I want yet.”

Client- “Are you doing the workout and using the bands?”

Friends- “Well, not really”

Client- “Yea, that’s the one thing about Peter K’s bands. They kinda only work when you use them.”

You get the point My bands work best when you use them, and that goes for anything. Put in the time and you’ll see the results.

If you choose lean, nitrate free ham, then it’s just as healthy (regarding nutrition & calories) as turkey breast.

1 slice (1 oz or 28 grams) turkey or lean ham = 30 calories

Here’s how I recommend you try the ham in one of my favorite sandwiches.  Join the club to read more…..Beware: the extra calories are in the bread so keep it small

• 2 thin slices nitrate free, lean smoked ham (60 cals)
• 1 thin slice brie cheese (50 cals)
• 2 slices organic beefsteak tomatoes (6 cals)
• 4 ” whole grain demi baguette (inside scooped out and tasted lightly) (200 cals)
• smear of honey mustard (equal parts dijon mustard and good quality honey (I recommend Greek honey) (30 cals)

Enjoy!

Have you ever heard you’re the sum total of the 5 people you hang around with most?  Are any of those people stress mongers?

You don’t need any more stress in your life, agreed?  So sometimes we have to distance ourselves from people we may love, but place more stress on us, or change the relationship dynamics.  How?  Try this:

• Politely decline social settings that usually turn into complaining sessions.
• Seek out more positive, proactive people that can lift you up.
• Set the agenda. If you have to be with them, control the conversation to go where you want.  You’d be surprised how easy this is and they won’t have a clue you’re doing it
• If the relationship is strong, politely tell them, “I really want to hang with you but chill, you’re stressing me out”.

Meet my youngest physical therapy client, Mia. Her parents bring her to me to stretch and strengthen her neck muscles.  I also have a neighbor  who takes her young son to a physical therapist to strengthen his body and work on balance.  

Both parents had to fight to get these services reimbursed through insurance. They are examples of being great advocates for their kids. If they didn’t fight for these services their children would grow up with physical challenges that would prevent them from reaching their full physical potential, thereby affecting their mental confidence.

The point is, if you see the children in your life suffering from pain, poor balance, muscle weakness or other physical challenges, take them to a physical therapist or pediatrician for help.  Why? Because physical activity is a great way for kids to build self-esteem and life-long fitness habits.  Thanks for listening.

Yes, it’s the dreaded push-up.  But wait, before you say you “hate it”, think about this. That which does not kills you makes you _________.  Yes, stronger, and that’s the point of a push-up.  It will make you physically and mentally stronger so you can get the things you have to fight for in life.

Don’t worry if you can’t even do one now.  I have clients who started with 1 push-up against the wall, progressed to 10 knee push-ups (Jane is doing it above from my 5 Minutes to Fitness+ DVD) and finally, 10 regular push-ups, and they are stronger and fitter than they’ve ever been.

How did a push-up help get me on QVC?  I took one of the toughest exercises in my 5 Minutes to Fitness+ core exercise program DVD and for 2 years, every time I did my push-ups I thought about how nothing would stop me from getting my DVD on QVC.  The strangest thing happened.  It worked

I made this salad for lunch the other day and every time I do I can’t believe how great it tastes!  What makes this more incredible is I grew up on fast food and a salad with salmon would have have been pushed aside in lieu of a double whopper.  Anything is possible in life so never say never.

Here’s how to make your salad. BTW- I made it for under $5 and its about 300 cals:

• 1 can wild salmon
• 2 cups organic spinach or lettuce
• small handful chopped red onion
• 5 organic grape tomatoes sliced in half
• drizzle of organic extra virgin cold pressed olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Enjoy!