Time to get real...

My last post was on change and has been hugely inspired by my current situation - another big change in my life is coming up! For the past 7 months I have been given the gift to live and experience mind-blowing NYC - and in about one week I will fly back to Austria. 

Those of you who have been following me on my journey know that I have changed a lot and immersed in personal growth through my intenSati practice, meditation, reading and Robbins-Madanes coaching training. 

These tools and practices have heightened my awareness to how I actually want to live my live - being a happy and free soul that is embodied in a healthy and fit body!

Discipline, self-control AND appreciation are key to living in integrity with who you want to be.

NYC offers so many crazy-great things, like green juice bars, raw food shops, fast food salad bars, vegetarian and dairy free food choices everywhere, hardcore workout routines (guess which one is my fav :D) and so much more ;)

After I posted The change formula a few days ago, I began to question myself if I'm really walking my talk here... What is this uncomfortable feeling when I think of my soon-to-come departure? It was FEAR (of judgment, sadness, powerlessness, being dissatisfied)!

Hm, what did I do with that fear... 'Coincidently' (haha) I read in an inspiring blog post by Mastin Kipp that said: in order to grow and learn, we have to do what we fear most!

Bye bye Fear... that went really fast - I am the co-creator of my reality!

Learning something new, exploring places and cultures, studying, reading, meditation, working out - intenSati ... fill in your blank ... means that we are GROWING and this equals CHANGE!

Every new experience and possibility to change is an opportunity to grow and expand.

What I want to say with this is that, only when we face our fears and the things we are most resisting, and then decide to take aligned action, we can actually break through old and limiting beliefs that prevent us from being happy and free!

Always ask yourself: what can I learn from this? 

Thank you all for reading and supporting! 

Love & miracles.

xoxo

p.s. to be completely real... I actually do not have to give up any of the things that I love so much now. their frame will simply change *new challenge* - I bought a juicer and I will teach intenSati classes in Austria *yaaay* AND happiness is an inside job!

pp.s. I was really terrified to publish this post, but I decided to do it anyways - facing my fears ;)

Physical exercise: feel good and MORE...

Wow wow wow, today was an amazing day - I mean really!

I'm so fired up... I guess the close end of my time in NYC makes me embrace and appreciate every minute in this magnificent city even more ;) also I attended a great event today - an intenSati class that was followed by a lecture both led by Wendy Suzuki, intenSati leader and professor for neuroscience and psychology at NYU.

intenSati was AH-MAZING (as usual) and the lecture's topic was about Wendy's latest study: Can exercise change your brain?

Here is a little review of the evening and some food for thought ;-)

Hope you enjoyed the video!
All comments and thoughts on this are very welcome :-)

BE the master of your craft & life with passion!

Lots of love,
xoxo

Spirit Junkie Sati = RoCkStAr-Awesomeness

Yesterday morning two powerful, beautiful and inspiring practices merged! 

intenSati and Spirit Junkie are both spiritual practices that have a common goal: to pursue happiness and strengthen our believe in miracles, by eliminating fear and doubts (the EGO) from our mindset and attitude!

For me personally this combo is magical - I am practicing intenSati joyfully and extensively (as you know^^) and I am reading and fell in love with Gabrielle Bernstein's book 'Spirit Junkie'! 

Spirit Junkie is telling Gabby's story and journey of how she became a miracle worker and spirit junkie and in her book, Gabby introduces the reader to very accessible ways to arrive at this desired, miraculous state of happiness and joy!

So, Patricia Moreno and Gabrielle Bernstein teamed up to host a Workin' it out event, combining both methods and bringing together communities, which left all participants to be inspired, sweaty, happy, smiling, transformed and grateful!

In today's post, I will let the pictures speak for themselves and let you become inspired by Gabby, explaining the affirmations of the intenSati workout!

The Power-Duo: Patricia and Gabby <3

Hildie and I *yay* <3

Tamara and I <3

Team Celebrate SatiSistas :) xoxo

Gabby is ready for the gospel and workout!

Warming Up & having fuuun :)

Gabby and I *yay* :)

Patricia and I <3

Gabby Gospel - We need more light-workers! Accepting and shifting from body identification to spirit identification! When you express your truth, you are a teacher!!! 

Egoeradicator *amazing* #Kundaliniyoga

Egoeradicator!!!

Thanks for making this miracle happen :)

Let's get sweatin' :D

Today is the day I embrace change
I choose to love myself again
My mind is free from false beliefs

I’m willing to see the truth about me
I’m letting go of fear I release all doubt
I’m a messenger of love I kick the ego out

I’m guided by love I’m full of gratitude
I’m loving my body and my new attitude

Thank you both! It was ah-mazing! *big-smile*

Photo sources: my phone, Gabrielle's & Patricia's social media channels (Twitter, Facebook)

I AM an intenSati Leader NOW!

COMMITMENT-DESIRE-STRENGTH-FAITH-READY-WILLING-ABLE-PLAY FULL OUT- APPRECIATION-VICTORY

10 powerful words! 10 powerful movements! 1000000 powerful thoughts! 1000000 powerful emotions!

The very long awaited weekend was finally there - intenSati leader training *yaaay* I knew I am about to take a new step to guide my career path into a desired direction! I did my homework: memorize the affirmations, have the 8 count of the music, know the moves and their names (see above^^), meditate (that was my extra) and be curious about the experience.

All set - on my way to Midtown on Saturday morning, making my way through the EMPTY streets of NYC I felt super nervous and excited at the same time.

I always had these lines and words from other inspiring intenSati leaders in my head, of how great and life-changing this training was for them. I couldn't agree more!!!

My fellow and amazing soon-to-be-leaders and I enjoyed great workouts and coaching from Patricia, Betsy and Tiffany to prepare us for the journey of being able to train the change!

Two full days of intensive body workout, precious hours of training the mind and beginning to cause a conscious shift in my mind towards what I need to be successful in the things that I am passionate about!

1. Practice, practice, practice
2. Do not listen to what fear tells me to do
3. Be present and honest with myself
4. Keeping my promises

This weekend was an amazing experience - I needed a while to process all the emotions and feelings. I am so grateful for all the inspiring personalities I have met and for what I have been able to learn from all of them! Thank you!

Here are some links to videos taken at leader training:
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Every day in a very true way, I co-create my reality!
What I desire is on its way...

Yes, I AM committed to live a life I love - I want it, I want it, I really really want it - I AM strong, now - I believe I will succeed - I AM ready for a change - I AM willing to change - I AM able to change - I AM playing full out, without any doubt - I appreciate this day - I AM the change! (Warrior series)

POWER, I CHOOSE, COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE - ALL I NEED IS WITHIN ME NOW!

Team CELEBRATE now ready to be the change!

Are you committed to living a live you love? ...

Making promises and keeping them!

Do what you say you are going to do!!! Why is this important?

I'm going to loose weight - I will never be late again - I want to workout more - I want to eat more healthy - I will save money - and - so - on ...

Sounds familiar?! Anyone!? ;)

Well, I say "yes" it did to me! I could actually apply all of the above to my life. They were my permanent companions - for example, when I ate too much or too unhealthy I would workout more - but that did not lead to loosing weight the way I desired it to!

The words 'I am going to or I want to loose weight or eat more healthy or (you enter yours)' leave our mouths with ease. Maybe we are already making plans how to get there and then another well-known companion 'Mr. Excuse' might come my/your way. 

We are very clever, especially in finding excuses for everything - putting it off to a later time, because right now is simply not a good time! or we are too tired, old, young, fat, lazy, *you name it*

The key behind sticking to the promises that you've made for yourself or to others is ACCOUNTABILITY! 

Most of the time keeping promises, made to others are easier to keep, because you are the one to hold accountable for not sticking to it and it affects someone else too. But, if you make a promise to yourself, only you can hold yourself responsible for it - no one gets hurt if I don't do A or B. And we are also very good at covering up the promises we make to ourselves - 'if no one knows that I try to loose weight, nobody will know if I fail, but if I succeed - I will tell everybody' Sounds familiar!?!

Funny isn't it... And guess what, your soon-to-be-ditched friend Mr. Excuse shows up! You know how the loop goes ;)

The intenSati method teaches you how to be true about and to yourself - integrity and accountability are the keys - and how to create the right thoughts to pursue your goals! 

This months Warrior series is concerned with - tadaaa 'Making promises and keeping them' :)

Let me share my great learnings with you:

1. Make a promise/ Set a goal (e.g. I will eat more healthy)
2. Make it SMART: be very specific about what you want to achieve (e.g. I want to loose weight or become more active, that is why I will eat more heathly); make it measurable (e.g. I will eat 2 fresh fruits and 3 veggies each day - your 5 a day *ahaha*); stay realistic and make it achievable - you won't switch to a full alkaline diet from one day to another and set a timeframe (e.g. 1 or 2 months)
3. Now the real FUN part: come up with consequences for not keeping your promises! I like the embarrassment consequences, such as making 3 random compliments to strangers the next day, or start singing the song you are listening to out-loud in public! Others are: wearing the same outfit the next day, wearing no make up, 100 push-ups, running an extra 5 miles, no chocolate, ... be creative!
4. And share it!!! Tell it to your family and friends - you will have their support and you might be a motivation to them to join in on keeping a promise :)

Try it - it's a lot of fun and veeeery rewarding! Once you become clear, why and how you want to achieve something and you have come up consequences for not sticking to it - half the journey is done!

Thanks to intenSati and Laurie Gerber from the Handel Group for a very inspiring and motivating coaching session on this topic!

Good night, lovelies!

xoxo

p.s. next time more on my challenge, the progress and experiences so far!

JoyPressions on Facebook

I AM in it to win it!!!

I workout whenever I can (approx. 4-5 times a week), I try to eat healthy (despite very small indulges in the gourmet temple called NYC^^) and yet I haven't regognized any major body transformation. I have lost some weight since I arrived (that for sure), but given my regular workout and rather healthy diet, I would expect a liiittle more, less actually ;) 

Well, I haven't been exercising according to a specific schedule, which makes tracking change and improving performance rather difficult. 

As I said, I workout whenever I can - as a fitness enthusiast I'm making a lot of time for regular physical exercise. But the usual loop goes like this - I go to the gym almost every day during the week and would only take a break when my body tells me to - by then energy levels are low and I feel my muscles being very tired. 

Pushing your body to its limits, excessive exercise and waiting for it to shout "STOP" - that is not how you become stronger and train your body in a healthy manner! 

Another thing, I said I try to eat healthy - well, set aside late evening dinners, cocktail happy hours and going out (mostly) on weekends, I'm following a grrreat diet ;) When I have the feeling that I consumed too many calories the day before, guess what... more intense exercise is on next day's schedule!

SO, juuust when I had the feeling I need to change something in my daily habits to get where I want to be, I received a message on Facebook from one of the intenSati leaders, Tiffany proposing a big challenge to all members of the Satilife community: A 90 DAYS EXERCISE AND HEALTH PROGRAM!!! What is in it for me to win it:

1. I will commit to 90 days of exercising according to a planned schedule! (which I will change every 2 weeks in order to ensure the diversity in my training)
2. I will commit to eating clean and healthy foods, like more veggies and fruits than other foods, whole grain, lean protein! 
3. I will commit to drinking at least 2 liters of water a day!
4. Amazing Tiffany as a coach and advisor!

And guess what, I am not the only one who takes the challenge - we are 30 people who are in this together! It all runs through a facebook group, where we post and encourage each other to stay in the game :)

A quote from Tiffany: "Accountability is KEY! Studies have shown (and in my own experience I have seen) that support from a peer group and family plays a significant role in reaching any of our personal and professional goals."

I couldn't agree more!

Official start is tomorrow - I AM excited!!!

My exercise plan for the next two weeks is all set - I go for a 4 split (Mo, Wed, Fri, Sun, ...)

Regarding healthy dieting: I will go veggie for the next 2 weeks! I will have one fruit/veg day each week for cleansing purposes! I will avoid alcohol, sweets and white flour!

In the intenSati practice the topic of the month is "keeping your word" or "making a promise and keeping it" - in one of the greatly inspiring community calls this week Laurie Gerber, life-coach, said that you will be more accountable for your promises if you add consequences for not keeping them to it...

Sooo my consequence iiis: If I will not stick to one of the promises I made, I must not be wearing ANY make up the next day ;) I was about to take the usual thing - No Email for one day!!! but then I will have someone at home worring "why didn't I read from her today - something might have happened!" ;)

My blog will be the reporting tool for my progress, the transformation and the change that is happening within me.

Perfectly fitting to my new promises, the topic of yesterday's ahhh-mazing Workin'it Out event with gorgeous Patricia Moreno was how a change, replacement or avoidance of one or more habits will bring you closer to your desired goal. I AM ready for this change and I AM prepared for this challenge!

Let's do this!!! Keep you posted :)

xoxo

p.s. I have been missing my smoothie blender sooo much that I bought one today :))) some delish and healthy recipes for smoothies and dips to be expected!

730 hours...

or 2 629 743 seconds!!! That is the exact time that I have spent in NYC already and I can't believe it -  the time passed by suuuper quickly and I'm thinking "What one month is already over??? Only 6 more left :("

I know that blogging was not priority number 1 in the past 730 hours, but I guess I needed the time to see for myself, if I really like and enjoy living in this city - and with confidence I can say now that this city is amazing, and that I am very grateful to be here!

I have experienced so many fantastic things... NYC offers A LOT in terms of leisure time! A short wrap up of the past month: 

Rooftops - the view over the city is incredible 

Bar hoppings - 1. the beauty bar, where you can get a manicure for 10$ inside the bar, plus 1 free drink included (when you consider that you have to expect at least 5$ for a beer, its a good bargain i would say ;)) 2. a bar, where you get for every beer you order a free pizza :D
And there are maaaaany more, but these were (for now) my highlights^^

Department stores (Macy's, Bloomingdales, Century 21,...) I guess I can save the lines about shopping, casu we all know it is awesome to shop in NYC ;)

Culinary adventure - NYC offers an incredibly enormous amount of culinary delights! Especially in Hell's Kitchen the density of foreign restaurants is a pleasure for every thai, mexican, japanese, french, local food lover :)

Summer Stage in Central Park - in Summer the TV channel ABC is present every friday morning (7am) with their show Good Morning America and the specialty about these events are that VIP'S from the music scene are performing for free!!! So far I have seen Neyo and One Republic performing - next week the Backstreet Boys are on :D 

The fabulous trip to Lake George... but I will do an extra blog post with pics for that ;)

The concious life-style - Since I arrived 730 hours ago, I continued and even intensified my sportive routine and activities! Be it running in Central Park, going to the gym for Spinning (with which I totally fell in love with here^^) or another aerobics class either in the gym or somewhere outside! Also I really enjoy to eat healthy here - the rage of healthy restaurants is incredible (especially for lunch)
Most people would think, omg its NY you have to eat burgers and fries every day - b***sh**!!! Of course, I also indulge myself with a cupcake, ice cream or burger from time to time but I try to control thos temptations - Sporty regards ;)

Oh, I could go on for another hour or 5 about what I have been doing in the past 730 hours ;) but most importantly, I am super happy in this city and I embrace every moment I spend here!!!

Yesterday someone asked me if I already consider myself being a New Yorker; and I asked him what is needed to qualify - and here is the answer: "1st: You avoid Times Square, caus ou cannot stand the crowds of tourists! 2nd: New York is a very fast moving city, so are its inhabitants - so slow moving people, like tourists on the street are the worst! and 3rd: If you enjoy doing sports, you join the running crowd in Central Park!"

I had to check for each of these requirements ;)

Again, I can't believe that 1 month of 7 is already over! You can't imagine how much I look forward to the next 6 :)

I'll be back soon - promise ;)

XOXO

Indulgence & Summer shape!

The long awaited summer holiday season has finally arrived :) 

Vacations on the beach, lake or elsewhere in the world have been (most of the time) booked well in advance and everyone is looking forward to get some time off from work, school, uni etc.

Best time to share special moments with your loved ones!

Many have been training and keeping a healthy diet to be in good shape for the hottest time of the year ... But what happens once you are on holiday? Think of the huge breakfast buffets, the nice 4-courses dinner, the delish cocktails, wine, beer a.s.o!!! - Will you forget about all resolutions and good intentions you deliberately followed for months, and for which your body was so grateful for?!??

Staying healthy and fit on the go can be a challenge, but with a little bit of planning it is completely doable and fun :)

1. The by far easiest way to remain in the shape of arrival, is by using the in-house gym of the hotel (if they have one) Just 30-45 minutes a day are more than sufficient to keep yourself fit!
2. Try to not change eating manners drastically to what you are used to at home - sure you want to enjoy yourself during the holiday, but everything with measure and goal ;)
3. A holiday on the beach is best suited for getting your cardio through a long swim in the ocean or a run on the beach (best in the early morning, due to the heat & the crowds arriving forenoon^^)
4. Think of the great feeling and the endorphines a workout, a run or a nice swim provided to your body and mind when you were training at home - why should it be any different in another place on the globe?!?!

It is important that you can also indulge in something - give yourself a treat! And ENJOY it to the fullest :))) like this delish frozen yoghurt here^^

Have a happy & healthy vacation and summer :)
xoxo

I don't mind the heat...

... is what I would like to say and just go for a run at high temperatures!

I am a passionate runner, especially in spring and autumn but in summer it always requires a lot of endurance and stamina to enjoy a run in the heat.

 

source: Well+Good New York

On Well+Good NYC I read an article about the main reasons for the difference in performance during the hot season and how you can train to be more "resistant" against the warm weather. Here is a short summary of the findings:

1. Anatomical and physiological reasons - the article brings a person's body fat and height in connection with the stamina against heat!
   Lets examine the body height as major factor: "The more you have, the better you’ll be able to dissipate heat through your skin. Evolution takes this into account. “Alaskan Eskimos are generally vertically-challenged and wide-framed (to conserve heat), whereas Egyptians are tall and lanky (to help dissipate heat),” So, being short will hurt you here, as will having a higher body fat percentage." (source)
2. Gender plays a role - men have bigger pores, which assist them in better coping with heat than women!
3. Personal fitness and cardio level matters
4. Drink lots of water & place a frozen towel on the back of your neck
5. Start training in normal temperatures and then take the challenge of the heat!

Read more on Well+Good NYC!

I hope I will soon be able to say "I don't mind the heat!" again ;-)

The passion becomes a career!

Friday, was the BIG day - I had the final examination (theoretical & practical) for becoming a certified aerobic instructor! Besides all the exams at Uni I was super happy and grateful, when the examiners handed out the diploma to me :-) Now I can turn my passion into a career!
I look forward to teaching my first aerobic class - right on time that I will leave to New York :-/ I am sure or lets say I hope that there will be a possibility to get some routine and practice there as well!
Always interested in further education, I do consider taking some in the US too - the research for the best course is ongoing ;-)

On Well+Good's Healthy Summer Guide I found a lot of very interesting articles about where to join the best yoga and aerobic classes in NYC - most of them are outdoor classes and even for free :-) One of the first things I will try out as soon as I arrive in New York! Perfect, it's Summer :-)

Bootcamp - we survived!!!

Today, I was taking a break from studying to go to Bootcamp, an aerobic class in the local gym! Never tried it out before, so I thought "let's do that"!

Two study colleagues joined for the taking-a-break-from-studying - hell yeah, and what kind of break this was!!!

There we were waiting for the start of the workout, when the instructor handed out 2 plastic cups to each participant instead of heavy hands - Yeah, I'm not kidding... PLASTIC CUPS!

The instructor is very well known to push you to your limits in every class - I love it, caus' it is super effective ;) and the next day you feel that you challenged your body from head to toe - Autsch^^

I really like it when you go for a workout and you give everything you've got; even if it hurts and your muscles are burning already - the good thing is you can stop at any time and you know that you did something really awesome to your body, your mind and your health :)))

Well you shouldn't train like this every day, but once in a while and done in a cautious and sensible manner, it is a great challenge for your body & it provides diversity to your training!!

Those of you who love to go to their limits, can definitely have their fling with Bootcamp classes - the only thing, I missed (to make the class really live up to its title) was the thunderer whistle :D

Back to the plastic cups - they were the evil ingredient to make every single excerise harder, more intense and also more effective!

As I have already uncovered in a previous post, I am also becoming an aerobic instructor, therefore I'm always curious for new ideas and inspiration for my time as instructor...

For sure, I will take this creative idea into my own training portfolio! Makes the workout more experiential, different and FUN :)))

New York - Try Out I

Being really passionate and (some say) crazy about sports, I obviously did intense research about the sports offers in NYC - it is massive! My most intersting finding (for now^^) is called INTENSATI!!!

"Inten" derives from "intention", and "Sati" is a Pali word which means mindfulness.

IntenSati is an exhilarating workout that builds physical, mental, and spiritual muscle. Courage, confidence, willpower, enthusiasm, self-respect, and a strong, healthy body are all results of this powerful practice. (source: patriciamoreno.com)

AWESOME - I definitely have to try that :) as I am currently in the final phase of my course to become an aerobic instructor, I am super excited to experience this new fitness trend from the US myself! Who knows, maybe I will bring it home with me, after the 7 months - oi, I let myself drift away in daydreaming again, which I will stop now to get productive again, exams, presentations and so on are waiting ;)