Time

I am sitting here alone in my office. I have spent the last 20 hours by myself. That is such a rarity (anyone who is a Mom understands that !). It is amazing to sit in your apartment without the tv on and without using your phone etc. Time takes on a whole new quality. The actually space around you feels still. I want all of you to take an hour or even 30 minutes this weekend and spend it technology and people free. The most important part of the work we are doing is learning who we are and what really want out of our lives and ourselves. For some of you, it is learning boundaries or enforcing them others around you. For others, it is making huge changes in how you approach yourselves and those around you. In the day to day of our lives, we get lost in our chores and routines and so often lose the big picture of what we are doing in our lives. What we believe in and are truly passionate about. Youth brings these questions about naturally. "What do I want to be when I grow up?", "Where do I want to live?", "Who do I want to marry". As we age and have already made many of those choices we allow ourselves to go through our days and years digging a rut that over time gets so deep that we cannot see out of it to what our lives COULD be.

You are still allowed to ask yourself those questions about who you are and what you want. You can make changes in your marriages, your careers and your selves. It is never too late. The only way we fail is if we except our lives as inevitable and don't see that we can work to make them anything we want to. It takes courage and work and support but anything is possible. The journey starts but figuring out exactly Where you want to go??????????

SUBBING Liquid Strength Sunday 11:00 @ Greenwhich

Please come and help me show Greenwich Ave how wonderful class can be. Just a 45 minute class but we will be MOVING !

Mid week Liquid Strength

I am sore. Really sore. It feels amazing. I am hoping that you all feel it too. A lot of people have been emailing me asking me if it's OK to come to class even if you are not doing the "challenge". My 6 week challenge is a gift I give to those who want it. My classes are open to everyone and anyone who wants to be there and give of themselves and their energy. If you are an experienced Liquid Strength practitioner you can come to class late, leave early WHATEVER as I would rather you get some time in and I know that sometimes time is tight. Never feel badly about it just wave hello or goodbye so I know you are ok.

Friday will be the same feel as Wed. was. All the usual tools but Friday we will start with the bar and move to the large single weight (I never seem to get to them otherwise). Let me know what I can do to help with your challenges or your goals if you are not in the challenge. I am not sure if my banter on a daily basis is helping or not. I would welcome feedback about what I can do on the blog that would be useful to you. I am so proud of all the hard work you are putting in. Classes have a magical quality and I am hearing from so many of you "I just want to be in the room because my head needs it". I could not agree more.

Story von Holzhausen

Story von Holzhausen six week challenge tips and myths

Today we will be using standard weights. All three things. I will be using 5lbs weights and a 12 and a yellow bar. Very large movements today and lots of variety. We are practicing our ability to "keep it" focused and connected when we move. Please feel free to go at your own pace. For some of you this is a process that will be very gradual. If you need to go slower than I do to keep connected than PLEASE do. Your job is to make every movement very purposeful and focused and make it yield as much benefit as you can.

I got an email that I wanted to answer to all of you as I think it will benefit everyone. I know that there are a lot of of theories and myths about certain foods being eaten together or alone. Certain times you should eat etc. Many of these theories are not proven and are just a way to sell books and diets. When you put gas in your car, you drive a set amount of miles to burn a set amount of fuel. Your body is very similar. The reason why eating a lot at night is not a good idea (and I do not believe that food is then stored as "fat" and it certainly has never been proven by science) is that you do not sleep well when your body has to digest a big meal. Sleep is the time that your body needs to heal and repair and produce human growth hormone (which heals and repairs and makes us grow when we are younger). I personally get acid reflux in my sinus cavities and I snore and feel exhausted the next day (such a pretty picture huh?).

As far as foods needing to be eaten alone or together, that is just myth. Your body needs a steady stream of fats (healthy) ,protein and carbs to be fueled properly and function well. For a more muscular person and if you are trying to build muscle, you may want more protein than someone who is not training.

You will find that you feel better when you fuel yourself well throughout the day. I personally feel (and it has been proven by science) that we naturally have days where we eat more and days where we eat less. This is called in science "alternate day fasting" (which is a misleading name as you are never really fasting but your caloric intake changes on certain days). Our appetites naturally vary from day to day and when we "listen to our bodies" we will eat very naturally in this fashion. It is believed (and proven by science) that this helps our metabolism to stay higher as our bodies do not slow down our metabolism thinking that we are short on food.

The list of foods that I gave below in this blog is the list I want you to eat from every day. Change it up and explore. Be active and move around for the joy of it. Try new flavors and try very hard to not obsess about "dieting" as that will bring you further away from a healthy relationship with food. Food is a blessing and a wonderful and enjoyable thing in our lives. When we open ourselves up to it instead of trying to "control" our relationship with food, we can get back to trusting ourselves and enjoying our lives so much more.

I have heard from many of you regarding "numbers". This is the obsessive counting of calories, pounds, calories burned, etc. The biggest part of my challenge is to forget all of that. Chances are you have been doing that for years and it is not working for you. You simply get more obsessed and focused on those stupid numbers (I ate 2 cups of veggies etc). I never count or weigh anything. I choose really healthy foods and I eat them. I give myself time between bites and rest half way through to give myself time to process that I just ate and then I eat till I am satisfied. I will pick up a yummy sweet (trying to make it quality) and I will eat a small portion for dessert. It is that simple. The more you make it that simple, the more you leave the "Bridget Jones' Diary" type life alone. We are all so capable and strong and every day we are making huge gains in strength and focus and confidence. Let that fill your day. Take some time to feel how good your body feels when you put your groceries away and pass people by on the subway stairs. IT ROCKS and so do YOU !!!

Week 2 of Story von Holzhausen's 6 week Challenge

I was talking to a few people over the weekend and week. There was so "panic" about having "started or not started" the 6 week challenge. I want to step back and make this very clear. This is not a huge diet or sudden shift in our lifestyle. This is a time of awareness and a time to joyfully take care of our bodies. If we make it stressful and rigid than the whole point is lost. This is about taking the time to MAKE ourselves a dinner we will love. Take the time to buy and cook and pack etc. the fuel we love and really want for ourselves. It is a time to take care of your skin, your teeth and most importantly, your sense of self. 6 weeks to make yourself a priority and feel good about it. For myself, this is about an attitude change. Choosing to love yourself and be proud of all you do and CAN DO. All of the other struggles and issues really come from not taking care of ourselves. Not having time to do for ourselves what we do for everyone else. Beating ourselves up for not "dieting" and making food the enemy instead of loving every bite and feeding ourselves with joy. The older I get, the more of a foodie I become. I love to grow and cook and explore food. I have no interest in "junk food. It does not taste good and it is not what I want to feed my children or myself. Give yourself permission to eat whatever you want whenever you want it. Take the power out of "forbidden" and you will likely find the food you are most "afraid" of just isn't that good. The temptation comes from the power YOU give it.

I am going to be giving some helpful hints and tricks to eating what you WANT to eat when you are ordering out or dining out:

1) There is a full kitchen and an entire menu NOT on the menu. Most places are very aware of special diets and ways to alternatively cook food without losing taste.

2) If you are very friendly about it (and tip accordingly) you can order off the menu (or greatly alter the choices). I always ask for veggies instead of starches. I look at what the specials are and see what veggies are being offered because I know they have plenty and it is fresh. You can ask for food cooked how you like it. You can ask for no butter only olive oil on ANY dish you wish.

3) Any entree can be cooked without sauce and the sauce can be served on the side. If you dip the prongs of your fork into the sauce, you can get the taste of the sauce without consuming vast amounts of fat and salt. Ask that the bread not be on the table. If you are going to eat bread, ask for whole wheat and olive oil.

4) Lemon tastes good on everything. It lessens the need for salt and works to counteract carcinogens from charring. It also gives you vitamin C. Use it generously.

5) Order fish whenever possible. Ask for less salt on your food. Take a break every few bites and slow down your eating. Enjoy the taste of GOOD food and feel great about what you are eating.

I will be getting specific for various types of places and the best choices in ordering later this week. I want all of you to be training with specific goals in mind these next 5 weeks. Get excited about seeing each other in class and watching the changes in our bodies and our attitudes.

I can't wait to see you all wed. This is my favorite time of year. I get to see you all change before my eyes. I am inspired and proud and moved by all of you. The friendship and support we have in classes or a miracle. In NYC you can live a lifetime and never feel like there is an entire room of people who are cheering for you and believing in you. These weeks are a time of celebration and joy.

what to eat ???

There are a few things that you need to have in your pantry to make all of your meals easy and very yummy:

1) freeze dried onions

2) granulated garlic

3) good olive oil (I like to get some various flavors like porcini mushroom, taragon etc. to add in after the cooking is over)

4) dried chopped rosemary

5) dried thyme (Fairway has very fresh spices and herbs)

6) black olive paste

7) capers

8) sea salt and a pepper mill that grounds coarse black pepper.

I buy all different kinds of fish. Some of my favorites are:

Salmon (must be cooked rare or it gets fishy tasting)

orange roughy (eats only shrimp and you can taste it !)

trout (small but so yummy)

snapper

cod

halibut

sea bass

I use a variety of the above mentioned spices and fresh lemon fruit (I actually pull the pulp out). Sometimes I use lemon or orange zest. Sometimes I cut up tomatoes and/or onions or spinach. There is really is no "wrong" with cooking. I never use a recipe, I just use flavors I like and that sound like they would taste good together.

Along with fish I steam or grill whatever veggie looks great that day. I like to wait until the day of so that I can cook whatever I really feel like. It changes daily !!! If you make dinner like this (with huge portions too) you will be really satisfied and be feeding your body the very best fuel there is.

Tonight (I cooked for my whole family) I made orange roughy with sauteed onions mixed with garlic, black olive paste,thyme, tarragon and halved cherry tomatoes with some red wine. It was SO good. I baked it at 400 till it came apart with a fork.

I steamed some broccoli and green beans and put unfiltered olive oil with sea salt after they were cooked. Perfect dinner.

This week was amazing and I have heard from a few saying that you really like moving slower and more controlled. That is really good feedback to help me help you connect better with your bodies. What is most important right now is that you are getting very sore and are active and getting psyched about how good it feels to be connected to your body and feel how amazing and strong and good it is. The more you can find joy in your body NOW the more your body will change and delight you.

Training plan for tomorrow

I have heard from nobody so I am going to listen to MY body. I am so sore that I was a slow cyclist today. We are going to be doing heavier arms tomorrow. I will be using 7.5 (on light days I use 3 and normally 5 so this is heavier than usual. If you do not DO the correct weight, I cannot guarantee results). We will be getting sore everywhere but are trying for the arms (of course you all know that what I mean is we will feel it in the glutes but hopefully get sore in the arms).

I went to lunch at Ozu today. It is a microbiotic place. I love these kinds of places. I got salmon, hijiki Kale salad and broiled tofu with ginger and sprouts. I even tried the "red bean mouse". It was interesting but I do not need to eat it again tomorrow. I was so full that dinner did not sound so good. Ate a bit of Tuna burger and salad. I am finding myself not hungry so much at night and really enjoying not feeling stuffed at bedtime. After these 4 days I can actually see that this is going to be lifestyle change and I am so happy to have made it. The people I have heard from are seeing positive changes too. Some of you are downright joyful and pumped about this. Most of you are seeing changes but they are not coming easy. I want you to be able to see and give yourself some kudos for making very small changes. This should be a process over the 6 weeks where at the end of it, you have achieved your goals. I don't expect or even WANT you to get there the first week. You will never make a life change if you do not do so gradually and begin to feel good about the small changes. There is a trust you gain in yourself that is more important than what you look like and what size clothes you wear. Those are the changes that resonate into self respect and truly liking yourself. That is what this challenge is all about.

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge day 4

I am sore today. Can't wait to hear how everyone else is feeling. I want to talk a little bit about my "challenge" and what it all means. Some of you have been so amazingly honest and open when reaching out to me. At times you feel "lost" as to "what am I doing here, what's the plan?". Ironically, half of you are chronic lifetime "dieters" and exercisers who have over managed and obsessed about your weight, food and cardio to burn off the food you eat for YEARS. For you, this challenge is about NOT having a plan. Not allowing food (which you love and is a needed and wonderful thing in our lives) to become the "bad guy". The only way to break out of that cycle is step back and STOP the behavior. There have been a few studies this year that people who do not exercise have an easier time losing weight. I believe it. When we train, we are doing so in a very smart and planned system. In Liquid Strength (or any weight training intervals you are doing) we are working on strengthening all the muscles in our bodies in a very organic way. We are working on strengthening our posture muscles to hold us up strong. We are working on the muscles and propriaceptors that help us balance. We are training hard to break down muscle fiber so it can heal stronger and denser than it was (being sore is when you have achieved this), so we can have more lean muscle mass and increase our metabolism. Cardiovascular exercise is done to strengthen our heart and to keep our body able to get to "threashold" so we can keep our bodies strong and young. Many people use cardio as a means to control weight. This can be a problem when you begin to eat and work out as a method of "control" over your body. Exercise bulimia is a very subtle thing that many gym goers have issues with it.

If you hear yourself in the above paragraph (and you struggle with foraging at night and eating when you are not hungry knowing that you can "burn it off tomorrow") the challenge for you is to change this behavior. Choose 2 very scientifically designed interval cardio workouts and 2 strength training workouts a week. (liquid Strength can be either or both). On the other days, you REST. You feed your body what it needs and wants responsibly. It is VERY hard to break this cycle. I hear daily from some of you just how HARD. I know. To be free of the cycle, you must break it. If you were not allowed to exercise, how would you eat ? Like a normal person. That is what I want from you. Take responsibility for YOU. I will be here to support this very difficult change. All I ask is that you look in the mirror and ask yourself "has my past behavior worked for me ?" The answer is no. While you are looking in that mirror, ask yourself "Do I look different and feel different since I started Liquid Strength?". The answer is YES. That is the only truth you need to concern yourself with. Your job is to calm your mind, get off the "treadmill" of obsession and find your inner peace and trust.

Half of you do NOT fit the above. You struggle with getting yourself to the gym at all. Time and energy are a rare and precious thing. For YOU this challenge is committing yourself to doing 2 cardio sessions a week and doing Liquid Strength or some other kind of training that gets you SORE in the areas you need to strengthen. I want all of you to work on keeping that "joyous chest" and "long strong stable" body and keeping "home" all day and especially when you are training.

I spent years (as most instructors do) teaching up to 4 classes a day. I teach 4 a week now and am amazingly peaceful and happy with my body. It was a long process to get here but it is such an amazing thing. I believe we can all get there. We work very hard to make our "selves" strong in every way while we do Liquid Strength. The more faith and belief you can muster, the better this journey will go.

I will be blogging some of my daily activity to give you some ideas and support. We may have very different challenges (I would LOVE to hear from some of you and I know everyone else would too !) For me, I love food and I love to nosh and forage at night. My issue is that if I sleep on a very full stomach, I snore and do not sleep well and I feel lethargic in the morning. I am VERY busy during the day and tend to eat light so I am hungry at night. My challenge is to take the time and plan my day so that I am well nourished all through the day and eating out of hunger and not for any other reason. I am not trying to lose weight but I am trying to sleep better and feel respect for my body and myself. Kurt and I love fish and most of our dinners are a BIG portion of fish (like a pound each). Salmon is our first choice and last night I baked it at 400 degrees with freeze dried garlic and freeze dried onion flakes (everyone should buy these for all of there meals as it makes everything taste great so easily and without any added salt or chemicals) and coated it with pesto sauce and sprinkled basil on it too. It was AMAZING !! We had steamed fresh green beans with olive oil and some left over Broccoli Rabe from last night. Afterwards I had a little Ciao Bella chocolate sorbet (this is a VERY deep chocolate sorbet that a little bit goes a long way !!) and melon and a pear. I find if I do not want anymore fruit, I know I am not really hungry. I take myself and my crossword puzzle and book downstairs. I floss and brush, wash my face and actually but lotion on and begin to "say goodbye to my day" and have some much needed quiet time. I am on day 4 of this behavior and it is EASY now. I wake up early naturally and feel energic and good.....

Day 2 of Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge

I just lost a very very long blog all about Dairy,cleanses, vegetarianism and other health issues. I don't have the time (or energy) to re-write it all so I will tackle it another time. I am hoping that everyone is clear about what they are doing and are excited about it. I have been eating a lot of papaya and fruit as my "treats". I have to say, I need less sleep when I avoid sugar and other less healthy choices. I notice an amazing jump in my energy when I am not swollen. So far I have been eating a lot of sushi (getting very little brown rice in rolls that are pretty much just plain fish with avacado) and steamed veggies. I also ate at a chinese place with Kurt and I ordered steamed vegetables with chicken, scallops and shrimp. I had a salad and soy beans in the pod as a starter. I was so full, I ended up just snacking on fruit and yogurt for dinner.

I invite you to experiment with what time of day your biggest meal should be. I believe in being full (not stuffed) once a day. For some people, mini meals in steady intervals works best. I personally like lunch to be my biggest meal. If I wait until dinner, I find I never feel sated the same as if I have a big lunch. I also sleep better (and snore less haha) if I eat a lighter dinner. We all tend to eat very ritualistically so for this challenge, try to break out of habits and have fun with your food. I tend to get really into a certain thing and want to eat it every day. Right now, I am obsessed with Hummus Place Hummus. I like to get 3 eggs in it and I mix in health salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and herbs) into the hummus and eat it with a fork not pita. I am trying to NOT go there every day but to try and experience a variety of tastes (and nutrients) by changing it up. I will be blogging ideas for both cooking at home, packing food to eat later along with how to order in a restaurant and be as healthy as possible. You can really eat anywhere and find good choices. You just need to know how.

I can't wait to hear how we are doing wed. I will be in early to discuss plans and problems and to motivate. Many of you have talked to me about the need for support and contact during this challenge. I would like to try to match up "challenge" buddies or call chains so we can all have some much needed human interaction. The health benefits of talking to someone and connecting are huge. Let's try to replace that for the empty and ultimately sadness inducing "foraging" that we do. I am always reachable for anyone who wants to talk. I am sure Scott and Kathleen would welcome calls too. I know many of you feel you are "bothering" someone when you reach out but you are actually giving them a huge gift by allowing them to have human contact and quality interaction that they desire too. Everybody wins.

I would like to know if anyone is interested in setting up some times to get together and exchange funny stories and ideas during these 6 weeks. These 6 weeks are a huge gift to yourself and to each other. I expect to see huge changes in your "happiness" and attitudes (not to mention your bodies but I believe the former is the most important). Classes are going to be focused and we are going to continue to "find it" and "keep it" during some of our bigger movements. Wed we are lifting heavy. I will be dragging in a 30lb dumbell to use myself. We are doing one legged very focused and controlled cycles. This is a day for weight loading. Heavy and focused.

just went shopping.....

My fridge is full of great stuff. Kurt is doing the challenge with me so we shopped together. We got:

blueberries

grapefruit

honeydew

kiwis

plums

apples (Jazz and Granny smith)

papaya

pears

hummus (kurt likes to dip baby carrots)

Edy's no sugar added fruit pops. These are SO good with real fruit bits. I got all the flavors.

frozen precooked wintersquash (I love this for a warm snack with cinnamon)

I will go back later to get some fish and veggies for dinner. The challenge does not start till tomorrow but I am starting today. I can't wait to feel great !

Would love shopping ideas from some of you. What are you planning to snack on and what nutrient rich things can you sneak into your day ?

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge starts tomorrow

Hello everyone ! Yesterday I had some "treats before the challenge". I am so swollen and wretched feeling today that I have to say, I am EXCITED to start this. I will be blogging every day to inspire you and check in. I invite you to reach out to me here on the blog or privately. The more support and unity we can create, the better experience we will all have. Go shopping today and fill your fridges with wonderfully diverse and healthy foods. Make it easy to eat exactly what you choose to. I will be giving some ideas about meals and snacks. If you can all post what you are doing, it would help everyone else too !!!!

This week we are working really hard. I want to keep the "focus" of the quality work we have been doing while freeing up the movements to be more free flowing and diverse. We have 6 weeks. We can do this together. We can take the BEST care of ourselves possible. I want you to think about these weeks as a treat to yourself. Like a spa 6 week run. Do all sorts of things good for you that you normally neglect. The more we can make our attitude grateful and nurturing the better. This is not a diet. It is not about punishing or "not allowing" anything. It is about feeding and nourishing our bodies, minds and souls the most lovingly and gratefully we can. I want you to explore your own beliefs and what moves you. Get back in touch with what really feeds your soul. Reach out to the people who love you and give you what you truly need. If you are lonely, call someone (call me). Don't "settle" for food when you really need something much deeper and important. Listen to your bodies, your hearts and minds. Learn about yourself and learn to love who you are. This is a time for all of us to grow and become more evolved and truly happy people. What an exciting gift we are giving ourselves and everyone we love.

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge revelations

It was an amazing focus group last night. What I have learned (along with you) during this year's challenge is:

If we were the spouse of our bodies, we would be very abusive spouses. We punish it, tell it constantly all of it's faults, engage in abusive or neglectful behavior. There is no positive interaction. We never say "I feel really good and healthy today". We only say "I feel sick". We notice only the bad and never the good. If you really take a moment and think about that, most of your "challenge goals" would be reached if you treated your body like you treat your friends, children or spouse. For all of us that is the spirit of this years challenge. I want all of you to begin with that. Sit down and think of what is amazing about your body. There is SO much to be grateful for. Let me give you an example of 2 exercise to help you get there:

1)Imagine you are expecting a baby. You are waiting 9 long months. You are praying it will be healthy. It will have all it's limbs working. It will be fully formed. Think how grateful you would be when the baby came out perfectly. That baby is you. You are perfect just exactly as you are.

2) Think of anyone you love very much. Let your heart be full of the love you feel for them. While holding onto that, recognize their faults. I can name many for everyone I love but the overwhelming GOOD that outshines all those things is what I really feel and focus on. If every person could do that with themselves, the world would change. We would be on each other's side, without jealousy and insecurity and selfishness.

This is all of our "challenge". To turn around a lifetime of self abuse and begin to be loving and kind to our selves. We can do so much good but first we need to feel that good inside ourselves.

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge closing in.

It has been such a huge week for me and many of my clients/students. As we discuss your "goals" and issues there seem to be some very strong trends. For most of us, we eat (or forage as I like to call it) when we are not hungry due to either anger or loneliness or fear. That is a pretty huge discovery. It shows that it really is "not about the food". How do we satisfy ourselves and make our lives and rich and full truly? The habit of "foraging" leaves most of you feeling badly about yourselves on many levels. The behavior is self destructive and habitual. The biggest challenge I can issue to you is to make changes in your life to satisfy your true needs and wants. Fill yourself up so you can give and share with everyone around you. What do you wish you did every day that you don't ? For me, as most of you know, I am very lazy about fashion, nails, etc. I don't even always wash my face before bed. I have been taking myself into my bathroom and creating a nightly ritual where I do all the things I should do to take good care of myself. When I wake up the next day, I feel really happy. I am better for my behavior. I want you to be too. The first 3 nights are the hardest, after that, it is easy.

Tomorrow night we will be having our "Liquid Strength 6 week challenge kick of party". I want all of you to do me a favor (even if you can't come). I want you to take a piece of paper and draw a line through the center. On the left side, list all the things you do not like about yourself. On the right, all that you do. This may be a very long list or a very short list but really try to capture the whole picture. Bring this list with you as we will be doing a really cool thing with it.

As we begin this journey,we are forging new relationships with each other (our supporting each other is such a powerful and beautiful thing), ourselves and our lives. This is the work that matters most in life. The growth and true joy we alone can give ourselves, can make our energy and love and "life" radiate out to everyone around us. We are all capable of miraculous things when we are truly whole and happy. This is what I wish for all of you. It is a life long journey and challenge but every step brings a bevy of gifts that we get to share with everyone around us.

Story von Holzhausen

Guest Blogger for Story von Holzhausen

Hi everyone this is Sharon, the dietitian who is always in my white tank and black lululemon pants uniform in class. Story so kindly asked if I would contribute to the LS blog. I am a dietitian in private practice in midtown. I got my BS and MS from NYU and did my internship at NYU medical. If anyone needs a little more nutrition attention, please feel free to contact me. My email is info@sharonrichter.com. I also have a website, www.sharonrichter.com, with recipes, success stories and information that might be of interest. I am participating in the 6 week challenge. This might seem crazy since I should be the EXPERT in food, but LS is helping me connect more with my body, improve my imbalances and forgive myself for some of the foods I have fears of and at times use for emotional reasons.

After looking at Story's food list, I thought of a wonder way to obtain this FUEL for our bodies. The company, Urban Organics, delivers all organic fruits and vegetables right to your door step each week. I have worked with them before and they are being so terrific and offering all of you a free registration ($25 fee) and 50% off the first order! I love it because you can tell them food to keep off your list that you really don't like, are able to preview next weeks produce, and what best is you get foods you usually wouldn't purchase and can go to their website for recipes. If you want to try it go to www.urbanorganic.com and use my name, Sharon, as the promotion code. Enjoy!

One little tip I want to leave you with: our bodies are our best machines. You want to feed it high octane fuel. Don't be afraid of trying new things, feel full, and having good fats. Think about it, when you go to a beauty product store what are the ingredients? Almonds, avocado, lycopene (found in tomatoes) antioxidants (berries). Why not get it from the inside out?!?! Hope you see you all in class tomorrow sun or snow.

xo

sjr

Food list for Liquid Strength 6 week challenge

There are endless foods in the world. I am going to write a list including most of the more common choices. This list will be broken down into "the dream foods" (these being foods that I wish everyone ate daily/weekly and are the very best for you and you can eat quite freely). "fantastic portions" (the foods are super good for you but you want to eat a them in smaller portions as they are nutrient dense and although I want you to eat them, I would like one portion at a time). Lastly, we will have "in moderation". These are foods that I would prefer are not eaten daily but have a place in our diet and should be thoroughly enjoyed when eaten. Remember, the most important thing is that you learn to taste and enjoy really good quality food in it's natural form. This is not about dieting. In fact, you may be eating more than you usually do and that is GOOD !!!! For my 6 week challenge, I invite you to use this list as your absolute bible of food. There may be some foods I forgot and as you ask me about them (which I know you will) I will be amending...

"The Dream Foods"

broccoli (any form or type)

blueberries (any berries but these are the best)

onions and garlic

any and all salad or steamed greens (seaweed too)

beans (the non legume kind)

Asparagus

fennel

celery

cucumbers

cauliflower

squash (summer types)

tomatoes

fresh herbs of any kind

all citrus fruits

Kiwi

all melons (watermelon on the next list)

Apples and pears

all fruits with a pit

peppers

mushrooms

any sprouts

"Fantastic Portions" (* means eaten daily but in the correct portions)

*fish (all kinds that are mercury low this means Salmon and most flakey smaller fish)

Lean organic chicken and turkey

*nuts and seeds of any kind

carrots, peas and winter squash

yams

watermelon

edamame

*low or no fat dairy

tofu (read labels and get the most protein you can with the least amount of fats and carbs)

avacado

eggs (organic and Omega3 rich is best)

bananas

winter squash

lentils

tea and coffee (green tea being the best!)

peas and corn and beets

Olive oil (any other healthy oil you like)

"In Moderation"

grapes (so much sugar for very little nutrients)

wine and beer (hard alcohol not good)

chocolate (the darker the better and small portions)

fuller fat dairy (try your hardest to do low fat or keep very small portions)

lean completely organic red meat (if you love it and must eat it, make sure you know exactly what you are eating !!!)

* (note you do not see whole grains on any list. While brown rice and whole grains can be healthy options, fruit and veggies are also carbs but are so much more nutrient and fiber dense that I would prefer they are your focus. If you need to use some whole grains to "feel satisfied" I would prefer grains other than wheat as many people are sensitive to gluten)

"The NO WAY list" (listen, I know these are things you may really love but the more you get out of the habit and lose your "taste" for these things the better...this is a process. There are NO reasons besides bad habit and taste that make these foods an issue at all. They have NO value to your body whatsoever.

Butter

Cream

Hard Liquor

Sugar

Salt (the lower the better)

Processed food (canned, boxed etc)

Mayo

Whole milk

FOOD list

This weekend I will be posting a list of foods that you SHOULD be eating. If we all ate from this list ONLY we would be healthy and lean and nourished. It will take me a while as I need to literally go and look in Fairway to make sure I do not miss anything. If you eat only off of this list (at least 90% of the time), you will never diet again.

Story von Holzhausen

Liquidstrength

What a class !!!

Today was amazing. What a difference when we all actually tune in our own bodies and just "feel". I did not have to give any direction, everyone did it perfectly. When we trust ourselves and listen to our bodies, we can make anything happen. Something about that is so moving to me that I feel very blessed every time I feel myself connect (truly connect) with how my body feels, not judging it from the outside but letting it tell ME.

We live in a society that rates and judges and studies what we look like. If we let that take over OUR relationship with our bodies, we lose the greatest gift we were given. We were given this life in this body. How amazing we are. We can move, express, create and play. Don't let the noise around you drowned out your listening to the wisdom and power of your body. Practice every day and become a better listener. Look around you and feel what your body is feeling. There is so much we miss because we live in a "head" that is very young. Our bodies have a long memory. We are able to evolve because we pass along memories in the body that change our offspring. Evolution could not happen if we did not pass on what our bodies have learned from our time on earth. Cultivate the ability to listen and connect and enjoy YOU.

Story von Holzhausen

Liquid Strength

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge party

I expect that most of you are quite sore from the "testing" yesterday. Make sure and write down your numbers. We are gathering both tonight and next thursday at my apt for a little bonding and emotionally support as we head into this challenge. I am getting hummus and veggies. I would love it if you could bring a really yummy healthy dish or just come and bring your notebook. 7:30 or so I will be welcoming you all (I only expect a few of you but this will really give us a chance to work from the inside out and that is where our biggest changes are made).

I saw Avatar last night. I was amazed at how much of the philosophy of "trusting your body" was like what we work on in Liquid Strength. We always try to have a cerebral relationship with our body. I believe that the body owns a portion of the brain and that it is a different part than our "mind" as we know it. We need to listen to our bodies talk and communicate with them without trying to "control" but with respect and trust.

Story von Holzhausen's 6 week challenge testing

Many of you had your measurements and arm fat fold tested Friday. Wed we are doing the COUNTS of walking lunges and pushups. We will have to do all of this testing before anyone grabs tools. The best possible thing is to have some people come in early and start so we do not have a crowd messing up their count by being stuck in "traffic".

How to take a walking lunge count:

1) take a moderate step forward putting weight on front leg.

2) bend front leg (keeping weight on it as much as possible) until your back knee touches the floor.

3) Continue with walking lunges at a steady pace without any slowing or stopping or resting !!!! YOU MUST DO IT NON STOP to find out how many you can do without stopping. I do not care what the number is. It is simple where you are starting from. I DO care that you count honestly and accurately.

You can do this count outside of class if you are very sure that you understand the directions. It would be great if at least half of you could do this.

How to take a push up measurement:

1) decide if you will do from feet or knees

2) Place your feet and knees together with your thumbs/hands just below your shoulders and a little outside of your shoulders.

3) keeping your feet ON THE GROUND and your body in PLANK position (meaning your hips and chest and legs all touch and leave the ground at the same time), push up and lower down in a slow controlled manner and count push ups you can do. Each one must be to the floor and back up without any sagging of the body or any part touching or leaving the ground on it's own. You can not stop, you cannot rest. You want a true count of how many you are able to do so you can see if you are getting stronger.

I will be arriving early to take measurements and caliber readings. Bring me your food diaries and some ideas about your "goal". Basically all of us are shooting for getting to a place where what we eat is well chosen and the healthiest we can make it. This may be different for each of you as we are all different. I want everyone to move away from calorie counting and "dieting". I want you to focus on WHAT you eat and why. The goal is to make a change that is doable for the long run.

In the 6 weeks of the challenge, we are making big changes. If you are a fried food fanatic or a sugar fiend (like me), these 6 weeks are moving completely away from those foods. We are simply only feeding our bodies the good stuff. Below in this blog you will find the list of foods you SHOULD be eating in a day. We rarely get all of the nutrients we need because we are eating what we like and counting calories. That is going to completely change. We are going to eat foods we like but we are ONLY going to eat foods that we would want to feed our children or someone we loved. (for this challenge that person that you love is YOU).

Anything that is not on the list of super healthy foods is to be eaten in small doses if at all. (have a very small portion or a healthy version of your craving food). We are trying to break our bodies of habits so the less you indulge bad habits the better.

I am going to list (in case you have a hard time finding the earlier one) the basics of what we want to eat:

1) non or low fat dairy (2-3 servings a day). (Non fat yogurt one of 3 foods proven to extend life.)

2) a variety of fruits and veggies (low starch choices, so bananas and grapes not the best choice or beets and corn either) The more colors the better and the less cooked the better too. (6 or more servings a day) (Berries like blueberries are another food proven to extend life)

3) lean proteins. Fish is my first choice. Salmon is the best as it yields the highest levels of Omega-3s with very little to no mercury. Skinless organic chicken or turkey and eggs are good too. I want NO processed meat or chicken at all. I would like you to up your daily servings of fish and chicken (or tofu or eggs) to 3 servings a day.

4) nuts or seeds in small portions but daily (like a tablespoon a day) (This is 3rd food proven to extend your life)

5) Olive oil can be used and lemon but no added salt for the first week.

6) a ton of water. Please do not drink sweetened drinks and no artificial sweeteners.

Feel free to use all the spices and fresh herb you like. Try new ones and experiment with all the wonderful possibilities.......