Where is spring ?

The weather is a reminder of just how much we don't control our world. As much as we think we do, the reality is that much of our lives hinge on fate/god/karma whatever it is you believe in. That can be a scary thought or a beautiful one. I am reading an amazing book called "Cutting For Stone" right now. It is set in Ethiopia but the characters are Indian. The god Shiva is the god of destruction. As Americans, we have a hard time understanding how a god that causes destruction could ever be good. If you think about it, the end of anything is the beginning of something else. When our lives change, we learn. With every turn of the road , we take in different scenery and are forced to take stock of our surroundings and even our own footfall. (If you have never seen the movie "Outsourced", it is a great film and shows with great humor exactly what I mean)

Looking back at my own life, I am grateful for the hardest times. The most difficult roads led me (even if the journey was agony at the time) to exactly the place I was supposed to be. That being said, I am grateful that I did not see the hard times coming. Not knowing exactly what will happen is a gift. It allows up to hope and dream. Perhaps the important thing is that we walk on our road with conviction and do our best to leave the people that we pass better for having crossed our paths.

Striving to better ourselves, whatever that means to you, is a journey too. You will have legs on your journey that don't feel "successful" to you. I truly believe that they are exactly the experience that you were meant to have. The secret is allowing yourself to "own" your limits and failures and learn from them. I like to think about the tough times in my life like muscle soreness. When I heal from it, I am going to be that much stronger.

Story von Holzhausen

5 weeks left

Hello all, I "left you all alone" over the weekend. After the first 3 days, one of 3 things happened:

1) You pretty much stuck to the three days because it was working and not as hard as you thought it would be.

2) You decided to add in some foods in and through some trial and error, feel ok about how it is going.

3) You intended to stay on the basic 3 day plan but to add some foods in and slipped off the deep end like it was a sheet of ice.

No matter which scenario fits, only 1 week has gone by and we have 5 left.

Sometimes, time is the hardest part of making change. We have to wait until the small shifts gather enough momentum to yield results we can feel and see. I would like to give some ground rules for everyone to follow. Some are specific to goals and some are for everyone.

For everyone:

1)Everyone should be doing 2xs of cardio a week and 2xs of strength training during this challenge. This can be power walking (intervals are best) or classes for cardio and push ups, walking lunges, weights or classes for strength training. Liquid Strength counts as one of each.

2) Doing your journaling and stretching/meditation daily (especially important to do during the time you normally eat badly to replace the behavior)

3) Read the blog, check into the facebook page or reach out to your teammates. Daily communication is really important.

4) Drink water with lemon in the morning and before dinner.

If your goal is weight loss:

1) exercise (even gentle)

2)Strength training that leaves you sore (especially larger muscle groups like glutes) during those twice weekly sessions.

3)Make dates with your teammates, trainers, DVDs etc. to work out.

4)Decide and plan for your eating plan.

If your goal is inner related (even if you wouldn't mind dropping a few pounds too)

1) Focus your journaling on what you are experiencing or not experiencing in your day. Watch for the emotional triggers that bring about the desire to self sabotage. What makes you feel good/bad about yourself during your day.

2) Take a very practical look at your day. Are there ways to make your life simpler ? Could you ask for help. Even hire a college student to do tasks that would allow you to have better quality attention on what is really important?

3) Write down what changes you would like to make and slowly push the boundaries around you towards a place that is healthier for you.

4) Take some time to focus on your belief system. (this can mean religion, philosophy, friendships etc.). What do you truly believe in ? What are you passionate about? If you never had to work again, what you choose to do? These are very important questions. The more closely we can align our lives up with what we love and what we believe we are supposed to be doing, the happier we are.

Answer these questions:

1) I feel best about myself when I am doing ________

2) I admire _______ in my friends.

3) I have always wanted to __________

4) I wish I could _________

5) I think I am really good at _________

Let yourself answer these unedited and then go back and read them. What can learn about the life you would like to have. One of the hardest challenges is finding the answers to these questions. Maybe you have no idea what you are passionate about. To be interesting, even to ourselves, we have to have passion about what we do in our lives. Finding that passion and fostering it's growth is perhaps the most important thing we can do in our lives.

I would love to hear what all of you do that you are passionate about. You can email the group or post on the facebook page etc. I will go first:

1)My children, dogs and friends

2)making a difference in women's lives and how they feel about themselves

3) reading and crossword puzzles

4) learning and curiosity

With 5 weeks left, we can really do so much

Story von Holzhausen

"Global Spiritual Economy"

As we watch Japan in the aftermath of this tragedy and send our thoughts out to all the people suffering, conversations in our house have been enlightening. My son (10) asked me "Mommy, how do you survive a Tsunami?". I had no answer for him. Some things are too big and hit too fast to have a plan for. I asked Kurt (he is in finance and I am learning that there is a beauty and an art to the web and movements of the economy) how this will effect Japan's economy and how it will effect the world. I was an Art Major (health major). I loved studying art history. The art of any given period reflects the "pulse" of the time and people it was created around. It expresses the politics, sociology and social trends, giving a much fuller understanding of the culture it was created in. Money and finance has never been of any interest to me. I am learning that (and this is amazing to me) the "global economy" is a lot like art. If you watch the history and movement of "the money" in the world, you will see the history of almost every major discovery and development of man kind.

When I asked Kurt if the tragedy in Japan will change the economy here, the answer was a beautiful one. He said "Many people will imagine that was is bad for someone else must be good for us but it doesn't work like that. It is a global economy. It is like we are a big woven structure and all the countries of the world are threads that interlock. What is bad for one is bad for all. The whole structure is damaged and comes down."

This "global economy" is beautiful to me when I think about it like that. I can see that there is a "spiritual global economy". Every one of us is a string that is woven into the web of mankind. The trend towards "green" and "giving" that is happening in our country and world is elevating all of us. Unfortunately, on the other side of the balancing scale, we have tabloids, hacking, scams, gossip and celebrity news.

No single person can change the world but every single person can help keep the part of that weave above their heads elevated. By living an authentic life and giving what you can when you can, you help keep that interlocking web over our heads, up. Sometimes just saying hello and looking someone in the eye is a "gift". There a million little ways to do good built into our days. Every minute we make decisions of what our behavior, actions and thoughts will be. We teach our children by how we speak to taxi drivers and if we even notice the person bagging our groceries. I truly believe that our own happiness is directly connected to our behavior towards others. Karma isn't something that is off in the distance like some big abacus counting out the good and bad of our lives. Karma is here and now. We live in joy or misery we express in our words and deeds.

If you imagine that "global spiritual economy" as a web like a tent that keep us safe, we keep that web up by our deeds, thoughts and intentions. When tragedy strikes (and it will) and that tent comes crashing down on our heads, we either push it back up or we are entangled in it and fall.

On a very small scale, we do this every day. How we judge others and ourselves. When we feel envy towards others and misery towards ourselves, we are lost and tangled in that web. How can we feel joy, acceptance and love for ourselves unless we can feel it towards everyone. There is no "competition". We are not kicking and crawling over each other to reach some prize. We are a team. We pull each other up. We stand on each other's shoulders and give each other a boost. If we don't all get there (wherever "there" is), nobody does.

If I could wave a magic wand and give you a perfect body, would you be happy? Do you want everyone around you to be jealous of you ? If we view our lives as a competition, we cannot ever "win". There is no joy in isolation and friction with the people around us. I believe that our physical beings are in many ways a reflection of who we are.

In this challenge, the biggest "challenge" is to reject the damaging pattern, that our culture seems to ferment, pitting one woman against another. (Obviously men too but women are far worse) We need to understand that our fibers are woven together. What uplifts one, uplifts us all. If you see someone (especially someone who has not been very nice to you) who has suddenly lost weight, married a great guy, been promoted or has a killer outfit, the hardwiring reaction is to be jealous and resentful. I get that. Ask yourself though, after you see that person and have that reaction, do you feel good about yourself ? No. You feel like a black cloud is following you and you feel "yucky" about the whole thing. If we can turn that around and understand that joy and "good" for one is good for all, you can change your life. This is not easy. Especially if you are in a place in your life that you are not happy. I believe without question that this is the secret of happiness though. To train yourself to truly feel joy for others. To not have it be "not about you", will free you. The web above your head will be lifted and you will be able to breath. Just like training a muscle, this will take some work and some pain may be involved. With time, you will get to actually enjoy it and it will get easier.

To view yourself without judgement and with joy, you must view all people that way. To have joy in your life you have to take joy in others. It is so simple and so logical. We have among us in the challenge some amazing women. Last night as I sat alone (a rare and splendid anomoly) watching Law and Order (my guilty pleasure), when Deb appeared. She was there on my television looking sultry and beautiful. I jumped in my chair. She was so impressive. I had a decision right then. I could be either A)threatened and jealous or B)really proud and happy for her. I chose the later. I emailed her right away. I felt great about seeing her and thinking she was so beautiful. The very opposite thing would have happened had I chosen option A. Within the safety net of our group, it is easier to feel "on each other's sides". Try to extend this beyond to the (this is real hard part) people who don't extend it for you.

I was talking to a model in our group. She is stunning. She was saying how hard it is around people from her home town. They treat her differently. She wonders if she has changed. Almost certainly, it is not "about her". The resentment and jealousy she must bring out in others must be terrible. She can feel it like a spider web she has walked through. Subtle and invisible put covering her. She is punished for her beauty through not fault of her own. She can't change this reaction. We can all learn from it though. How isolating and sad that her true beauty is wasted. Her friendship thrown away, leaving her lonely and sad and these "friends" feeling miserable for sure and certainly no better about themselves.

In my life, just like yours, there are people who are most certainly "not on my side". It is a struggle to be on theirs. That is what I need to be though. I can only change my behavior, thoughts and deeds. Sometimes, you fight that battle alone. To elevate and "love" someone who is doing their best to drag that net above your head down, is really hard. It takes constant training and exercise to stay strong enough to keep pushing it up.

I support you in this noble and exhausting "dance". Together we support each other. The real power of this challenge comes from that.

Story von Holzhausen

A Day 3 Note from Erika

Hello Again Challengers!

Now that everyone’s on their way and has nearly completed the first three days, I have a little assignment for you.

Please take a look at your to-do list for this week. If you don’t have one, take a few minutes to write down some things you would like to accomplish over the coming days. This can be related to your Six Week Challenge or not; the choice is yours.

After you write your items, take a few minutes to assess why you’re doing each thing on the list. For example, if you’ve written “I have to visit Aunt Pat,” and you’re not really all that crazy about Aunt Pat, ask yourself why you’re going to visit her.

Let’s tease this idea out a bit more. If your logic for what you’re about to do is something like, “Aunt Pat will be mad if I don’t visit,” or “My mom will be mad if I don’t visit Aunt Pat,” then there’s a little bit more going on in your story.

I’m asking you to look at your choices here and oh yes, you have many more choices than you’re aware of at this juncture. You make choices every day—we all do. Some choices will feel good—as in eating well and exercising. Other choices, like forcing yourself to visit Aunt Pat out of obligation or guilt, will feel, well, pretty crappy. But it’s still your choice.

So when you look at your list and think about why the item is even there, notice where you’ve internalized invisible words like “I have to” and “I should.” The reflexive use of these phrases is very common for us all and guess what? It tells us we have no choice, even when we do. It makes us feel victimized in our lives.

If this column gives you a little charge, that’s a small sign that something here resonates with you. Spend some time exploring your “have to’s” and your “should’s" on your lists. They’ve got some pretty important messages for you, about you.

Please don’t hesitate to email me directly if you have a question. I’m here to help and as always, I’m cheering you on!:)

Day 3 of our 3 day "kick off"

So many amazing emails. It is vital that any communication I have with you is private. No emails will never be shared without your permission. That being said, if I shared all of the communication here you would all be so riveted to your computer you would get no work done. The group of people doing this challenge are so impressive on so many levels that I am honored to be a part of it.

We live in a strange place. Sharon told me a story that summed it up quite nicely. She was in the elevator in Fairway (usually a zoo at all hours with very aggressive crowded customers). The store was nearly empty. Another woman got on the elevator and commented how nice it was to have the store so empty. Sharon said (such a classic line)"It's funny, we live in a crowded city full of people and we spend all of our time trying to get away from them". The exact words may have been different but the meaning was the same. A famous quote from Hopper (the artist who did the painting of the diner late at night) is "If you ever want to be completely alone, move to NYC".

Coming from a small town, I can tell you that you can live anywhere and feel this way. In a small town, everyone knows you. You walk out of your house, go to the mall or grocery store and others will hear about it. Good or bad things happen and people actually care (sometimes in a nice way but many times not in a good way). We seem to thrive on gossip and "reality tv". To watch as other's lives fall apart. Somehow this validates us that our lives are "better than that".

In NYC, nobody cares if your wearing your pajamas or if your hair is dirty. They don't know you and will never see you again. Once (very funny story) many years ago when I was teaching so much I couldn't eat enough or stay awake, I fell asleep eating a balance bar. I walked out of my apartment and glanced at myself as I left. The mirror was on the wall so I saw my left side. I sat reading in a coffee shop because at that time, it was my only company and I liked to be around other people in the morning. Everyone kept staring at me. We all know that living in NYC, this is unusual. Tourists may stare but we do not. When I walked back into my apartment, the mirror showed me my right side. I had part of said balance bar stuck in my ear and chocolate smeared over half my face. I laughed so hard. I would never see those people again and they had no idea who I was. In my home town, I would have been horrified. There is good and bad to both. In NYC, we have our privacy. We are not "big frogs in a little pond". The downside is when anyone asks us "how are you?", They really don't care.

The friendships and bonds we are forming here are breaking the "cubicals" we live in that isolate us from ourselves and each other here in NYC (and everywhere) . I can hardly wait to get everyone together !! We have decided (almost everyone) that thurs is better than wed (tonight). Next week we will be organizing a "night out" on wed.

If you have not had a perfect 3 days, please do not let it stop you from moving forward. I believe that getting three days under your belt when you are trying to change behavior really makes a difference. Sometimes it can take a few more days than three to get those days in. I am feeling my sinuses are better and my sleep is better. Later today I will blogging about next steps and some questions I would like you to consider while you decide what the next phase of the 6 week challenge will be or if you want to stay in this phase for a little longer.

Taking the time at night to write in your journals, stretch and meditate (I have also added cleaning up my apartment so I feel organized and wake up to a clean apt instead of watching any tv) at night should be just as important as changing your eating habits. We are trying to do behavior modification and new habits must replace old ones.

On the facebook page, I would love for you all to add some positive things you are going to try to add to your routine instead of snacking. Maybe Erika can chime in here and lead us with some self searching to better clarify our path. She is offering a special price to all of you for personal life coaching and by reading some of your responses, I believe many of you would gain more from a life coach than a trainer. The body is a reflection of the "self" and both need to be trained and worked on.

We would all love to hear how you feel today. What differences do you notice from eating this way? Good or bad. I have heard from many of you but everyone would love to hear all that I have been lucky enough to....

Day Two

I am hoping that we are still on track. Hearing from so many of you has been huge. The Facebook page and emails between teams have made the difference between all of your good intentions and the ability to really make changes in your lives.

I would love for all of you to post your recipes (we heard of some great ones yesterday on the email chains but for people outside your team, they missed them). Many of you will have noticed that I always teach with tissue next to my water bottle. I have a life long struggle with sinus issues. I have cleared my throat all my life and I have come to understand that it may be caused by "silent reflux" (eating at night causes acid to back up into your sinus and inflames and irritates them) or allergies or likely, both. One of my goals is to cease eating 2 hours before bed. This means a bigger lunch so my calories will remain constant but will make a difference in the quality of sleep for me and Kurt (I will snore less !!). Likely many of you would also benefit from this shif

If I were to program the food I ate yesterday into a nutritional program, I would likely have surpassed my RDAs on every vitamin and mineral. (not to mention all the flavanoids and antioxidants). For the same calorie consumption (I am trying to keep the same calorie base), the nutrients in all those fruits and vegetables are impressive. The same is true for you.

During these three days, the actual volume of food that you are eating should be much more than you are used to. You should be eating a wide array of colors on your plates. (Ironically, Sharon is doing a big campaign for just this. She was in Philly yesterday on their local Today Show). Every color indicates a different vitamin. She will likely chime in on this later.

Just as important as what you are eating right now is the addition of journalling and meditation (or quiet stretching) into your lives. I have decided to try to get my "splits" back by the end of this challenge.

Erika has offered a special for the 6 week challengers and I think for some of you this is perhaps the most important part of the challenge. Hopefully, she will also be writing a little guidance on what we can specifically be doing with our journalling to get the most out of it.The work on your life and on what is missing or not working is what will make true changes in YOU. Some of you have lost the weight before and found that "nothing had changed" and you gained it back. Many times, weight gain is a symptom only and we have to reach beyond the symptom into the real problem to change our lives. The biggest reason I believe Liquid Strength works, is the mind/body connection. When we conciously focus on finding the joy in our bodies and spend time "inside our bodies", actually listening, we change our relationship with our bodies and that is what changes our bodies.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow night will be the end of this "3 day cleanse/kick off". I would love for anyone who thinks they will make the get together (7-9:00 pm) to bring some simple food that helped them get through these days. This is not obligatory by any stretch but it would be fun.

Make sure you make it to classes this week. The group support is perhaps the most important aspect of all of this. There have been many studies into life longevity and illness and their connection to "community" and strong social ties. Living in NYC, we live side by side and painfully isolated at the same time.

Today, I would like for all of you to write something on the Facebook page. A recipe, an idea, an update. Some thought for the day to share, comment or even a question. I have my string tied around my right wrist and I am proud and excited for all of you and grateful for the gifts you will share.

Ongoing support through these 3 days

Hello 6 week challengers. We have added a few more to our ranks (some of you have never met but you have heard about this because someone who cares about you is excited about this and told you about it).

I will be emailing specific things to teams and a couple of emails that I think all of us need. I wanted to share a funny quote (Deb sent it this week)

"I don't fail, I discover what doesn't work"

We all have done that very successfully. Now we find what does work. The smallest group of challengers this year is the group that is mostly concerned with weight loss. It has been an amazing experience to get to know all of you and realize that we may think it's "just me" but all of us feel and experience unbelievably similar things. I am going to forward to everyone an article that Emily sent me as we started this challenge. It is about "The Secret of loneliness".

Please follow Sharon and my twitter accounts as that is where it is easiest for us to keep the support/feedback and ideas coming. Please use the facebook page to ask questions (many of you have emailed me the same questions and most likely if you ask it, someone else wants to know too). I also want to hear your voices, humor, struggles as it unites us.

It all starts tomorrow so get out there today and shop (the MOST important thing) and plan ahead and get excited about doing this amazing thing for yourself and spending time with such an amazingly talented and special group of people.!!!!