Is 2020 Going to be Your Absolute Best Year?

If you are anything like me, you have drafted your list of 2020 goals and have started your journey through this new decade. How's it going so far? What is the most essential thing requiring your focus? Is it your health? Do you need to shore up your most intimate relationships and honor your commitments to them? How about your finances and career goals? Is your passion aligned with your wealth creation? If not, how will you merge these two crucial aspects of life? These are critical questions to ask yourself. How you answer them will determine the trajectory of this year, and ultimately, this decade.

As I enter 2020, I must acknowledge that in September, I will celebrate my 64th birthdate. I have queried and consulted my mentors about my health, my business, my relationships, and my life's endeavors. The conversation always points to the creation of an "exit" strategy. How do I want to live the latter part of my life, and what would I like to leave as my legacy? If I take the best care of myself from here on out, will I live another 30 years, or maybe even reach 100 years of age? These numbers represent a long life, and my thoughts immediately go to "quality of life issues." Will I be able to run, walk, and play games with my grandchildren? Will I continue to eat and enjoy foods while celebrating with family and friends? Will I continue working in the fitness business as I have for the last 46 years? Will I continue to dance?

I don't know what tomorrow has in store for me. However, I believe that if I am strong, healthy, and energetic today, chances are that tomorrow, I will remain the same. And that's all I can do, I can take care of myself today. And because I have incorporated daily healthy habits into my life, then I will probably continue those behaviors tomorrow. Conversely, if I put off self-care today, chances are that tomorrow I will put it off again. After all, we are creatures of habit.

And what does "healthy" mean to me? First of all, daily exercise is essential to my longevity. Each day I get up, and workout with my clients or, I train on my own by dancing, doing Yoga, Pilates, or resistance training. I eat for sustenance rather than pleasure, lower my fat intake, and increase my protein intake. I drink plenty of water throughout the day, and I force myself to eat fruits and vegetables. The most important thing, though, is my daily meditation.

Daily stress will nullify healthy habits in a heartbeat. How many times have you heard stories of people who were fanatical about their health who suddenly keel over and die of a heart attack? It happens often enough to make me pause and think about how stress affects our health. Meditation is one of the remedies I use to off-set stress. Along with all the other healthy habits I incorporate into my life, I believe it is one of the most powerful tools to reduce stressors that negatively impact my body, mind, and spirit.

Which reminds me, Oprah and Deepak are starting their Perfect Health 21 Day Meditation Challenge on February 3rd, 2020. That is also the same week we will host our Mambo Mania Reunion class at the studio, which will be held First Thursday, February 6th, at 6:00 PM. Join us for both of these holistic healing events.

This is a new year, a new decade, and a chance for a new you! If you start taking care of yourself today, more than likely, you will continue to do the same tomorrow and the next day, and the next after that. What are you waiting for? And if you are someone who already takes good care of your health, what more can you do today to become your Absolute Best?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and start doing some of the exercises we share with you.

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Peace, Love, Namaste,
Clarita
www.myabsolutebest.com

Time to Assess

Our mission at Absolute Best is to bring health to the body, mind, and spirit through holistic modalities -- all in one convenient location.  

Convenience and ease create a fertile ground for growth.  Commitment generates action, and action gets you results.  Unfortunately, all things are not convenient, nor are they easy.  Sometimes, taking ourselves to the edge of discomfort, without harming ourselves or others, is how we grow.  

I remember when my Mom would say, "Clean up your room before you go out to play."  If I retorted, "I don't want to!" I knew the degree of my happiness would be contingent upon her reaction to that exchange.  Chances were that if I didn't acquiesce, I knew misery and sadness would ensue.   

It's the same thing with our health.  Our internal "mother," the all-powerful knowing that lives inside us, tells us, "clean up your temple."  What do we do?  We weigh the consequences of not following that intuition.  The balance of our health lies in our willingness to accept short term discomfort for long term wellness.  

Checking off our health "to do" list can seem daunting.  It can be a long list of inconvenient, laborious, and time-consuming commitments.  I can think of ten things right off the top of my head:

1.  Eat right, light, and balanced

2.  Get 8 hours of sleep each night

3.  Exercise daily

4.  Meditate daily

5.  Appreciate nature 

6.  Spend time with your loved ones

7.  Manage your time wisely

8.  Avoid stress

9.  Bask in the sun (use sunblock for protection)

10.  Be charitable and grateful 

Living a healthy lifestyle is not always convenient and easy; however, at Absolute Best, we bridge the gap between you and your personal best.  We pride ourselves in bringing you first-rate holistic health practitioners under one roof.  Our building emanates a warm and inviting atmosphere with its beautiful offices and gorgeous studio space.   The independently-owned businesses that have established themselves in our building are leading-edge professionals.  All these things factor into the convenience and ease with which you can launch yourself into a healthy lifestyle today in San Pedro.    

Come down and visit us.  Take a look at our beautiful facility, our highly skilled professionals, and determine whether or not 2020 is the year to finally get healthy.  Listen to that all-knowing voice inside of you that asks, "When are you going to clean up your act?"   Commit today even though, at first, it might be uncomfortable and hard to do.  Once you realize the ease and convenience of having all the elements you need to get started on the right track, a healthy body, mind, and spirit will be yours this year and always.       

Peace, Love, Namaste

Clarita

Click here let us know that 2020 is the year to finally get healthy.

Check out our website, myabsolutebest.com

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2020 - A New Decade - A New Beginning.

So how does the last decade look to you?  Have you reviewed the past years and reflected on how they've impacted your life?  Where you stand today is the culmination of your previous experiences, habitual behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and actions.  What does the landscape look like? Does the grass look greener on the other side?  Do you feel confident that the path you have chosen is leading you to your desired destination?  Do you foresee perils and treacherous roads ahead?  Do you stay the course or change directions?

If you decide to make a change, will you research and evaluate the new route so you can better navigate this new-found course?  Or will you wing it saying, "Oh well, nothing on this current path is working, I feel lost, so let me switch directions and see where it lands me?"  What would happen if you did nothing, changed nothing?

Interesting questions to ponder at the start of a new decade.  And if health, wealth, and prosperity are on your mind today, join the human race. All of us are assessing where we've been and where we're going today.  Many of us are making New Year's resolutions, which according to my Google searches, will most likely be abandoned by mid-February.

My personal assessment of the last decade has led me to make a New Year's resolution.  2020 will be the decade of developing an acute awareness of my body.  I vow to become increasingly aware of its signals, such as my nervousness, appetite, calmness, excitement, temperature, or fatigue.  What is it telling me, why do I feel the way I do, and what can I do to elevate my energy to its highest and healthiest frequency?

Do a quick meditation and survey of the last ten years of your life. Simply close your eyes and breathe. Go back to 2010.  Can you recall significant events from that year? Try to lean into 2011, then 2012, and so on, conjuring up significant memories from each year.  Go through the entire decade. You'll be able to do this quickly.  Once you have completed the exercise, bring yourself back to the present moment. Go ahead and do this now.

Feel into your body.  Is it calm or is it anxious?  Everything you think, say and do revolve around awareness of your environment and your relationship to it.  Whether or not you connect and become
aware of the people, places, and things around you, your well-being is determined by how you relate to your surroundings.

The best place to begin a new decade is deep within your heart and mind. Have a serious and honest conversation with yourself.  Pledge to be good to your body, eat healthily, and exercise. Keep your
external relationships healthy by honoring them and committing to your part of the bargain.  There is always an implied contract with you and the world around you. It is how we navigate our lives.  The idea of giving and taking is an expression of the cultivated relationship between the world around us and the one within.

What do you want your own personal culture to express?  Define it and go do it.
2020 is a new decade and a new beginning.  Start now by making an appointment to see us.  Click here and let us know when we can help you begin to achieve your Absolute Best.

Peace, love, and harmony.
Clarita

www.myabsolutebest.com
www.claritabassett.com

Day 16, 17, and 18 Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Seven Recipe Ideas for the 4th of July Weekend!

I posted this link on Facebook so you guys could have several healthy recipes to use throughout the holiday weekend.    Hopefully, you are still journaling and logging your exercises and caloric intake.  We are coming to the end of week three, and it's time to begin shifting gears.  Week four, we'll be making small adjustments in the uptake of calories consumed in concert with your continued exercises.  This change will recalibrate your metabolism, and in week five, you will notice an increase in inches lost.  

Your metabolism works like a thermostat; it regulates your internal combustion.  It is either generating the necessary heat for burning fats and sugars by converting them into energy or cooling down and storing them in reserves.  The last three weeks have activated your body to kick into the burning mode.  You have increased the demand for fuel, and your body has delivered more energy by utilizing its fat stores to stimulate weight loss.  However, here's the catch.  Now your body has the awareness that you are continually feeding it fewer calories and demanding more fuel to support your increased energy expenditure.  These two energic demands are taxing your metabolism by delving into your fat stores.  So, to conserve some of your reserves, the body's thermostat slows down the burning of fuel: the result, a plateau in weight loss.   

Primitive man had to traverse the planet and sustain himself, sometimes for days, without sufficient food.  The body learned to conserve energy by slowing its metabolism and reserving fat stores in case of famine.  This metabolic mechanism placed the body in "survival mode."  When eating a calorie deficient diet, your body slips into this mode. 

This energy conservation explains the “plateau” phase of most diets; even though you are eating less and exercising more, your body stalls out, and you do not see weight loss.  The ancestral memories of early man have embedded themselves at a cellular level and dictate how your body uses its reserves for energy expenditure.     

In week four, we’re going to add 250 calories back into your daily menu.  This increase in caloric intake will stimulate the body to continue using its fat stores.  And because you will still be exercising, I advise that you increase the level of exercise to a higher intensity.  If you are walking for 20 minutes, try 45.  If you are exercising three to four times a week, try increasing it to five or six times.  And the most critical element to add to your exercise regimen is to integrate more resistance training.  This change in caloric uptake and energy expenditure will alter the thermostat in your body, rather then decreasing your metabolism, it will continue burning your fat stores while building muscle mass.

Trust your body; it knows what it needs to do to keep you healthy, fit, and alive.  Listen, feel, and sense the attention it deserves. 

Be the best you can be today and every day.

Clarita

https://www.myabsolutebest.com/

(310) 548-5984

      

Day 15 - Prep Your Foods!

Healthy Eating Hacks

I found this on YouTube, click and watch it.  It shares great ideas on how to prep your foods, so they'll be ready to go when you are.

I recommend you take the element of surprise from your menus by pre-planning them, especially your dinners; breakfast and lunch are easier to pull together.  I am not a good cook, so I make fruit smoothies, poached eggs, salads, and steamed veggies.  I leave the grilling to my husband, and for the most part, it's chicken and fish.

Stay in the produce section of the grocery store, or better yet, go to your local farmers' market and load up for the week.  There are several benefits to shopping at farmers' markets.  The food is fresher, usually, picked that very day.  You'll find more "real organic" foods without GMO.  Fresh from the farm means a higher quality of produce, and most likely, more antioxidants and phytonutrients. Your local farmer doesn't have to artificially modify his produce to prepare it for travel by truck for three days before reaching a store.  He dusts off the soil, throws it in his crates, and brings it to market. 

Fresh is best.

Don’t forget to keep drinking your water, at least eight glasses per day, and do your daily exercise.

Let me know how you’re doing.

Be the best you can be today and every day.

Clarita

https://www.myabsolutebest.com/

Day 14 - Imagination, Action, Memorization

"I AM" Imagination, Action, Memorization-

The Way to Your Absolute Best.

So how are you doing?  Are you in complete awareness about what you are eating, how many calories you are ingesting, and the amount of daily activity you're incorporating into your day?  If you are using your journal, recording this data brings awareness to the process.  

And do you have a clear image of what your body will look like at the end of this challenge?  If not, find an inspirational picture of yourself or someone else you admire, and place it on your refrigerator.  Keep the image fresh in your mind and every day, dedicate your behaviors to the realization of that vision.

I told you we were going to start shaking things up a bit on week four. However, we still have one more week of the caloric deficit with daily exercise.  The exercise portion of the equation will not change throughout the 90-days; however, when we reach week four, we will begin to "add" extra calories into your daily meals.  We have found that if you increase your caloric intake every fourth week, it stimulates your metabolism to boost its burn rate.

Since today is the end of week two, reward yourself for having stayed committed to your goal.  You need to embrace the ease of life along with the toughness of discipline.  Be in gratitude that you have the awareness to take care of your body, mind, and spirit, and do something nice for yourself.  And, share your insights about your emotions, triggers, and progress with your accountability partner. 

Acknowledge the abundance in all areas of your life.  You are challenging yourself to lose weight, strengthen your body, and bring peace of mind to your life.  These are luxury concerns; much of the world does not have the opportunity to appropriate energy to these types of endeavors.

Embrace your bounty.   

Be your absolute best today and every day.

Clarita

https://www.myabsolutebest.com/

(310) 548-5984

Day 13 - A 500 Calorie Meal

500 Calories is A Great Target to Set for Dinner

As we wind down week two, awareness of how many calories you consume can positively impact the results of your upcoming 30-day measurements.  Remember when we talked about your metabolic rate?  I explained that to lose weight, you needed to create a deficit in your caloric intake and an uptake in energy expenditure.  That way, your body could generate enough metabolic combustion to burn fat. 

If you want to lose one pound of fat within one week, you will need to burn 3,500 calories.  You can do that by increasing your daily exercise to expend at least 250 calories and eat 250 calories less than usual for a total deficit of 500 calories per day.

That's why I emphasized the importance of logging your exercises and food intake the first couple of weeks of this challenge.  Now you know what your body’s metabolic rate is, by merely watching the number of calories you consume daily, you get a pretty good idea of how your metabolism processes your energy.  The scale I recommended, Tanita Ironman Inner Scan, will also give you a reading on your metabolic rate.   

As we approach week three, let’s continue cutting back on calories and increasing our exercise.  Then, as we near week four, we'll change the game plan a bit.  As a result, you will see an acceleration in the weight-loss process — more on that next week.  

If the scale is not showing a consistent downward motion, do not give up.  Just keep journaling.  Write down what you eat daily, if you go off track, write about your emotions, what happened that day to derail you?  What could you have done differently?  Then, get back to the business of taking care of yourself.  If you were to graph your measurements daily, the chances are that it would show erratic movements up and down the scale.  The goal is to hit your mark by the end of 90 days.  We are still at the beginning of the journey. 

Ninety days is a perfect timeline.  The first 30 days begins the change, at the 60-day marker, new habits start to form around your health and fitness, and by day 90, you will be at your absolute best.

I believe you are worth the investment of 90 days, wouldn't you agree? 

Be the best you can be today and every day.

Clarita

https://www.myabsolutebest.com/

(310) 548-5984