LYT

Category: Monthly Motivation

  • 160 | Monday’s Motivational Words of the Week – What time of day should I exercise? | with Lara Heimann

    Today I’m answering the question, what time of day should I exercise? People often ask me whether it’s better to exercise in the morning or evening.

    The advantages of working out in the morning are:

    • You get it done
    • You set your day up for better organization, energy and possibly more success (high-performers tend to exercise in the morning)
    • You jumpstart your morning with better blood flow, joint lubrication and increased energy
    • You get the satisfaction of accomplishing something early in your day
    • You may lose or maintain your weight (research shows people who exercise early eat less during the day) 

     

    The advantages of working out in the evening are:

    • You don’t risk losing sleep because you don’t have to get up early to exercise
    • Because you’re more in sync with your biorhythms you might perform better
    • Improved performance may help you exercise longer
    • Evening exercise tends to help people go to sleep faster and sleep more soundly

     

    Because there are advantages and disadvantages to working out at both ends of the day, I recommend picking the time of day or night that works best for you. Sticking with that time so that it becomes a habit is the most important ingredient for success. And if it feels overwhelming to get started, try exercising in 15-minute chunks and doing that several times a day or building up to longer periods. You deserve to spend time in movement, and doing regular exercise will help you be more effective and efficient in other areas of your life.

     

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  • 156 | 50 life lessons by 50

    156 | 50 life lessons by 50

    Yesterday I turned 50. I’ve never paid too much attention to numbers and birthdays, but a half-century is a pretty big deal. We all have something to offer for our years on earth so I thought it’d be interesting to tell you my 50 favorite life lessons. Some of these are things I wished I’d learned way earlier in life so you might be able to avoid some of my mistakes!

    On my list are health and movement (of course!) tips, but I’m also including things like write handwritten letters, love people who are difficult to love because they are the ones that need it most, and know that love is boundless.

    I would love so much for you to share this episode with some friends and maybe come up with your own list of life lessons. Share what’s in your heart and send them to me at lara@movementbylara.com. I’m sending you lots of hugs, and I’m pulling for you each and every day.

     

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  • 154 | Shedding layers of yourself

    154 | Shedding layers of yourself

    We are a month into autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the northeast of the U.S., the leaves are changing colors and falling. It’s a time of beauty, transition and renewal. The bareness of the trees is this kind of clearing for the next phase of seasons or change. This can be metaphorical for the shedding of our layers, getting rid of feelings or ways of being that do not serve us and getting back to our essence – a state of being where our mind, body and heart are whole.

     

    I’ve come up with an acronym to help us do that – SHED.

     

    S stands for shift, sleep and stillness.

    What do you need to shift to shed things that don’t serve you? How can you prepare? Embrace the small shifts that are a step in the right direction. Even just shifting your perspective can be so valuable.

    Sleep is so important. It’s where we heal and where our immune system has a chance to be recharged.  

    Stillness is also important. Take time to be quiet, to be away from technology and be by yourself. As much as I talk about movement, ultimately we move so that we can find the power of stillness.

     

    H stands for hugs. Human touch is so healing, even hugging trees is healing. Find your person to hug regularly. 

     

    E is for exercise. Exercise regularly, every day if you can, because it burns stress hormones and literally helps us shed.

     

    D stands for deepen connections. Research continues to prove that having people who nurture us is good for our health. It can change us all the way down to our DNA. Great relationships are good for shedding pain and ensuring that we don’t stay trapped in limiting perspectives.  

    Our job is to continually shed things which don’t serve us, even if they may have worked for us in the past. Hugs from me to you. Let’s work on this together. 

     

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  • 151 | Should we be looking back or forward?

    151 | Should we be looking back or forward?

    Today’s podcast is called, should we be looking back or forward? Sometimes I talk to people and, whether they’re talking about movement or pain or stress, there’s a lot of energy that is being held in the past. And it’s almost like they’ve been tethered to situations in the past and are really dragged down by them.

     

    We have to uncover what it is that we’re looking back at and how it might be weighing us down. Even happy memories might weigh us down because we might be stuck comparing our present lives to the “glory days”. 

     

    We need to accept all the stages in our life and be able to look forward to meet our goals and visions for our life. People who are successful at overcoming adversity don’t deny pain and trauma in their past or idealize past success, but use those moments as opportunities for growth. 

     

    Look forward to what else you can do for yourself and for others. And look back on the lessons you’ve learnt. But stay connected and grounded in the present because that’s what we have control over. 

     

    Movement is a powerful tool for staying in the present because, although our minds often stray into the past and the future, our bodies remain in the now. So if you find yourself stuck in the past or the future, bring yourself into your body and move. 

     

    Resources:

  • 148 | Power To Do Good

    148 | Power To Do Good

    Today’s podcast is all about the power to do good. What often comes to mind when we think about power is the alpha male standing tall, having lots of money and having lots of ability to make an impact. But powerful leaders can operate by creating fear or by commanding respect. I think of power as the ability to do good things for others and invite us all to reframe power and check that we are assigning power to people who deserve respect. 

     

    I’ve made an acronym from the word POWER to talk about using it to do good.

     

    P is for protection. Protect those who need it like children, animals, the disenfranchised and the oppressed. For non-human animals, I am very committed to veganism, which is about making choices that cause the least amount of harm. 

     

    O is for open the path for others. Truly powerful people are not about holding and gripping onto power. Instead they open the path for others to walk on and to be successful. What are ways that you can open the path for others who may be less fortunate, or younger, or otherwise in need of opportunities?

     

    W is for walk your talk and your values. When you are given power, then one of your duties is to put your values into action because you have such influence. 

     

    E is for extend your power to others. Distribute energy, power, material and spiritual goods because there’s always more to give. Uplift others so they feel more powerful.

     

    R is for resonate and ripple. Let power vibrate you higher and then ripple it out. Use it for good, not to accumulate more power and wealth or oppress others.

     

    We need more leaders who have a sense of purpose in wanting to help others. Your mission has to be about something more than you. You will feel more empowered, more purposeful and more engaged and enthusiastic about life if you are there to help and serve others. So let’s power up, my friends. I’m pulling for you, as always. Lots of hugs.

     

    Resources:

  • 144 | How to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped

    144 | How to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped

    How do you help someone, for example a family member in pain who doesn’t want to listen to you, do yoga, move their body or eat differently? This is a tough one because pain can cause resentment and anger and make it more difficult for people to take advice. It’s very easy to think, gosh, I have so many things I could help this person with. I could tell them about movement, about how they should be eating more healthfully and closer to the earth. But it’s important to take it slowly, especially with family. 

     

    I want you to think of the acronym HELP when you see someone close to you struggling. H stands for hang back. Observe what you see the person doing or saying that is a cry for help. See where the person is giving you an opening to assist.

     

    E stands for entrance. Gently enter the conversation and keep looking for cues from the person. Ask them questions such as, would you like to go see a physical therapist? Would you like to start exercising? What do you think is causing it? 

     

    L stands for let them guide you. Often telling them what to do with what’s worked for you really closes people down. Let them guide the direction of the conversation. For example, ask if they have done anything that makes them feel better.

     

    P stands for patience. Patiently give them ideas plus your presence and sometimes presents. For example, you could gift them a massage or a yoga pass or offer to show do a simple exercise with them, like bridge pose for lower back pain. Give them one little gift rather than trying to throw a whole exercise program their way. Patience is key. 

     

    I hope this helps you assist others. As always, I’m pulling for you. You can always reach out to me at lara@movementbylara.com. Please share and subscribe to the podcast rate and review it if you haven’t because that always helps, and I love to hear what you have to say. 

     

    Resources:

  • 143 | Building confidence

    Today I’m talking about a crisis of confidence in teaching. It doesn’t have to be about teaching yoga, it could be about anything. But yoga teachers often experience times when they lack confidence. 

     

    It doesn’t mean you should stop teaching or that you’re an imposter, but perhaps that you’re standing in a void of confidence believing you can’t do what you need to instruct in the way you’d like to. It happens a lot when I teach yoga teachers my method because I don’t teach the classical vinyasa model. So people think, “Oh, my gosh, what am I going to say to my students? They’re going to think I didn’t know what I was talking about.”

     

    But we should always be learning, evolving and growing. For getting through this crisis of confidence I recommend:

    • Don’t pretend you know it all and don’t feel like you have to be an expert to teach something.
    • Think about how are you going to get more knowledge and more experience to make you more confident. Go and take some workshops, a masterclass or an online course. Commit to always being a student because there’s never just one answer to anything.
    • Think about why you do what you do. What made you fall in love with teaching yoga or whatever it is? Being an expert isn’t as important as being connected to why you want to serve in that particular way.

     

    If it comes from a place of service and not an ego and attachment, you will always always make your way through those moments of lacking confidence.

     

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  • 142 | How To Be A Better Human | with Jen Pastiloff

    142 | How To Be A Better Human | with Jen Pastiloff

    Jen Pastiloff travels the world with her unique yoga workshops. She is also the author of On Being Human, a memoir and celebration of happiness and self-realization over darkness and doubt. In this episode we talk about how yoga helped her fight depression and anxiety, how becoming a yoga teacher enabled her to quit waiting tables and how to quiet your inner asshole.

     

    We also dig deep into what yoga really is, the realities of being a mom, why it’s so important to be proud of yourself and how to attract magical people into your life. I’m so grateful to have Jen as a friend, and I know you’ll love listening to this conversation.

     

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