Inspiration and New Meal to Try Out

Hi Internet!

Today I'm going to write about inspiration. For my last post I wrote about motivational tips and I thought inspiration would be a good follow up since to be completely honest I have had a lack of it in regards to writing my blog (hence the silents of the last week). If you read till the end of my blog I will give you a recipe for one of my favourite vegetarian pastas (and optionally vegan).

How do we become inspired? Well first we must discuss what inspiration is. I think it means something different to everyone. For me inspiration is the energy and focus to do something or do more of something. I find the busier I get the less inspiration I have. I find this is a trap that a lot of us fall into and with school starting up this week I was much more rushed that usual. It was finally when I slowed down today that I found the inspiration to write.

One of my favourite blogs is Zen Habits (www.zenhabits.net). The writer of that blog really implores his readers to slow down and live a more simplistic life. For him his inspiration comes in the early morning when everything is still and quite.

I tried this week to get up early to go to yoga, which I successfully achieved 1 day out of 5. I did get up for 5 am another day, Wednesday, to teach my fitness class. Getting up early is hard but after I'm awake and energized my resulting day is much more productive. This is something that Zen Habits teaches.

I hope I start to live my life slower and more thoughtfully with the value of less is more, but in todays society this is harder and harder to do. This is why I love being physically active. In its true essence to be physically fit and active is to live the life that less is more. We are given everything we need from birth (if we are healthy and able) to be active. It saddens me that over 51% of our Canadian population is considered sedentary when we have been given this gift. I know referring to the ability to simply move as a gift may seem somewhat corny, but the majority of the North American population does not realize how truly blessed we are to have the ability to live healthy.

To re-focus on my original topic, I think a big part of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle is due to lack of a) motivation b) value of physical activity and c) inspiration to be physical active. Now how to does one become inspired to become physically active? Well I believe a big part of the creation of inspiration in others can attributed to those in the fitness industry (i.e. YOU if you are a personal trainer, fitness instructor, health promoter, nutritionist ect.). But what if you do not have enough money to join a fitness club? I find the internet to be a great inspiration for me as a personal trainer and fitness instructor as ironic as that is. Whether it is other fitness instructors/PT, youtube videos and blogs (as afore mentioned). I find the Bodybuilding.com transformation section is awesome for beginners looking for some inspiration, so if you are a beginner check it out. I also go there quite often for inspiration of my own.

If you've been reading my blog you also know I am a big proponent of group fitness classes as a way to motivate and inspire. For example, I took a yoga class last night and I walked in to see a 50 something woman in a headstand. That to me was truly inspirational and made me want to continue to practice yoga. Also, my clients continue to inspire me with there dedication and commitment every day.

If you are new to working out you may be saying to yourself "well it's easy for you, you live and breathe this everyday". That is true, but join a class for a month and make an honest effort to get to know others in the class, start to live and breathe movement. You will find your inspiration.

Now for the deliciousness meal.

I make this probably every other week and it's fantastic. My best friend Krysta got me hooked on this.

Goat Cheese Vegetable Orzo Pasta.

1. Boil 2 cups of Orzo pasta (whole wheat preferably) in 2 cups of water for 8 minutes
2. Sautee finely chopped Red Onion, Garlic and Mushrooms until cooked
3. Add whole Grape Tomatoes and Raw Spinach until lightly cooked
4. Drain Orzo and Add Pesto Sauce (home made or store bought)
5. Add vegetables to pasta
6. Sprinkle goat cheese on top of the pasta

try it... yum yum yum

Alrighty, hope you enjoyed my post! More to come

Byn