Believe in Yourself

My mission is to empower women to be healthy inside-out. My vision is to create a kinder and more loving world through 21 Life Lessons from Yoga and The Anti-Aging Secrets of Yoga. Writing is a labor of love. I wrote most of the Life Lessons five years ago, but decided to put my book project on hold because it wouldn't be profitable. Our society judges success and failure based on material things like money. So I had a love hate relationship with the currency of exchange. "Money makes the world go round. It's a rich man's world. A penny saved is a penny earned. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Be practical and get a job. You can't do what you love and make money." All the lies that I bought into stopped me from believing in myself. The last one is so insidious that I still get bothered by it even though I know the truth. The Law of Attraction teaches that we must unlearn old beliefs that sabotage us in order to learn new beliefs that empower us. I am applying this to my own life. "I believe that I have the ability to learn and figure things out. I believe I can learn to do what must be done and become what I must become to achieve my dreams." Pg. 125 in The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard. Join a free webinar The Power of Voice Dialogue. Turn your internal foes into allies for transformation.

Here's what I am going to do:

1. Write every day for 30-60 minutes. Share my progress with 2 to 3 people.

2. My goals are to complete The Anti-Aging Secrets of Yoga by November 19th, my birthday.

3. I need help in book cover design, marketing, getting Media exposure, publishing and connecting with talent agents because I want to interview celebrities who practice yoga.

I am also seeking collaborators and partners for my other long-term project. Creating a community garden and healing space. Did you know that a study shows that we spend 90% of our time indoors? That isn't natural. We need fresh air, some sunshine and to be in nature or outdoors. That's why I lead Yoga in the Park. I believe in the healing power of nature and yoga. I believe that good food that is healthy and affordable is a human right. I believe real health care focuses on prevention and treating the root causes of diseases. I believe in alternative and natural medicine or remedies. Growing up in Hong Kong, we had a great Chinese doctor who used her extensive knowledge and experience in Traditional Oriental Medicine to treat our various ailments. We seldom visited the hospital unless it was a real emergency like the time I fell and fractured my elbow or when I slipped in the bath tub, fell and hit the back of my head. I fainted and woke up to extensive bleeding. My mom rushed me to the emergency room for some stitches.

I was a "fat and clumsy" child. I always felt that I wasn't good enough. Why couldn't I be more like my big sister? Why did I tend to get hurt so easily? Why? Why? Why? I didn't now what was wrong with me. My family told me to be more careful and less clumsy. Their voices stuck with me as I grew up. Yoga came into my life at the right time because I was a mess. I went to a yoga class with my sister and kept going even though I wasn't balanced, coordinated or flexible. All the things I thought I needed to be to do yoga. Guess what? You don't need to be this or that to do yoga. Just start where you are at and go forward. Yoga is a practice and a process that transformed my mind, body and soul. It continues to transform me and I am so grateful for yoga. It teaches self-care and self-love. Through yoga, I empowered myself to eat healthy and be active. I choose health over comfort and convenience. I choose to challenge myself instead of being complacent. I choose to celebrate each moment and love more. The "fat, clumsy" girl is still there, but I accept and love her unconditionally. Listen to Katy Perry sing Unconditionally and be inspired. Join From Spiritual Struggle to Living in Grace a free webinar if you are feeling frustrated, stuck or unsatisfied despite your many efforts to grow, evolve and improve yourself.

Join Tapping Your Way into Optimal Health a free webinar if you want to learn EFT tapping techniques to melt away stress, strengthen your immunity and improve your overall health.

Shop more of my closet on Poshmark

I Love Good Food!

I attended a Good Food Summit and connected with like-minded people. The Los Angeles Food Policy Council is a collective impact initiative working to build a Good Food system for all local residents - where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable. Keep your eyes on the ”‎30 under 30″‬ leaders who are improving our food systems.

Instagram My mission is to empower women to be healthy inside-out. My vision is to create a society that focuses on good food as a basic human right. I want to ban fast food and junk food that are high in fat, salt and sugar (the trifecta for addiction). Studies have shown that highly processed foods all contain with these three additives in spades. Fake foods that have these should be banned or labeled "hazardous to our health" just like cigarettes.  

I believe that age is just a number and beauty is an inside job. As a fabulously healthy 48 year-old woman who dislikes make-up and loves nature, I am all about having a simple beauty routine. I do yoga or a H.I.I.T cardio and strength workout six days a week. I walk every day, I cook healthy and tasty meals. I drink enough water to keep hydrated and the occasional green smoothie to feed my body with organic Superfoods. I teach my clients how to eat healthy, to save time and money. I shop at the Farmers Market, 365 Wholefoods and Trader Joes. I have a regular shopping list. I also like to try new things. My current favorite drink is Ripple Pea Protein Drink and my favorite snack is Forager Cashewgurt!

I've cut out dairy and it made a big difference in my digestion. No more gas or bloating. I am lactose-intolerant, but I bought into the marketing of major brands like Chobani and Fage. I thought yogurts were good for me because they have probiotics. Luckily, I learned more about my food intolerance and sensitivities. Then, chose to take action.

Invest in your health now and contact mel to schedule a complimentary Healthy-Inside Out consultation today. 

Ingrid Cheng
Author of The Anti-Aging Secrets of Yoga 
Health Coach

More Anti-Aging Secrets of Yoga

Fit-Twist Yoga

Instagram.com/fitnesswla

Here are the five more secrets that I want to share with you:

1. Gratitude: I appreciate my body and what it does for me. I am grateful for cooking healthy food that tastes great. I am thankful for all the benefits of a regular yoga practice that empowered me to fulfill my highest purpose.

2. Happiness: Being present, enjoying each moment is really good. It is the secret to lasting happiness. I source joy from every day experiences and no longer chase after elusive things that brings instant gratification but do not serve my purpose.

3. Insight: Create space and time to reflect, to ask deep questions about what is meaningful to you. Find your passion and purpose.

4. Community/ belonging: Yoga is all inclusive. Everyone is welcome regardless of age, race, size, religion, income, status, etc. It's the great equalizer because yoga teaches that we are all one. I love the yoga community, Studies show that loneliness is harmful to our health and well-being. A sense of belonging and community is very important if we want to be healthy inside out.

5. Mindfulness: I was not aware of how much harm I was doing to my body with my diet and exercise regimes. I struggled with weight since childhood and was called "Fat Girl". I was bullied and teased for a long time. I got sick and tired of being known as "Fat Girl" so I managed to lose 40 pounds in less than a year. I was thin and I proud of myself, but I wasn't happy. I didn't feel like I was good enough or thin enough. I ran every day as part of my high school tennis team and loved the high that I got afterwards. I ate less, ran more and got a flat belly. Little did I know that I was anorexic. Yoga allowed me to get in touch with the hurt and trauma, to ask for help from a coach and let go of my sad story. I still tend to be hard on myself, but I catch this bad habit and remind myself to be kind. Are you mindful of your internal dialogue? Do your thoughts and beliefs empower you or sabotage you? Are you mindful of what you consume? Do you let bad news, gossip and negativity affect you? Do you choose food that is "real, whole and good" for you or do you eat fake fast food because it's convenient? Be a "Guardian to your mind, body and soul".

6. Self-care and self-love
If we don't love ourselves and take care of our health, how are we able to love and take care of other people? In The Power of Partnership, Riane Eisler wrote about Your Relationship with Yourself (the mind body and spirit connection). "Common sense would say that you should treat yourself like (a best friend but many of us are quite mean and nasty to ourselves. "We criticize ourselves unmercifully (and have) an inner tyrant who keeps saying (mean thinigs to us)". Be aware of your self-talk. Is it empowering you or sabotaging you? We are either our best friends or our worst enemies. I was called "fat, clumsy and stupid" so often as a child that I believed that there was something wrong with me. I struggled with body shame and low self-esteem as an adult. Yoga helped me connect to the inner truth and love myself (flaws and all). Thanks to my coaches and yoga, I let go of my sad old story so that I could create a happy new one. Everyone has a story, but when you are the victim in that story, you feel helpless and hopeless. I want to let you know that you can create a better, healthier story by choosing to practice self-love.

My Daily Choice

Ingrid Cheng
Author of The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga
Health Coach
Yoga Teacher

6 Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga

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Fit-Twist Yoga

I am the author of The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga, an upcoming book that will transform the way people see yoga. Here is a brief summary of six chapters in my book.

1. Alignment: When your body is in alignment, you are able to move freely and easily. Yoga is about union of mind, body and spirit. When you connect with your body and your breath, the practice of yoga allows you to align with your inner truth or the Source. We are all spiritual beings, whole and complete, lacking in nothing. Health, love and happiness already exist within us. There is nothing to do, nowhere to be. Commit to a regular practice and you will get more than just an exercise routine.

2. Balance: I used to have bad balance and tended to trip or fall. I've twisted both my ankles several times. Yoga dramatically improved my balance and allowed me to hike up 1,000 feet to the top of
Vernal Falls without any prior regular hiking experience. After each hike in Yosemite, I'd do a gentle yoga stretch. Every morning, I rolled out my travel yoga mat and did some sequences to stretch out any soreness or tightness. Someone did trip and hurt her ankle, but I felt confident and strong, knowing that my ankles would support me.

3. Coordination: I used to think I was a klutz, often confusing left with right. I didn't think I could do yoga because I was often on the wrong side. Normally, I'd feel discouraged and give up, but somehow yoga spoke to me, telling me to be patient. I kept going to classes regularly and improved my coordination exponentially.

4. Dedication: I never stuck with an exercise routine or a healthy eating habit. Yoga taught me about dedication. I experienced the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of a regular practice so that I continue to dedicate myself to this healthy lifestyle choice.

5. Energy: Doing yoga in the morning is better than caffeine. It gives you a natural high without the crash and allow you to have energy throughout the day. I incorporate inversions like the head stand and forward fold that brings more blood flow to my face and brain; better than any antiaging cream or lotion. These poses also help relief back pain.

6. Flexibility: I wasn't flexible like most yoginis and I didn't think I could do yoga. Guess what? You don't need to be flexible to enjoy yoga. In fact, my nickname used to be "rusty" due to my tight hamstrings and I started from where I was worked with yoga to increase my flexibility.

Ingrid Cheng
Author of The Antiaging Secrets of Yoga
fitnesswla.mydailychoice.com
fit-twist-yoga.com

A Closer Look at Fear

Join the 21-Day Challenge

My Daily Choice

Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. The 5 basic fears are fear of death, fear of loss, fear of ill health, fear of pain or discomfort and fear of rejection. What are your fears and how are they holding you back? I choose to take action and do something that scares me everyday. Quitting my job and starting my own business is terrifying. Everyday, I feel like a fish out of water. I was taught to go to college, get a degree, find a good job and be practical. My parents told me to stop dreaming because I'd starve as a writer, so I need to be responsible and get a job. Conditioned to respect authority, I listened to them and stayed in my comfort zone. I tried to go after my dreams, but kept falling back to my old "job" mentality. I didn't believe in my dreams enough to fight for them. I let the people closest to me, the ones who love me keep me from achieving what I really desire. I am passionate about health and fitness. I know what it's like to struggle with weight and body shame. I want to share my insights and process, to show other women how I created a healthy lifestyle.

When we examine our fears, we will find that they have no basis on reality. In fact, research shows that 99% of our fears are imaginary ones. So our minds are keeping us stuck in the same stories. Yoga allowed me to dig deep and find my inner truth. I've struggled with self-esteem and weight since childhood. I was bullied at home and didn't feel safe or loved. Over time, I sought comfort in food. I was fat and my family called me "Fat Girl", so I felt that there was something wrong with me. Yoga helped me see that I am a spiritual being having a human experience. It teaches acceptance, compassion and self-love. It took me a while to let go of my sad story and create a happy, healthy one. 

I created a Vision Board in April and used Jack Canfield's free list to create affirmations that help me be more creative, motivated and willing to take risks. I have 7 compelling, engaging images that connected to my dreams and 10 power words on my Vision Board: 

Eventbrite Workshop on September 6th: Full moon yoga and vision board creation early-bird discount ends on Tuesday, August 15th. Spots are limited. Sign up now!

I employ a simple, powerful 3-step process that empowers you to let go of your fears and things that don't serve you. Connect with your inner truth and practice self-love. My mission is to empower women to be healthy inside out and I just launched a 3-week Healthy Inside Out Coaching. Contact me to schedule a discovery session.

Ingrid Cheng
https://fit-twist-yoga.com
http://fitnesswla.mydailychoice.com

Action is the Key to Courage

Healthy Inside Out

I am reading The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard. It has 9 declarations to claim your personal power. One of them is to reclaim your agenda: ask "Is what I am doing each day of my life meaningful to me?". Have clarity, direction and take action. What is your mission? Do you have a plan of action? What choices will you make?

My Mission is to empower Gen X women to be healthy inside out. I feel that we are left out as the "sandwich generation" between Boomers and Millennials. We are caught between two worlds, the old one and the new one. I grew up without a computer or a cell phone. I learned to type on an electric typewriter. I remember the Walkman and listening to cassette tapes. I used to write actual letters to my pen pal in Germany. Back then, people actually wrote, not text. Remember, no cell phones yet. I often miss those simple times because the world is getting too busy, too crazy, too "Me first" or "I am right and you are wrong". What happened to compassion and tolerance? Everyone is in a rush to get somewhere. I almost got run over twice while I was walking my dog. Both times, I had the right of way. Once by a bicyclist who ran a red light while the walking sign was on. Later, by a white car turning too fast (trying to beat the red light). We have become a city of "aggressive drivers" with many incidents of "road rage". People want everything now, they complain if the line to buy lunch or groceries is to long, they moan when their "needs" are not met instantly.

As a child and a teen, I remembered spending lazy summers reading, writing, drawing, napping, playing outside, exploring, day-dreaming, having actual and imaginary adventures. Now, I see too many kids and teens glued to their cell phones or enrolled in tutoring, summer camps, enrichment classes that they have no time to dream and be creative. I see too many women who are stressed out, overweight and overwhelmed. That is why I am offering Healthy Inside Out coaching. I used to think that I was too busy to cook, too busy to exercise and I've struggled with weight since my childhood. Yoga empowered me to learn how to cook, to eat healthy and exercise in ways that nurture myself. I can teach you how to stop dieting, lose weight for good and let go of beliefs that sabotage you. Contact me now to schedule a free discovery call.

Ingrid Cheng
Health Coach
Yoga Teacher
https://fit-twist-yoga.com

My Daily Choice

3 Ways We Deal with Life

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DailySaving.com

1. Avoid or Escape it - Many people choose the easy way out. They don't want to deal with pain or discomfort. So they medicate themselves to avoid feeling bad. Thus, *millions of Americans are addicted to opioids and OTC painkillers, my 90+ year-old dad is one of them.

2. Complain or Resist it - Many of us have a "Why me? and "What if..." mindset. "Why did that happen to me?" "What if it doesn't work out?" or "What if I get hurt?"

3. Appreciate and Celebrate - Yoga empowered me to be more present. To appreciate and celebrate meaningful moments, to breathe through poses that are challenging and uncomfortable. I learned to love my body and appreciate it for what it can do for me. I am so grateful to yoga because it allowed me to dig deep and connect to my Truth. I am blessed with good health and know that I will continue to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. I used to use foods to comfort myself. I loved ice cream, candies and chocolates. I was a sugar junkie. Now, if I feel the urge to indulge, I choose something healthier.

Once I learned to be a good guardian of my body, I realized that I also need to guard my mind. I don't need to go back to my old "victim" mindset. I am grateful for all that I am and for what I have in my life. Find five things to be thankful for now. Write them down and say them out loud three times. Do what you love to do and have fun. At the end of the day, write down how you've spent your time. Contact me to schedule a free breakthrough session now.

Join the 21-Day Yoga Challenge www.fit-twist-yoga.com

P.S. Wholefoods is opening a discount store in Santa Monica and I went there to pre-shop. Get $5 off $25. Sign up for www.365bywholefoods.com/rewards or text "JOIN" to 365-65.

To learn more about addiction to opioids and painkillers, go to:
http://www.webmd.com/painkiller-addiction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/for-seniors-addicted-to-opioids

Ingrid Cheng
Law of Attraction Trainer
Yoga Teacher