Thursday, December 31, 2020

New Year's Eve Ritual

 

Vision Board

1. Gather your supplies, look through old magazines, tear out pages that speak to you, create a vision board and write down what you want more of in the new year

2. Reflect on 2020 and make a check list of all that you've accomplished.

Here's my list:

a. I took my mom to Sequoia National Park, our first time there & got her to hike with me. Her first time hiking.

b. I checked off 2 on my travel bucket list & fell in love️ with Sedona. Mom & I braved the cold & slippery ground in Grand Canyon.

c. I drove with a FB friend to Prescott, AZ’s Christmas City & enjoyed the holiday lights/ decorations. I found out that the mayor pro tem is a fan of Blue Zones like me. 

d. I manifested a New Year Retreat, a sponsor & $500

e. I’m manifesting more $ when I align myself with my dreams

I’ve been inspired by my travels & will share what I ❤️& learned in an interview on YouTube

3. Let go of what doesn't serve you. Don't let your past keep you from achieving your goals.


Join my free Facebook group.

Ingrid Cheng
Author, health coach, yoga revolutionary 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Holistic Remedies: CBD and TCM

@fitnesswla

I was a third-grade teacher in L.A.U.S.D but got burnt out. I became a yoga teacher in 2007 because I wanted to make a difference. I started a Yoga Meetup and hosted donation-based outdoor yoga classes. What began as a group that practiced yoga regularly evolved into something more. I founded the Holistic Health Club in 2013 to help health and wellness professionals connect with each other and collaborate to create win-win. We had monthly Meetups and each member had a chance to present his or her products/ services. Unfortunately, due to high cost of hosting and planning events, I had to close the group.  

I started interviewing health experts for my 12 Days of Wellness and continue to educated myself so I can serve more women. I interviewed Belen Saavedra (CBD Girl) today to learn more about CBD. Here's what she shared with me:

1. Do your own research. Make sure the CBD is harvested and extracted the right way. The company's website should show that its products are third-party tested, organic, non-GMO and extracted with CO2 not solvents.

2. There are 3 types of CBD products: 

Full spectrum: contains < 3% THC, CBN, CBC, CBG,  terpenes and flavonoids

Broad sepctrum: contains all the beneficial compounds without THC (what makes you high)

Isolate: just pure CBD, no other compounds

Smaller, craft companies often have better quality

There's a mental and physical health crisis here in America and our system just deals with the symptoms not the root causes. Our society focuses on quick fixes - a pill for every ailment, a vaccine for every virus. In the race to get a new drug or vaccine into market, Big Pharma often doesn't have transparency. The FDA is bought by special interests. We both agree that taking a pill that has many side effects to cover a symptom isn't curing anything or solving the main problem. We need to look into why we are feeling sick and what's causing us to feel this way. 

I grew up in Hong Kong where my Chinese doctor treated me as a whole person and spent time to find out the root cause of my symptoms. Often, it's an imbalance of chi. Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on Chi (the energy in our bodies). There is either too much or not enough yin or yang in the body and the cure involves acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine, time and patience. Our health care system is actually sick care because it mostly focuses on treating symptoms not prevention or addressing the root causes of illnesses.

Join the Breathwork Summit!

Ingrid Cheng author of The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga (2021)

@fitnesswla

www.facebook.com/fitnesswla

 

 

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Take a Break

Wanderlust

 I was at Wanderlust where I learned the "Beautiful am I" chant. I miss the yoga community and can't wait for my New Year Wellness Retreat! I've been struggling with anxiety and sleep deprivation lately, so I'm taking a break. Self-care is extra important right now. Have a wonderful holiday even with lockdowns and new cases. Lighten up and watch what you consume. 

1. Know your Why

  • Why am I doing this - What’s my motivation? Our health care system is broken and women's health often take a back seat. We are the caretakers and are so busy taking care of others that we forget to practice self-care. We make excuses for not eating healthier or exercising. We just "don't have time". Working at home makes it worse. I often lose track of time, skipped lunch and kept working. I end up being "hangry" - hungry and angry. I resolve to take breaks and eat lunch at the proper time.

  • What outcome am I looking for? I want to help other women take better care for themselves through my blog and my coaching.

  • What do I need to do during this process to have that happen? I must be a role model and practice what I preach.

  • Who do I need to be during this process in order to have that happen? I must be a stand for my own wellness.

2. Commit to your well-being. Focus on one of the below for the day:
  • Joyful Energetic Body

  • Loving compassionate heart

  • Restful reflective alert mind

  • Lightness of being... Total Ease 

3. Practice self-care
  • Wake up early – An inspired day begins at an inspiring time.  Take a few moments at the beginning of your day to enjoy a few moments of stillness and remind yourself of who you are and what you're committed to for the day.

  • Warm Water w/Lemon & Ginger – The Ayurvedic view is that this lovely brew stokes your digestive fire giving it the boost it needs first thing in the morning to efficiently process what you're taking in today and every day.  Start your morning with a cup! 

  • Gentle Movement - do some stretches or gentle yoga.

  • Source: https://www.embodiedyoga.com

I interviewed Dr. Jane Cheng and she shared these self-care tips:

1. Acknowledge how you are feeling
2. Find out what you're thinking to make you feel this way
3. Look at the situation with a different perspective (find the silver lining). Be more positive.
4. Practice deep breathing, yoga or listen to music
5. It's normal to use food, alcohol or cigarettes to cope when we are under stress. Change your mindset and replace a bad habit with a good one.
  • Journal
  • Exercise
  • Meditate

Author, blogger, health coach, yoga teacher, manifesting generator




Saturday, December 5, 2020

12 Days of Wellness

12 Days of Wellness

Tis the season to be jolly and I am glad to partner with these great companies for the 12 days of Wellness from 12/10 to 12/21 (the first day of winter). I believe that self-care is the best way to stay healthy during these challenging and stressful times. I myself have been dealing with anxiety and sleep issues. I find that yoga, meditation and Calm by Wellness Sleep help me relax. I hosted a Fill up with Wellness Zoom event where we sipped hot wellness drinks with a few drops of CBD and shared tips on how to deal with lockdown fatigue.

I will be interviewing wellness experts and sharing their tips with you for 12 days

Day 1 is recorded here

Day 2 is healthy hair care tips with me and I will share my secret recipe with you in Facebook.

Delicious Living has a great article about hair loss and shared these nutrition hacks:

1. Biotin (vitamin B7)

2. Vitamin C

3. Collagen & hyaluronic acid

4. Vitamin D

Day 3: Stress relief tips by Calm by Wellness

1. Hydration - Drink more water
2. Greens & fiber - Eat more veggies
3. Breathe through it -Take slow deep belly breaths & sigh it out
4. Move more - Go for a walk or get up from your desk every 30 minutes

Learn more about detox with @NykkiHardin and how it can help you heal.

Day 4: Play with dirt. Garden or repot a plant. Check out this article in the New Yorker: The Therapeutic Power of Gardening

Day 5: Yoga is self-care. I interviewed Adriana Lee and she shared these tips with me:

1. Have a regular yoga practice (even just 10-15 minutes)

2. Guided meditation

3. Breathwork/ pranayama

4.A cold shower for 30 seconds builds resilience

5. Be grateful, pause for 10 seconds before you eat or write down 3 things you're grateful for each morning.

Day 6: Drink a glass of wine. Did you know that red wine has many health benefits?

1. It helps you warm up

2. It is good for heart health

3. It causes your cheeks to flush and your face to relax, making you look good

4. It helps you sleep better

5. Just 1 glass can help you burn fat

6. It also has resveratrol that is known for its anti-aging effects

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Make a cup of tea and sip it slowly. Art of Tea gifts are perfect for the holidays!

2. Get a healthy Advent Calendar. Built Bar has a great one filled with something sweet and delicious (while still nutritious)

3. Join the Calm by Wellness 12 Days of Wellness Challenge

Ever since COVID started, I've wondered why our leaders want lockdowns which are causing more harm than

good (more die of suicides and overdoses than by COVID). Our system is broken so it's up to us to take care

of ourselves.

 


Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Make a Difference Day

Donate

Go to my Bake Sale and Silent Auction

Do you ever wonder why kids go hungry in this country of plenty? Do you worry about how kids are doing during the extended lockdown? I do. As a former grade school teacher, I know that our public schools (L.A.U.S.D) are failing our kids. The main reason I quit was because there was no help or support from the Teachers Union or the District when I had a class full of ESL students, more than half of them were below grade level in English. I was supposed to get an aide but never did. I called the Union to ask for help but never got any response. I did not have enough text books or supplies for my students and I felt so stressed because I felt like I was failing them. I know that it's the broken system that's failing them, but I became a teacher because I wanted to make a difference. In the end, I was sick and tired of dealing with the red tape and quit. I became a yoga teacher because yoga helps me deal with my anxiety and stress. Yoga changed my life and I want to give back to the cause that's near and dear to my heart. I support Good Food L.A. in their efforts to provide food security to the underserved in our city. I hope you'll join me!

@fitnesswla
Ingrid Cheng


Manifestation homework:

Find some old magazines, tear out pages with images that call to you

Get a 10 X 14 poster board, a pair of scissors and a glue stick

9 am-10 am (PST) Morning yoga to wake up your soul and manifest your dreams. Using yoga poses and movements as a tool, I will empower you to connect with your souls purpose. Then, I will guide you to start creating a vision board to help you manifest your dreams.

For full schedule, sign up or contact the organizer.




Monday, November 23, 2020

3 Ways and More to Stay Healthy during Lockdown

 

Thrive at 100 & Beyond!

1. Go for a walk or a hike

2. Read a good book

3. Join the Blue Zones challenge!

Built Bar money back guarantee! I'll refund you if you don't like it. 

I interviewed Sandy Watro, Pound Pro Experience Manager and she shared 5 tips with me:

1. Set reachable, reasonable goals
2. Start small, then gradually increase intensity, frequency and time
3. Schedule exercise ahead of time
4. Do it because it helps you feel better in your mind and body
5. At the end of the day, you can make any excuse, but showing up for yourself is so important

Join the 12 Days of Pound challenge
Check out Gym in a Box 

Ingrid Cheng

Pre-event homework:

Find some old magazines, tear out pages with images that call to you

Get a 10 X 14 poster board, a pair of scissors and a glue stick

9 am-10 am (PST) Morning yoga to wake up your soul and manifest your dreams. Using yoga poses and movements as a tool, I will empower you to connect with your souls purpose. Then, I will guide you to start creating a vision board to help you manifest your dreams.

For full schedule, sign up or contact the organizer.


Saturday, November 7, 2020

5 Simple Steps to Manifest Your Dreams

New Year Wellness Retreat!

I went on a vacation and when I came back, I got a download on what my retreat would be like. I want to share my 5 steps to manifesting my dream with you.

1. Ask what is really important to you and focus on that

2. Believe that you are capable to achieving your goal. You deserve the best and you are worthy

3. Act as if you know what you're doing despite your doubts and fears. Take small steps towards realizing your dream each day

4. Be grateful. Count your blessings.

5. Receive. When opportunity knocks, open the door and step through

I got a sponsor for my retreat last night using these steps and want to thank Calm by Wellness for their support and to celebrate my 52nd birthday with a giveaway. The first person who leaves comment in my blog will win a free ticket to my New Year Wellness Retreat!

My music playlist will be

1. One Love

2. Go Your Own Way

3. Just Breathe 

4. What a Wonderful World 

5.  Imagine 

6. The Greatest Love of All 

7. A Million Dreams

8. Unconditionally

9. Let It Be 

10. This Is Me

Imagine if One Love Fest & Disclosure Fest & World Kindness Day come together for a day of unity and healing. Of love and giving. Of meditation and peace. Of dancing and music. I am excited about the New Year Virtual Wellness Retreat. I want you to join me and let's get together and feel all right! 

Globally, we have dismissed the energy of the feminine for thousands of years while putting the masculine on a pedestal. This dynamic partnership of energies has been out of balance for too long and that is why we are experiencing the very real and scary challenges we face as societies today. I believe the medicine of the Feminine is needed to restore balance to our world.  This means, that at this time in history all awakening women are needed. All of us who have heard the call within our hearts are doing our work to heal from the past and move forward to a brighter future need to come together as a force for good right now.

The more stressful things get on the outside, the more important it is to cultivate peace. The more mean the world becomes, the more important compassion is. If you’re looking for some calm in the midst of the storm, and want to be a source of kindness in this world, join me. Let's envision a kinder, more loving world.

I interviewed Stephanie Lueras owner of Heart and Sole Fitness and she shared 5 steps to achieve true wellness with me. 

1. Drink more water

2. Cook at home. It's hard to stay healthy when you eat out a lot.

3. Eat more balanced meals

4. For those who are first starting, just walk to the end of your street and back every day. Then around the block

5. Build up to a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon or even triathlons like Stephanie

Ingrid Cheng

Author of "The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga" (Launching in 2021)
Empowering women to be healthy inside-out
I love Hit! Bath Bombs with 200 mg CBD!
30% off all Built products! Leave a comment for discount!

Get HGH anti-aging supplements. I also love Hamama micro-greens grow kit (they are tasty superfoods)! Find out more at Hamama.

 


Thursday, November 5, 2020

10 Simple Tips to Reduce Stress



Sign up to win a ticket to my Virtual Yoga Retreat

 1. Get out in nature, ground yourself

2. Engage in things that help you relax

3. Realize what is causing you stress and stop focusing on that

4. Taking space to breathe deeply 

5. Not feeling guilty for enjoying yourself

6. Celebrate the simple things in life

7. Set boundaries

8. Focus on what you can control, not what you can't. Otherwise it controls you.

9. Reframe things so you can move forward

10. Be kind to yourself and others (T.A.S.K):

Think kind thoughts

Act with kindness

Speak kind words

Kindness is a superpower

By focusing on the good, the universe answered me with amazing things. I met Gayle during my walk in Santa Monica and I was immediately drawn to her because of her positive energy. She was teaching an outdoor class and I so wanted to join but they were just finishing. I connected with her through Instagram and messaged her about my goal to spread goodness. She immediately responded and we scheduled time to talk about our passion and mission. Gayle is a spiritual fitness instructor and a Reiki practitioner. She says that during and after class, she channels a higher dimensional energy to help students ground back into their bodies. Gayle also tells them that we have so much to be grateful for. "Focus on what we have not what we don't have" she shares that "we are perfect, abundant beings" and I agree. We are spiritual beings trapped in a human experience. I told her about my struggle with poor body image and how being called "fat" when I was young left scars in me. Gayle says that "your body and your life is somebody else's dream body and life. No matter what happens, we are not going to give away our power. You are stronger than you know. She sees herself and her students as spiritual athletes. Gayle has created a platform to lift people up and I'm joining her at ElevatewithGayle.com Let's take back our power to be a positive force for good!

Ingrid Cheng

Author of "The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga" (Launching in 2021)
Empowering women to be healthy inside-out

Thanks to @ThisIsKaleigh @ChaseTucker @RealMovementMakers @ElevatewithGayle

P.S. Join Start Your Movement Virtual Live Experience (Build a big following) 

Join the Societygal and #StrongerTogether Virtual Self-Care Summit this Saturday.

11/13 is World Kindness Day

Get HGH anti-aging supplements. I also love Hamama micro-greens grow kit (they are tasty superfoods)! Find out more at Hamama.

 




 

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

A-Z Guide to Self-Care

Sign up to win a copy of my book!

A - An apple a day (eat it with skin on, organic is best). Click to see benefits.

B - Bananas are rich in potassium, tryptophan an high in fiber.

C - Curcumin can improve immunity, joint mobility and reduce inflammation. 

D - D vitamin, we get vitamin D from food and sunlight. Some people have a higher risk of not getting enough vitamin D, especially those with dark skin and adults over 65Try it risk free!

E - Eat mindfully. I blogged about Mindful Eating. Bonus: Eat local and seasonal

F - Feed your soul with inspiring books. I'm reading "Work with Passion" by Nancy Anderson.

G - Guava leaf extract. It is a natural and healthy sleep support, good for anxiety relief? It can calm your nerves, quiet your mind, and promotes deep and restful bedtime slumber.  It also supports hair growth.

H- Hope more, fear less

I- Imagine a better day

J- Joke around or read jokes

K - K vitamin is good for bone health. Vitamin K deficiency can contribute to poor bone development, osteoporosis, and increased cardiovascular disease

L - Live in the present, it is a gift that God gives us

M- Manage stress. Yoga helps me be less stressed and more relaxed.

N - No blaming or complaining. Try it for one day.

O - Open your heart and mind. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience.

P - Pray

Q -Quiet time, no devices, media or social media. 

R- Rest, let go of the constant need to achieve.

S - Sleep. Have trouble sleeping? Calm by Wellness CBD Sleep Oil can help.  

T - Tea time. Try Art of Tea Matcha

U - UV rays, get some sun.

V- Visualize what you desire most in detail. Use your five senses.

W- Watch what you consume. (Hear more poetry, eat more healthy, see more beauty).

X- X or cross out time to exercise

Y - Yoga changed my life. Find out how it can change yours

Z - Zumba. I love dancing with my mom and my niece.  

P.S. Join the Societygal and #StrongerTogether Virtual Self-Care Summit this Saturday.

Get HGH anti-aging supplements. I also love Hamama micro-greens grow kit (they are tasty superfoods)! Find out more at Hamama.

 

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Gratitude = Happiness

Yoga helps me focus on the present moment and let go of what does not serve me. I just cleaned out my closet this morning and realized that I have too many clothes. So I am donating some of them to charity. I've made a pact with myself not to buy any more new clothes this year. Instead of looking for happiness outside, I'm tuning into my inner truth and wisdom. Yoga teaches acceptance and non-judgement. It's a tool that helps me boost energy, release stress and be healthy inside-out. Yoga allows space for me to tune in and get in touch with the divine within me. It makes me grateful for my body and my health. Even when I feel "blah", I go to yoga to help me shift my mood. I was a "fat girl" and felt ashamed of my body. Yoga changed my life and healed my relationship with my body. I am passionate about the health benefits of yoga. That is why I am writing "Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga". 

I have been dreaming about a trip to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. COVID has postponed my plans but I am not letting fear stop me from doing what I love. I finally booked plane tickets and will be taking a week off to connect with the natural beauty of Phoenix, Sedona and Flagstaff. I am excited and a bit nervous as it will be my first time flying since COVID. I am focusing on the good news that though there are more cases, the death rates have declined.

I just saw this Gratitude Challenge on Instagram and want to share this with you.

#gratitude30
#Gratitude30

Ingrid Cheng
Author of "The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga" (Launching in 2021)
Empowering women to be healthy inside-out