Save local studios.

Many of us join an independent fitness studio because they’re part of the community. You’ll often see other members at the grocery stores or farmers market.

Before each session you’re greeted by someone at the front desk who actually knows your name.

The sign-in process isn’t some key code, app or card swipe, it’s an actual human checking you in for your session. In fact the owners mop floors, restock shelves and manage the website. Why? Because they want to serve their community.

I’m blessed to teach at such a location and have the freedom to add my island heritage into their list of services. I came up with the idea to offer a four part Hula series that includes a soulful practice called, “Umeke Mālamalama” or bowl of light.

The class was fully booked then the governor of Washington state shut down all studios. Mind you, plenty of other stores stayed opened such a as liquor and smoke shops. Why gyms and boutique studios? (Including dance and martial arts.)

So many inconsistencies such as chain stores and fast food are enjoying a profitable season while closures affect small business owners. Schools shut down while daycares are over crowded. From the time of this blogpost eleven (11) studios closed their doors and are out of business.

11 Local Shut-downs

These owners served their community and struggled through the first six months, they were happy to reopen at a smaller capacity. To only succumb to the sad reality that nine months of zero income and a growing lease would be the end.

Many of these shops support other local business and allow them to sell their quality products.

Bottom Line

I’m 100% about being safe and cautious, don’t miss understand, but it should be the same for all businesses. We need to support what is left… we need our small business owners because they are invested into the community.

You can help

Here’s some things you can do to help your local studio…

Instagram, Facebook the owners and leave them an encouraging message. Show love.
Give them a good review on Yelp and Google. Help increase traffic.
Post your testimony. Heartfelt messages are powerful.
Join their online sessions and maintain your membership.

CAUTION: I have to mention one bad apple. I’ve heard of one gym that kept charging their clients during the shutdown and when the member tried to call NO ONE was manning the phones. Yikes.

Last suggestion, you can help them fundraise. The beanie above is made by a lovely yoga member. The sale goes towards a scholarship fund to help people maintain their membership.

So much good in the world and we need to shine a light on it!

I look forward to filling these spaces again but for now I’m content to try their online sessions.

At the end of the day we need to practice good vibes only and remember that LOVE does.

I’m currently working on an online fitness program for Mom’s to help our bodies cope with this world. If you would like more info join my newsletter and I’ll even throw in some digital goodies.

Good Vibes Only

Bonus

I was able to redesign their website and you can visit it here: https://www.solhealthyoga.com Since covid19 it’s been a roller coaster ride due to our State’s leadership. There’s actually a Facebook page dedicated to listing all the businesses that closed due to certain ordinances. (Keep in mind that liquor, marijuana, fast food and other chain stores are thriving.)

If you know a local fitness, wellness, dance or martial arts studio that needs website help you can send them here https://www.hoomalamalama.com/design I’m doing free assessments during January 2021.

PEACE Be The Journey

How STRONG is your WHY?

Living fit is only part of the journey, having a holistic life brings every facet of your BEing into balance. And balance isn’t perfection it’s grounding. Which leads me to the title, “How STRONG is your WHY?”

This journey called life is meant to challenge your WHY, but if you lack foundation & balance then your WHY will crumble under the weight of L-I-F-E. So let’s talk about your why as in why live healthy, holistic & happy.

Do you deserve healthy, holistic & a happy existence? None of us deserve or are entitled to it but we can earn it. I once heard a wise elder say,

You were given the gift of life, now you have to earn your living.

In other words we don’t wake up winding a dial that’s attached to our heart. The heart has its own intelligence, that’s the gift of life. Yet how we take care of our hearts is an example of us earning a living.

Your why is the emotional connection between appreciating the gift and earning it. It’s your anchor ⚓️ into everything you do. This is the secret sauce to having a powerful why, the type that moves mountains. [That’s why I’ve created the MERMAID e-news to stay connected.]

I started this blog to encourage my sister through stage-4 cancer and one of the harshest chemo treatments, confessed by the nurses, they’ve ever heard of. You can read my why here but to summarize we did a complete 180• and changed everything.

Somewhere in the mix they wanted to remove her uterus because that’s where the cancer was. It started as a molar pregnancy that spread into bladder and lungs. However after a combination of modern, ancient & holistic therapies she was deemed cancer free by her doctor. While looking at her X-ray he & the nurse said it was one of the most beautiful uterus they’ve ever seen.

Q: What was her why?

A: That’s simple her children.

Q: But I’ve heard that before. So what made her why so different?

A: The energy she put behind it!

Q: Did she do it alone?

A: No, she incorporated a team & consciously surrounded herself with love.

Q: Is it safe to assume that her why needed help?

A: Yes, all of us will face moments when our why requires a little boost. That’s when we enlist the energy of others to carry us through. This can be emotional support, teachings or reading something to encourage us.

I’m excited to announce that I will be going full-time into my WholelisticFit coaching helping other women regain the power of their why and thrive.

Which brings me to another announcement: My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Both a miracle and a confirmation of our Spiritual foundation.

I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken…

My husband adoring a bundle of grace, mercy & unconditional love. [ALOHA] I’m sharing this, very private, moment with you to encourage YOU, yes YOU. Miracles do happen! You have all the resources, tools and knowledge at your fingertips. All you have to do is put energy behind your why.

I took a snapshot of the scenery outside of the birth center & tons of baby pictures. But the purpose of this blog isn’t to show off my nephew, it’s to testify to the power of WHY.

There are steps to connect to your why.

I’ve grown to understand and appreciate the process of reconnection. And I was also grateful that my sister allowed me to coach her even in the delivery room.

There in the delivery room both her life and babies life faced hurdles. My sister’s body had grown tired and weak. The midwife’s assistant was concerned because her water broke, baby was in the birth canal but her push wasn’t strong enough. Meanwhile a host of family members stood in prayer.

We all go through moments of doubt, which is why a coach is so important.

And then I spoke, “You can and will do this because your Savior has brought you this far and HE can do anything but fail. Stop fidgeting and use the contraction to push baby out! Short sips of air into your nose then exhale him out.”

See him in your arms and send your energy there.

Sometimes we have to refocus our why.

Partner with a coach that can see your potential, remind and hold you accountable. It’s their job to ignore the excuses and condition your mind for excellence.

This is the type of WholisticFit coach I’ve become. Through trials and personal tribulations becoming a student to the teachings of L-I-F-E. My goal is to connect women to their power of why which is MANA WAHINE. Women of power. This power doesn’t stand alone, it’s a culmination of experiences. The life lessons taught overtime from one generation to another.

Seasons of change… for the better.

I’ve enjoyed blogging here and I feel that it has become a testimony to the circle-of-life. [Enter the Lion King theme.]

Through this blog I’ve shared, stirred the mind & supported a place of growth. And now it’s time to open my arms to the future of sister-hood. Create a virtual space of excellence. I hope you will transition with me and become a MERMAID to receive my e-news. Also I’ll be posting on my blog WholelisticFit regularly and creating content for women who pave the way. I look forward to seeing you there.

PS: As a sweet parting gift here’s a 60min course I created called BALANCED BEAUTY. Use is in good health and share the link with others. PEACE Be the Journey.

CHANGE from pain to prosperous.

The day I took these pictures was a catalyst in my life. That was the day I almost lost my sister because three hours after this was taken I was in an ambulance with her. Read about that here. Change is a funny thing because it happens quicker then a second and can drastically adjust your perspective.

During my sister’s treatments I wrote in this blog to encourage and motivate her. We are both Zumba instructors who enjoy what we do and while she was healing I took it upon my self to create challenges to occupy her mind. Ones inability to do what they use to-do can be depressing and that rabbit hole is a dark and endless pit. If you are a care-giver or are dealing with a serious illness I hope you will read some of the past post or maybe embark on one of the challenges. [Find out about the three challenges here. If you choose to do one of them and want accountability just comment after each task.]

Speaking of change my sister is now cancer-free kicking stage 4 and living life to the fullest. She started a blog called Make Mahalo which is her journey and today she encourages others. As her blog takes off I’m at a crossroads with MANA Wahine Fitness because I believe this blog has served its purpose and it was seasonal. I can look back at this blog and see the transition from her first diagnosis to us celebrating her recovery by attending Zumba Convention 2016 in Orlando, FL.

The three challenges I created are Beautiful Mind, Beautiful Body and Beautiful Soul. It was as if we were walking through the shadow of death fearing no evil while maintaining an atmosphere of love and beauty. As a result I began to work on a project called WHOLELISTIC FIT – “Fitness for the whole BEing” and wrote a book which I will be publishing in the near future.

Change is a guarantee and my mantra is all about flow.

In all honest I don’t know what to do with this blog beyond this point and I feel that it has served its purpose. A place for me to flow out my thoughts and promote positivity. Don’t worry I’m still going to write but my primary focus will be in wholelisticfit.com because I’m excited about what I can create there.

MANA: Strength that is ancestral.

WAHINE: Women

Knowing when to CREATE the CHANGE is a huge responsibility because you are pulling it from the universe. My change is publishing my book, creating WholelisticFit, adding YouTube tutorials, podcast, building an organic skin-care line and doing more workshops in 2017. Basically I’m pulling a lot from the heavens and living in faith. I’m sure none of the task I mention will be easy but I am driven to make-it-happen. You are more then welcomed to change with me. Comment below about what changes you will be manifesting in 2017…

What are you going to change?

If you want to know when I publish my book send me your email address and you will be among the first. Take care and I look froward to reading your comments about CHANGE.

Beautiful Body – Day 11 & 12

I’m sure there’s nothing I can say or write that would convince you to believe my examples over your personal experiences. In other words if I said, “A rainbow is one color” you would probably argue with me. (Why?) Because your observation has taught you something else.

When it comes to food your experience is separate from mine. Maybe you react differently to food or are triggered into a memory because of a certain scent. Take a few minutes to answer the questions in the picture above. Is there a connection or contrast in what you consume when you’re happy or sad?

We often dive into diets when we should dive into our food connection.

Five HEALTHY FOOD tips to get you looking at food in a whole new way.

Acknowledge the type of foods that you rely on to get you through your day.
Decided if it brings life or death? In other words after you consume the product will your organs thank you with energy & vitality or feel sluggish & irritated.
Make space for a few substitutions to jump-start healthier choices. (For me it was trading in mashed potatoes for Okinawa sweet-potatoes.) Change one thing at a time.
Don’t force your new eating habits on others. aka: Don’t act weird at a gatherings where everyone is eating fried foods and cinnamon rolls. When I started I would eat before an event, just in case. That way I wouldn’t give into the cinnamon roll. (Okay, I did pick pieces off my daughters plate.)
Tweak as you go! (I said tweak not twerk) Nothing is set in stone so reevaluate often and when in doubt ask yourself question #2 and decide from there.

Above is an example of a family gathering where I substituted the romaine lettuce instead of rice. Simple solutions.

Foodie Fit: Pressure cooker Japanese curry. (I just bought a new pressure cooker that can do rice, quinoa, yogurt & now I’m going to try this.)

Taste the freshness, that’s the flavor of life.

I really hope you’re enjoying the BEAUTIFUL BODY challenge because I am. I’m more conscious about my organs & bowel movements, Lol. 😂 Fitness for the digestive system may prevent disease. It doesn’t hurt to eat right.

Dance Fit: Don’t forget to move daily. You’re fitness routine should be 4-5 time a week with variations. Here’s some inspiration from our Party In Pink movement.