Save local studios.

Sol Health Yoga & Wellness

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.

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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

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Fit 2 Paddle

From April – June I started conditioning classes to get paddlers ready to pull. Every year different tribes from the PNW host an annual Canoe Journey. This year it was Lummi.

On this particular 5:30 am sunrise we connected our minds to the 4-hour paddle ahead. It was exciting & overwhelming at the same time. Below are my thoughts on conditioning the mind…

1. BREATHE – Sometimes we overthink the situation. To put it into perspective it’s not 4-hours but one dig at a time. [To “dig” is to put the paddle in the water a pull your canoe through.]
2. FEEL – Connect with the joy and excitement of others & allow that to feed your motivation while squashing any doubt.
3. DO – You’ll never know what’s possible until you try.

On this particular part of the journey I had the privilege to paddle with my two oldest children. They were ready! In fact this was their pre-paddle schedule…

• 2x’s Week 6am Walk/Run
• 2x’s Week a 60min STRONG Session
• 2x’s Week Culture Lessons

When we lifted the cedar canoe into the water the sky greeted us with a few sun rays and a rainbow. Unfortunately I didn’t capture the rainbow but it was totally there.

We paddled from Port Of Tacoma to Alki Beach in Seattle. It was beautiful!!! Especially when we stopped on one of the islands for stacks & a quick toilet break.

My personal favorite was the lighthouses along the way. They inspire me to live simple and be the light in a dark world.

Vashon Island was so generous to host us for a 30min break. Each tribe was able to get refreshments & use the much needed toilets. 🙂

SEATTLE!!!

The best way to enjoy our shores is to paddle along it, almost as if you’re becoming one with nature. Remember to ALOHA ALWAYS https://www.hoomalamalama.com

Women who DO don’t wait for permission!

I speak from experience because if I waited I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m on a WholelisticFit journey and it’s not easy. Excuses and doubt happen but it shouldn’t become a defining factor.

Can you imagine a life without pain, sickness or disease?

What would it take to make that happen?

Stop trying to heal the world. Start healing yourself and the world will take notice. Start with YOU. Because if you’re like me, we’ve seen the headlines and feel the hurt. Our first reaction is sorrow and maybe hopelessness. Sometimes we stop moving all together because we’re chained by sadness. But that’s when you use your WHY to refocus and stay in motion.

Energize your fit schedule with an emotional connection to wellness. Develop a deep and rooted WHY into every squat, plank and burpee.

Make the extra effort, do what the average person wouldn’t. Stay consistent, persevere and believe in the process.

Speaking of process, I was talking to my sister, Make Mahalo, about our goals. She used the term, “the G-d process!” Which I understand as going through challenges KNOWING that there’s a lesson in the midst. The willingness to have faith and keep moving forward.

Will the life lessons ever stop? Probably not. The G-d process seems to be ingrained into the universe.

Keep moving forward!

So I’m doing another fitness concert, and it’s been awhile. The last one was in the Spring and it feels like decades. I can’t wait to sweat along side of some fabulous women and a few good men. The best part is blasting the music 🎶 and moving to the rhythm.

Also if you’re interested my blog WholelisticFit.com has a new article called, “WHY & WILLpower, which do you need first?” It list the 5-Steps-To-A-Strong-Why and includes some pinable quotes. Keep in mind that you have to be a MERMAID to read it, and membership is free. Click here to become a Mermaid.

I’m closing with a few vision boards I created and posted on Instagram! PEACE Be the Journey, Ho’omālamalama

 

3 Changes 2 Better

I’m always learning and processing. Especially when confronting uncomfortable change. When I first started teaching STRONG By Zumba® I was way out of my league, but I wanted change. 

Being a mother of seven [7] I didn’t want to look like I gave birth to seven. I wanted to be healthy enough to play soccer ⚽️ with them.  Hike and create an active lifestyle. 

My goal was to embrace where I was and suffer through the workout, to be STRONG. Happily, I no longer suffer through the workout because my body is conditioned to flow with it. 

Here’s what I did in info-pic form…

[PS: Comment if you want to dive into a life changing experience of your own.]

Get my post: How to get over a fear-of-success. You can expect a questionnaire and resources. Start living your fit life today. 

September’s fitness challenge.

Aloha, It’s September?!

Where has time gone? I’ll tell you where it went… it’s in the sunsets that we hiked under, the streams where we collected stones and the fitness challenges we completed! Speaking of challenges I forgot to post about September’s fitness challenge. This one is a little different because I involved my daughters.

September is HABIT-TRACKING month!!!

Pick a current habit to track or track a new habit. So track your squat, core, ab or any challenge you want. Below are examples to get your creative side involved. I made a simple printable that you can use based off a powerful thought…

She said that she could and she did it

Each letter represents one day so this simple quote is a 30-day habit-tracker. [HT] The idea is to decorate it by creating a border or art then coloring each letter one day at a time.

Why use a HT and the benefits, read more here.

How to use a HT and decorate it, learn more here.

Example #1 Core Strength HT

It’s a collage of images glued on and I’m using watercolor pencils to track my habit. I suggest using premium paper or matted photo paper. Experiment to find one that works for the medium you’re using. Just remember that glue and paint can warp the paper, that’s what happen to me. I’m tracking 30 days of core strength using yoga poses or Asana.

Example #2 Water HT

This one was a mess but we had fun. If you decide to paint over your printable make sure to use light colors so you can see the letters. The glitter was crazy but my youngest wanted to make sure that the mermaid had a happy place to swim. I showed her how to do a simple Zentangle and she took off with it.

Example #3 Self-Care HT

This is definitely the teenage version. Spray inks a stencil and a little bit of glitter. The letters are watercolor pencils and they really stand out. Going through adolescence is such a challenge but so is the acne. [I’m so glad those days are over!] My oldest daughter is tracking her skin-care routine, reading and water intake. Which is why there’s three colors. So far so good.

Example #4 Meditation HT

I’m also tracking my daily meditation and used watercolor to paint my version of the tree of life. Each letter is a doodle of random designs. I don’t mediate regularly so I’m using this to revitalize an old habit.

All of our HT’s are on the fridge, the most prominent place in my house [Lol], so we can grab and use them on a regular basis. The overall goal is to pay attention to our habits. The benefit is that we’re left with a reminder of our AWESOMENESS.

I’ve also included a link for you to get the free printable and start using the QUOTE + 30DAY HT. Of course this comes with my ultra-exclusive newsletter which you can opt-out at any time. But if you choose to stay know that you’ll be part of the MERMAID pod. You can read more about that here.

Join the newsletter & start using this quote-able habit-tracker.  Click on the images below to grab your HT. Psst… We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

5 Reasons to throw a “Fit” during the holidays.

Throwing a FIT just means that you’ll be working out 🏋🏽 during the holiday season. Here are five reasons to throw a fit and the benefits will be seen in the summer. So I want to inspire you to stick to your happy regiment.

1. Stick to your plan. The 15 minute drive and the 1 hour workout is even more important during the holiday season.
2. Your body looks forward to that extra boost so don’t deprive yourself of the sweat. Have a FIT!

3. Try to plan around your fitness schedule and refrain from caving in on your original intentions.

4. When ever possible include others in your workout. I know that relatives might fly in to visit but a brisk walk or b-ball game might be fun. Competitive family sports are fun, as long as the referee is fair.

5. Remember your WHY as in why you started working out in the first place 🥇 and honor yourself.

If you would like to get email from me then by all means become a Mermaid and I’ll see you in the pod.

I would also like to send out a BIG MAHALO to all the women & men who are serving our country.

I had to do one more pic. PEACE Be the Journey.

How to organize a FITNESS CONCERT.

So you want to gather a few people  together and inspire them to get fit. Great! Now what? 

In previous post I shared about participating in  two types of fitness events as a host or sponsor. Both examples I used were long events, averaging six hours, but what if you don’t have that kind of time or capital ($). Then throw a FITNESS CONCERT!

Here are the benefits…

• You can pack a lot into 90-minutes.
• Simple theme and set up.
• Easy to clean up and manage.
• The focus is on the workout.
• Don’t have to provide food because it’s only 90-minutes.
• Don’t have to provide water because it’s only 90-minutes.
• Party like atmosphere for potential students to feel comfortable.

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How to make it happen…

1. Pick a theme, date, venue and team. In that order.
2. Theme: choose something relevant or top of mind. (Example: Christmas – “Jingle All The Way” Fitness Concert.)
3. Date: Weekends are usually crowded but if you plan ahead you can throw a terrific weekday event.
4. Venue: Location, location, location. It matters.
5. Team: Volunteers to spread the word and help during the concert. 

Places to market your event…

• Social Media is a great start but make sure you’re not coming across as spam-ish. 
• Make short trailers that you can share across many platforms. Twitter, Instagram and  Snapchat have limits on how long your video content can be. (Facebook’s Livestream is pretty fun and almost limitless.)
• Email your list of followers and give them a sneak peek into your event.
• Old school fliers still work so post them everywhere.
• You can also buy ad-space in a local newspaper or guest post on someone else’s blog about your community event.

I shared the event on Instagram and yes I forgot an “s” in subconscious. Grateful for the person who pointed out my mistake, Mahalo Mom. (Lol) 

#1 Tip to make your event awesome…

HAVE LIVE MUSIC OR DJ.

 That’s the honey to draw your crowd. My thought is that the fitness market is turning out new workouts and dance fitness styles daily but having live music will make your event epic. 

Become a Mermaid and PEACE Be the Journey, Ho’omālamalama 

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You can also read about the inspiration behind the fitness concert here. Hope to see you splashing around in our very own mermaid lagoon.

Share the link and invite a friend – http://www.hoomalamalama.com/MERMAIDS.html

Inspiration behind: Fitness Concert “Island Style”

This year I attended Zumba Convention or ZINCON 2016 with my sister & fellow instructor Paish. We vlogged, Snapchat, YouTube our adventures to our friends and families. Nothing impacted me more than the welcome sign,

Master the business of fun!

That was the inspiration I needed to plan, create, host & lead my Zumba classes. It can be challenging to stay motivated while motivating others but that sign said it all! All I have to do is be FUN.

The first event was such a boost and all I could think about was my class. How can I duplicate my experience at #ZINCON to my students & fellow mermaids? What can I offer that would make them excited to dance off those unwanted calories and invite others?

Answer: I need to host a fitness concert, make it fun & make it memorable.

See what we got here.

Check out the #ZINCON lobby here.

Get the dance moves here.

Motivated by #ZINCON and the beautiful ladies in my class I’m hosting a fall kick-off to fitness. My background is Polynesian performing arts and what better way to host a FITNESS CONCERT than “Island Flavor.”

Become a Mermaid & grab the fitness apps resource page, for free. It’s live links that you can use right away with a brief description and cost per app.