I stumbled upon this verse from Ilan Shamir called “Advice from a Tree.” I love how our stature, our sense of self and beauty, our nutrition and our perspective on life can be compared to a tree’s existence.
It really struck a chord, so I wanted to share it with all of you.
We draw wisdom from all different sources — but maybe we should look more closely at nature for inspiration and guidance on living.
Today, I looked out the window and decided that it was going to rain. And then the sun came out, and I decided that it wasn’t going to rain anymore. And then it rained again. And then it stopped. And then it started again. (It’s actually a bit humorous, now that I’m re-reading what I’ve typed here.)
I stuck my head out the front door to check the temperature. It was hot and humid…typical summer weather in New Jersey, and perfect for stretching and yoga. I briefly considered going outside to practice in the heat, but I changed my mind when I looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds. Conditions weren’t perfect, and I could imagine slipping on my mat in the rain, and hurting myself. Who needs an injury on top of the searing pain that I already have in multiple joints?
I looked outside again. The sun was shining and the rain stopped. This was getting absurd. This time, I decided to head out to my driveway to practice. I started with a few rounds of sun salutations, some hamstring openers, a quick flow, and then I rolled onto my side, and got into one of my favorite yin yoga poses (Cat Pulling its Tail Pose), and I settled in for four minutes. Not even 30-seconds into the pose, the sky opened up, and it started to rain. I lifted my head (as you can see in the photo) and looked around. Yes…yes, it was raining. And that was really all I had to say about that. I put my head back down onto my upper arm and continued to stretch. The world was not ending, and I got through my practice in the rain.
So, what does this story have to do with you? Well, I’m guessing that I can’t be alone in this— I waste vast amounts of time, waiting for conditions to be perfect before taking action. I am reminded today that conditions don’t have to be perfect to take action. It’s so easy to get bogged down and remain stagnant while waiting for all of the right circumstances to fall into place.
Stop waiting for conditions to be perfect!
Stop placing expectations on how things SHOULD be.
Learn to act today, embracing what IS.
You can thrive in the current environment, and you don’t have to wait another minute, waiting for the stars to align.
Today, I expended unnecessary mental energy, trying to decide whether I should practice outside. All along, the answer was yes, I should practice outside, and once I’m out there, I’ll know how to adjust my plan if necessary. No, it wasn’t perfect, but I got something done.
Ask yourself if you’re holding yourself back in some part of your life because you are waiting for perfection.
-When it comes to your diet, are you giving up on healthy eating for the rest of the day because you “messed up” at breakfast and ate three doughnuts? Are you waiting for tomorrow to start over because you need a clean slate? Why do you need to wait for conditions to be perfect? Can you overcome your desire for perfection and just get started right now?
-When it comes to exercise, are you skipping it altogether because you only have 15 minutes? Have you convinced yourself that a full hour is the ideal workout length, and 15 minutes isn’t worth your while? Ask yourself why you need this perfect amount of time to workout. Can’t you begin to make a difference in your life with 15 minutes a day?
Life is rarely perfect. Usually, I allocate a solid block of time to write for this website. I don’t whip up my articles in 30 minutes, so if I happen to be very busy or traveling, the articles don’t happen. I spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to convey my thoughts with the right words. The perfect words.
Today, I don’t have that kind of time to spend on the website, but in the spirit of overcoming my own issues with perfectionism, I’m going to go ahead and post this piece in its rough, unedited form.
I had two choices when I came inside out of the rain: I could quickly type up these thoughts and share them with you (even though the article is far from perfect), or I could skip writing altogether. In the end, I’m glad I chose to write.
I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes. I always have been. Even when I was a teenager, I would cut inspirational images out of magazines and tape them to my bedroom wall. I loved messages of hope, perseverance, strength and overcoming obstacles. My favorite quotes as a teenager/young adult were ones about self-empowerment, and they sounded a lot like this:
“You are only in competition with yourself.”
“The only person you should ever try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.”
Quotes like these drove me to work harder and motivated me to accomplish more each day. These quotes served their purpose at that time because each new day was very similar to the prior day. My body felt good, I was strong, and I was young without a health issue in sight. It was actually possible to be in competition with myself because I was changing very little from day to day.
What I now know is that life changes. Babies are born. Bodies get injured. Surgeries become necessary. Sickness happens.
Right now, I am taking three different antibiotics to fight Lyme disease and two tick-borne parasites. My body hurts more now than it did before I started the antibiotics. (I’m told that this is not uncommon.) I cannot be in competition with the person I was yesterday because I feel so much worse today.
Some days, the stars align, and I can handstand, split, throw my leg behind my head, sit in lotus without pain and run for miles without a problem. Other days, my stress level is high, my mind cannot focus, my knee is too inflamed to bend or even walk without a limp, and my balance is horrific. If THAT is my reality on many days, then I can’t live a life of anger and frustration because I think I am a mere shadow of my former self.
I see now that it’s much healthier to just strive for excellence today, based on today’s circumstances. Competing with a former version of myself is just a recipe for disappointment.
If I have learned anything from yoga, I have learned that all we have is now. The present. Each time I step onto my mat, I focus on the current breath and the current posture. I don’t think about the next posture in the sequence. I don’t judge the postures that I’ve already completed. All that matters is the current moment. I encourage you to live your yoga, too. Live here in “the now”, and find peace.
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” –Dalai Lama
I love lists. I love reading them, creating them, and getting inspired by them. There’s just something so efficient about receiving information in list form. Each item on the list is like a bite-sized nugget of information that is easy to swallow and digest. Even if an article is lengthy, it seems to somehow be easier to absorb the information if it’s organized as a list. 
In keeping with this spirit, I’ve created a short list of lists for you to make. When you are feeling uninspired, and life feels tough, start working on these lists. Add to them, read what you’ve previously written, and keep them stored in your phone so you can always find them.
The Gratitude List
Everyone talks about being grateful, and remembering to give thanks each day, but how many people truly practice the act of gratitude? I know that I didn’t appreciate the concept of gratitude until I started taking inventory of everything that makes me feel grateful each day. Four years ago, I started a gratitude list in the Notes section of my iPhone. I started with just a few items on my list, but before long, I had hundreds of items on the list. Some of the items weren’t particularly deep. I had material things on the list— like a new handbag, but I also had experiences and people on the list. When I was going through a particularly tough time, the list made me smile and reminded me of all that I have in my life. A gratitude list is a good list to keep. I highly recommend it.
The “Already-Done” List
I am a big fan of To-Do lists. They keep me on track and provide structure to my daily life. But for the purpose of inspiring and lifting your spirits, I encourage you to create an “already-done” list. What is an already-done list? Well, it’s simply a list of your accomplishments over the past year. Think about everything that you’ve managed to get done, and give yourself credit! You do so much. You rock. Take note of it today. In the same way that you might make a list of New Year’s resolutions for the coming year to go to the gym, eat more vegetables, and get more sleep, go ahead and make a list of things that you’ve accomplished in the past 12 months. Get inspired by your own actions!
The Happiness List
When you’re feeling blah, turn to your happiness list. Think of everything that makes you happy, and start making your list. Here are just a few things on my own list that make me happy: ice cream, sunsets, fresh sheets on the bed, and an uninterrupted afternoon in the bookstore. You might find yourself smiling as you create your own list.
The If-Money-Were-No-Object List
Make a list of everything that you would choose to do if money were no object. Ignore your budget, and ignore your current responsibilities. Just imagine what you’d do. Maybe you’d get a pilot’s license and buy your own plane. Maybe you’d travel to the top 50 spas in the world in search of the best massage. Enjoy this fun exercise that will make you smile and give you a glimpse into your wildest dreams.
The Instant-Mood-Booster List
This is a list that you should create when you are feeling vibrant and happy. Think about all of the things that put you in a good mood instantly, and write them all down. When life gets tough, turn to this list, and see if you can incorporate one of your own suggestions into your life. Your list will be specific to you! I know that I feel happier instantly when I declutter my desk or bedside table. I also know that 30-minutes of cardiovascular exercise puts me in a good mood, as well as a trip to the hair salon, a new book or dinner with friends.
You’ve heard us say it before — start small. Make one change at a time. Eventually, it will become a habit. A series of small steps can lead to BIG change, BIG success.
This concept holds true for many things in life — both physical and mental. Maybe you want to become fitter? Maybe you want to eat healthier? Maybe you want to change careers? Maybe you want to change your frame of mind?
That first, single step is the hardest. But, you CAN do it. We know you can.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been,” George Eliot.
It’s never too late. If you’ve been following Two Fit Moms since we launched our website, you know that this is our mantra.
We are committed to inspiring everyone — but especially moms, like us, that it’s never too late to be your best self. Regardless of your age, you can achieve your fitness goals, your career goals, your life goals. You can change direction at any time and realize your potential.
This motto is one that can be applied to many aspects of life. And, we think it’s worth repeating.
Remember. It’s never too late to be your best self. It’s never too late to be fit. It’s never too late to achieve your wellness goals.
Has this quote inspired you too? If so, let us know how.
“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” — Gretchen Rubin
I found myself nodding in agreement this morning as I read this quote. The everyday habits (or at least the ones we do on a frequent basis) are what define us, not the occasional experiences.
Think about this quote, and use it to assess your own life. Allow it to inspire you!
What are YOU doing every day?
Do your daily habits reflect the kind of life that you want to be living?
Do your daily habits reflect who you think you are as a person?
What changes can you implement in your life to become the person you have been envisioning all along?
Today, I encourage you to find a few minutes to take stock of your life. Make a list of your frequent/daily activities. Are you prioritizing the important things? The hobbies that bring you joy? The people who matter most? The tasks that help you live the healthiest life you can live?
At any given time, you can open your Instagram app to find a vast collection of yoga photos from around the world. How is this collection of yoga photos any different from a collection of photos that you might find in a yoga book? Well, the difference lies in the magic of having a centralized hub for a massive community of yogis to come together—a virtual platform for yogis to meet and inspire one another on a daily basis. In the inspirational world of Instagram, creativity runs rampant, and a traditional pose suddenly morphs into new and interesting shapes. It’s only natural that with many minds at work, many unusual variations of yoga poses will be born and shared.
Here are six of my favorite yoga pose variations that were inspired by Instagram posts. Without this social media platform, I’m not sure if I would have ever seen or attempted these postures. In 2015, I encourage you to get inspired, get excited, and add some variety to your practice. Perhaps these interesting variations will be the poses that you attempt this year.
Here’s a new arm balance for you to try. It starts out innocently enough as Elephant’s Trunk Pose (Eka Hasta Bhujasana). It then transforms into this funky shape when the top leg (which usually hooks over the shoulder) straightens, and the bottom leg wraps around an arm. If you are new to arm balancing, skip this pose and head right over to our crow pose tutorial, which is more appropriate for a first timer. Still unsure? Get inspired here.
If the elusive overhand grip is part of your practice, attempt this variation of bow pose, which comes complete with an arm scarf. If an overhand grip is not yet accessible, you can still receive the same heart-and-shoulder-opening benefits by practicing the five front-body stretching exercises presented here.
This looks like a standing split variation, but it makes most sense to start in lizard pose. Once in lizard pose, wiggle your front shoulder under your knee. If you feel comfortable with your shoulder under your knee, rise back up onto your hands and begin to straighten the front knee while simultaneously lifting the back leg from the ground. Once you find your balance, bend the lifted leg and reach for your foot with the opposite hand. This is an advanced pose that requires hip flexibility, hamstring flexibility, balance and strength. Is it necessary to ever achieve such a pose? Of course not. You will receive many of the same benefits by doing much more accessible hip stretches and hamstring stretches.
Once you’ve mastered the tripod egg headstand, challenge yourself by pressing the forearms together and pointing the hands away from one another. Remember—when practicing any inversion in the middle of a room, you must have an exit strategy! Stay safe, and have fun.
When you’re ready to take your compass pose to a whole new dimension, give this variation a try where both hands are planted on the ground and the hips are lifted from the mat. Still working on getting your leg over your shoulder? No problem. Skip this pose, and open up the hips. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself by getting into Elephant’s Trunk Pose.
Is it an inversion, an arm balance or some hybrid of the two? You decide. Start out in Fallen Angel pose, and then lift the bottom knee from the tricep. Feel free to stay in a hovering version of Fallen Angel or straighten the lower leg so that the foot points in the same direction that you are facing.
When I first joined Instagram, I found myself taking lots of screenshots of inspirational posts— amazing quotes, yoga photos, running trails, exotic locations, and fitness routines. As I scrolled back through these captured images on my phone’s camera roll, I realized that most of 
these posts had one thing in common: they all had some sort of caption or inspirational quote right on the image itself. I assumed that these images were all professionally produced until I came across the Over app. Over will help you create your own inspirational image by quickly adding a quote or your own motivational words to a photo.
There are many typography apps on the market, but this app is my favorite because of the variety of professional looking fonts that are offered, and the ease of use. Even if you have very little experience with apps or photo editing, you will find this program to be intuitive and simple to use. The app gives you complete control over the size, alignment and color of the font, so each photo can be customized to your liking. If you are looking for a free version of this app, download Overgram instead. The functionality is the same, but each image will be branded with an Overgram watermark unless you upgrade.
Go ahead and give the free version of this app a try to see if you like it. Think of your favorite quotes. Look through your photos to find your most inspirational images. Combine the two to create your own inspirational posts for others to enjoy and share on Instagram. It’s fun, it’s easy, and you never know whose life you may touch with the right words and the right image at the right time. Enjoy.