Hello,
DO YOU WANT THE REAL TRUTH
OR THE SUGAR-COATED TRUTH?
Aloha and thank you for your patience. I would like to begin this newsletter with a quick apology. I have been stuck in the Huwelo jungle with a crummy internet connection and have been unable to submit my monthly newsletter until now. These things take me from 2-4 hours to build and it is impossible from where I am presently living. However, I am being blessed with the opportunity to house-sit for a friend for a couple of days who has regular Web access, and I am taking complete advantage of it today. Hence, therefore, and thusly, here comes my first Maui newsletter! Woohoo! And the crowd goes wild!
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business. So, how’ve you been? How’s the kids? How’s the job, your life, and every little thing??? I feel like I have been so out of touch and I truly have missed you guys and everything on the Mainland!
Funny how everything you once took for granted can become so very precious in your memory once you are removed from all things familiar. I miss my friends, my family, my gym, my old car, and yes I even miss my little hometown I complained so incessantly about across the past few years. Crazy, I know…but so true!
For any new subscribers, let me very quickly explain that five weeks ago today, but who’s counting, I sold everything I own and moved, sight unseen, to Maui. Never been here before. Had no idea what I was getting myself into. And voila! Here I am.
To make matters more challenging, I ended up, much to my chagrin, landing smack dab in the middle of the jungle. Me…the girl who doesn’t even like to camp…the girl who loves her creature comforts…the girl who is spoiled to air conditioning and windows up in the car so as not to mess up the hair.
Boy if you could see me now! Ever since I stepped off that plane I have felt like Goldie Hawn in the movie Private Benjamin or Diane Keaton in Baby Boom. My life as I once knew it is over. Even if I returned to the Mainland today, I am a changed woman. You cannot go through the extreme lifestyle changes that I have since getting here and not experience change and growth.
I've gone from Buick Le Sabre to cosmetically challenged 1990 Mazda Miata Maui Cruiser. I've gone from every hair in place to backwards ball cap almost 24/7 (gotta keep the hair out of the eyes in a convertible or just in the daily wind somehow). I've gone from not leaving the house without make-up to never wearing the stuff. I've gone from styling my hair daily to air-drying then pony tail and ball cap. I've gone from shoes to flip-flops and from perfume to natural insect repellant.
I am living “off the grid” in this quaint little jungle cabin. For anyone who is unfamiliar with this term, Wikipedia describes it thusly: Off-the-grid homes are autonomous; they do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas, electrical power grid, or similar utility services. A true off-grid house is able to operate completely independently of all traditional public utility services. Oh joy of joys for this spoiled little city gal…NOT!
I’d like to back up a bit and give my impression of Maui as I’ve experienced it since landing. And let me say how appropriate the verbiage “landing” is. I feel like I have landed on Mars…not Maui. You see, I had this visual of Maui as being this vacation resort type of city where everything is tidy, pristine, industrialized and tourist driven in a very modern and mainland way. WRONG!!! It is anything but that. And the people here are very proud of that and actually come here to escape that very thing! Little did I know this!
Now couple that with the fact that I end up in the jungle and you have the Goldie Hawn analogy. I have only experienced a couple of different areas, but have been told that there are so many ecosystems on Maui that you can just go from town to town and experience extremely different weather, different beaches, and different living conditions and lifestyles altogether. People are telling me to hang in there and try different areas of the island, and that is what I intend to do.
I am still trying to decide if this is the place for me. The intrinsic beauty is beyond description. To see pictures I’ve taken thus far you can go to my
Facebook photos page
and check out my photo albums there. Also, let me just say that pictures cannot possibly convey the aura of the people who inhabit this island. It is everything from hippie-like to spiritual guru-like and all things in between and beyond. I can’t even begin to explain it. On any given day you may meet people from one extreme to the other, i.e., some who channel entities from different solar systems and planets (that’s right, I’ve met them) to someone who is so spiritually enlightened that you sense the peace and love emanating from their very pores...people who are so authentically loving, exuding inner peace that you just want to touch them. Juxtaposed to that are charlatans who are either crazy or disillusioned or maybe even purposefully spiteful and it is up to you to discern which. Yet another reason I call this place Mars.
Any discontent you are sensing from me certainly does not stem from lack of awesome scenery that leaves me completely speechless. Just not sure this place is for me. Only time will tell. You will have to stay tuned to find out where this crazy lady ends up. In the meantime, you can go to my blog site at
NowWhatFitness.com
for some snippets of events since landing on Mars/Maui. I will try and post more short and current articles there once I have moved from the jungle, which by the way will be December 5th. That’s a little over three weeks…but again, who’s counting? ME!!!
I will end this particular newsletter article with this thought: I am still not sure why I ended up on Maui and if this is where I will stay for long. I change my mind a million times a day about planting roots here or heading back home…not gonna lie. One thing is for sure, in five short weeks I have done things and have overcome obstacles I had no idea I was capable of…and this is almost a daily happening. Perhaps that is reason enough for my trip over. Or perhaps I need to continue on with my Maui adventure. I am looking to God for daily guidance with these questions. There is a thing here the islanders refer to as Maui Magic. I am counting on its influence as I make my monumental decisions to come. Mahalo and a hui hou.... (Thank you and until we meet again.) Aloha. And oh yes...may you have a happy and love-filled thanksgiving season!
EXERCISE OF THE MONTH
This is the part of the newsletter where I feature an exercise and give explicit instructions on its proper execution.
This month's featured exercise shows a really cool way to extremely target the triceps. If you want to make those guns get some attention, this is a great way to add a challenge to normally boring triceps training.
Lying Triceps Cable Extensions
Primary Muscle Group Worked: Triceps.
To see a video
click here
Preparation: Lie on a flat bench and grasp the straight bar attachment of a low pulley with a narrow overhand grip. Tip: The easiest way to do this is to have someone hand you the bar as you lay down. With your arms extended, position the bar over your torso. Your arms and your torso should create a 90-degree angle. This will be your starting position.
Execution: Lower the bar by bending at the elbow while keeping the upper arms stationary and elbows in. Go down until the bar lightly touches your forehead. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Flex the triceps as you lift the bar back to its starting position. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Hold for a second at the contracted position and repeat for as many reps as you can until failure (8-12 reps).
TIPS:
Exhale as you raise the weight up. Keep upper arms perpendicular to the floor and wrists straight throughout the move.
HEREIN LIES THE CHALLENGE: Control the speed and keep upper arms straight up! Good luck!
THE PONDER POND
Okay, peeps! This is the inspirational part of the newsletter known as the "Ponder Pond" where you're welcome to take a swim in the sweet waters of inspiration.
This video
speaks to me of the poignancy of how quickly time flies and how we should stop taking for granted the people and events that are making our lives meaningful no matter where we may live. Go hug your loved ones right now. I wish I could.
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Please sign up for my mailing list and subscribe to my blog so that you can be informed when I post a new blog. I am a believer in less is more so don't worry about being inundated with posts telling you every time I had a snack or a new thought. On the other hand, I hope you find the wait between posts worthwhile as I plan to speak directly from my "writing" soul and I look greatly forward to it.
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Thanks so much for subscribing to this newsletter and for reading it and for your support. Our relationship is reciprocal as I live and learn from all that happens in my life, just as you live and learn through yours. We are truly in this together, and I empathize with your challenges as I do my own. I promise to hang in there and learn and grow along with you, and I hope that sharing through my writing maybe helps you a smidge. If it does, that is my payback. It is why I continue to do what I do.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to pay it forward to anyone you think would like it too. That is the best compliment you could ever pay me, and I appreciate it very, very much.
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From my heart to your health,
Linda Burke, CPT |
