You see these soldiers? Look closely. They are wearing all kinds of funky shirts and colors and how can they be identified? They each have their guns strapped to their backs. Always. But guess what? They are just kids, on their day out to share their army experiences with a tour group from Canada. If they weren't here with us today, they would be guarding the border between modiin and Jerusalem, day in and day out. And all too many times these kids are forced to protect not only themselves, but you and I on our way to work, home or just to meet a friend. These kids risk their lives to ensure our home and country is the safe, thriving and inspiring place it is. How do they do this? Aside from a heck of a strong will and the utmost selflessness, they train hard in Krav Maga.
What is Krav Maga? Like many unbelievable inventions, it is an israeli innovation created by the army for the army in order to bring these soldiers back home. And today it is taught all over the world to keep people safe. One of the amazing people on the tour group today, summarized their krav maga learning experience in a way that we can all use. She pointed out how much it starts with the proper attitude or mindset. And she is absolutely correct. Just like these soldiers who are 18 years old and tapping into a mindset of complete devotion way beyond their years, so to anyone else faced with an attack. One must completely set their minds to winning the fight, protecting life. There is no other option.
A huge thank you to all of our soldiers and families. And to Funtom Experience & Challenge - פאנתום חוויה ואתגר for providing thousands of people from all over the world with the eye opening experience of all the army is and does for you and I.
Push yourself!
You want to know what Krav Maga really is? Or more specifically how to truly learn how to protect yourself and the ones you love?
Think about this. There is only one way to get there. Hard work! No one can give it to you. It is something that you must consistently work for both in mind and body.
I speak about strength, confidence and standing up for what is right all the time in our home. But watching my own son use all his strength to punch this bag and to use his words "grow some muscles", it is super clear: experience, training and pushing oneself is the key. And you know what? This is not just about Krav Maga. This is life. So let your training on the matts build that strength of character for everything else you wish to accomplish in life. And let everything else you accomplish pour out in confidence and strength on the mat!
How to save a world
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. And what I like to say, protect someone in a fight and save a life; teach someone how to protect themselves and the ones they love and save a world. Here's to a safe and strong start to the new year.
Be a fighter through and through!
Today's running meditation is even more sappy and corny than usual so just warning all you cynics out there reading my stuff:) See it's been a rough summer to say the least and running has been kind of a lifeline all along. It's not just the thinking time it provides, although that's freaking lifesaving. It's way more and it teaches something so awesome that I gotta share. See taking the time to run or actually do anything means you are choosing that thing over something else. Now in my life, as I'm sure anyone else, saying we are busy is totally an understatement. So choosing to do something to take care of oneself is not always easy. There are a thousand other things to do. And for people like me who feel pretty ok most of the time, it's super easy to let the things for ourselves go first. So here's the deal, when we take the time to care for ourselves, we are completely and unconditionally loving ourselves, accepting ourselves and saying, fuck it, I'm not perfect but I'm me and I got a purpose to fill and a life to lead that's super duper important for whatever reason. And for me that's running or eating healthy or taking a moment to appreciate a beautiful view. Why is this hitting me in the face today? Because I found recently that I was feeling bad for the hardships I had to go through or essentially feeling bad for myself or like a victim. Guess what? Though matter what, we are only a victim if we let ourselves be. Yes shit happens and it sucks. And sometimes it's just too much to bounce back from right away. But always, it's up to us to keep the focus on the whole picture and do whatever it takes to remain ourselves and not forget that though matter what is happening around us. We may need support, help, exercise or whatever to keep going strong- but it's up to us to do whatever it takes. Ok corny moment over so I can let loose and listen to my own advice- enjoy the music, this awesome view and run the heck back home to my beautiful kids. Peace out. #runningmeditation #lifelessons #ontherun #jerusalem#outdoorgym #running
Attitude baby!
Here's an awesome thought. Especially if you are a little shorter or smaller, or feel a bit more weak than you'd like to be. You want to know how to win a fight? Well, it's not only how good your technique is, or how big your muscles are.
It's actually way more in your attitude! If you have the, I will never lose attitude, then guess what? You are a much more fierce opponent because you are willing to give it everything you've got, and then some. Now the question is, how do I develop such an awesome attitude? It's simple, train your mind and body as far as it will go and then push even further. You are kicking a bag? Great! Kick your hardest for as long as you can and then add in ten more totally killer kicks. Train yourself to always go one step further than you believed you could. And guess what? You will surprise yourself as to how strong you are every single time!
Stay safe!
Danielle
Its all in the hips baby!
Theres good news and bad news ladies. The good news? Its all in the hips! Seriously there are only a few things that make a strike hard enough to cause the damage you need. And thats true for punches, knees elbows.. And one of those things is the movement of the hips. Your hip is the source for the strike. And guess what? Us ladies? We have super strong hips! We are made that way in order to carry babies, but when it comes to protecting our selves and our babies...its perfect too. So, remember to use your hips whenever you throw a strike. Let the strike come out from the hips and all of your core muscles to follow. Oh and the bad news? Society is waaaayy to focused on how our hips should look. So I say, lets be thankful for our strong and beautiful hips and work hard on using the strengths we were born with.
Stay safe.
Always.
Danielle
What I like about lifting
Someone asked me today what I liked about lifting. At first I didn't know how to answer. I mean how can you describe the feeling of every part of your body being activated, being alive? After a brief pause, I said, well what's not to like, I mean you get to push your own limits and keep getting stronger, you know? With a blank stare in return, I realized that wasn't enough. Now as I sit here post workout and lift, here goes. Your breath, warm and strong is going in and out; your heart is pounding, sending sweet fresh oxygen to parts of your body you didn't even know existed; your muscles are throbbing to the beat of your heart and you are alive. Though matter how hard the resistance is of the weight, you're pushing stronger, harder. Nothing can touch you; you are a rock. In the simplest terms, it's like your entire body saying fuck you over and over again to the ones who believed in you the least. Only this time, you're in the driving seat and the resistance has nothing over you. And get this, unlike life- it's consistent. The harder you push yourself, the stronger you get. Always. #yougotthis#lifelessons #weightlifting #squats #fitness #fitnessmotivation #gym#girlpower #popfitness #pushups #crunches
Be the example
Sometimes we need to explain things to our kids; but most of the time we need to simply be the best versions of ourselves and our children will want to follow. After a full day, fun and challenging, the distractions of the day were well behind us. I could see how hard it was for my son to worry about his cat. So it was no surprise to me when he asked if we could run together when we got home. And you know what? It wasn't an easy run. But through the hills, walking and pushing ourselves, the giggles and relief were worth every second. Now I know not everyone uses running to process and find peace. But whatever you use, your kids can use too. Drawing, writing, or well anything with sport that lets adrenaline pump too. Coping. Especially in today's world of instant gratification. The biggest gift we can give our children is a great big tool box of coping skills. #running #runningbuddies #nightrun #thatsmyboy #lifelessons #fitness #youcandoit #popfitness
Oat Pancakes
Super easy, totally yummy oat pancakes.
And only takes a few minutes to make!
Mix 1 cup oats, 1 cup low fat milk, 1 egg, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, dash of salt and optional chocolate chips, walnuts, or any fruit you want. Butter a non stick pan and fry on both sides until brown. #oats #healthyeating #pancakes#nutrition #healthyparenting
Doing the best we can
Guys in the end of the day, we are all just people trying to do the best we can. As I was struggling to ride up my usual hill, there was a family standing by a lookout point trying to selfie their ways into one pic without compromising the view. I offered to take their picture and instantly the women in full on Muslim garb smiled a huge smile. They didn't speak any English and their Hebrew wasn't so great either, but from what I understood they were 3 generations enjoying some time together. As I rode away, I started appreciating my natural love and acceptance for people wondering how many other Jews would have stopped to photograph a Muslim family. At that same moment a wave of frustration passed over. I'm appreciating that I stopped? What the hell? People are people. I should pat myself on the back for being accepting? No. i should be embarrassed that the thought crossed my mind. So just for today, I will try and humble myself. Recognize that thinking about the acceptance means there is more to work on than I knew. #lifelessons #bikeriding #meditation #jerusalem