Instructor Newsletter 23 April 2015

weekly dose of all things
fitness industry,

I have 3 fantastic articles this week

from Yvonne Radley
Jacqueline Hooten &

PLUS

10 Days of silence
OMG!

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Just released today…

The Rachel Holmes Podcast Show
with Katie Bulmer Cooke

This is a cracker….

Katie gives us the complete low down on
The Apprentice & all the opportunities  being
on the show has opened up for her.

Its a fab interview & I loved chatting to my pal
for the podcast.

You can subscribe on itunes or listen via the website


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What The Hell Am I Doing Here?
By Jo De Rosa

 
One meal every 48 hours
No drinking (even water) for 32 hours at a time
No speaking every other day

And I am choosing to do this!
What The Hell Am I Doing Here?!

Why?
The answer is of course to understand myself better, and fasting in a Buddhist meditation retreat setting is about learning how to deal with your desires. When we are hungry, naturally we want to eat something. And it is like this with all of our feelings: as soon as a feeling arises, we do something to get rid of it. When we desire something, we immediately find something to satisfy and fulfill it.

These desires can sometimes get out of control and become a full-blown addiction, of which I have had a lifetime of experience in. This yearly retreat in Scotland has become a pilgrimage for me, part of my recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, and a journey within my own mind -getting deeper each year.

So as I lay on my bed starving hungry I instead meditate: meditation becoming my food; it fills me up; satisfies me; and rather than running away from my feelings I sit with them and investigate my true nature.

My annual trip to Scotland is for 10 days this year, in a working Tibetan Buddhist monastery. This specific retreat only happens once a year, and it is a commitment I have made to myself to attend every year (and I have done for the last five years).
 
One meal every other day
Silence on the fasting day
…and not even any water on those days.

We meditate for around 9 hours every day: the days are the same in that sense, but totally different for my stomach who is completely confused by the lack of food for 48 hour stints, and even more freaked out by no water for 32 hours every other day!

The hunger is ok, actually I can deal with that, but the thirst is TORTURE.

Luckily there are around 25 of us all going through the same torture every other day. It makes it easier to cope knowing that the person sitting next to you probably did not get a good night sleep because they also were interrupted all night by their starving belly crying out for food and hydration.

My meditation on each day is so different.
On eating days I am unfocused and distracted by the thought of a meal, or conversations I’ve had with the other participants.
On fasting days there is nothing else to think about other than the practice; the meditation; the hunger and thirst that we have CHOSEN to endure.  

Us Buddhists believe that we develop courage by facing suffering. Through it we realise that we can actually survive the toughest situations if we have to. And by learning this in retreat we are readying ourselves for what life throws at us on the outside when we return back to ‘normality’.    

Perception

It’s funny as the mornings after the fasting day, in the few hours before that first cup of tea, I felt like a 90 year old woman hobbling to the temple afraid I was going to faint from hunger/dehydration. It was such a struggle to get up on those mornings: I felt so weak; so pathetic; stooped over and freezing cold! But on the very last morning with the exact same lack of food and water, I had a real spring in my step! I knew I was going home later, I knew I could eat ANYTHING I wanted to later! And there was energy in my body from that knowledge!

So interesting how powerful the mind is, and how a ‘mind over matter’ attitude can transcend your morning!

Emerging
I did it! I survived! I made it through the 10 day retreat!

I am left in a deep state of gratitude

More and more has fallen into place as the emotional blocks and old ways of thinking evaporate. Suddenly I can see clearly, that in fact HARMONY is the norm. The first 40 years of my life was dominated with struggle, a belief that life is meant to be difficult. “Money doesn’t grow on trees”, “You need to work hard to get anywhere in this life”, “I’ll never be truly happy”, “I’m too fat/ugly/unattractive/skinny/spotty”, “I’m not smart enough” etc..

Now every conversation holds a clue.
Every encounter means something. All of a sudden I realise that the universe is providing me with every single experience that I have, THAT I NEED TO HAVE, to understand…and all I have to do is slow down and listen.

But this is not new information for me: it’s that the information sinks a little deeper into my psyche. Before, this was something that I read in a book and it sounded really cool….but now there is a deep knowing.

I breathe it. I believe it. I am it.
The work now is to translate it, teach it, and to share this beautiful way of living with YOU.

Life Changing Epiphany

So a book is being born, my absolute life’s work. What I believe I am on the planet to do. All from my own path, my own battles, and my own understanding of how to find true and lasting happiness. It will show you how to get rid of addictions, how to value and believe in yourself, all through following your Inner Guidance.

And you won’t have to go into retreat and only eat once every 48 hours! You won’t have to be silent every other day!
I’ve done the groundwork to get the answers, and I am going to deliver these answers to you: THAT IS MY JOB.
And I have to say there isn’t a better job I can think of having.

I’ve made a commitment to work on this book one day every week, and Saturday will be the first full day. I cannot tell you how excited I am to get this information on paper, and to share it with you, so that you too can find the happiness and good health THAT YOU DESERVE. It’s time to have the life that you dreamt of but didn’t think would be possible….
….well I’ll let you into a secret: IT IS POSSIBLE xxx


Web:  http://www.innerguidance.co.uk
Email:  jo@innerguidance.co.uk
Facebook:  InnerGuidance
Twitter:  @Inner_Guidance
Copyright: Jo De Rosa 2015

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THE LATEST FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

By Media Expert Yvonne Radley from Big Me Up Media

So a few weeks ago I went on a little adventure all the way across the Atlantic to San Diego in the USA.

Why did I go there?

Well it was to attend the Social Media Marketing World Conference. I wanted to find out all the latest thinking when it came to Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Pinterest – YouTube, the list is endless isn’t it?

The landscape is ever-changing in social media and there had been SO many changes recently I felt it was important to go to America and find out for myself so I could bring all the news home and share it with you and the world of fitness and wellness.

So here are my Top 3 Highlights – the things I believe will help you grow your business when it comes to Social Media in 2015

1: NATIVE VIDEO

This is MASSIVE and formed part of the keynote speech by organiser Michael Stelzner. These are the little mini videos you can shoot on your phone and then load them straight up onto Facebook.

Please tell me you saw Andrew Crawford’s the other day when he was driving through the countryside?

Facebook will REWARD you for using their own platform to load your videos by showing them to more people. Use YouTube and Facebook will punish you by not sharing it around.

I know, mean isn’t it? But hey Facebook has shareholders they have to look after nowadays so business is business and you don’t want your competition using your platform to sell their wares.

So, where possible load your videos up to engage with your audience.

2: PICTURES ARE KEY

Square pictures work best.

Never post without a picture you are wasting your time nowadays.

Even when you are replying to a post – use a picture. Take a look around on Facebook when you see a long thread – the ones that jump out at you are the ones with pictures.

Pictures are also key on Twitter and of course Instagram and Pinterest, if you are not on these platforms get on them they are rising FAST.

3: MEERKAT AND PERISCOPE

These two newbies were the talk of the conference. They both live stream video via Twitter.

Why are they so cool? I like to think they are like the early days of Facebook when you could put a post out and announce your new class and it would be full within 24 hours.

You can use Meerkat to announce a new class – hold a flash sale – launch or demonstrate a new product – show behind the scenes – start your own TV show at the same time on the same day so people know when to tune in – live stream from competitions, marathons, challenges, the list is pretty endless to be honest.

These were the top 3 highlights for me and you can hear more about what’s around the corner in Rachel’s Podcast that is coming out soon.

In it I reveal more BIG takeaways from the conference that you can start using today…..

…..The one marketer who get’s me all hot and blushing.

……And,  I talk about how many platforms you should be on – how I motivate myself – and how you can work SMART and repeat content again and again without annoying people.

If you want to find out more about all things Social Media then why not come along to my Workshop in Nottingham on June 13th 2015 you can find out more details here
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-me-up-on-social-media-tickets-16679122705

Find me on Twitter @yvonneradley
Facebook Yvonne Radley’s Big Me Up Media

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WIFE (Women in Fitness Empowerment) Events

If you are a female working in the fitness industry chances are you have heard about the rise of WIFE over the past few months. Where did this concept come from and what is it all about?

WIFE (Women in Fitness Empowerment) Events was created by founder Jacqueline Hooton and delivered through her training company Educated Fit to bring professional women working in the health and fitness industry together. In an industry dominated by men Jacqueline identified the need for women to come together to discuss issues that affect them as professionals and to share good business practices and ideas.

Jacqueline explains further

The resounding positive response from the potential speakers gave Jacqueline the reassurance she needed that she’d come up with a brilliant concept and she was right. #WIFE2015 was a sell-out success, the whole day had a tremendous buzz about it and the feedback was incredibly enthusiastic and positive.

‘WIFE Conference was everything I had dreamed it would be and more. We had a brilliant day, with a line up of top female speakers, healthy debate and discussion through our expert panel guests, as well as a relaxed and supportive environment which was really beneficial for networking and support’ says Jacqueline.

So Jacqueline returned from the conference with several ideas to deliver more events for female fitness professionals and to build on the success of the first event.

‘WIFE Conference was brilliant but I wanted to develop the theme to promote up and coming women working in the industry as well as those already very established and known’ Jacqueline explains. She believes WIFE Rising Stars will be the answer to this and the event takes place this Autumn on 19th September.

‘The next area we are developing is WIFE on Wednesday networking groups around the UK’ Jacqueline says ‘the conference reinforced my view that networking and support is vital for women working in our industry. So many of us work freelance or self-employed; we might work in clubs, with clients one-to-one or in our own facilities but as a result we are often isolated from our peers. We may come into contact with many clients but we can often lack face-to-face interaction and support that we would have in a team or office environment’

In the meantime WIFE hopes to connect more women working in the industry through a weekly twitter campaign.

Although WIFE is very new Jacqueline’s work in developing the brand has already been recognized by three Twitter awards.

The growth of WIFE and the strong brand development in such a relatively short space of time is testament to Jacqueline’s steely determination, combined with her desire to see women recognized in an industry dominated by men.

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Andrew Crawford

Are you a better person today than you were years ago?

You are who you are because of yesterdays’ experiences.

So……….What happened to shape you?

Ok …Ok….too long a story …eh?……and MANY different experiences..??

As a whole, I believe there are so many experiences, chance meetings, Knowledge you undertook. The Things you decided to Explore, The experiences you chose to miss. The conversations you had. The company you kept. The paths you took. The questions you asked. The risks you took. The memories embedded. The influences you had. The Sad times, mad times, the bad & good times. Exciting times and embarrassing times.  Your reaction to it manifested into who you are.

What do you think of this saying?

“…..People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime….”

I love it….

“…..When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are!

They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON

Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant…..” Author Unknown
We are responsible for who we are. You are the gatekeeper for your creative self, whether positive or negative, entering your inner sanctum. Be protective, embrace your instincts. These Collective challenges enable you to become commercially successful. You have complete creative control.

So ….Are you content?  Obedient or disobedient?  Depressed, oppressed or self reliant? Don’t make disappointments defeat you.

Make no apologies. Love ‘The Authentic You’ –  Andrew James Crawford

So Andrew……

What was all that about??

What has past experiences got to do with Accountancy & Tax??

Well ….my past experience has led me to know that around this time, the end of the tax year, questions still come through as to what income is taxable.

The best way to do this is list income which is not taxable…’Free from tax’. Here they are:

Child Benefit
Child Tax Credit
Compensation for loss of employment of up to £30,000
Council Tax Benefit
Foster Care Income
Housing Benefit
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)
Insurance policy payments
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Lump sums from an approved pension scheme
Maintenance or Alimony payments
Maternity Allowance
Premium Bond prizes
Rent a Room relief

And much more………

Full list here available as a PDF. ..

http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/articles/Which-Income-Is-Free-From-Tax.pdf

Many gifts are also exempt from tax:

Gift between spouses
Gifts of up to £3,000 each year
Gift of £250 to any one person
Wedding gifts of £5,000 from each parent
Wedding gifts of £2,500 from each grandparent
Wedding gift of £1,000 from anybody else
Gift to charities, Political parties (very topical at the moment)

Oh…and maintenance payments….!!

Finally

I forgot to mention.

You can have all the knowledge in the world, be the top academic, be the best in your class. It all means nothing without………..Common Sense.

Regression or Progression? It’s entirely up to you.

Andrew James Crawford

www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness


Have a WONDERFUL THURSDAY
BIG LOVE