If you’re checking out JivaFit for the first time, welcome! Want to know what this site is all about? In short, JivaFit is your daily dose of information and inspiration to help you live your fittest life for a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy planet.

And if you’re wondering what the heck jiva is, well, it’s a Sanskrit word that means life, a living being or a center of potential vitality and intelligence. I was drawn to this name for the site because here at JivaFit, we focus on health and fitness as a lifestyle, not just the hour you spend at the gym after work or the effort you make to eat a healthy breakfast every day.

Here at JivaFit you’ll find tips on fitness and nutrition, but you’ll also find info on personal development and eco-friendly living because in the end, every choice you make in your day-to-day life will affect your body and your health. So join us here to find new workouts to try, tips for healthy eating, ways to live a greener life, challenges, fitness tricks, new ways of thinking, encouragement, inspiration and more.

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”

-Anthony Robbins

“Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”

Oprah Winfrey

There’s been some pretty big changes in my life lately. Some positive and some not-so-positive. In times like this it’s easy to focus on the negative and have a “woe is me attitude.” While it’s frustrating when life doesn’t go your way, you can choose to embrace the excitement of all the possibilities change can bring.

My IntenSati instructor (a class you’ll probably hear about a lot on JivaFit) said it best last week when she ended class with “every day is your chance to begin again.” She was reminding all of us that every day we have the power to choose how we want to live our lives. If something isn’t going the way we want it to, we always have the option to make a change. If you’ve had a few setbacks recently or are unhappy in certain areas of your life, think about how you could make everything better. Today, make a pact with yourself to start changing and take this opportunity to begin again.

I have to work late. I’m too tired to go to the gym before work. I have to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting. I’ll get a workout in tomorrow. I’m too stressed out. Sometimes excuses can be a lot easier to find than motivation. But guess who works out six times a week? Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

According to Fitness, she does cardio six days a week and adds in strength circuits on three of those days. If Rice can fit an intense workout into her busy schedule, I think we all can.

Now why don’t you try the strength circuit created by her trainer Thomas Tomlo? It’s an intense full body 30 minute workout. You’ll do everything from 60 second bursts of push-ups to combo moves with free weights like lunges with a lateral raise. Check out the full workout on Fitness.com.

I’m a huge college basketball fan and I love March Madness and all the excitement that comes with it–the upsets, the victories, filling out the bracket and watching it all pan out. Though I’ve usually lost interest by the time it all winds down to the championship game (unless my team Michigan State is still in, of course), I’m always ready to tune in for One Shining Moment.

It’s a tradition that just about brings tears to my eyes every time I watch. And it makes me think, what if I had a highlight reel of all of my highs, lows and shining moments to remember just how amazing certain moments in life can be. What do you think? What would you consider to be your biggest shining moment?

“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.”

- Carl Lewis

We’ve had a really dreary couple of days here in NYC, which is one reason I was drawn to this t-shirt when I saw it on Swissmiss today.

The “Enjoy this Beautiful Day” shirt is really a nice little reminder that every day is beautiful, rain or shine, good or bad and that we should enjoy each and every one no matter what comes our way. Here’s to making all your days beautiful!