Evolution Hotel by Helle Nielsen

Ms. Entertainment 2010!

Posted on 2010-March-19 by Helle Nielsen

The entertainment value of this years Ms. International was off the hook! No, the current champ wasn’t dethroned. Naturally the excitement prior to a competition is 9 out of 10 times about the outcome. Can this person or that person take the title? Now in the case of Iris Kyle this type of excitement has diminished over the years. Iris has made a statement in female bodybuilding. A strong one. She is here to stay and to win!

So what made this Ms. International particular interesting?

It’s always interesting to see new physiques and new personalities grace the stage. How are they going to hold up against the seasoned pro’s we know?

This year three pro’s graced the stage making their debut at the Ms. International. What really continues to fascinate me is the diversity of the human body. All three newcomers made a fantatic showing. Everyone bringing their own unique look and bodytype. The weight diffence amongst the three was astonishing. There was a 18.2 kg / 40.0 lb difference between the heaviest and the lightest newcomer. However the outcome of their placing wasn’t determined by bodyweight but by the total package:

• symmetry
• conditioning
• shape
• size

The important thing to notice though is that the size itself is not so important, moreover it’s how the size is distributed on the female bodybuilding physique; which can also be referred to as the living artform.

How do you survive Christmas? Without gaining 10 pounds!

Posted on 2009-December-22 by Helle Nielsen

December, the Christmas month! Yay! Goodies, Duck, family festivities, home baked cookies and presents! It’s the month of the year where we spend more time with family and friends often gathered around good food, wine and Christmas goodies. It’s also the month of the year where the food temptations are at their highest point.

Keeping a diet seems like it’s impossible, and somewhere in the back of your head you’re already dreading January (like most bills arrive in January so does the “I’ve gained 10 pounds that I have to sweat off” bill!).

At the Christmas dinner you eat a little extra, because it tastes good and you’ve already decided that you’re not going to eat in January anyway… Right? …and exercise like a mad-woman! That’s in fact your New years resolution: To exercise more… and to eat healthy… and to fit some of the clothes that are a bit too tight…

…You know what? You should enjoy the Christmas season and everything that comes with it. Life is to be lived and enjoyed!

You’re probably wondering: “So how do I avoid gaining weight when I should enjoy and just eat whatever I want?”

The answer is easy and the results effective.

A dear friend and fitness expert once said; “Please your brain, but keep your backbone”.

The meaning of his words can be boiled down to one word: Balance.

Like so many other things in life, you have to find a (food) balance. Don’t over eat to starve later or yourself out on the treadmill for endless hours to punish yourself for your uncontrolled chocolate consumption.

Instead gain control!

Who has more control of their bodies than athletes? That’s why I’ve asked several of the Evolution Hotel athletes how they keep those pounds off in December without spoiling the Christmas fun.

Here are Figure athlete Heidi Rosenfeldt’s Christmas tips:

• Make Christmas something more than just food. Put your focus on things other than food such as spending quality time with family and friends. Play games, talk and do fun things!
• Let Christmas Eve be the day you “dig in”. Then you have something to look forward to.
• Avoid the candy/cake department at the grocery store. Don’t allow yourself to fall into traps, you know them yourself. It is better to prevent rather than cure.
• You can bake delicious cakes yourself. Replace some of the flour with protein powder. Replace the sugar with liquid sweetener and reduce the margarine or completely skip it. Add bananas or low-fat cream cheese for moisture and a richer texture.
• In the Christmas holidays you have the extra free time to work out or take a nice fresh walk in the outdoors. It will take your mind off of the sweet temptations.
• When you do eat “bad” food think quality over quantity.

Figure athlete Line Wilkens thinks it’s important to replace the “bad” goodies with healthy alternatives:

• Replace the sweets on the table with Oranges and nuts.
• I don’t like to draw attention when I’m invited out by saying “No” to everything. I pick the healthy choices and eat slowly. As long as I eat no one will notice that I don’t have my mouth full of cookies!
• During December I’m often invited to some Christmas festivities. I take one off day a week from eating healthy and that will be that particular day where I’m invited out.
• If I’m invited over to a friend’s house for dinner, I volunteer to bring the desert. I’ll bring some low-fat yogurt smoothie or another low-fat/low sugar dessert.

Line Kolbe, a female bodybuilder from Sweden, says that she eats healthy those days she isn’t invited out for some festivities:

• I always have a food plan and make an effort to stick to it 100%!
• On the days where I’m invited out I pick the healthiest things to eat. I eat extra vegetables and protein and less carbohydrates and fat.
• I eat a lot of vegetables and make sure that I eat every 3 hours and feel satisfied throughout the day. It’s easier to say no to bad things when you’re stomach is full (with good things).

It all comes down to finding the balance. Your balance. How about starting your New Years resolutions this year and starting 2010 with more balance, more control, more energy, more self-confidence and less pounds.

If you think this sounds good but need a little help then please contact me and together we will find your balance.

Thank you to the Evolution Hotel athletes Line Kolbe, Line Wilkens and Heidi Rosenfeldt, who contributed to this article.

Your friend, Helle

NPC Nationals 2009 Review

Posted on 2009-November-28 by Helle Nielsen

This year’s NPC Nationals took place in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 20-21. 70 contestants competed at this year’s Nationals… This year I’ve chosen to spice up my review with small tidbits of quotes and passages from some of the athletes’ journals.

Let’s take a look at how everything went down at the “Nats”:

This was my NPC Nationals report. I hope you enjoyed it. I am happy to see so many quality athletes on the stage in 2009. Everyone has worked very hard and deserves respect regardless of placing.

Congratulations to the new pro’s and good luck in the IFBB ranks.

Congratulations to those, who achieved their personal goals this year, and to those, who made the improvements they have been working for.

Things to think about before you do a photo shoot – Part 2

Posted on 2009-November-15 by Edward ‘Ned’ Mataraso

Last time we spoke about a couple things to remember when it comes to doing a photo shoot. Selecting the right photographer and signing a model release are the first things to get accomplished, but after you have that out of the way, it’s time to get down to the business of shooting. So lets look at a couple more things that you should be thinking about…

3. Have a plan

   

   You can save a lot of wasted time and effort if you just put some thought into a photo shoot beforehand!

   So many times I see the model and the photographer get together and look at each other and say “So what are we going to do”?

   I think that having a plan can save a lot of wasted time and effort if you just put some thought into it beforehand. If you have a concept in mind, the photographer can prepare what they need as far as equipment and / or location to make the process a lot easier. Also knowing more or less what you will be wearing and the look you are trying to achieve will help tremendously.

   That way the model and photographer can help each other get the results you are looking for. Even if you are pressed for time and a place at shows, a little communication before hand will help get better results.

   If you are shooting for a client, you really better have a plan or you are setting yourself up for a real disaster!

4. Hair and make-up

   

   Make sure that your hair and make-up work with your project!

   Now that you have the photographer you want, a concept that you wish to shoot, and the wardrobe selected, you need to make sure your hair a make-up work with your project. No sense looking like an 80’s punk rocker when shooting for a wedding catalog (Unless that’s the type of wedding you are having).

   With that being said, try to complete the look with hair and make-up that works with the concept you are going for. Just as you wear one style of make-up on stage, doesn’t mean you do the same when doing a photo shoot.

   Just as you wear one style of make-up on stage, doesn’t mean you do the same when doing a photo shoot. If you can afford it, a good hair and make-up person is a great asset to a shoot, and once you get used to having one, it’s hard to go back. You will thank yourself later when you see the final product. You may even save yourself some money because there will be much less post production work that you may need to pay for.

5. Posing

   

   Look at pictures that may resemble the concept you are going for and really study them!

   This seems like it is such a simple thing, but it is not! Some models just seem to have it, but let me tell you, they had to work at it I’m sure. Yes some are naturals, but the rest of the world needs to practice.

   I suggest looking at pictures beforehand that may resemble the concept you are going for and really study them. Try to practice them and be ready when you shoot. It is much better for the photographer if you come prepared with poses so they don’t to direct everything as well as shoot.

   Of course the photographer will have input but the more prepared you are, the more quality shots you will get. You may also discuss with the photographer as part of your plan what type of poses you will be doing. Again this will make things a lot smoother when you are both on the same page.

I hope these few tips I have gone over in the two articles will help bring the best results on your next photo shoot. Choose the photographer that is best suited for you, come up with a concept that you both understand, create the best look you can with the proper hair and make-up, and be prepared with some poses that will make the concept pop… …and don’t forget to sign that release!

Good luck and great shooting!

Ned

Things to think about before you do a photo shoot

Posted on 2009-October-16 by Edward ‘Ned’ Mataraso

Some of you are experienced pros and some of you will do your first photo shoot some time in the future. There are things however, that everyone should consider before you go into a shoot.

1. Choosing your photographer

   I think this is very important no matter how long you have been in the game. With the digital age making it easier and easier for anyone with a couple bucks to buy a camera and Photoshop, there are many people who will want to work with you. Some with good intentions and some that or not out for your best interest.

   With that being said, you should always ask to see their portfolio before you agree to work with them. It’s your image that will be out there on the net forever and you will always regret having worked with people who lack the skills to make you look your best.

   I’ll explain a little more in detail (please bear with me, I’m a diet coach!): To make a muscle look full and round, you need to take in carbohydrate and water. The more you take in, the fuller you get. You can compare a muscle to a glass of water. You want to pour water into your glass until it’s full, no more. If you keep pouring, the water will spill all over the place.

   Also, check references of the photographer, especially in the fitness business. Our industry is quite small and usually a few phone calls can give you a great idea if someone is reputable. Also, any photographer you want to work with will have a website that you can see who they have worked with and should have testimonials from clients.

   So do your homework and don’t get excited just because a photographer wants to give you a little money to shoot. A quick $100·00 is not worth a bunch of poor images out there and you will regret it in the end.

2. Always sign a model release

   This is something that will protect both you and the photographer. This should be a no brainer but you can both find yourself in trouble if this is not done.

   This agreement will make it so you both understand how these images will be used and there will be no misunderstandings. Many models assume they have the rights to the images and this is not always the case based on the release. If you are getting paid, then you really need to look at the release and modify it if you wish to have the rights to use or even receive images from the photographer. Do not assume anything, and be sure to discuss with the photographer the terms of the shoot.

   If you are trading – commonly referred to as “TFP” (Trade for photo) then it needs to be specified in the release and I would put a time frame in which the photographer needs to get you the images as well. Many times the photographer will release the images to the model well after they have used them on their own sites making them less valuable to the model.

   Finally, I would also specify that the images you receive are high-resolution, corrected and in large jpeg form. Most photographers should have no problem with these terms if you are trading, but be very careful if you are getting paid and assume you will have all your photos to use right away.

I will continue with this discussion next time where will talk about the things you can do to make your shoots as good as they can be. We will go into posing, hair, make-up, and having a plan with the photographer so you are well prepared for great results. Till then…

…“Happy Shooting”

Ned

Ms. Olympia 2009 review

Posted on 2009-October-07 by Helle Nielsen

On September 25th, thirteen world class female bodybuilders entered the Ms. Olympia stage in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ms. Olympia is one of the highest and most prestigious competitions a physique athlete can enter. This year it was the 30^th anniversary for this event. As usual, there had been a lot of talk, predictions & guessing about who would take the title this year.

The line-up was indeed a very impressive one. Experienced veterans and hungry newcomers showed up to fight for the title. The question was if anyone would be strong enough this year to dethrone defending champion 4-time Ms Olympia Iris Kyle? Perhaps Heather Armbrust in top condition? Or could it be someone new?

Cathy LeFrancois and Isabelle Turell should have been in the line-up, but unfortunately they both got struck by injuries, which ended their preparations for the Olympia. They both are top athletes who are dangerous in any line-up. I wish them a speedy recovery and… darn it… now we have to wait a full year to watch you guys tear up the Olympia!

Congratulations to all the great competitors! Everyone on the Olympia stage is a champion athlete.

Competition checklist!

Posted on 2009-August-24 by Helle Nielsen

We are in the middle of competition season. I thought it would be useful to post a competition checklist!

What is important to bring on competition day?

Some of you may be competing for the first time and need a few tips on what to bring. Some of us “oldies” just become forgetful (especially when we’re low on carbs – lol). Here are a few pointers on what I find to be useful to bring on the big day:

You can print out this list and check every item as you pack your bag for your competition.

All competitors

• Watch how you apply tan with a foam roller.

  Bring some extra competition tan and a foam roller (those you use to paint walls but without the hair). When you wear clothes some of the colour may rub off, and you may want to touch up your colour before you enter the stage.
• Bring latex gloves for the person who applies your tan.
• Bring some competition oil. Don’t use too much!
• Bring a towel to clean your hands, remove excess oil or wipe off the sweat.
• Bring an exertube for the warm-up up before you go on stage.
• Remember your posing suits. Make sure that they are approved by the federation beforehand.

• Watch how you warm up with an exertube.

  Remember all your food.
• Bring a water bottle.
• I like to listen to some meditation music on my iPod. It makes me feel relaxed and calm before entering the stage.
• Bring some magnesium tablets in case you experience muscle-cramps. Posing is hard!
• Wear loose clothes. It minimizes that the tan rubs off into your clothes.
• Don’t wear socks that will leave marks. Wear some that are loose and warm. You can also bend down the rim of the socks to prevent sock marks.
• A camping mattress and a pillow can be very comfortable to bring. Often the waiting time backstage can be long. You want to be comfortable and able to relax during this stressful day.

Bodybuilding competitors

• Remember your music for your evening routine. You will hand it to the officials at the weigh-inns. Always bring two copies on CD. If one gets lost or breaks then you have a back up. I find it useful to download the song onto my iPod as well. When I’m relaxing backstage, I can listen to the song and go through the moves in my head, it’s great mental preparation!

Female Bodybuilding, fitness & figure competitors

• Bring a sewing kit if a problem occurs with your posing-suit.
• Bring wet baby-wipes to clean your nails, as they easily can get brown from the competition tan.
• Remember all your jewellery.
• If you wear artificial nails: Bring an extra set of nails & glue if one breaks off. Don’t forget the nail polish if you’re wearing one.
• Remember your shoes (only female bodybuilders from Eastern-europe will wear shoes).

Fitness-competitors

• Remember your music, clothes, shoes & props for your routine.

Good luck with your competition and remember to smile, be relaxed (or look like you are) and enjoy your big day!

Your friend, Helle

Go green – Your guide to building the perfect salad!

Posted on 2009-August-09 by Helle Nielsen

Done right, a salad can supply fiber, protein, and potent disease-fighting phytonutrients. Done wrong, it’s no better than fast food. Turn over a new leaf with these easy suggestions:

• Get Raw

  Fresh spinach has nearly nine times the bone-building vitamin K of iceberg lettuce. Use at least two cups and you’ll get some hefty doses of zeaxanthin and lutein to protect your vision as well.

• Brighten Up

  Brightly colored produce generally serves up the most nutrients. For example, carrots and broccoli contribute beta-carotene (which the body can convert to vitamin A to bolster immunity, eyesight, and skin health) and anti-cancer compounds. The best salads include a variety of vegetables, such as artichoke hearts, beets, corn, red and green bell peppers, peas, plus lots of tomatoes (an excellent source of vitamin C).

• Pile On Freebies

  They’re not nutritional superstars, but you can’t go wrong with cucumbers, mushrooms, celery, or zucchini. They’re low cal, and their exceptional water content helps to fill you up.

• Skip Sprouts

  They may look healthy, but raw alfalfa and mung sprouts have been linked to nearly 40% of recent food-related illnesses.

• Skirt The Creamy Stuff

  Steer clear of all mayo-based concoctions. Just ½ cup of pasta salad runs about 115 calories and 5 grams of fat; potato salad costs you around 180 calories and 10 fat grams. If you must have them, skip the dressing on your green salad.

• Pound Protein

  Aim for at least 25 grams of high-quality protein, which will help keep you fuller longer. Plus, your body uses more calories digesting protein than it does breaking down carbs or fat. High-quality protein from foods such as eggs, lean meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy also ups levels of the amino acid leucine in your body, which is essential for maintaining muscle and burning calories. The best salad bar sources include whole egg (7 grams); cottage cheese (7 grams per ¼ cup); tofu (10.8 grams per 100 grams / 6 grams per 1.4 ounces); chopped chicken or turkey (11 grams per one third cup); or plain tuna (19 grams per 100 grams / 23 grams per 3 ounces). Avoid using shredded cheese. A cup supplies 28 grams but has more fat than a Big Mac.

• Fill Up On Fiber

  Although most vegetables are decent fiber sources, beans are the best. Include ½ cup of chickpeas (garbanzos) for 5 fiber grams, or get 8 grams with black beans. Three-bean salad is another worthy option.

• Go Naked

  Toppings like bacon bits, fried chow mein noodles, and croutons are a tease, with few nutrients and lots of calories. Sunflower seeds are the one exception. Two tablespoons (100 calories) provide nearly half your daily quota for vitamin E, necessary for fighting off many forms of cell damage. At 61 calories per two tablespoons, raisins are another ok choice – if you can spare the calories.

• Change Your Oil

  If you have to add some flavour to your vegetables, at least pick the right one. Prepared dressings are loaded with sodium, calories, and fat. Instead, top your salad with one tablespoon of heart-healthy olive oil plus as much red wine or balsamic vinegar as you want.

• Get Some On The Side

  Man does not live by salad alone, and neither should you. You must eat to get lean. Digesting food and absorbing and storing nutrients requires energy. Severely restricting calories dials back your metabolic rate. Plus, starving yourself eventually drives your body to break down muscle tissue to satisfy energy needs, further lowering calorie-burning. For balance, choose one slice of whole-grain bread to accompany your (now) healthy platter or try to mix some steamed brown rice into your salad for a healthy choice of carbohydrate and fiber.

Bon appétit!

Your friend, Helle

Avoid gaining weight when you are dining out!

Posted on 2009-August-02 by Helle Nielsen

You’ve started dieting but now you’ve been asked out for dinner. How do you go about this? Don’t worry; you don’t have to wreck your waistline. Today, I’m sharing with you six of my favourite tips on how you can keep your diet even though you will be eating out at a restaurant:

1. Healthy choice of restaurant:
   • Choose a restaurant that serves food, which is grilled on a barbecue.
   • Choose a fish restaurant – get steamed or grilled fish or try it raw like sushi!
2. Order your food without the dressing or sauce, or ask to get it on the side in order to be able to use it more sparingly. If you can get a tomato or taco sauce, these are usually the healthy type of sauces and are ok to eat.
3. Look out for the calories in the beverages. Usually a small glass of soda has 25grams of sugar! Choose water or diet sodas.
4. Avoid eating bread or ask to have a piece served with your main course in order for you not to stuff yourself before dinner with a lot of empty calories.
5. Avoid pizzas, which contain far too many calories. One pizza contains calories enough for four people.
6. If you feel like having an unhealthy dish, order it, but only eat half or share it with someone.

Your friend, Helle

The magic potatoes!

Posted on 2009-July-26 by Helle Nielsen

A lot of people think that the carbohydrate in the potato is a bad type of starch. The truth is that this starch undergoes an amazing transformation when the temperature from the cooking falls from 100-200 °C / 212-392 °F down to the 60-80 °C / 140-176 °F which allows us to eat it.

During this cooling process, some of the starch changes to something called “resistant” starch. “Resistant” starch acts like a type of fibre, which doesn’t get broken down in the intestine, the calories just passes through without getting absorbed. The potato is a healthy vegetable, which has its just place in any healthy eating regimen.

Your friend, Helle

Gandhi’s top 10 fundamentals for changing the world! – Part 4

Posted on 2009-July-20 by Helle Nielsen

Don’t miss the 4th and last part of my motivational article about how you can improve in life. Follow the wisdom of freedom fighter Mahatma Ghandi. I love his outlook on life and have taken his philosophy as mine. I hope you find as much enjoyment in these words of wisdom as I do. I can reveal this week’s topic in one sentence:

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Mahatma Gandhi

…Be yourself, be authentic and continue to evolve and grow as a person. Isn’t this what we all want? Why the heck is this so hard? It’s easier said than done right?

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.

   

   “Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   I think that one of the best tips for improving your social skills is to behave in a congruent manner and communicate in an authentic way. People seem to really like authentic communication. And there is much inner enjoyment to be found when your thoughts, words and actions are aligned. You feel powerful and good about yourself.

   When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. Because now you have your voice tonality and body language – some say they are over 90 percent of communication – in alignment with your words.

   With these channels in alignment people tend to really listen to what you’re saying. You are communicating without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness.

   Also, if your actions aren’t in alignment with what you’re communicating then you start to hurt your own belief in what you can do. And other people’s belief in you, too.

10. Continue to grow and evolve.

    

    “Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

    Mahatma Gandhi

    You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.

    Sure, you may look inconsistent or like you don’t know what you are doing from time to time. You may have trouble to act congruently or to communicate authentically. However, if you don’t then you will, as Gandhi says, drive yourself into a false position. A place where you try to uphold or cling to your old views to appear consistent while you realise within that something is wrong. It’s not a fun place to be. To choose to grow and evolve is a happier and more useful path to take.

Your friend, Helle

Gandhi’s top 10 fundamentals for changing the world! – Part 3

Posted on 2009-July-12 by Helle Nielsen

Do you have a goal? Something you want to achieve in your life? Is there something that’s important to you? Then you need to go for it and be persistent! My experience has taught me that persistency always pays off. Read what Ghandi has to say about persistency, failure and seeing the good in others. These could have been my words, but they aren’t, and I truly applaud every sentence of wisdom in this week’s Motivational Article. If you want to get wiser as well, here’s your chance!

6. Everyone is human.

   

   “I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   When you start to make myths out of people – even though they may have produced extraordinary results – you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. You can start to feel like you could never achieve similar things that they did because they are so very different. Therefore, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.

   And I think it’s important to remember that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. Holding people to unreasonable standards will only create more unnecessary conflicts in your world and negativity within you.

   It’s also important to remember this to avoid falling into the pretty useless habit of beating yourself up over mistakes that you have made. And instead be able to see with clarity where you went wrong and what you can learn from your mistake. And then try again.

7. Persist.

   

   “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.

   Find what you really like to do. Then you’ll find the inner motivation to keep going, going and going.

   One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just didn’t give up.

   Success or victory will seldom come as quickly as you would have liked it to. I think one of the reasons people don’t get what they want is simply because they give up too soon. The time they think an achievement will require isn’t the same amount of time it usually takes to achieve that goal. This faulty belief partly comes from the world we live in. A world full of magic pill solutions where advertising continually promises us that we can lose a lot of weight or earn a ton of money in just 30 days.

8. See the good in people and help them.

   

   “I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   There is pretty much always something good in people. And things that may not be so good. But you can choose what things to focus on. And if you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.

   And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them. By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better. Over time you tend to get what you give. And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people. And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.

   By strengthening your social skills you can become a more influential person and make this upward spiral even stronger.

Be yourself, communicate in an authentic way and improve your social skills. Continue to evolve and grow as a human being - Good will come of it! These are some of the issues Ghandi addresses in the fourth and last part of our series about the important fundamentals of life. Dont miss this final chapter coming next week!

Your friend, Helle

Gandhi’s top 10 fundamentals for changing the world! – Part 2

Posted on 2009-July-05 by Helle Nielsen

3. Forgive and let it go.

   

   “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   Fighting evil with evil won’t help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.

   You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won’t help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You’ll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.

   If you don’t forgive, then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving, you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.

   

   “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.

   And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.

   So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

5. Take care of this moment.

   

   “I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.

   Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don’t worry about the next moment that you can’t control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences – or reflecting on past failures – of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.

Everyone is human and has positive & negative qualities – where do you put your focus? Learn the importance of seeing the good in other people and how it can benefit not just your own life but also the world in general. Next weeks article will address issues like this, but also addresses the importance of being persistent with your goals – Giving up is not an option if you want to move forward! Check in next week and learn more!

Your friend, Helle

Gandhi’s top 10 fundamentals for changing the world! – Part 1

Posted on 2009-May-22 by Helle Nielsen

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi needs no long introduction. Everyone knows about the man who lead the Indian people to independence from British rule in 1947.

Before I share with you Gandhi’s 10 fundamentals for changing the world, lets stop for a second and think about what he achieved and how he achieved it.

Gandhi is a personal hero of mine. His inspiring message of non-violent actions and his courage to firmly believe and stick to his beliefs in spite of almost impossible conditions is truly inspiring – he is a great role model to all of us.Gandhi was not a formal authority, yet he had great influence because he was a moral authority. Gandhi changed the life of more than 300 million people by using nothing but his own personal convictions and moral authority. He literally capitalized India with words: No army’s, no weapons – just words and wisdom.

Even today, we can all learn from this great man.

1. Change yourself.

   “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   

   “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.

   And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.

   And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.

2. You are in control.

   

   “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

   Mahatma Gandhi

   What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a “normal” or a common way to react to different things. But that’s mostly just all it is.

   You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don’t have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.

   And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

Over the next four weeks we will publish all 10 fundamentals of living a happy & fulfilling life. A life of peace - especially within yourself. Next week we will share with you Ghandi's principles of: The power of forgiveness - How you can benefit. The power of action - create results, and finally, the power of living in the moment! See you next week :-)

Your friend, Helle

Women: Boost your self-confidence – grab your success! – Part 4

Posted on 2009-June-07 by Helle Nielsen

Don’t miss the 4^th and last part of my motivational article! In the previous 3 parts, I have talked about what you can do to feel better about how you look and how to feel more energized. I’ve spurred you on to actively take part in your own life and not to be afraid of grabbing opportunities that come your way or creating them yourself! So out the window with the negative thinking and self-doubt. We don’t need those sabotaging thoughts!

Now it is time for you to appreciate and be grateful. You’re probably thinking: “Ohh so corny!” LOL – but nonetheless – it’s not such a bad thing. We all know we should be appreciative and grateful, but are we really? Is this happy-dabby gratefulness overrated, or can you benefit in the end?

10. Be giving.

    

    Give with your heart!

    It feels so good to be able to do something good for others. To be able to give from the heart is a gift. Help someone who needs your help. It does not have to be something major; help your elderly neighbour mow the lawn, sponsor a child in Africa, volunteer at a soup kitchen, an animal rescue membership or the Aids-fund.

    It does not matter. What matters is how helping makes you feel in your heart. Having a positive influence on someone else’s life is a remarkable thing. You being able to take the action of giving will make you feel valuable. You start to feel good and to think you are a person of value. It will do wonders for your self-confidence, believe me!

11. Smile at the world and it will smile back at you.

    

    Smile at the world and it will smile back at you!

    Share yourself with people around you. You have so much to offer. Share your love and smiles :-)

    Notice how you instantly feel better when you smile and how your smile will be contagious to others.

    Sometimes after having a bad day, a stranger smiled at me and completely changed my mood and outlook. This is something we can all do… It’s such a simple thing but it works wonders!

12. The gift of being grateful.

    

    Embrace life and be grateful!

    Being grateful is about being appreciative. Appreciate your self. Appreciate life. Appreciate that after a long winter, the sun comes out, spreads it light and warmth, and revives every plant, animal and human being on this earth.

    I am sure if we all were more grateful towards things that we take for granted, for instance, hot water coming out of the tab or being able to put your clothes into a machine and it washes it for you!

    I guess I think about these things because I’ve done extensive travelling early in my life. I have travelled to 28 countries, 7 of them in Africa. I see myself as being very fortunate that this was possible for me and I am grateful for the insight that meeting with other cultures has brought into my life.

    I have never met such hospitable, happy and carefree people in Africa despite of the problems they suffer. As the Africans say themselves: “There’s happiness in Africa”. I’m not trying to belittle the serious problems and conflicts they are facing down there; on the contrary, I think we can learn from them. Sometimes we need to put our problems into context, and ask ourselves: “How much of a problem is this?” Is it worth it to have your day ruined because your TV broke down and you need to be without it for a week, or your boyfriend needs the car so you need to walk to your work?

    Be grateful to get out of your routine, the walking will be good for your health and not staying in front of the TV might cause you to take up a new hobby or go out and meet new people. There is something positive all around if you look for it. When you discover it – Now “that’s” something to be grateful for!

I hope my motivational article will “kick-start” you into having more confidence in order to live your life actively. Don’t be a spectator to life. I’ll wrap this up with two of my favourite quotes:

“Live your dream – don’t dream your life!”

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

Your friend, Helle

Women: Boost your self-confidence – grab your success! – Part 3

Posted on 2009-June-01 by Helle Nielsen

Do you find yourself in situations where you are too afraid to say “yes” to opportunities offered to you? Thoughts pop up in your mind like: “Last time I tried to change jobs it was a disaster, now I’m not changing again even though I’m bored with my current job.” or “I don’t want to compete, because last time I got a bad placing and it was a bad experience”. We often let bad experiences dictate our lives. Outright make us miss out!

Read this week’s third part of my motivational article and find out how to grow from your failures, and see them as a gift. Learn from them, analyze which factors contributed to why you didn’t succeed and change your approach. Don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunities we can create for ourselves!

7. Grow from your failures – see them as a gift.

   

   Accept your mistakes as part of living an adventurous life!

   Former professional ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”!

   When you are building your self-confidence, know that everyone misses the net and makes mistakes. Accept your mistakes as part of living an adventurous life! Even failing goes a long way in building self-confidence because you learn to trust and respect your ability to take action, to step up to the plate (or take a shot at the goal). Building self-confidence involves trying new things.

   You learn through your mistakes not your successes.

   “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

   Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

8. Prepare!

   

   Think of life as your exam and prepare yourself!

   It’s hard to be confident in yourself if you don’t feel you can do well at something. Beat that feeling by preparing yourself as much as possible. Think about taking an exam: if you have not studied, you won’t have much confidence in your abilities to do well on the exam, but if you studied your butt off, you’re prepared, and you’ll be much more confident. Now think of life as your exam and prepare yourself.

   It is important that you examine yourself and know your weaknesses. What are the signs when your confidence levels are low? What is your usual pattern?

   Ask yourself questions such as: How do I change this pattern? What does it take? What do I need to change?

9. Set a small goal and achieve it.

   

   Set a goal you know you can achieve, and then achieve it. You will feel good about it.

   People often make the mistake of shooting for the moon and when they fail, they get discouraged.

   Instead, shoot for something much more achievable. Set a goal you know you can achieve, and then achieve it. You will feel good about it. Now set another small goal and achieve that.

   The more you achieve small goals the better you will be at it, and the better you will fell. Soon you will be setting bigger (but still achievable goals) and achieving those too.

Don’t miss the 4^th and last part of my motivational article next week. Getting better at appreciating the small things in life and remember… smile and be happy! :-)

Your friend, Helle

Women: Boost your self-confidence – grab your success! – Part 2

Posted on 2009-May-24 by Helle Nielsen

Don’t deny yourself of reading the second part of my motivational article. This week I’m sharing the power of positive thinking with you and how to act on it. Do you think that opportunities often pass you by? Perhaps your negative thinking is a roadblock in your mind to your success? Learn how you can become happier in your life with a few useful tools.

4. Kill negative thoughts!

   

   Stop negative thoughts!

   I have addressed the outer issues that can affect your confidence. Now I need to address the issues of your inner confidence. While it certainly is important that you feel confident with how you look, the most important issue is your inner self. “Beauty lies within” as the saying goes. No matter how great you look, if you don’t think so, no one else does either. You have to be aware of your self-talk – the thoughts you have about yourself – is it positive self-talk or negative?

   You need to train yourself to detect whenever a negative thought pops into your mind. Your response to it should be immediately to catch it like a bug and stomp on it! Get rid of it! Then try and to replace it with a positive thought. Negative thoughts will paralyse you, prevent you from living your life actively and fully, undermines your self-confidence and makes you miss interesting opportunities. Conclusion: They are our enemy and need to be wiped out!

5. Think positive – be positive.

   

   If you think positive thoughts, you will attract positive things!

   This one goes hand in hand with the above, but I still want to address it separately. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is the power of positive thinking. If you think positive thoughts, you will attract positive things.

   Positive thoughts are alpha and omega for a great self-confidence and success in life. Think of something positive you would like to accomplish and say it aloud. Repeat this several times a day and you will start believing it. Once you believe in something, then you are more inclined to work for it and make it happen.

   I have always dreamt about writing, and have secretly been writing for myself for years, perhaps because I was afraid to share my thoughts and ideas, or the fear of no one wanting to read my articles. One day I had enough of myself. I said to myself: “I know I am good at this, I enjoy it, and I know I have interesting things to share”. Then I took action (see nr 6), and here I am writing for you. That makes me happy.

6. Take Action.

   

   Action is the key to developing self-confidence!

   More than just thinking positive, you have to put it into action. Action, actually, is the key to developing self-confidence. It’s one thing to learn to think positive, but when you start acting on it, you change yourself one action at a time. You are what you do, so if you change what you do, you change what you are. Act in a positive way, take action instead of telling yourself you can’t, be positive. Talk to people in a positive way, put energy into your actions. You will soon start to notice a difference.

   The other night I just watched the movie Yes-man with Jim Carey. The movie addressed the same issue just wrapped up in many crazy and hilarious events happening. Jim is used to saying “No”, he does not embrace life, and he does not see opportunities or seek them. One day he attends a cult-like yes-seminar, where he under strong pressure enters a pact with the leader that he has to say yes to any offer that comes his way, regardless of what it is or something bad will happen to him. Needless to say, he faces a lot of funny situations. He sees every offer as a bad one, but he says yes, and in the end, it all works to his favour anyway. In fact, it leads to great success! Are you a yes-sayer or a nay-sayer?

Don’t miss part 3 on how to achieve a greater self-confidence. Next week I’ll tell you why you should feel happy about your failures and the importance of knowing yourself.

Your friend, Helle

Women: Boost your self-confidence – grab your success!

Posted on 2009-May-17 by Helle Nielsen

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”

E. E. Cummings

In the next 4 weeks, I’ll show you how you can become better at grabbing opportunities and creating new opportunities for yourself. Follow my 12 steps to achieve a great self-confidence and become successful in your relationships, career and sport. The good news is: It all lies within you. By boosting your self-confidence and being able to say, “I can” instead of, “I can’t”, you will change the way you approach life. Self-confidence is not genetic, and you do not have to rely on others to increase your self-confidence.

For many years, one of the things that held me back from pursuing my dreams was the fear of failure and the lack of self-confidence that I needed to overcome that fear. I think its something we all face to some degree. The key question is; how do you overcome that fear?

The answer: Work on your self-confidence and self-esteem.

That’s what I’ve been doing over the years, and that’s what helped me finally overcome my fears, and pursue my dreams. I still have those fears, undoubtedly, but today I know that I can beat them. I can break through that wall of fear and come out on the other side. I’ve done it many times now, and that success will fuel further success. You can do it too!

Increasing self-confidence, building confidence, and boosting self-esteem will open the door to professional and personal success.

Growing more confident will help you maximize your potential, make you more comfortable with others and even improve your appearance. Increasing self-confidence can make a huge difference in life.

Your self-confidence affects your thoughts, feelings, behaviour, and your body. When you have low self-confidence you think you can’t do anything. Your self-confidence affects your decision-making abilities. Low self-confidence makes you feel anxious, discouraged, and afraid. Low self-confidence makes you act passively and avoid new things.

Increasing self-confidence is a process – but it can happen quickly! Building self-confidence – and boosting self-esteem – requires knowing a few things about low self-confidence versus healthy self-confidence.

Over the next several weeks, I will be providing you with a series of 12 valuable tips to improve your self-confidence. Each week I will add a few of my favourite tips that can greatly improve your self-esteem and bring about positive changes in your life. Visit our site every week so you don’t miss out on these great ideas for boosting self-confidence. With these tips, you can seize life’s opportunities and create the world of your dreams.

1. Appreciate yourself – Focus on solutions.

   

   Notice some good things about your appearance!

   Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Notice some good things about your appearance. Perhaps you have a beautiful pair of eyes. Remember this when you talk to people and communicate more confidently with your eyes. You know the eyes are defined as the mirror of the soul.

   While it’s good to focus on your God given traits, it is on the other hand also important to notice the things about yourself you’re not so happy with. Instead of whining about your big butt or complaining about your hair – do something about it!

   If it affects your self-confidence then take action and get that gym membership, it may very well be a good investment in yourself. If you can’t afford to go to the hairdresser, ask your girlfriends of their hairdressing skills – getting those split ends cut off and adding a little colouring can give you a whole new look!

   Remember, it’s all about where you put your focus. Focusing on solutions instead of problems is the best thing you can do for your confidence.

2. Make some “me” time.

   

   Make some “me” time!

   It’s not selfish to make some time in your busy schedule just for you! It may feel that way, but it really is not. I’ll tell you why in a minute. You are probably thinking: “I’ve got a full-time job, a husband, kids, laundry etc – when am I going to find time for that?” It’s Priority sweetie. YOU need to be a priority in your life as well and everyone around you will benefit from it.

   Tell your family that every Friday from 8-10pm is “mom time”, and they need to respect that. Now while they’re seated in front of the TV, you are laying in the bathtub with a glass of wine. Perhaps you went out the previous day in anticipation of your “me-time” and purchased your favourite scented bath oil and body lotion :-) Enjoy your alone time grooming yourself without feeling guilty, because you know this will make you feel great about yourself, you will feel sexier and more confident, which will lead to a happier you. Your kids will notice a happier and more confident mom and your husband will look twice! ;-)

   The single ones of you out there might think: “Why would I do that, and for whom? I’m single”. Do this for yourself :-) And besides, it’s not likely if you haven’t done anything for yourself in ages and your old sweat suits still sticks to you that you will have the confidence to flirt with that cute guy at the grocery store. ;-)

   There have been days when I turned my mood around completely just with this one little thing.

3. Get healthy – Get energized.

   

   Get on a healthy food regimen, which will energize you!

   Some foods are energy robbers. Fast foods and sugary/fatty pastries and beverages contain a lot of calories, but do not energize you. They make you sluggish, drowsy and inactive. Try to get on a healthy food regimen, which will energize you, do wonders for your conscience (you do know what you should be eating), self-confidence and over all wellbeing. Soon you’ll start noticing a slimmer waistline and a beautiful bright skin too! Combine this with a type of exercise you enjoy.

Your friend, Helle

Evolution Hotel’s 8 tips for getting a flat tummy!

Posted on 2009-May-06 by Helle Nielsen

The summer is on it’s way and it’s time to get your body ready to jump into the lighter summer clothing! So, we’ve put together tips to help you getting a flat tummy:

1. Eat healthier and cut down junk food, such as replacing potato chips and chocolate with fruit. Watch how many soft drinks you consume. You’ll see a world of difference!
2. Drink plenty of water. Water help you stay hydrated and raise your metabolic rate. As a bonus you can work out harder in the gym.
3. Eat lots of lean protein (like beans and nuts – have some meat, it is rather good for you as long as you do not eat the fat!), fruits and dark vegetables, and whole wheat breads and grains. They keep you fuller longer than white breads like in cakes, cookies, and sweets. Also, stay away from high-fat dairy products (low-fat dairy products are a great source of protein and calcium).
4. Sure, you can do 100 daily crunches. But if you’ve got a layer of fat covering up your ab work then what’s the point? You need to burn the top layer of stomach fat to see the changes. Do aerobic exercise daily at a 30 minute minimum and include 1-2 day(s) rest break each week. Anything that brings your heart rate up. Take up dancing, running, tae-bo and walking at a good pace.
5. To better work the entire abdominal region, vary your exercises: Crunches work the upper abdomen, leg raises work the lower abdomen. Include some stability ball exercises as well, they strengthen your core and flattens your tummy.
6. Consider some form of an an-aerobic exercise as well. Some simple resistance training or light weight lifting will not only help you burn fat more efficiently but tone up the rest of your body as well. Raising your metabolic rate is crucial. The higher your metabolic rate, the more energy (and thus fat) you’ll burn even when you aren’t doing anything. Try compound exercises like deadlifts and squats with heavier weights.
7. To increase your metabolic rate, increase the frequency of your meals to 6-8 times a day. Every 2 to 3 hours, ingest a small meal. This increased frequency will put your metabolisim into overdrive. Warning: Do not over-eat! Small meals only.
8. Be persistent! The only person holding you back from your dream stomach is you!

Soon we’ll need to dust off last years bikini/swimming trunks or buy a new hot one! Let’s get ready!!!

Your friend, Helle

Are you on your way towards unrealistic goals?

Posted on 2009-March-14 by Helle Nielsen

Are you aiming too high? Can you shoulder the workload you have to put into reaching your goal? Is your goal maybe a dream that will never be anything but a dream? Should you believe that you are something special or that you can achieve something extraordinary?

We all have our own daemons. The daemons that tell us when we can’t do something, and put fears and doubts into our minds:

• “What if I fail?”
• “What if I disappoint myself or the people around me?”
• “What if I’m not able? Will others think I’m weak?” or even worse
• “What if I discover about myself, that I am a weak person not capable of achieving anything?”

You will never get rid of these daemons. You have to live with them for the rest of your life.They won’t go away, but you can learn how to tame them and how to take control over them. The worst thing you can do is to turn your back on them and pretend they are not there or put them in a box. No box will ever be strong enough to hold them!

In the following I will explain to you how to take control and how to be successful in every aspect of your life.

First, you need to make friends with your daemons. You need to look them in the eye and be fully aware of what they are, and accept the fact that they live inside you. This is not an easy task.

Just like when you want to make friends with someone new, you have to ask questions:

• “Where are you coming from?”
• “Who are you?”
• “What will I gain by inviting you into my life?”
• “What if I discover about myself, that I am a weak person not capable of achieving anything?”

Fears and doubts can come from so many places. Some can stem from your childhood, and others have crept into your life without you even noticing, gradually bad experiences have made you more reluctant, suspicious and fearful, but you can change all that.

When you know where they came from and who they are, ask yourself what you will gain by inviting these fears and doubts into your life?

I’ll tell you, nothing! They will prevent you from taking action and achieving your goals. The best way actually to beat your daemons is always to be aware of them. Not fear them, just keep an eye on them, like the African antelope always keeps an eye on the lion, it consciously knows it can outrun the lion any time, but getting sloppy could be dangerous.

We don’t get to talk about our fears and doubts very often, as this is often a taboo in our society. If you feel that something within you is holding you back from achieving, or you are motivated by a destructive method of thinking – I’ll explain that further in a minute – then I urge you to set up a “conversation-night” with a good friend or perhaps your hubby. The only thing that is important is that you can talk freely and openly with each other, and both share the fears and doubts which is often preventing you from grasping opportunities. Your mind is your only limit.

This is what is called self-realisation. You are learning about yourself and what limits you. Once you are fully aware of what is limiting you, everything becomes much easier. You can immediately catch a bad thought (daemon), and instantly react to it. Immediately you will reverse the thought. If your thought (daemon) is: “I will never get in shape”. Your immediate reply to your daemon is: “I will get in shape, and I will start now to prove it”.

It takes a little practise but if you’re willing to change your thought process, I promise you, great things will come your way. I want to warn you about one thing though. Even though it is productive to be fully aware of your fears and doubts and accept them, it is on the contrary, destructive to be pre-occupied with them all the time. Don’t dwell on them. We attract the things we think of, so think positive thoughts.

The danger of getting motivated by destructive thoughts

There’s different ways of motivating yourself and achieving your goals, whether it be losing weight, sculpting your body, competing in an athletic competition or getting a better job. The right way to get motivated is to think positive thoughts and believing in your own capacity. The unfortunate way is being motivated by negative thoughts:

“I hate my body and no one thinks I’m attractive, therefore I will enter a fitness competition in order to love myself” – this thought process will end in disaster! If this is your motivation, then you really need to stop and think about it twice. You are not ready. You need to love yourself first to be able to think that you deserve great things such as having the joy and pleasure of entering a competition, and allow yourself to shine! Because if you think you are deserving, shine you will.

In my next motivational column I will talk about how you can boost your self-confidence and become your own biggest fan.

Good luck with the positive thinking! Ok, I’m off. I gotta go fight some daemons ;-)

Your friend, Helle