Yoga: The Most Underrated Exercise
By Cheval John
(@chevaljohn)I had done yoga and pilates with my weight training while I was in college for two years.
Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up with my exercises in the final years of my undergraduate education.
When I started weight training again in 2018, I didn’t even think about doing yoga until watching the episode of Wagle Ki Duniya-Nayi Peedhi Naye Kisse (Wagle’s World: New Generation New Stories) focusing on yoga during the “international day of yoga”
In searching for yoga videos on YouTube, I found a channel called Yoga With Adrienne.
She had videos from beginners to advanced yoga.
Since I had a busy schedule of working full time while running this company, I decided to do the mini-sessions which lasted for 23 minutes.
Afterward, I incorporated yoga into weight training.
Later, I found another channel called Sara Beth Yoga which had 10 minute yoga sessions and 14 minute yoga sessions for beginners.
This fit better for me.
Then I decided to challenge myself to do yoga consecutively for 30 days after my birthday after watching a video on those who did yoga consecutively for 30 days and 365 days, respectively
I ended up doing yoga for 67 consecutive days.
What I can share after doing yoga consecutively for 67 days is:
Yoga calms the mind and block out the noise
Yoga relaxes the body.
What it also did was allow me to do my exercise routine the right way.
Now you might think you don’t have time to incorporate yoga into your exercises.
With the internet and social media, anyone can find the time to do yoga at the comfort of your home.
Starting 2021 On The Right Foot
By Cheval John
I knew that 2020 was going to be an interesting year because of synchronization.
I was thinking of the roaring 20s where things was booming in that era.
At that time, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and show my face more on Instagram.
I figured the best way to do this was to showcase my home workout routines put together by my coach, Monique Rondeau.
When I started working at the small hotel in 2018, I knew I had to started exercising again.
At that moment, I had to hire a coach to guide me.
And I saw a lot of fitness competitors on instagram and Monique stood out to me
So I had hired Monique because I had a hunch she would be the right person to guide me and started the workout routines she put together for me from May of 2018.
All of the workouts were from home because of the busy schedule at the small hotel which didn’t give me time to go to the gym.
I didn’t know this would be helpful because of the lockdowns due to the “pandemic”
It was not difficult for me to transition due to the home workout routines years prior.
The only thing that was difficult was doing my walking exercise around the hotel because we could not leave during the temporary lockdowns in Texas.
It was really inspiring to see how the majority of fitness competitors and non-competitors were able to convert a part of their home into a gym to keep up with their workout routines.
One in particular was Eden who did her fitness training in preparation for competition when it was allowed.
Once the competition occured, she ended up earning her pro card.
I honestly believe this year is the best time to start exercising because it will be beneficial for your health and indirectly for your career/business.
When people see you taking care of yourself, they will most likely want to do business with you because in their mind, they see you as responsible.
And if you need guidance, here is a list of personal trainers who can help you:
Janet Lynn West
www.janetlynnwest.com
Julia Marie
www.hammerfitness.com/coach/julia-marie
Stephanie Rutko
www.allanglestrainingco.com
Meagan Cormier
www.hybraletefitness.com
Nichelle Laus
www.nichellelaus.com
Magda Banas
www.blogtalkradio.com/vallanomedia (podcast)
Jean-Jaques Barrett
www.tulumstrengthclub.com
Michelle MacDonald
www.tulumstrengthclub.com
Tania Atkin
www.taniaatkin.com
Monique Rondeau (my coach)
Websites Are The Home Base For Business
By Cheval John
A person has just started a new business and they are looking to attract new customers.
They understand they don’t have the funding to buy ad space on billboards.
They understand one of the ways to market their business is by being featured on media outlets.
The first thing they might do is hire a public relations firm to pitch to major media outlets.
The only problem is major media outlets are not interested in them because they are not big enough.
It might seem like a good idea because major media outlets like CBS, ABC, etc., have major national reach.
It would be better if they would focus on getting featured on niche media because:
1. They Have Targeted Audience.
People who follow a niche media are passionate about the subject.
They invest their valuable time to follow what the reporter or blogger from the niche media are talking about.
2. They Are The Original Test Tasters.
If you have a product or service, they are willing to see what you are about.
They are willing to put their own reputation on the line because they believe that you are the real deal.
3. You Don’t Have To Go Through Gatekeepers.
If you want to reach out to major media, you have to pitch yourself to someone and convince them you have a story that will generate interest.
If it gets approved by that person, they have to pitch your story to their editor for the final approval before they could air it.
The biggest advantage with going with a blogger, all you have to do is pitch your story to them and if it is good, they will immediately write about it.
4. You Will Featured On Major Media
You might thing this is counter to what I am saying earlier.
It is not because shows from major media outlets are looking for content everyday because they have to fill in their time slots.
Most of the time they look at websites from bloggers/niche media outlets to find their story.
If it interests them, it will be featured on their shows and voila, you will be featured on a major media outlet.
For example, this person who is living in South Korea was featured in Black Enterprise website recently.
What was interesting: the story was first featured on a blog called,”Black Girls Learning Languages”
So if you are convinced about avoiding the major media when first starting out your business, here are some tips to stand out:
1. Have An Active Social Media Presence
Whether it is Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, you have to be on there because most of your audience are on there.
2. Share Valuable Content
Do not blast out promotional posts only because that will give the impression you do not care about them, but only about making a sale.
3. Share Your Competition’s Content
If you find that their content resonates with you, share it with your audience.
What that does is let them know you care about them.
Even if they end up buying a product or service from your competition, they will remember you because you were willing to be a giver.
In the long run, you will end up receiving business due to your generosity.
4. Create A Website
Your website should be the main hub for your business because it is your real estate.
If you focus your business only through social media, it could end up costing you.
Social media is rented land and what we have seen over the years is algorithms being changed because the owners of these social media sites want the audience to stay on their platform as long as they can.
If you are a marketer and all you are doing is spamming the audience on the social media platform, they will run away.
And that is not what the owners of the platform wants.
If you have a large audience on the social media platforms and you base your business from that, when the algorithm hits, you lose a large share of that audience and your base revenue.
LinkedIn Is A Social Media Platform
By Cheval John
LinkedIn, which was created in 2003, is a unique business platform because it allows many of us to connect and build our network.
People can find podcast guest, post their skills, work history and other things that can allow them to find work.
It can also allow small business owners to find their ideal clients.
LinkedIn has also moved into the live streaming space recently.
Those who have a large following have access to live stream their events and shows.
I had written before about how to connect with people on LinkedIn by sending a personalized message.
It seems to me that they have taken the advice well as I have been seeing personalized invitation from those who I have not met in real life.
Though this is great, I have started to see a very disturbing trend: spamming
When I have seen the personalized invitation, I look at the person’s account and I then accept them.
A few days later, that same person is sending sales pitch in the messages.
I immediately delete the message and then disconnect with them.
When you send sales pitches after connecting, it shows:
1. You are very desperate
2. You just looking for a drive-by sale
3. You have not done your research.
Though LinkedIn is a business platform, you should not be selling to someone the minute they connect with you.
What you should be doing instead is building trust.
Ways that you can build credibility on LinkedIn
1. Interact with people.
If someone post something that is of value, you should share on their account how the article impacted them.
2. You can share articles yourself.
If you find an article that you believe will benefit your network, you should share it in your feed.
Even if no one comments at first, when you share articles consistently, someone might end up commenting and more than likely, end up connecting with you.
3. Write articles yourself on LinkedIn publishing platform
The LinkedIn publishing platform is still important despite what some might say.
It shows your expertise.
Plus, when your network see that you put a lot of time and effort in writing your article consistently, they will feel compelled to do business with you.
In their minds, they are thinking if you can give away all of this information for free, they will be willing to pay you to help them solve their pain points.
You can re-purpose your blog post on the LinkedIn publishing platform.
Just make sure to put a disclaimer saying: “This article first appeared in this blog”
To conclude, LinkedIn is not just a business platform.
It is a place where you can build valuable friendships.
One can argue that LinkedIn is a social media platform.
Lessons Learned In 2021
By Cheval John
I am thankful for 2021 because of the valuable lessons we have learned.
Earlier on, we saw the protocols of the “pandemic” being applied to many activities.
From the limitation of fan attendance in many sporting events
To college football at the FCS level, volleyball and other winter sports being played in the spring time which was a double work load for the administrators in the conferences.
As the year progressed, they allowed full attendance in the majority of sporting events.
September 3rd’s matchup between North Carolina and Virginia Tech was a full house.
And the atmosphere was electric.
That was when I knew we are getting close to being back to normal.
Then the tradition of Wisconsin Football’s fourth quarter stretch of “Jump Around” really made us feel we are back.
As we enter 2022, here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way in 2021.
Your Health Is Very Important.
Getting enough sleep, exercising, eating in moderation and walking in the sun will allow your body to fight off any illnesses.
The United States of America Is The Unique Country In The World
I took for granted how important this country.
I had the opportunity to live in Mexico and Chile for extended periods of time and I enjoyed it.
I am curious to see how others see the world in through the eyes of their culture.
I thought it was better to live overseas due to believing the “narrative” racism is happening in the USA for most of the 2000s and 2010s.
When the “pandemic” started last year, I was thinking I would have been better off being in the countries where they were doing the lockdowns.
Thankfully, I woke up in time last summer to realize this wasn’t as bad as it seems.
This “crisis” really allowed many of us to understand the uniqueness of the USA as the governors of the 50 states and territories shares the same power as the federal government.
And we have seen the results of those decisions.
Florida has more people moved to their state while California lost a bunch.
The Importance Of Being Around Like Minded People
Though it is important to have disagreement, the main thing you should have in common are core values.
If you want to improve your life and you hang around people who only sees negativity, then you will not get anywhere.
Thankfully, social media has allowed many of us to find like minded people who wants us to succeed.
The fitness community has been beneficial to me since I am not around many people who are making an improvement in life.
Time Is Valuable
Working full time while running my business has taught me the importance of time management.
It allowed me to understand if I really want to get something done, I will find the time to do it.
Since I have limited time, I am able to do an average of 20 minute weight training and 30 minute cardio.
And I was able to do a yoga for an average of 12 minutes thanks to videos on youtube.
In conclusion, it is important to prioritize your time to the best of your ability because if you don’t, you will not be able to get that time back.
Happy New Year
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