This month’s article is contributed by Amy Ippoliti, who was recently featured in Fit Yoga magazine. Amy is an internationally renowned Yoga Instructor and Amazon Herb Ambassador. When we asked her what others could do to improve their fitness, here is what she had to say:

For how long do you want to feel great, look your best and function at the highest level, while giving your gifts to the world?

Hopefully your answer is: “As long as possible!”

I have found that when I truly value fitness and what it can do for me on so many levels, I find a way to carve out and make time to take care of myself. It’s all about making it a priority. The same is true for my students, yet many others have a hard time squeezing a fitness routine into their schedules.

Here’s a tip: Eliminate spending time on things that do not serve you. For example, how many hours a day do you watch TV or surf the net? Do you find a lot of your time is disappearing talking to people who are negative or toxic? Could you change that around?

When you’re selective about how you spend your time, it’s not hard to carve out 20 minutes to an hour for exercise.

Another tip is to incorporate exercise into your daily life. For example, you could walk or bike to work or the post office instead of driving. Whenever I have the opportunity, I take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. And on days when I know I won’t be able to work out, I will deliberately park in the farthest spot from the store just to take the walk.

Once you’ve made the time for a fitness routine, it’s important to stick with it. I suggest solidifying the habit of exercise by committing to your workout consistently for 20-30 days in a row until a new habit is created.

To do this, find an accountability buddy who will exercise with you on a regular basis and hold you accountable to show up. Or, if it’s within your budget, you can hire a personal trainer.

Then, develop a set routine that is predictable and make it a point not to go to bed until you have worked out. Believe me! I’ve spent many evenings just walking around the block in the moonlight because I wanted to make my exercise habit stick.

Most importantly, always know what is your highest reason for staying fit, and keep that vision (e.g. to be an example for your children or to maintain radiant health so you can be of better service to those around you).

Yoga is an ideal practice to keep you fit. It will keep you young, supple, strong and flexible, as well as help you maintain great circulation and tune all your body’s organs and systems.

Yoga also gets you in touch with your Divine nature, which is whole, complete and perfect as it is – so your stress levels go way down and your self-esteem is elevated. This distinguishes yoga from many other fitness programs.

Yet there is nothing like getting your heart rate up in terms of maintaining good cardiovascular health. I advocate any kind of cardio exercise that is low-impact and works your heart as a perfect complement to yoga.

Walking, cycling and swimming are all excellent low-impact cardiovascular fitness options. If you can get out and learn salsa, tango or other kinds of dance – that can be wonderful as well, because it gets you out socializing and/or investing time with your significant other, while getting in shape! And hiking in a local park or preserve is a great way to exercise while maintaining your connection to nature.

Eating super foods from the Rainforest, just like exercise, requires replacing old habits that no longer serve with new, more life-enhancing habits. 20-30 days of doing anything consistently will pattern these healthy habits into your system.

If you need to increase your energy levels, I suggest taking Fiberzon Plus™ first thing in the morning and in the evening before bed, having an Amazon Power Shake™ at breakfast, sipping Pure Camu™ throughout the day and taking Warrior™ as needed.

When I get that afternoon slump after lunch – the one that comes when our body is devoting all its vital energy to digestion – I up my intake of Digestazon Plus™, and let the enzymes and Amazon botanicals get on top of my digestion so I am peppy again! And a day does not go by that I do not have Amazon Power Shake™. I just put two scoops in my smoothie every morning!

So in conjunction with your new fitness schedule, make a ritual out of eating your Amazon Herb super foods each day. That way you will be sure to gain the most benefit from both your exercise and the Amazon Herb products, including having more fun and energy while getting fit!

Great news for chocolate lovers!

Modern research studies have shown that cacao, the primary ingredient in chocolate, possesses strong antioxidant properties that benefit cardiovascular health. In fact, according to a study conducted by Cornell University, cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times what is found in green tea.

Dark chocolate also has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. As a result, it offers the best health benefits – particularly because of its high concentration of heart-healthy flavonoids. Research suggests that these flavonoids protect against heart disease, reduce blood pressure, and reduce LDL cholesterol.

But that’s not the only good news. Dark chocolate also: