Author: Lili Kazemi

This author has written 304 articles
Read more about the article Exactly how to do stealth workouts in the middle of the day
Photo by Minna Lim

Exactly how to do stealth workouts in the middle of the day

The Wall Street Journal had a recent article, “Why Working Out During the Workday Is the Ultimate Power Move”. The article has an interview of CEOs who humblebrag about being able to disappear for two hours unaccounted for to do sets at the gym. This is the exact kind of messaging that makes the rest of us think that we have to be some big wig to “get away” with midday workouts. 

I beg to differ. I have been doing mid-day workouts for years – when I was an on the clock government worker, as a junior associate at a law firm, and now as a director at a Big 4. The secret is knowing exactly what you will do and exactly how you will do it. And being PREPARED. You may not be the CEO of a company, but you should be the CEO of your own body. 

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Read more about the article Why Being a Narcissist is Actually a Good Goal for 2023
Sometimes distorted self-image can be a huge asset. Photo by banusevim @ Adobe Stock

Why Being a Narcissist is Actually a Good Goal for 2023

At the end of 2022, the Internet almost broke in a maelstrom of heated debate about narcissm. In case you were busy Christmas shopping and missed it, an article in Politico Politico profiled the year of 2022 for “narcissists” including Meghan Markle and some other famous and infamous personalities. Markle’s inclusion in the piece, titled “The Year We All Finally Got Tired of the Narcissists,” was met with pushback on social media which necessarily was based on the underlying assumption that being a narcissism is a bad thing not to be associated with. But did you know, according to psychologists that some types of narcissism are good, even aspirational?

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Read more about the article My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton
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My “Opposite” New Year’s Exercise Resoluton

  • Post author:
  • Post category:ActPath
  • Reading time:10 mins read

Many New Year’s resolutions involve quitting. Quitting drinking, quitting smoking, quitting sugar, Or starting some big challenge – mainly involving working out. We see the gyms and workout studios fill up with determined people who may have been in a holiday cookie blur but could be mistaken for ironman training competitors. So hardcore and leaving no space on cardio machines, workout classes and you can forget the bench press. You may go to a yoga class and experience namaste or a foot in your face. 

The hard and simple truth: You can’t outrun, outdance, outkickbox, or outnamaste a bad diet. And I am looking to partially prove that and some other things by my 2023 New Year’s Resolution.

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Read more about the article DAOFitLife 2022: A Year in Review
Welcome merry Christmas and happy new year in 2023,Silhouette Man jumping from 2022 cliff to 2023 cliff with cloud sky and sunlight.

DAOFitLife 2022: A Year in Review

A collection of the top 5 articles and videos from this year. will inspire you and give you some ideas for workouts to start the New Year. Enjoy the holidays and Happy 2023!

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Read more about the article The 5 Best All-time Hangover Cures
Rule # 1: Do Not Punish Yourself with a Workout! Blackday @ Adobe Stock

The 5 Best All-time Hangover Cures

Yes, that’s right, 2023 is going to be our year! But first, you have to get through day 1. And most of us will not wake up on January 1st fresh as a daisy. It’s ok, you earned the right to celebrate. Whether you stayed up later, ate more treats or just had one too many glasses of champs (or um, shots) here is your ultimate DAOFitLife hangover toolkit.

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Read more about the article New Year’s Resolutions for People With Real Jobs
Whatever you write down will fade by February. So do something different, now. Photo by Tim Mossholder

New Year’s Resolutions for People With Real Jobs

  – and sustain it.  If resolutions are not sustainable, then what IS sustainable? Changing your daily HABITS is a sustainable way to make lifelong differences. That is because you…

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Read more about the article How to lose the last (or next) 10 pounds like a boss
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How to lose the last (or next) 10 pounds like a boss

As the New Year approaches, many of us are focusing on getting back into shape. With so many diet plans out there, it can be tough to find one that is right for you. Below are some helpful tips on how to lose weight and keep it off, catalogued with some of my best weight loss posts.

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Read more about the article Guilt-Free Winter Comfort Foods
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Guilt-Free Winter Comfort Foods

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  • Post category:DietsTools
  • Reading time:19 mins read

It’s cold outside. It’s snowing. You are so ready to sit under your Ugg throw and snug with a book or a binge watch. 

Maybe you already got your workout in, and it’s time to relax. But what you nosh on during that sesh can totally erase whatever calories you burned during spinning. 

But that does not mean you have to miss out on what you love to eat when the weather is so chilly. I have found a way to enjoy my favorite comfort foods without guilt, and I am sharing a list of the usual suspects with you, and my recommended substitution.

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Read more about the article The Hardest Workout in the World: A Guide to Barry’s Bootcamp
Literally, the room is this color. At the Washington DC Dupont Circle Barrys.

The Hardest Workout in the World: A Guide to Barry’s Bootcamp

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  • Post category:ActPath
  • Reading time:13 mins read

It’s a workout that has attracted the biggest celebrities and gained a reputation as THE place to be if you want to push yourself to the limits. As most global brands do, it started with a crazy dream. Barry Jay founded this fitness craze together with his partners in West Hollywood in 1998 and has since opened dozens of studios in 15 states and 15 countries (including Norway, the UAE and Qatar). It has attracted celebrities like Jessica Alba and Jake Gyllenhaal, David Beckham, Adriana Lima, and Harry Styles (who was rumored to have been recently in the DC Studio – unconfirmed)

Barry’s can be summed up as this: a red room, blasting music, a motivating instructor, and everyone going so hard you would think it’s the Hunger Games.

The DAOFitLIfe Guide to Barry’s follows (note: all views are my own opinion and not supported by any outside organization).

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Read more about the article Do you want to be sad, or skinny?
Do you have to choose between being sad or skinny? Read on to find out what your options are. terovesalainen @ Adobe Stock

Do you want to be sad, or skinny?

 Would you rather be sad, or skinny? Would you rather be fat and happy, or thin and sad? These are questions that magazines are actually asking mostly women about the fact that treating depression and anxiety would some forms of medication could potentially cause weight gain

The articles featured in Vice and Self magazine echo a deeper sense of self- conflict about mental health – at what cost do we pursue our well-being and happiness? For some this can mean taking prescribed medication, which can lead to intended and unintended consequence. And one of the biggest ones whispered about in anonymous forums is this: weight gain.

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Read more about the article How to Look Amazing in Photographs
She has the "turtle" down. You will be an expert too! Photo by Tamara Bellis

How to Look Amazing in Photographs

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the world’s first selfie was taken in 1839 by Robert Corneulius, an amateur chemist and photography enthusiast, in the back of the family store in Philadelphia.

Whether you remember taking rolls of film to the drugstore or only have ever taken pictures with a Smartphone, photos define our lives – our headshots invite potential employers and connections on LinkedIn, and we capture real life moments on vacations, with friends and family in real time.

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Read more about the article How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 
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How to attend conferences without blowing your fitness goals 

If you are in a professional services field, you know that conferences are like our Superbowl. It’s the ultimate opportunity for companies to showcase their talent, swag, and brand power. 

It’s also the ultimate opportunity to pack on the pounds. A lack of choice for food options, many of which are not healthy. Wining and dining. Little sleep from compressed schedules for presentations and time zone differences. 

Slowly, you make decisions that you would never make if you were at your own home base. Like, maybe that stale mini cheese Danish IS a good idea. 

If I know one thing from being a professional in this workforce for many years, pre and post-pandemic, I know how to navigate this minefield. And I am here to tell you all the best tricks and tips so you can come and go like the fit boss that you are. 

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Read more about the article A Separate Bank Account Can Protect You – And Your Relationship
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A Separate Bank Account Can Protect You – And Your Relationship

It was the fall of 1992. Kieran and Olivia* had just been married. Kieran went to the bank to make a deposit in their joint savings account (note the date – none of this was avaiable via online transaction).

The teller asked him “which account?” 

He snapped his head up and asked her back. “What do you mean which account? There’s another account?” 

There was another account. 

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Read more about the article How to ghost sugar overload this Halloween (updated)
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How to ghost sugar overload this Halloween (updated)

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  • Post category:DietsTools
  • Reading time:18 mins read

It’s Halloween already, and we are officially sanctioned to go back to trick-or-treating and Halloween parties. The drugstores and grocery stores are teeming with bags of fun-size candy bars and candy corn pumpkins. Offices and schools have candy bowls and homemade cookies EVERYWHERE. You may be going to one or a few Halloween parties this weekend. This is NOT the time to white knuckle. There is a better answer.

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Read more about the article How Going Back to the Office Might Make You Happier
Social interaction and the act of "waking up" are advantages to returning to the office. Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com

How Going Back to the Office Might Make You Happier

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  • Post category:ActPath
  • Reading time:17 mins read

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb

The Whiteboarding. The coffee machine hissing. The Bright lights. The Big monitors. The hum of the printer and the sound of people chatter mixing with the clacks of the keyboard for an ambient tone (in fact, you can actually download it if you want.)

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Read more about the article How Working Out Like a Whirling Dervish Can Make You Fall In Love With Fitness
Photo by svklimkin @ Unsplash

How Working Out Like a Whirling Dervish Can Make You Fall In Love With Fitness

“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.” – Rumi

The thrill of the pandemic workout craze is fading.  UpSwell’s survey found that while 50% of respondents returned to the gym within 9 months of restrictions lifting, nearly a third (27.71%) of all respondents still have not yet returned to the gym, and 31.23% are working out less in 2022.

Peloton, the exercise bike company that saw huge success in the early days of the pandemic only to flounder as sales slowed, reported a $1.2 billion quarterly loss recently. 

SoulCycle will close up to a quarter of its studios across the U.S., including six reportedly in the New York City area, amid adjustments related to the pandemic, the fitness company said Tuesday.

How do we bring it back? Enter Rumi, and Sufism.

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