One of the things that keeps Pilates exercises so challenging, regardless of how long you’ve been doing them, is the concept of developing strength with length.  The muscles of our abdominals and back are the ones that help provide the lift, length, and space between the ribcage and hip bones.

Here’s a video with a few thoughts on practicing better breathing habits to help improve your ability to be long and strong.  Start practicing this, and then learn how to apply it to all of your Pilates exercises (and other fitness exercises) to get maximum health benefits from your workout program.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Napoleon Hill shares the wisdom he learned from the billionaire Andrew Carnegie more than 100 years ago.  This is an excellent way to get your New Year’s resolutions off to a great start!  And well worth watching on a regular basis as a reminder of these principles of success.

• Grab a notebook
• Jot down the thoughts that stick in your brain
• Follow these success principles
• Enjoy the rewards from your efforts

What are YOUR Goals to Achieve and Intentions for Giving in 2010?

Discover more from the Master:  Napoleon Hill!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve, regardless of how many time you failed in the past or how lofty your aims and hopes may be.”

Take the power of your own mind and direct it to whatever end you desire.  All success begins with the definiteness of purpose. Have a clear picture in your mind of what you want in life.

Here are the riches you may enjoy if you take possession of your own mind and direct it to achieve the purpose and passions of your own choosing:

• Sound health
• Peace of mind
• Labour of love of your own choice
• Freedom from fear and worry
• A positive mental attitude
• Material riches of your own choice and quantity

Here are the penalties you must pay if you neglect taking possession of your mind:

• Ill health
• Fear and worry
• Indecision and doubt
• Frustration and discouragement throughout life
• Poverty
• Anger, greed, jealousy, hatred and superstition

Begin directing your mind in the right direction today!

What to Do:

Buy a pocket size notebook.

1. Write on page 1 a clear description of your major desire in life, your idea of success.
2. Write on page 2 precisely what you intend to give in return for achieving your desires.
3. BEGIN GIVING it NOW!
4. Memorize your two statements and repeat them at least 12 times a day.
5. Always end with the following prayer:

“I ask not for divine providence, for more riches, but more wisdom with which to accept and use wisely the riches I received at birth in the form of the power to control and direct my mind to whatever ends I desire.”

A clear purpose, and the right mindset, and gratitude for the gifts you receive, will have you quickly moving in a positive direction to achieve success for health, wealth, and happiness!

Best of Success to YOU!  May you enjoy an absolutely amazing and fantastic New Year!

Aliesa George, Centerworks.com

It’s nice to hear that not only can you have padding or “pillows” of goop injected into your feet by a foot surgeon, but insoles might help – and exercise is highly recommended!

Personally I would much prefer to start with the exercise option!  It’s got to be cheaper, less invasive, and will help stretch and strengthen the right muscles for better support.  That along with not sacrificing comfort and fit for good looks and perhaps us gals can keep our tootsies happy in those pointy-toed high-heeled shoes.  I am a fan of heels vs. flats, but not for long periods of time.  When I shop for sexy shoes,  if they hit my arch well and don’t squish my toes there’s a good chance I’ll be adding a new pair of shoes to my closet.

Click here to view the WNBC news clip “Tips for Avoiding High Heel Pain”.  And if exercise sounds like a great option for you too…click here for  12 more great Foot-Care tips from Centerworks.com

When was the last time that you sat down and really thought about your definition of what wellness means to you?

Do you think of wellness only from the standpoint of how you look, or being a certain weight or size?  Or do you know you’re well because you have the energy and endurance to enjoy your favorite activities,  and have the stamina to play with your children and grand kids?

Perhaps it means that you’re happy instead of battling with your inner-self  and fighting to overcome moments (or a lifetime) of depression.  It might mean that your medical checkup is showing a strong heart, cholesterol and blood sugar in a normal range, and even though your chronological age is 55, by comparison you have the body of a 30 year-old! Wellness might be a sense of inner peace and calm, or the spiritual connection you feel with your Higher Power.

Maybe your definition is:  I’ll be well when I complete my first Marathon, or swim a mile without stopping, or my dog and I will both be well when we consistently take walks together (for the rest of our lives!)   I’m sure there are lots of things that you can put on your Wellness Checklist! 

That’s step one…  Know  what’s important to you and what it means to you personally to BE WELL! It really doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks about your definition, as long as you are confident with what you want and are striving to achieve it.  And if you haven’t clearly figured out for yourself what Wellness really means – you may be in a cycle of self-sabotage feeling like you’ll never achieve your goals because your brain and body aren’t in sync with what those goals really are!  So take some time this week to contemplate and create your Wellness Wish List.

A Wish is a thought, a dream that has yet to come true.  Speak it out loud and write it down to light the flame of inspiration in your brain and body.  And you will begin the creative process to bring it to life.

Give your dreams a deadline and they shift into goals. Every goal has specific and measurable action steps that must be taken to achieve success.  And as Napoleon Hill once said, ” Whatever the mind of man can dream and believe, it can achieve.”

But, we might not be able to do it alone!  Some things, definitely!  But there may be some of your wellness goals that will move forward farther and faster with a little friendly support! It may be having friends, family or co-workers in your corner and on your “team” all working together to help each other stay on track.  Or perhaps seeking the advice of your doctor, a personal trainer, nutritionist or other professional to guide you with the right information and exercises to help you reach your goals.

While some of us (myself included) are a bit shy to sometimes reach out for help…  It truly is all around us.  And think of it this way – when you deny someone else the opportunity to help you, you deny them the privilege of a feel-good moment in their life. Everybody likes to lend a friend a hand! And the folks out there who are in the wellness and health professions are passionate, driven, and I think probably divinely inspired,  to want to help others succeed and offer support and guidance!  USE YOUR RESOURCES.

You’ve got a list of your Wellness Goals.  Now make a list of your Wellness Resources. What friends, family, co-workers, professionals, and organizations can assist you in moving forward to help make your wellness wishes come true? Put the names of all these folks down next to the items on your Wellness Wish List that you think they can assist you with.

Now…Why wait another minute? Reach out to someone on your list and see what happens.

Oh, and I should say, please don’t be discouraged if some bozo you put on your list has a brief moment of insanity and doesn’t give you the positive feedback and support you were hoping for.  Just know that in this moment, they are not the right person to hang with to move your butt forward to Wellness Success!  Love ‘em anyway and call somebody else for support!  Do not let their potential laughter or negative attitude steer you off course.  Their reaction is their problem, NOT YOURS!  Perhaps in time you’ll get an apology for their bad behavior, but either way…  Stay on track.

Enjoy a “Champagne Moment” to Celebrate Your Success!

There are stories about how Joe and Clara Pilates helped their clients celebrate success with “Champagne moments.” Every time someone had a breakthrough, successfully completed an exercise that they had been struggling with, or just generally had a WOW moment.  They were rewarded for their success!  All action stopped in the studio, the cork was popped  on a cool bottle of Champagne, and everyone toasted to their success.  I’ve heard rumors that this was a very frequent occurrence in the studio!  How much fun and memorable would it have been to enjoy a Champagne moment with Joe!

So who’s your Joe?  Or Joe(s).  The mentor and friends you want to help toast to your success?  And what kind of celebration will really mean something to you? It might be a Champagne toast, or  going shopping with a friend to buy  a new outfit, or a night on the town!  Take a moment to cheer yourself on and be sure to share that moment with others. Everyone loves a celebration!

What’s Next?

Well, first I’m going to suggest, “let’s get there first!”  Why put extra unnecessary thoughts in the way that might block progress. Stay focused on your current Wish/Dream/Goal list.  Chances are you’ve got more than one thing on your list and plenty of fun things to play with to tweak your wellness program.

Achieving our goals is a process.  So enjoy the journey!  Each step forward is a cause for celebration.  Might as well wait until we’re at the top of the hill to take in the view, instead of worrying about what we’re going to do when we get there.

There will be new choices and opportunities for us to see and explore! f you’re a big picture thinker, and the What’s Next really needs to be answered for you.  Then  chances are you already know the answer.  So write it down!  Then live in the moment, don’t worry about what’s happened in the past, enjoy today, stay on your path,  and your “what’s next” will show up right along with your Wellness Success!

The old saying, “You can’t fix it if it ain’t broke…”  Well if you’re not aware of what you’ve been doing to “break” it – how could “fixing” it even begin to solve the problem.  The first “fix” has got to be with the mind-body connection and improved body awareness, or old bad habits will be impossible to break.

Regardless of your athletic  or dance background, or how old you were when you started your first exercise program, or what physical shape your body is in – it’s never too late to improve your health AND strengthen your mind-body connection!  It just takes the desire to work on it – and a good coach to guide you along the way!

It’s been interesting hanging out in the local health clubs recently….I know that there are lots of GREAT personal trainers and Pilates teachers out there...but there seems to be such a difference between the typical weight-room training sessions  that I’ve observed lately, and a one-on-one Pilates training session.  I suppose unless you’ve experienced both – you don’t know the difference.  But they seem to be light years apart in the amount of fine-tuning and corrections a client actually receives to be in the right alignment and improve technique.  I’m sure these comments will stir up some controversy!

I find it difficult to keep my mouth shut at the gym watching these poor people do exercises in absolutely horrible alignment with zero support in the right places, or being asked to do an exercise that is way to advanced when there might be something much more appropriate to start with.  At the moment… this is probably the best venue for me to express myself!

** (For the purposes of the rest of this article – when I say “Trainer” I’m referring to anyone you hire to assist you with your wellness program (personal trainer, Pilates Instructor, Yoga teacher, coach, or other health professional.)

For the less experienced clients out there who are wondering how to get the most from your workouts and hire the right Pilates teacher, Personal Trainer, or Coach.  Here are my tips suggestions:

• If you are not asked to complete a fairly comprehensive personal assessment, medical history, and goal setting evaluation before you begin – proceed with caution… I know that it seems like a hassle to fill out all these forms, but this personal information and/or fitness evaluation gives a trainer the information they need to help design a personalized program that’s appropriate for you.

• If you complete assessment forms and you have had a recent injury, surgery, or medical issues – don’t keep these details a secret! You might even be pro-active and schedule a consult with your doctor or physical therapist to get written pre-approval to start your new fitness or Pilates program.  All this will only help your trainer do a better job for you!  Bring any guidelines, therapy exercises, or information with you that might be useful for your new wellness coach.

• If you’ve notified your trainer that you have a medical issue, back problem, or injury and they don’t seem to be taking that fact into consideration as they are putting you through your paces…Remind them of the problem.  If they ignore the issue – STOP Immediately, Do NOT finish the session, ask for a refund and find a new trainer.

• If any trainer works with you and says, “do 8 more reps.”  And then proceeds to tell you about their weekend, or asks you questions about the weather – or any other conversation unrelated to how your body feels while executing the exercise – they are distracting your focus , shutting the door on improving body awareness , and minimizing the concentration you might need for your effort.  (I need to point out that watching TV, and possibly the music on your IPod may be doing the same thing!)

• If any trainer explains  how to do an exercise, demonstrates it for you, but then never actually looks at your body to make corrections for your breathing, form,  or technique….in my opinion – you’re not really getting your money’s worth. Either they don’t really care about you, or they don’t know enough to critically look at your body and make corrections.  Either way your potential risk for injury just got higher, and they aren’t doing everything they could to help improve your body awareness and health.

• If you are doing an exercise and it hurts–anywhere – Notify your trainer immediately.  If they are NOT able to modify, adapt, or change the exercise to make it safer and more appropriate – find a new trainer! There is a difference between muscle fatigue and pain!  A well-qualified trainer will work with you to be sure that everything you do is beneficial AND safe.   The better your body awareness is – the easier you’ll be able to distinguish between the two.  When in doubt…Leave it out!  Or take a break.  Or go on to a different exercise.  If you’re not used to paying attention to how your body feels during exercise, there may be a learning curve for both you and your trainer to find the right exercises for your program.

• If you are at risk for Osteoporosis, or have Osteopenia (the beginning stages of bone loss)  your doctor probably wants you doing weight-bearing exercise.  However – guidelines in the U.S.A.  for exercise safety are no forward bending, side bending or twisting!  Is your trainer selecting appropriate exercises for you to help build bone density and avoid fractures? If you’re not sure – Find a new trainer.  If you inquire about these guidelines and they can’t tell you why they are important…..Or they’ve never heard of them (and then they ask you to do another ab crunch…)  The potential for you to get injured just went way up!  Please be safe.

• It’s important for every exercise to have a purpose.  Can your trainer tell you why you’re doing everything in your workout program? Knowing the benefits will help make everything you do more valuable to your health and well-being.  (And you may be less likely to skip the exercises you hate – because you know that they are in fact the very best ones for you to do!)

• Ask questions about the qualifications, training, experience, education, certification, and areas of expertise for the trainers you are considering.  There is no hard and fast right or wrong rule here.  Just realize that you will probably get what you pay for.  Sometimes hiring a new or less-experienced trainer because they are “cheaper” may not be in your best interest.  But a few sessions with a seasoned veteran – and they might be able to oversee a continuation of your program with a newer instructor (especially  if you are starting a program and have medical concerns.).

• Your goals and priorities will change – is your workout program changing to help meet your objectives?

• Never hesitate to ask to work with a different trainer. It’s always appropriate to make a change, and can be good to get opinions and insight from a fresh perspective –  It’s YOUR body!

Discover and develop your own sense of body awareness so that you can make corrections in your form, and pace yourself to get the most of your workouts.  Always listen to your body and make safe exercise choices.  Know that workouts with a well-qualified trainer will always be money well spent.  Use your trainer to help guide and motivate you to stay active and healthy and let them assist you with a safe and appropriate workout program.  If you ever have any concerns – express them, and know that there are lots of great fitness and Pilates professionals out there…Keep looking until you find the one with the experience, expertise and personality to meet your needs.

Yesterday I switched things up for my regular aerobic workout and did my cardio on the rowing machine. Whew…I forgot what a great whole-body workout you can get on a rowing machine.

If you’re one to always head to the treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine – I’d encourage you to check out the benefits of adding even a few minutes of rowing to your aerobic workout program and here’s why:

1. Rowing is definitely a whole-body exercise – your upper body, core and back strength is a huge part of the workout.
2. Rowing can help improve your coordination, sense of rhythm/pacing, and body awareness.
3. You can easily vary the intensity of your workouts
   Work harder by:
   • Increasing your speed & rowing faster.
   • Pushing with your legs and pulling with your arms with more power and intensity.
4. Rowing can help balance the strength of the front and back of the thighs to keep your knees safe and injury free. The glutes and quadriceps muscles assist in straightening the legs, the hamstrings work to bend the knees and return to your start position.
5. In a less-than full weight-bearing position, rowing works the leg and hip joints in a full range of motion – which is beneficial for increasing joint range of motion and assisting with building bone density.
6. If you don’t like doing sit-ups, or a lot of weight training…. Rowing effectively targets strengthening your abdominals and back muscles. If you do enjoy ab work and weights – you can put your strong muscles to good use and use rowing as a cross-training fitness activity.
7. Rowing is fantastic for developing strong core muscles. If you do Pilates training, or other targeted core activities – rowing is a great additional workout activity to apply what you’ve been discovering about your body.
8. If you don’t want to do a full 20-60 minutes of cardio on the rower… Row for 5 minutes as an excellent warm-up for your workout.

If you’re not used to rowing – start with 5-10 minutes and progress to a full-length cardio workout. I like a good 25-40 minutes of moderate paced rowing for a training session, or sometimes will alternate 5-10 minutes of rowing with other cardio or strength training activities for a great interval workout.

There are usually at least one or two rowing machines at every health club. (And chances are you won’t be waiting in line to get on one and start your workout!) Incorporate rowing into your weekly, or monthly workout plan, and enjoy the great benefits this fitness activity has to offer.

I would love to hear about your rowing experience! Drop me a comment and tell me what you’ve discovered about your body, you’re health, and rowing as a new cross-training activity in your weekly workout program. Find fun activities you love to do and get out and play to improve your whole-body health and fitness!

Here’s my revelation for the week!  (or perhaps it’s just today’s revelation – and something else will pop up eager for me to share tomorrow.)

I’ve always cued my clients to begin learning their exercises with the awareness of working within the framework of the Pilates “Box.” Think about the torso from shoulder to shoulder, and hip to hip.  Every exercise starts from the center of the box, moves away from, and back to center.  The farther away from center you move, the stronger you have to be to maintain balance, control, and core support for your exercise or movement.  Feeling where the corners of the “box” are help create an awareness of being evenly  distributing your weight and staying centered.  Great concept!

So when the knees bend in towards the chest on any exercise where should they go? 

I encourage clients to stay within the framework of their “Box” and here’s why:

When the knees don’t open wider than the body there are multiple benefits for strength, flexibility, joint range of motion, core stability and control.

Here are 5 Great Benefits for “Knees Over Chest is Best – For Pilates Training”:

1. Better abdominal support for a safe and healthy back. The abdominal muscles have to pull in – out of the way when the thighs/knees pull in towards the chest.  This cues the core muscles to work and get stronger while the legs are moving.
2. This improved abdominal support, and the relationship with the thighs to the chest, provide a massaging action on the internal organs to assist the digestive system and elimination processes. If the knees open wide and the abdominals “pop” out to the front – support for the spine is lost, as well as the strength to hold the organs in a natural resting position in the torso.
3. Strengthen the Adductor Muscles. The inner thigh muscles work more effectively to stabilize leg control, and guide the legs in a precise plane moving away from and back to center.
4. Improve Knee Flexion. The medial hamstrings will do more work and get stronger as the legs bend in towards the body. This will help strengthen the knees and assist with smooth, controlled movement.  (With the legs opening wider than the body the inner thighs and medial hamstrings might not be working much at all!
5. Moving the legs while tracking within the Pilates Box, strengthens efficient alignment and allows the ball to drop in the hip socket to a good posterior-inferior position.  This helps to develop a free full range of motion for the hip joint (which is necessary to maintain and improve bone density),  trains the legs to move independently of the pelvis, and effectively stretches the glutes, and lower back.  AND while all this is happening, you are maintaining support with the back and core muscles.

I encourage you to play with this concept and see how it feels.

With which Pilates exercises can you see value in thinking about the “Box” and Knees Over the Chest position?

Has this post changed your perspective on wide knees vs. knees over the chest?

I’d love to know what you think!  Comments please….

We are bombarded with millions of bits of information every second of the day.  Our brain has to sort, dump, and store based on relevance and importance for our survival and to insure that we enjoy pleasure and avoid pain.  In today’s society – television programs, commercials, and even YouTube have us eager to input micro-blasts of information and entertainment – rapid fire commando style.  We look for instant gratification, expect to point-click, and get what we want.  The faster you can get results -the better, and if it takes more than a few minutes you don’t feel like you have time to wait.

Does this lifestyle make sense to you?  Are you happy having to check your cell phone and text messages every couple of minutes?  Do you ever reach a feeling of overwhelm?  Wonder why you can’t get it all done?  Have you ever gotten completely frustrated with your progress?  Or just wish you could have a moment to think! 

I love the benefits of technology…but wonder where all the humans went?  We used to leave for work and had a peaceful drive with no distractions so we could pay attention to the road.  If someone needed to call us it was at work or home…If you weren’t in one of these two places your time was your own AND your mind was your own!  Now we’re running to check email, voicemail, the in-box, out-box, text messages, snail mail, facebook, twitter, blogs…and the list goes on!  Used to be if you planned a workout, you’d commune with nature on a bike or run.  Stay inside for a workout and there wasn’t a TV in front of every treadmill to distract you from paying attention to what your body was doing and how it’s feeling.  And now we’re a society that’s getting bigger & bigger because it’s “faster” and more convenient (or so we think..) to eat out than to shop, chop, and cook a healthy meal at home.  It seems like everything we’re doing is to try and juggle the frantic flurry of information.  There are so many things we have to do right now!  We are constantly being bombarded with so many things that rarely do we take a moment to “stop and smell the roses,” or tune in and quiet the pace.

I know that one of my least favorite and most beneficial activities is no activity at all!

When was the last time you did absolutely nothing?  AND all the little monkeys in your mind were Quiet!

What do you imagine when you think of a “Peaceful Mind?”  Calm waters, a clear blue sky, the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean, laughing children at play, or perhaps gazing at the stars and realizing the vastness of the universe?

A peaceful mind is an empty mind – clear of thoughts, present in the now, and enjoying what it’s like to just BE.

There are disciplines and exercises that can help you develop the skills to achieve a Peaceful Mind. And in society today these are definitely skills that need to be developed!   Breathing techniques, Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, and even Pilates can help to improve focus and attention.  Our ability to pay attention to the body, mind, spirit, or the nothingness and oneness that we all are to just be a part of, and apart of life on planet Earth will go a long way towards sending those monkeys to a quiet place for awhile.  Being able to take a break from the frantic pace that we’ve chosen to live with can help shine light on new perspectives and allow the opportunity to make new choices for a healthier mindset and lifestyle!

Designate a distraction-free time of day to turn on the phone, computer, and TV.  Put the pets out, turn the radio off, ask your kids and spouse to give you an UN-interrupted 5-15 minutes or longer to enjoy your favorite Peaceful mind activity (or indulge in the activity of doing absolutely nothing!)

Enjoy even a few minutes of a peaceful state of mind to rejuvenate, and re-energize yourself.  In no time at all, you’ll start to notice the shift in your consciousness as your worries decrease, your laughter increases, and you will gain the ability to clear your mind.  Gaining control of your thoughts and actions through the state of a Peaceful Mind is a powerful place to create a healthier lifestyle, and can help you manage and enjoy both the peace and pace of your life.

I find that nothing helps adjust my mental attitude like time spent outside in Nature paired with some vigorous physical activity.

It might be a walk, skate around the park, jog, bike ride, or self-taught “circuit boot camp” (stopping at every park bench, bridge, and piece of playground equipment to do an exercise or stretch.)

Just getting started and knowing that I’m doing something good for my health begins to lighten my mood.

By the time I’ve finished a quick 30 minutes or an hour… between the fresh air, exercise, and chance to enjoy the great outdoors; I am always stress-free, invigorated, and happy!

What are YOUR top three favorite Stress-Reduction strategies?

1.

2.

3.

Please share tips on the things you do to help lower stress in your life???

Inquiring minds want to know…  And you just might inspire some one else to use your helpful hints!  So post a reply now!

As an author and advocate for foot care. And having learned the hard way with some serious foot pain issues as a competitive gymnast when I was a teenager. I’ve been on the bandwagon to spread the word about the importance of healthy & happy feet.

So last night I was thinking…what life would be if we didn’t have feet? And here’s what I came up with…and how things might be different if for some reason things changed and our feet became obsolete.

1. No more, “Running away from you problems.”

2. No more, “Jumping for Joy!”

3. No “First Step for Man, Giant Leap for Mankind.” (Lunar moon walk)

4. No worries about getting “cold-feet” the night before your wedding!

5. No struggles to“Get your foot in the door.” for a new job or promotion.

6. No more “Barefoot & Pregnant.”

7. No more “Insert foot in Mouth” when you say something ridiculous or inappropriate!

8. No more searching to uncover the mystery… and actually find BIGFOOT!

To help avoid these crazy problems you might encounter if you’re faced with life without feet…Check out my book Fantastic Feet! Exercises To Strengthen the Ankles, Arches, and Toes.

I would love to turn this into a list of The Top 100 challenges if we didn’t have feet! What creative, hilarious, and thought-provoking comments and suggestions do you have for adding to this list?