The Big Move!

As most of you have probably heard by now, Pilates of Forest Acres is moving into a new space... a 1500 square foot space! I am very excited about this as we will have many more options for clients. I will have more reformers for reformer classes, and we will also have Barre Dynamics classes, as well as Yoga and mat classes. I will continue to teach privates as well as reformer classes and my new blast will be the Barre Dynamics class. This class will be a fusion of ballet barre, Pilates mat, yoga and hand weights.
Carol Miller will be teaching Pilates with an emphasis on reformer choreography and also Pilates for golfers. Brenda Ingbretsen Way and Jessica Trotter Shand will be teaching Yoga.
We will be located on the second level of Richland Mall above Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Our starting date is March 1. Class schedule will be on the website in the next few weeks!

Tip of the week

Cat / Cow is a great and simple movement to wake up the spinal column.

Start on your hands and knees (hands are shoulder distance apart and knees are and hip distance apart)

Exhale and round the back, tucking top of head towards belly button. Inhale and arch, tipping tailbone and head up to ceiling, opening up chest.


Do this several times.


*If you want to add some abdominal contractions that will support the spine, try this:

 Quadruped Abs:

Keep spine in neutral (imagine your back is a coffee table.) Tops of the feet are on the ground (you may want to put padding down if feet are stiff.) Inhale and as you exhale, "shrink wrap" your abs and lift knees off the ground about an inch. It's not about height, it's about feeling the engagement of the abs. Stay up for as long as you can, lengthening the head and tailbone in opposite directions. Do this several times.

Tip for the week

Lunging Arm Circles is a great exercise that opens the shoulders and hips at the same time:


 Lunge forward on left foot. Keep knee and ankle aligned. Right leg is stretched out long behind you, knee on floor. Actively pull left heel and right knee towards each other to square pelvis. Place right hand on floor or block and reach left arm forward, up and back for complete circles. Let focus follow hand. Do several rotations and then switch sides.

BREAKFAST

For me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Going without it is like driving my car on an empty tank of gas. However, sometimes I just don't feel like eating food. And I'll make that sensual cup of coffee instead. I loooooove my morning cup of coffee... However, starting the day with coffee is like "putting jet fuel in a Volkswagon," says the nutritionist at About Your Health. You start off with a big blast, which quickly fades, and then you run on empty for the rest of the day. You might think, " I'll eat a healthy lunch..." But because you started off with that bang/crash, your body spends the day trying to catch up. You need to BREAKyourFAST with something sustainable. She recommends starting the day with protein, greens and omega fatty acids. Sounds like an odd combo but she gave me a smoothie recipe that works great. In a blender I combine water (sometimes coconut milk,) Bluebonnet protein powder, Udo’s Oil, spinach and a small portion of banana. The banana is what cuts the taste of the spinach and the oil. It really tastes great, I promise. And sometimes I’ll add strawberries or blueberries.

Now did I give up my coffee? No. Do I drink it first thing? Yeah, I do. But, I immediately chase that caffeine with the smoothie and things go well for me. If I eat or do the smoothie and then do the coffee, I get an upset stomach. We are all different. Experiment. See what works for you.

Breathwork

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Ppb-mnO30&sns=em

Yoga Anatomy Article - The relationship between the psoas muscles, movement, bandhas and yoga | Yoganatomy

Yoga Anatomy Article - The relationship between the psoas muscles, movement, bandhas and yoga | Yoganatomy

Three Surprisingly Strong Ab Exercises

Three Surprisingly Strong Ab Exercises