My favorite fruit - we have a love/hate relationship

It's Totally Teaser Friday Y'all

Nap it out!

Get the most out of precious opportunities to nap by timing them well!  Sleep comes in cycles and hitting the right one when you need to be alert upon waking is critical.  Napping has many mental and physical benefits.  An interesting article on the topic can be found here.

6 things you can't learn from your bathroom scale

1. The scale can't tell you how healthy you are.
2. It can't tell you how happy you are.
3. It can't tell you how well nourished you are.
4. It can't show you what your body is physically capable of.
5. It doesn't tell you about your energy level and vitality.
6. The scale can't tell you about your worth as a person.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13844/6-things-you-cant-learn-from-your-bathroom-scale.html

Urbancore Client Of The Month

Spring.

Well it's finally here. You can tell by the Chicago 50-90-70-80-60 cycle of temperatures. 

Age with a purpose!

Dear friends who are aging (that's all of us),

Yes, keeping your brain active is key.  New research (see link below) shows that learning new skills is essential to keeping the brain healthy, particularly relating to memory preservation.  Another key factor? EXERCISE.  Here is where I insert a "DUH". It makes perfect sense that something that keeps your body & soul healthy would help with the long term functionality of the brain.

xoxo,
your friendly pilates instructor
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check it out:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/05/309006780/learning-a-new-skill-works-best-to-keep-your-brain-sharp

A brief history of the Burpee

Ever wonder where the name for that torturous and amazing move comes from?  Apparently we can thank physiologist Royal H. Burpee who came up with the movement as part of a physical fitness exam. 

Check out the full article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/02/burpee-history_n_5248575.html?utm_hp_ref=fitness

Some good advice from the Oatmeal

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Oatmeal blog and comics, I highly recommend checking him out.  Hilarious (if a bit vulgar) and often insightful, his comics are wonderfully random.  Here's one from today:

center-driven balance, mountain climber

Check out two of our talented instructors performing mountain climber on the Wunda Chair (taught by owner/teacher trainer, Angela). Precise movements in the lower body driven from an organized stable center. Very cool to watch!

Health and nutrition secrets from around the world

My favorites are from Okinawa, Japan - but check out the full article for secrets from Costa Rica, Iceland, Greece, Italy, Cameroon, and Mexico.

Okinawa, Japan

Japan has relatively low rates of prostate and breast cancer. The Okinawans practice calorie restriction, which has been linked to improved longevity. They also load up on in-season vegetables like bok choy, mustard greens and kale. They drink green tea rich in antioxidants, and get their fats and vitamin D from fish.

Lessons from the Okinawans:

1. Develop a strong sense of purpose, called ikigai, or that which makes life worth living, by keeping family ties strong and maintaining close groups of friends. The Okinawans call these moais.
2. Stay active, and maintain a vegetable garden. Not only do gardens provide natural sources of healthy foods, but also an outlet for daily physical activity. Because of the temperate climate, Okinawans can garden all year round and get plenty of bone-health promoting Vitamin D.
3. Maintain an herb garden. People living in homes or apartments can grow and maintain herb gardens. Include ginger and turmeric to get the same health benefits as the Okinawans.
4. Eat a plant-based diet. Use vegetables from your garden, a farmer’s market or even a grocery store. Okinawan centenarians consume soy products, such as antioxidant rich tofu for additional health benefits.
5. Hara hachi bu. This old agage translates as “eat until you’re 80% full”. The Okinawans say this before every meal to remind them to eat moderate amounts of food.
6. Smile! Okinawan centenarians embrace a positive outlook on life, in spite of or because of the hardships they endured throughout their lives.

Health and nutrition secrets from around the world

Perspective

Next time you become consumed by mundane problems and your irritations with

people, the weather, your job, your relationship think about this....

Happiness

It's your life - own it!

Watch This Video: Look Up

This video changes the way you think about social media. It's a poem about unplugging. It's not all positive. Technology can be a distraction and a lonely place for some. I hate when I catch myself checking my phone instead of being present with my family or friends. I want to unplug more and more after watching this! Of course it is ironic that he's using social media as the avenue to voice his opinion. Or brilliant!

Watch this video and decide for yourself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

Movement is ENERGY

The greatest fallacy we have about our understanding of human movement is that we believe the body to be made up of machine-like parts that operate in a mechanical fashion.

Quantum physicists discovered that physical atoms are made up of vorticies of energy that are constantly spinning and vibrating. Matter, at it’s tiniest observable level, is energy, and human consciousness is connected to it, human consciousness can influence it’s behavior and even re-structure it.

So it is our consciousness that effects and alters the frequency of the energy body which then directly effects the physical body.  

Our movement is a direct expression of our consciousness.  Whatever is going on in our minds will directly effect our bodies and our movement.