You Better Work!!!!

Cold weather getting you down?

Come GET IT! with us Mondays at 2pm and Thursdays at 1pm!

Pilates Every Damn Day

Happiness is where it's at!!!!

Come Get It!

Get Excited!!!!

New Hip Hop instructor Charlie Ward and I getting excited pre- Beyoncé/Jay-Z concert.  Having fun is the BEST way to look fabulous!!!

Never stop creating!

Check out instructors Annie Murray and Allison Ward rocking out a new lunging move with gliders and the springboard.  I've been teaching almost 10 years and am constantly amazed at the endless amount of variations possible.

Traction that Sacrum!

This is an incredible facial opening technique to release the low back and sacrum.  

I'm using just my body weight to do it.....so simple and effective!

GET IT!

Coming to the studio soon.....GET IT!  - a hip-hop inspired cardio dance class that torches calories while having a super fun time!  Our fabulously talented instructor Charlie Ward came to the studio yesterday to demo the class and we had a blast!  Stay tuned for more FREE classes as we work on adding the class into our permanent rotation.

The Scoop

Check out instructor Allison Ward demonstrating a roll up using the chair & slastixs.  She is perfectly illustrating the c-curve of the spine and the scooping action of the pelvis that is required to master this exercise.

Power to the Glutes!

Okay, I admit that's a selfie taken in my kitchen :). However, I'm going to make it an educational moment by talking about the importance of functional gluteal strength.

So, lots of people throw out the word "core strength" as a way to prevent lower back pain and injury.  No one really talks about the glutes though!  The glutes actually attach to the back of your pelvis via the sacrum and are technically on the same kinetic chain as the low back so why aren't people all in a tizzy about the glutes?

Here's why:  It's not the most obvious answer.  People assume that most folks properly activate their glutes since they are a large muscle. WRONG!!!  They activate the quads before the glutes.  You can actually engage your core and still not engage your glutes.  Kind of amazing, right?  

So, how do you functionally activate the glutes then?  It's a prerequisite that the pelvis and spine are stable - so activating the muscles for Lumbo - Pelvic stabilization is of utmost importance.  Then you must maintain that stabilization as you posteriorly glide the leg and activate the glutes.  The emphasis is MAINTAIN stabilization as it is a dynamic process.  If your movement is constantly driving from and referring back to your center of gravity your body has no choice but to use the glutes to move the leg.  Unfortunately usually your low back and quads run the show and that where you get into trouble.  

Listening = Learning

We're always listening to voices, ideas, and thoughts in our heads.  In fact, they drive us and prompt us to take a course of action.  The question is, how deeply are we listening to ourselves?  Are we just listening to our basest and most immediate desires or our we going deeper and truly listening to our hearts and what will fulfill us in our lives?  

I believe that to really learn and grow as a person you must take the time to listen deeply.  This requires spending enough time alone to face all of the weird feelings and thoughts you have and to look at them objectively.  When you do this it is much easier to understand yourself and to then choose what voices, ideas, and thoughts you want to listen to.

We all have negative, inadequate, depressing thoughts but have we really ever listened to them?  They seem so loud but when you start listening to them they appear smaller, weaker, and stupider than you had imagined.  Are those the voices you want to listen to or are you going to listen to a larger, more loving, more positive one?  By simply asking this question you empower yourself enough to be able to make a choice.  In the end it is these choices that determine your perspective and ultimately the quality of your life.

It's Totally Teaser Friday Y'all

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.  

You need more INTENSITY

I guess it's not shocking that I'm writing this post since I'm most frequently dubbed as "intense."

I hear a lot of folks talking about how they don't have enough TIME to exercise and if they had more TIME they would be in better shape.

Totally WRONG.

I know people who spend a crapload of time exercising and still don't look like the stepped off the cover of fitness magazine.

It's not what you do, it's how you do it that matters.  I would say that I exercise a total of 4-5 hours a week.  But guess what, my workouts are very INTENSE!!  Not intense to the point of injuring myself but I push myself to the point of discomfort in a very focused and controlled way.  

The right FOCUS (which requires a lot of mental energy) and INTENSITY are really the formula for success when it comes to exercise and creating the change you want to see in your body!

Men do Pilates Only When.....

They NEED help!!!  It's harder for men to admit they need help.  We all know this.  It is only when they are really in pain or not felling well that they seek it out.  My brother FINALLY started doing Pilates even though I have been encouraging him to do it for over 7 years.  And guess what?  He LOVES it.  So, to all they men out there whose wives and lady friends have been hounding about them about trying Pilates, Just Do It!  Bonus - the ladies will think you are cooler and your abs will look sexier ;)

10 Science Based Reasons To Start Meditating

May The Force Be With You in 2014!!!

Happy New Years Eve and May the force be with you (certainly not against you) in 2014!!!

My Milkshake Brings All The Boys to the Yard

Who doesn't want to grab that?  I mean, seriously.  Not only are nicely shaped glutes aesthetically appealing they are functionally necessary for a healthy low back.  Now that I have your attention read this article about the importance of glute strength!

http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness/h_gluteus_maxintro.htm

Pilates and Inner Peace

Why is it so difficult for us to be still and focus on our breath?  It's a seemingly easy task that becomes alarmingly difficult to do in the midst of our chaotic modern lives.  We are constantly distracted by other people, places and the millions of things we have on our to do lists.  Quite frequently we are disturbed and annoyed by other people!  So much in fact that we eclipse our own happiness and ability to be present in the moment.
I know, what does that have to do with Pilates?  Well, when we approach Pilates or exercise as a distraction from our chaotic lives or we can't let go of our annoyance with others we lose our connection to ourselves and our inherent peaceful nature.  How can we relax our shoulders or engage our abdominals when we are irritated, frustrated and annoyed?
Next time you let the behavior of others destroy your sense of inner peace ask yourself why it is beneficial to do so. Is it helpful to yourself or the other person?  Does it accomplish anything useful?
If the answer to these questions is 'no' then let it go and reside in your natural state of peace and joy :)

Yummy gluten free cauliflower tortillas

I've made other gluten-free tortillas but I think this is the best one yet.  And you will get your veggies while eating them.  And, they are soft!

 

Cauliflower Tortillas (Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten free)

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 17 mins

Total time: 27 mins

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

• ¾ a head of cauliflower riced or 2 cups riced and packed
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. For these I actually rice my cauliflower slightly more fine that cauliflower rice. Toss ¾ a head of cauliflower cut up and most of the stem removed and pulse until you get a texture slightly finer than rice. (Once it’s riced measure it to make sure you have 2 cups packed.) You can also do by hand with a grater.
3. Place riced cauliflower in bowl and microwave for 2 minutes and stir, then another two minutes and stir again then place in a dish towel and squeeze excess water out as hard as you can. (You’re going to want to get out as much water as you can and be careful not to burn yourself because it’s going to be very hot.) DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
4. Place drained cauliflower back in bowl and add two eggs, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
5. As a note it will be a little bit runny but shouldn’t be pure liquid either. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet into 6 small fairly flat circles.
6. Place in the oven for 10 minutes then pull out of the oven and carefully peel them off the parchment and flip them and place back in the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
7. Once they’re done place them on a wire rack to cool slightly.
8. Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat and place the tortillas into the pan pressing down slightly and brown them to your liking. (Don’t skip this step because it gives them slightly crispy on the edges and gives them a wonderfully nutty taste)

Add your favorite fillings or leave flat and make a pizza for the kiddies.  Dinner!