Saturday, January 28, 2012

Barre Workouts

Over the last 7 months I have added Barre Workouts to my own sessions.   Wow!   No wonder Ballet Dancers have such great  legs and bottoms.   They use all the Pilates principles along with yoga, isometrics, cardio, kickboxing, balance and posture,  trust me, you will feel your thighs burning while doing this workout, and notice after a few sessions how much higher, rounder, and firmer your butt is.  

The two Barre workouts I am using right now are  Emma Newham's Barre Concept, Emma is now the first person to offer Teacher Certification in Barre Concept in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland.   The workout itself is very thorough and you will use every single muscle in your body.  Also, if you are not familiar with Ballet, you will learn quite a few Ballet terminologies as well.   I did Ballet for 3 years when I was 7, but that's a long time ago and I am having to remember the positions.  Emma demonstrates these at the beginning of the DVD.

The Booty Barre by Tracey Mallet is equally as challenging, again using every single muscle in your body, the music is very upbeat and lots of fun.  To be honest I can see myself using these workouts for a very long time, because like Pilates every workout is different.

Both DVD's are getting rave reviews in Fitness Magazines, Newspapers and Television.  Give them a go, you have nothing to loose, but will gain  toned arms, legs, core and butt which is a great thing.   Oh!  and yes you will feel like a dancer

Loving Pilates

Just been thinking about the many ways Pilates enhances my life, how I incorporate it into my activities around the house, and doing other workouts.   Once you have been practising Pilates for a while it becomes part of you and the way to live your every day life,  it is not used solely in workouts, body awareness becomes second nature.      Sitting at the computer, doing dishes, gardening, bending, walking, cooking, ironing (yep, I still iron) etc.

So!  What are you waiting for, give it a try, see why so many people love the way their body feels after participating in a Pilates Class, or  a one on one.  See why so many athletes are now incorporating Pilates into their routines to make them stronger, flexible, less prone to injury, and be more successful in achieving their fitness goals.  You Will Love It.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Winter 2012

Started  the year off as I mean to go on, positive that the Universe will deliver to me exactly what I need, when I need it.

I may not have tons of clients but I love the ones I have and they are thrilled with what Pilates does for their bodies, and minds.

It is my mission this year to spread the Pilates word to everyone who will listen, they really don't know what they are missing, especially the guys out there.

I continually upgrade my skills and you can find me constantly reading everything that is Pilates related.    I include in my classes what I think will work for my clients, and also what I think they will enjoy.  It also helps that I do my own daily practise, I mean, how I can I teach it, if I don't do it, I feel you have to know how it feels in your own body  before you can successfully explain and use the imagery necessary to help someone else understand the movement.

The beauty of Pilates is that it can be incorporated into our daily lives, my clients are always telling me how they remember to use the principles when gardening, dancing etc.  We also have fun, there is nothing quite like finishing a class with the Seal to make you feel like a kid again.  

My other goals this year are to practise more energy healing, Reiki, I do it on myself and those around me but would like to expand so I am now looking for places to volunteer.  I will keep you posted on that.   Also, Body Talk is also wonderful, for those of you who haven't tried either, go for it, you will feel amazing afterwards.

So enjoy what promises to be an enlightening year for everyone.

Namaste
Chris