Friday, December 24, 2010

Getting Your Pilates Body Back After the Holidays

"Friends, children, lots of food and drink; Hey, I had a great time! Now I have to punish myself and start a strict regimen of diet and exercise. Maybe I should pay to join that weight loss group...."

I am so glad you had a great time! Reveling in the love and joy, overlooking little irritations, laughing your head off! I hope you did all that and more. But lets back up and think about our intentions going forward.

You may have put on some weight or reached a plateau. You know your pilates exercise and online workouts could improve. Some of you may have really overdone it...yeah.

Lets, right now, try and shift our thinking from being hard on ourselves to a feeling of compassion. You've given so much to others, worked so hard making friends and loved ones have a Merry Christmas. You are amazing. At a certain level, you know that. 

Holding those good feelings, you are ready to receive some wellness tips.
  • Don't fast. A protein packed breakfast within 30 minutes of rising is the best way to start. Every day. Maximizing energy, staying mentally sharp, and moving toward your perfect weight, are only three in the long list of advantages of keeping blood sugar stable.
  • If you've had too much to drink, don't lay around. Do your best to move (walk, run, play with the kids) and drink pure water. Take the best antioxidant supplement you can find several times during the day. Think of over-drinking as poisoning your body. It is.
  • Don't over exercise. Your body is a finely tuned machine. Pushing any system beyond its limits, even with pilates classes will only set you back. -Especially if you are over 50.
  • We are culturally programed to be consumers. The goal of that weight loss program is not to graduate you to independence. It also adds to the food obsession that made some of us fat in the first place. Lets go within and make independent decisions that grow our character toward lasting change.     
And feel good now.

Judy Farmer is an online pilates instructor offering over sixty different expert mat pilates classes and relevant wellness advice as an online membership at Great Pilates Now.





Thursday, December 9, 2010

Visualize Your Perfect Body With Your Online Coach

I have never made a New Years resolution in my life. My will was so weak, I begin to feel guilt just thinking about it. Yet somehow, I’ve become one of the more disciplined and fit people I know.

How and when did this happen? I was never an exerciser. Not even in college. Yeah, I tried Jane Fonda at 6:00 am a few times. I made myself go jog during college; once. I bought Richard Simmons videos and tried to sweat to the oldies.

After number six came along, I was, lets just say, REALLY NEEDING SOMETHING. A friend encouraged me to try soccer. It was fun. I met lots of people and discovered my bladder wasn’t ..... but then some real magic began to happen for me.

I began to see myself as an athlete. I put on the uniform, visualized myself scoring goals, and started playing with women half my age. In my mind, I was buddies with Mia Hamm. I then began running regularly because I was an athlete. I taught myself Pilates because I was an athlete. I became self-motivated because I was an athlete. I became more confident because I was an athlete.

This new identity came from a strong vision. It was the vision that made me read hundreds of wellness and personal development books and get certifications.

Many women I teach buy equipment and start workout and diet programs because they have strong negative feelings about what they see in the mirror. Sadly, these people don’t tend to finish their resolution. This is because, for them, working out brings more self criticism, even loathing.

I believe that these negative thoughts toward their bodies brought the very fat or weakness they experience. Can you see how this cycle keeps them starting pilates classes without getting results?

Zig Ziglar tells a story of a 283 lb, unemployed, divorced man. With Zig’s coaching, this man developed such a strong vision of his ideal lean, healthy body that, when a little girl pointed him out as “that fat man”, he turned to see who she was referring to. Before long, he reached his ideal weight and income. I bet he found a nice lady to share his happiness with.

So really, take a moment...what is your vision of your perfect body right now? Are you at the beach in a bikini digging in the sand with your grandchildren? Are you bike-riding  on a breezy sumer day with your tan muscular legs and strong back? Are you laughing while making love with the lights on? Do you feel a drop of sweat slide down your cheek as you complete that 5K?

Hold that vision. Write it down and contemplate it daily. Feel good now and let the magic start.

Judy Farmer
Certified Pilates Coach and Wellness Instructor
Great Pilates Now