Friday, July 15, 2011

Best Pilates for Your Back - with your Online Pilates Trainer

We all know the feeling.
But how did it get to this point? “I need to take better care of myself.”  “I’ve been neglecting my health.”  “I’ve put on too much weight.”
Most of us have tried to get into a better diet and exercise regimen. We hear the ongoing mental recording, “ I should be eating this, or I should be doing that.”
Though I am a pilates instructor, I am not here with a list of to-dos or “Here’s what I do.” (please...) If I didn’t do this for a living I’d be right there with you.
I want you to relax and do nothing. Yes, just go to a comfortable place, put your feet up and close your eyes. Now do it..... humor me..... 
First of all, ask yourself how you felt when I suggested that you relax. A little resistant? A lot resistant? Believe it or not this somewhat programmed reaction is part of how people come down with chronic back pain.
Some of us tell ourselves that it is better to do the thing that doesn’t feel good, like pushing into pain or loosing sleep to finish a project. This is our western upbringing. This is also the reason most of us are carrying so much weight.
Let’s go back to your job right now. Just sit there and listen to the air come into your lungs and go out five times....
Think about your body in its simplest form. You’ve got bones. Then there’s layers of muscle responding to everything you suggest. You’ve got systems inside you constantly fixing and adjusting to make you feel good without your doing anything.
You may not have felt very grateful for your body lately, but lets just think about it. You do nothing. It constantly works to make you feel good. Let’s just try to feel appreciation for about half a minute. 
You eat. Your body adjusts and fixes to make you handle the food in the best way for you. You stay up late. Your wonderful body produces hormones to help you stay alert, even after what should have been your limit. You drink too much, your resourceful body gets busy removing toxins and readjusting so that you can go to work.
Don’t you feel some love now. Some appreciation and gratitude. Its a fantastic system that doesn’t complain or force us to follow any rules. We are free. We are in charge.
What’s my point? 
Where you are now was created through several years, if not decades of repeated thought. Nothing but a fundamental change in your thinking will cause behaviors to move in a better direction. Instead of buying the latest ab machine or starting a diet plan, go within and begin practicing that gratitude and appreciation for your body.
At first it will feel strange or unfamiliar but you’ll begin to enjoy that feeling and your behaviors will effortlessly move toward health. This could happen overnight, but most likely it will be a process. A process that won’t feel like work at all. 
Get used to feeling good.
Let me know how you do!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Mom's Heartache - With Your Online Weight Loss Coach

My Mom was very beautiful. She was a trained vocalist and pianist. She had perfect olive skin and shiny mouton hair, which even now only has a touch of silver. She had dark chocolate eyes, perfect features, and J. Lo curves.

She and my Father had many challenges raising nine children. Her worst unspoken heartache? Her weight.

My sisters and I watched painfully as Mom went from one weight loss program to another; weighing and measuring, drinking gallons of water, eating cabbage soup all day. The list goes on. That is likely why we all became fitness enthusiasts. Lets see; a weight-loss chain supervisor, a college basketball coach, two pilates instructors, one of them a wellness coach, all prioritizing fitness.

Being the oldest, I retained the most acute feeling of needing to care for Mom. At 71 she is still active in the church, caring for grandchildren, passing along all the latest funny and alarming emails, and 70 lbs overweight.

I’ve tried everything I can to coach her. She still goes from one diet plan to the next.

Why tell you about my mother? Her all-too-common story illustrates the fact that losing weight and keeping it off requires a fundamental change in the way our mind and body work; our psychology and our physiology.

This is the mantra of my blog. We need to train our brain to think differently and our body to reduce cravings. The terrific news is that I am proof that it works. It takes some effort, but without the effort we can never have those delicious feelings of worthiness, accomplishment, and joy in feeling healthy and beautiful!

There is no hidden formula. My winning philosophy is based on learning to:
  • keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day
  • consistently visualize your body the way that you want it to be
My four week video coaching program is designed to shift your thinking and wake up muscles you never knew you had. Beginning with week one, “Pilates for Weight Loss,” is only part of the  Great Pilates Now membership.

The blog is always free and provides practical advice for keeping weight off and maintaining maximum energy.

Let's begin feeling beautiful and healthy now!