How Can Einstein Time Affect Me?

I see so many Pilates students come and go. Many of them leave the classes because they don't get the results they want. They begin pilates classes wanting to lose weight, feel better, look great. The thinking goes something like this,  "I don't look good. I wish I looked like someone else."

Those are the kinds of people who purchase weight loss programs and gadgets continuously, and get limited results.

Let me tell you the secret answer to their problem. It has to do with the way they think about themselves. And it has to do with time.

Did you know that as you look in the mirror, as you look around - as you see the car you drive, the people that are your friends, all of those other results of your life thus far - they reflect who you were?

Einstein gave us a whole new way of looking at time. It's worth studying because it can really help you to reach your goals. Time is a concept from our mind.  Time is the way we think and process our day. Did you know that you can create time by merely clearing your mind?

In the same way, you can create a new body by imagining yourself with your perfect body. When I teach Pilates classes I always tell the women to think inside their bodies about how perfect and wonderful they are. I tell them to close their eyes and picture the body that they desire - that perfect beautiful body with maybe less weight, or more flexibility or a greater feeling of stamina.

I asked them to think of that as who they are right now, this moment. When we do this, we practice going beyond time outside of the moment and create who we are for the future. When we think of ourselves in this way, we become that now, in this moment. The form takes the shape of the thought and sooner or later, depending on our choice of thought, we become that body.

As we continue to think that way, our body will begin to come into that form which we already have created in our mind. On the other hand when we think about ourselves as fat, as weak, as unhealthy, our body will manifest those things in an ongoing basis.

That is why people who look down on themselves cannot lose weight and change their habits. The good news is you can begin to change your body now from wherever you're sitting right now.

Whether you're driving in a car or sitting in front of your computer, you begin to think about yourself as beautiful, lovely, perfect, and younger. You will become that in your own mind and then it will manifest in your body. So your work right now is fun and easy. Your work is to think about yourself as beautiful, healthy, lovely, as a person who cherishes their body.

As you choose those types of thoughts, you will notice that your behaviors will begin to change; for example how can a person who cherishes and loves their body eat four Twinkies in one sitting? That can't happen because they're thinking will not allow them to do that.

Let's talk about this idea more. how do you feel about this idea of creating your body?

Going Out to Eat For the First Time! with Your Online Wellness Coach

Limits and deprivation are the ways many of us have been taught to diet. I am here to say that that way of thinking may very well have gotten you where you are today if you are carrying too much weight or if your weight is making your scale constantly bounce around.

It is important to be mentally and emotionally prepared for a diet plan. This needs to be taken a step further for those of us who were taught that discipline means deprivation. 

Here's a practical example:

We all love to eat out at a nice restaurant. Picture your favorite restaurant right now. You walk in with good friends or that special someone, but you're on a new diet plan so you get distracting thoughts like, "I know I'm gonna blow it" or "It's time to buck up and order the cottage cheese!" These are destructive thoughts for any diet plan.

Now picture the same scenario but this time you understand that all you need to do to have a successful diet plan is to make food choices based on keeping your blood sugar stable. When you have kept your blood sugar stable through healthy eating and a solid diet plan, you have felt that great feeling of having energy all day. Have come to know the feeling of having energy and mental clarity all day and you don't want that to change.

You know that starting the meal with a high glycemic food will throw you off. You understand that fat is not the enemy and helps to balance the glycemic load of the meal.

On the other hand, after you have been off track and on a deprivation diet plan, you've felt the drained, tired feeling that feeling goes along with overeating and drinking.

You want to be able to really enjoy those around you and focus on them instead of being distracted with negative food thoughts and being consumed by how your diet plan will affect your choices. It’s always fun reading through the menu and trying new foods as long as you limit the high glycemic and processed carbs.

With a smart exercise and diet plan you should start your meal off with some good fats and protein before having a glass of wine, this will help you naturally know when you are satisfied.

When your blood sugar is stable, and you are not yo-yoing, it is fun to discover new savory flavors and to not depend on sweets and bread. You are freed up and able to experience the moment and feel really good.

You can feel abundance while managing your weight with a healthy and balanced diet plan. In this new way of eating and thinking you will likely feel like you are eating more. How? By not having thoughts which distract you from the experience of eating your food and loving it! You will be able to be present and in the moment, enjoying the people and atmosphere around you. By having a balanced and healthy diet plan, you are able to feel good about yourself before, during, and after the meal.

What Is "Junk Exercise"? With your Mat Pilates Instructor

Health and fitness professionals are beginning to use some strong language to describe what seems like a great idea, but leaves many injured and wishing they knew better before starting a “Junk Exercise”.

Junk Exercise is when people move their bodies and feel as though they are getting a great workout, but they don't really progress in building white muscle mass. White Muscle mass is a special type of muscle that is partially responsible for twitch movements and tends to fatigue easily. These muscles are located near our joints, and when developed, create greater balance and less likelihood of injury. Pilates is a great exercise to build white muscle mass.

The four most common mistakes people make are:

1.   Using only cardio

2.   Omitting resistance training

3.   Doing too many sets of the same exercise

4.   Lifting weight too fast

Junk classes are usually the latest dance, punching, or competitive weight pushing class that you may have heard of this past year. Just as there are “miracle” diet pills, there are also workouts (junk exercise) that promise quick results. Pilates has been around for over 90 years and will continue on long after the latest crazes have disappeared. Mat Pilates concentrate on strengthening your core and the movements in Pilates are all about quality over quantity.

I always recommend a cardio program when beginning Pilates classes. Cardiovascular exercise is crucial for staying resistant to your insulin and keeping weight off, but we must strengthen through a variety of slow controlled weight-bearing movements. Mat Pilates Classes are one of the most perfect ways to prepare to perform those types of exercises. The slow controlled resistance of Pilates while moving and stretching makes Pilates more effective than even yoga for preventing injury.

We are conditioned to be consumers. Our ears perk when we hear about something new in diet and exercise. We think, "Maybe this will be the answer!" So we buy. When it comes to self-improvement be it physical, spiritual, or improving relationships, real results will happen when we first look within ourselves and then commit and purchase a program we can feel really good about. 

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.

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