Love Your Workout, Love Working Out!

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Sixteen years ago I was searching for a way to get back into shape, regain my dancer’s flexibility, and get my abs back after having children. I joined a new gym and was there five days a week working out by myself, until one day, a vibrant woman with dark curls approached me. With a hearty laugh, she asked if I wanted to join her Mat Pilates class, and eager for a great workout, I agreed.

I’d never done Pilates before, and I absolutely loved the correlations to the movement of dance and the full-body awareness. I could articulate my spine, point my toes and just connect with my body. In short, I was captivated.

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Staying #PilatesStrong on Vacation

With spring break here and summer just around the corner, many of you are probably busy planning a vacation (or two!) for yourself or your family. GOOD! We all need a little break to reset and unwind away from the stress of work and day-to-day life. However, sometimes I find just planning for a relaxing vacation can be itself stressful—trying to schedule around work, school, kids; figuring out transportation and hotels; relentlessly researching best prices; and carefully designing an itinerary so you don’t miss out on anything… whew! The last thing you’re probably worried about when planning your vacay is when and how you’ll keep up your workout routine.

Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a month-long tour of Europe, it’s important (and easy!) to keep up with your health and fitness goals. Just like how a crash diet isn’t the best way to be healthy, neither is taking a break from your daily fitness routine; after all, health and wellness is a lifestyle. Now I’m not advocating you spend hours in the hotel gym,  but there are a few ways you can keep in mind when you’re planning your vacation to minimize weight gain and loss of motivation and endurance. [Read more...]

How to Get Rid of ANTs

Automatic Negative Thoughts—or ANTs. We all fall victim to negative thinking from time to time. For example, have you ever been in Pilates class when suddenly the instructor says, “Let’s hold a one-minute plank!” Suddenly, all those ANTs start running around in your head.  Maybe you start telling yourself that you’re too out of shape, that a minute is impossibly long, that it’s going to hurt, etc. Those negative thoughts can get so strong that you actually talk yourself out of doing a great plank!

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