Continuing the theme from last month’s newsletter about “How To Stay on Track Through the Holidays”, this month we are shifting focus from the body to the mind and spirit.
Pilates said his method is the “complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.”*
It’s all the parts working together in harmony.
As the Holidays approach, practicing self-care will support you on all levels.
When you nourish your body through nutrition and exercise, you feel better. A good workout helps you not only physically but it also clears your mind. The increased circulation from working out benefits your body and your brain. Your awareness, focus, energy and concentration improve.
A regular Pilates practice also gives a little space for yourself – a retreat, a get-away and a reset. Some peace and quiet amidst all the activities.
As you care for yourself, body & mind, you can bring the best version of yourself to life.
You can enjoy more of the activities and people you love! And they can enjoy you – your presence is the best gift!
So nurture yourself as it lifts you and those around you. Your spirit will be elevated by quality time with your loved ones and their spirits will be brightened by your light.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas
And Happy New Year!
*Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 9.
You know that time of year – when it’s hardest to stay on course with your nutritional goals. There are temptations everywhere you turn.
You may even have a bowl of left over Halloween candy sitting on your counter right now!
To help you navigate the season and stay on course, here are a few quick, easy tips:
Make it convenient (or inconvenient)
Try placing a bowl of apples out on the table instead of candy. If something is convenient and on hand, you are more likely to reach for it – whether it is apples or M & M’s.
Conversely, try placing the junk food in harder to reach areas like in the back of the pantry or the bottom of the refrigerator. While you might still go for the goodies sometimes, it will be a lot less than if it is sitting out and you can easily grab a handful every time you walk by.
Keep it moving
After a good workout, you are generally hungry, especially for more nutritious foods. You are more likely to reach for some water and a filling meal and less likely to choose sweets. Regular exercise can help not only with weight loss but also help steer cravings in a more nourishing direction. With the momentum of a regular workout routine, there can be more motivation to eat clean and not lose the gains or break the streak after all the hard work that is put in.
3) Keep it simple
As you decorate for the Holidays, consider choosing decorations that are not food related. Hang lights rather than popcorn on the tree. And rethink the plate of cookies for Santa.
4) Choose wisely
When you shop for groceries, set yourself up for success. Have plenty of healthy, easy to prepare items that you will actually eat, ready to go. If you spend a little time prepping your meals, then you are more likely to eat what is there and stay the course.
And obviously when you shop, limit the amount of junk food items. If it’s not around at home (or in small quantities), it will make it easier to not get off track.
With the Holidays, also comes lots of festivities and those events can be more challenging to navigate. Again, being mindful and planning ahead can be helpful. For example, maybe before a party eat a meal so you avoid grazing at a buffet.
5) Plan a treat
Nourish yourself rather than starve yourself. If you deprive yourself of food, you will end up eventually overindulging and binging. Besides having healthy meals regularly to stay satiated, factor in something you love to eat. If you know you get to have a treat, it might make it easier to stay on track.
For the Holiday festivities, maybe you don’t eat much at the parties around the day, but on the actual Holiday you enjoy the meal. It is primarily meat and vegetables. And perhaps the treat comes in here – whether it is mashed potatoes, gravy and a roll or a slice of dessert. Whatever it is you love. Enjoy the Holidays, the celebration and the ones you love!
Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!
Now that the hottest time of year in Texas is here, it’s even more important to hydrate. The question of “how much water to drink” has a varied answer. Even reputable sources may have slightly different answers to this question. The reason is that everyone has different needs depending on age, height, weight, activities, conditions and medications. The weather, especially the heat, is another variable that is going to impact the amount of fluid required to remain hydrated.
With age, the research does seem to consistently indicate the need to pay attention to staying hydrated. Seniors may have a decreased sense of thirst and fluid balance is slower to be restored.* So even if you don’t feel thirsty, you might still need to consume more fluids.
Medications may need to be factored in as well. Certain medicines may act as a diuretic and cause fluid loss while other medications could cause water retention. As always, please be sure to check with your doctor about medications and the appropriate amount of water intake for you.
Height and weight also play a roll in determining how much fluid intake is needed. One frequently cited authority is the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine which recommends 15.5 cups daily for men and 11.5 cups for women.**
If that sounds like a lot, not to worry. This is the grand total including other beverages and food, not just water. Actually, food makes up 20% of that daily total.**
Some more good news – coffee and alcohol count toward the daily fluid intake. Because these are both diuretics, it has been a myth that they cannot be calculated in daily fluids. While you will lose some fluids with these drinks, as coffee and alcohol are liquids, the overall net is positive.*** Of course, water is going to be more beneficial than coffee, alcohol or energy drinks that are high in sugar, but it’s good to know that the cup of coffee in the morning or glass of wine in the evening can count toward the daily fluid requirement.
It’s also helpful to consume foods high in water content. Fortunately, a lot of summertime foods already meet that criteria. A nice salad made of items such as spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers or celery, or summer favorites like watermelon, strawberries and peaches are good examples of high water content food.
Activities and exercise, particularly outdoors in the heat, are naturally going to increase the amount of water consumption required to stay hydrated. Even if you are not participating in a sport and just sitting enjoying a picnic, some extra fluids are likely necessary, especially if you find yourself sweating.
While it is possible to over hydrate, it is not a common occurrence. Certain conditions related to kidneys, heart, liver or thyroid may need to moderate the amount of fluid intake.*** Again, consult with your physician for a recommendation.
Until cooler temperatures arrive, remember staying hydrated is beneficial for your health and helps you beat the heat!
Remember too, that your body also ‘breathes’ through the pores of your skin as well as your mouth, nose, and lungs.* ~ Joseph Pilates
As you are aware, breathing is an important principle in Pilates. What is not as commonly known, is that Joseph Pilates also encouraged good skin care (along with nutrition, proper sleep, etc…) In fact, Joe would have students shower after sessions using stiff brushes. This would clean dead skin cells and continue to promote circulation. Since skin is the largest organ, it would make sense that Mr. Pilates promoted caring for it as a part of holistic well-being. If you would like to prevent skin cancer and signs of aging, please read on.
Youthful Appearance Did you know the #1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage? If you want prevent signs of aging caused by UV rays, then sunscreen daily! This will help you not only look younger but also help protect you from the preventable disease of skin cancer. Look for a “broad-spectrum” sunscreen to block both UVA & UVB rays. It is never too late to start.
Rain or Shine The UV rays can still reach you on rainy days. So even though it may be cloudy outdoors, please do not be fooled. Continue to wear sunscreen and protective clothing anyway.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Even if you are indoors, the UV rays shine in through windows. Not to mention the blue light from cell phones, iPads etc can also cause damage.** Unless you live in a cave without any windows and never use a cell phone or iPad, then sunscreen daily is recommended even if you do not plan on spending much time outdoors.
How much SPF is enough? Go for an SPF 30 at least and up to an SPF 50. While you do want to wear sunscreen, there does not seem to be much evidence to suggest that an SPF 50 or higher offers more protection. So a higher number SPF 100 isn’t necessarily better than SPF 50.
Quantity matters SPF is dose dependent. In order to get the SPF protection listed on the bottle, you need to put on the same quantity that was used in testing to have the SPF protection labeled on the bottle (generally 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon). So if you use an SPF of 30 and put on a 1/4 teaspoon but a 1/2 teaspoon was used in testing, then you are only getting the benefit of an SPF 15.
Chemical vs. mineral sunscreen A study a couple of years ago found that the chemicals in chemical sunscreens are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Chemical sunscreens are no longer on the generally recognized as safe and effective or GRASE list from the FDA***, but zinc oxide and titanium dioxide found in mineral sunscreens still made the list. Though more testing needs to be done on chemical sunscreens, it’s something to keep in mind.
Pilates was ahead of his time. Though I don’t think he would have liked the idea of putting something on the skin like sunscreen as he would probably want the skin to “breathe”, but he was also progressive and innovative. Considering the new things science has learned about the environment and skin damage since Pilates’ time, I believe he would have cleverly adapted.
Though skin is out of my scope and you should consult with your dermatologists, I hope sharing this information was helpful and inspires you to care for yourself in every way, including your skin. As you head out for some fun in the sun this summer, hope you are applying sunscreen before soaking up some rays!
*Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 17.
With springtime inspiration in the air, now is a wonderful time to start preparing for summer. With less than 8 weeks until the beginning of June and less than 12 weeks until the official solstice on June 20, summer is just around the corner. While the spring weather is nice and the possibility of getting out more after a year of restrictions, now is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and prepare for summer activities and perhaps festivities. So here are a few tips to help you shed some pounds and reinvigorate your body and mind.
Movement
In addition to your Pilates practice, daily movement yields great benefits. Simply going for a walk or putting on some tunes and dancing – whatever gets you moving. It doesn’t have to be for an hour. Just 10 minutes makes a difference. Even count your chores – if you are gardening or tending to something that requires some movement then factor that in. Keep in mind if you are trying to lose weight, cardio is going to play an even more important role.
Nutrition
As you already know, nutrition is key. A nourishing diet has both health and weight loss benefits. If finding the right approach for you with so many diet fads out there seems overwhelming, then just take baby steps. Maybe try drinking more water as it will help both hydration and satiation so you feel fuller. Or try eating a light and early dinner. Digestion is one of the most energy draining activities the body does (which is why you feel tired after you eat). Eating early will give a head start to that digestion process and then the body can focus more energy to clean out and repairs overnight.Pick one thing – eating early or drinking more water or whatever you feel you need. Then just focus on that for a few weeks. As you gain confidence and a new healthy habit, then add on and take another step.
Sleep
This one may sound counterintuitive. Rest so you can lose weight? But getting proper sleep is important for health overall and can have benefits in losing weight. If the body doesn’t have a chance to do it’s overnight maintenance and repairs, then there’s less energy going to weight loss as your body tries to make up for lost rest. You are not only less likely to want to move and exercise but also internally your body will be doing the same, focusing on maintaining rather than extra exertion.
Several years ago, I had a colleague, who wanted to lose some weight. Now keep in mind she made adjustments to her nutrition and was exercising but there wasn’t progress. Then after a few weeks when she started to get more sleep immediately she began dropping pounds.
Specific Training
In the past, I’ve mentioned how specific training is important. There are a couple of caveats to consider. One is to train specifically for a sport or activity. For example, if you will be traveling this summer and plan on hiking or rowing, then obviously you will want to build up your walking and endurance for hiking or upper body for rowing. The second thing to consider is the area you want to specifically train. Perhaps you don’t have any sports or activities planned, but you want to tone up your arms or abs. Then target that specific area for training. Again, keep it simple and pick one area to focus on and develop a daily practice for it. A regular practice of 5-10 minutes everyday is going to bring noticeable changes.
I hope this inspired you to move and to enjoy the outdoors while the weather is fair. Maybe you were also reminded of some simple lifestyle habits that you want to get back to doing and this newsletter gave you that encouragement to practice good self-care. Hope this helps you feel your best and be Summer Ready!
It is coming up on the one year marker since the in person studio sessions came to a halt on March 11 and online sessions began on March 12, 2020. I remember March 11 clearly and being in the studio. Three things in particular happened that day: the World Health Organization officially declared the pandemic, the first case of local spread and the rodeo was cancelled. (You know it’s serious when that happens in Texas!)
Obviously, a lot has changed in the world over the past year. While change is often challenging, there is good that can come from it as well. In particular, a positive trend has been the move online and being able to more easily learn from Master teachers and experts across the country and the globe.
You may not be aware but Yamuna is alive and active. She generally taught workshops in exotic locations like India, but since the pandemic she too has gone online.
If you need to de-stress due to the pandemic or due to the recent weather event here in Texas or perhaps you’ve always wondered what a class with Yamuna herself would be like…well, now you can do that! For the class schedule, check out Yamuna Live.
In addition to Yamuna, there is Yamuna Anytime or YBR® Anytime, started by Dianne Glass several years ago. You may not have heard of Dianne, but she is one of Yamuna’s trusted teacher trainers and has been with Yamuna since the beginning. I’ve had the pleasure of learning from Dianne on a number of occasions, and I’m grateful for her expertise and guidance in the Yamuna method.
Dianne had the innovative idea to hire a videographer and create classes online years before the pandemic. YBR® Anytime has professional quality filming, lighting etc, classes added regularly and a video library. It’s something worth checking out!
As times change, I hope you prioritize what is important, continue to practice good self-care, including Pilates and perhaps de-stressing with Yamuna too!
I love when Pilates becomes part of a student’s everyday life. That moment when a student notices the posture slipping and adjusts it, or when belly breathing helps during a stressful situation, Pilates goes beyond the mat and applies to life.
Now more than ever, a Pilates practice for home has become important. I have always encouraged a home practice. Whether a full program or picking just a couple of key exercises that would be most beneficial, it’s that regular practice that will help bring about those changes in daily life.
To support your practice and continued growth, I thought a series on Pilates equipment for home would be helpful. We’ll cover the pieces most frequently asked about. This series obviously will not cover all the Pilates equipment or the “big equipment”. We are focusing on home and pieces that are more easily accessible – both financially as well as physically, lightweight and able to fit into a smaller space.
For some of the Pilates equipment, the same or similar products may be found on Amazon or other retailers, but I thought it would be best only to mention Pilates and Physical Therapy manufacturers. This is not an endorsement of any particular company or product. Since Pilates and Physical Therapy companies are probably not as well known, I thought directing you to reputable, recognized names within the industry would be more helpful.
We’ll begin this series with mats, a “fitting foundation”, but stay on the look out for upcoming editions where we’ll cover foam rollers, SmartSpines™, TheraBands, straps, balls, weights and more…
One of the beautiful things about Pilates is that you can still practice without any equipment at all. The mat exercises were meant for home practice and can be done on a floor, towel, rug, mattress and of course a mat. But if you are looking to create your own little home studio or feel it’s time for an upgrade, then adding some equipment might be the next step for you. When it comes to choosing a mat, two important things to consider are texture and thickness!
Texture: Take into consideration both the texture of the floor where you will be doing most of your practice (wood floor, tile floor, carpet…) and the texture of the mat. Some mats can be slippery (like a banana peel) on smooth surfaces (such as a wood floor). YOU DON’T WANT TO SLIP AND FALL!
Some mats have the same texture on both sides and some have a different texture on the bottom side to provide more sticking and traction. Whether the mat is the same on both sides or different on each side, some mats are slick and some mats stick better than others. Pay attention to texture and choose appropriately depending on the needs of your home space.
Thickness: Mats come in different sizes from thin to thick. Again, consider your needs – your body physically and your space (hard floor or soft carpet). A thinner mat on a firmer surface can give more feedback, but if you have certain physical conditions practicing on a hard floor with a thin mat may not be the best fit. For example, if you are boney, have boney areas, a joint replacement or arthritis, you are going to want to consider a thicker mat.
Mats:
Thin – EcoWise Flat MatAt 1/4″(0.6cm), this is the thinnest mat on this list (although there are thinner versions out there available from other sellers). If you are going to be practicing on carpet, this could be a fit for you. Made from closed cell foam, these mats are free of latex, PVC and chloride.
Medium – EcoWise Pilates MatAt 3/8” (1cm), this is thicker than the “flat” mat listed above. This is also made of closed cell foam and free of latex, PVC, phthalates and chloride.
Thick – Balanced Body Aeromats At 5/8” (1.6cm), this is the thickest mat on this list (although there are thicker ones available from other sellers). If you will be practicing on a hard surface, this will give more padding but do be cautious as this mat is smooth and doesn’t provide traction so it is a slip risk.
Special Mention: Airex® Pilates Mats Yamuna likes this mat. It is 5/16 (0.8cm) thick and happens to be sanitized! This is one of the best mats in the industry (Pilates or Yamuna). Please do be aware even with this high quality mat, traction can still sometimes be an issue on certain surfaces (like wood floors). With this mat, it is possible to slide like an accordion on smooth surfaces when practicing Pilates or yoga moves like downward facing dog. Currently, it is sold out at some major Pilates manufacturers, but it looks like it is in stock at the Physical Therapy manufacturer. Both resources are listed below: Balanced Body Pilates
If you have any questions about Pilates or choosing the right mat, please let me know. Glad to guide you in a good direction that fits both you and your space. Stay healthy and safe!
