With summer just a few months away, here are a couple of articles that can help you get in shape.
The first article is on how to do a “Body Audit” so you can assess where it’s best to focus your efforts.
The next article gives some helpful anatomy to better understand the arm muscles so you can be ready for a “Sleeveless Summer”.
Cheers to your health,
Shannon
Body Audit – How to maximize your workouts
The four categories you should aim for in your workouts. Plus a bonus one. And tips how to maximize each one. From cardio to posture, get your well-rounded workout here.
Sleeveless Summer
Though the biceps get a lot of attention, they actually are not the strongest flexor of the arm.
To find out what muscle is, read the full story here.
Getting creative and finding simple ways to get more movement in your daily life can make a huge impact.
In the past few years, you may have heard the saying that “sitting is the new smoking”.
The numbers are staggering. Depending on the report, the US ranks between 29-49 in terms of life expectancy. Low for a high-income nation, especially considering how much is spent on healthcare.
What studies have found is that it’s not food or vitamins or soil depletion that are the culprit.
It’s a sedentary lifestyle.
Even a little bit of daily movement makes a big difference.
Places in Europe or New York where people have to walk 15-30 minutes a day to catch a subway – the numbers drastically improve for longevity.
To give you ideas of simple ways you can get more daily activity, here is a short (under 3 minute and 30 seconds) TED Talk. It’s by an executive who found a creative way to fit 20-30 miles of walking a week into her busy schedule.
Hope this inspires you to move and think outside the box!
If you like dessert, then you are in for a treat with this month’s newsletter. I have a couple of ice cream recipes for you below. They are from the website ChocolateCoveredKatie, The Healthy Dessert Blog.
I have referred to her website a number of times over the years. Here is what I like about Katie’s recipes:
1) They are simple and easy to make.
2) They are super-adaptable. Depending on your dietary needs – you can swap out the kind of milk or sweetener, etc. The recipes still turn out.
3) And they actually taste good! You would never know the recipes are healthy!
Katie has regular meal recipes too. Like this vegan quiche which is my new favorite. I have tried other vegan quiche recipes but this one is a winner.
Please enjoy the recipes below and stay cool the rest of the summer!
With Best Wishes,
Shannon
Almond milk ice cream
You don’t need an ice cream machine and you don’t even need dairy to make these recipes. Made from Almond Milk, this recipe can be adapted to create different flavors including chocolate, peanut butter, mint chocolate chip, strawberry and chocolate chip cookie dough. Enjoy!
Coconut ice cream
Made with coconut milk, you can follow the recipe as is. Or you could use this base recipe and make different variations like Chocolate, Coffee, Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough, Strawberry or Salted Caramel. Find out more here.
Hope you are looking forward to refreshing times with loved ones this summer!
As temperatures start to rise, I have a useful article below on an additional way you can stay hydrated. If you like to drink tea, you’ll definitely want to check it out.
Stay Cool this Summer!😎
Shannon
Can drinking tea help you stay hydrated?
Whether you love tea or you just want another way to stay hydrated besides water, I think you’ll enjoy this medically reviewed article from verywellhealth.com.
If you would like to do a little “spring cleaning” for the body, this month’s newsletter has a couple of articles to get you started. You can “Detox the Pilates Way” and get “Summer Ready”. Hope this gives you some inspiration for a fresh start this season!
Happy Spring,
Shannon
Detox the Pilates Way
Pilates emphasized breathing as a way to cleanse but did you know that he was also an advocate of skin brushing too?
To find out more about detoxing the Pilates way, read the article here.
Summer Ready: Simple Tips to Look and Feel Your Best
If you want to improve your energy, find out how simple habits with nutrition and sleep can help your body detox and feel your best. Learn more here.
With her permission, I’m sharing Suzanne’s story to offer some encouragement this Breast Cancer Awareness month.
She recently wrote, “I owe you big time!…You instilled in me the importance of continuing to practice and move correctly.”
Suzanne has been practicing Pilates for over 18 years now.
That foundation really helped her recently.
A mammogram earlier this year showed a few scattered calcium deposits and after biopsies, Suzanne had to have a mastectomy. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything in the lymph nodes and all cancer removed.
The incredible thing was that 6 weeks after a mastectomy she was back to class and had full range of motion!!!
Suzanne said “I think it was because I was in good shape before the surgery. And thanks to you teaching me the importance of movement everywhere will pay off in the end! So true for me.”
Suzanne is healing well and taking medication but fortunately didn’t have to have chemo or radiation.
Suzanne also said she “will keep up her Pilates practice hopefully another 18 years because as you know, when you rest you rust!”
As a cautionary tale, Suzanne strongly advises not to skip your annual mammogram. Her spots happened in less than a year.
I hope Suzanne’s story encourages you to take care of yourself with regular checkups and to stay active and keep moving! It might pay off in ways you couldn’t have expected!
“The use of a good stiff brush…stimulates circulation, thoroughly cleans OUT the pores of the skin and removes dead skin too.”*
~ Joseph Pilates
The first way Pilates likes to detox is of course with breathing.
You may be familiar with his quote “to ‘squeeze’ every atom of impure air from your lungs.”**
But besides breathing, I want to focus on something Pilates taught that you may not have heard before.
Pilates was actually into brushing the skin.
We brush our teeth and our hair. Why not our skin? It is our biggest organ.
A few of the purported benefits of skin brushing are:
Stimulates circulation
Improves Lymphatic flow
Softens skin
Helps with cellulite
If we can give our skin a little brush, makes sense that might help our overall health too.
Pilates was pretty serious about brushing and there are stories that he would even enter into the showers at the studio and make sure everyone was brushing. Yikes!
And as you can imagine, everyone was sure to diligently brush.
Pilates recommended a brush without a handle so you would have to contort to reach all the places.
And with a “good stiff brush” he did call it a “‘Spartan-like’ treatment”. ***
The practice of skin brushing dates back thousands of years to the Egyptians.
But other cultures practiced brushing as well including the Greeks, Chinese and Indian (who developed Ayurvedic medicine).
I’m not sure if Pilates picked up the idea for skin brushing from the ancient Indian practice or from the Greeks or Chinese. Or perhaps they all influenced him.
While you don’t have to do a Spartan treatment, here are a few tips:
Skin brushing can be done wet or dry.
Dry brushing is considered to have more benefits or be more effective than wet brushing.
Try brushing in shower before you turn on the water. Then the shower can rinse off the dead skin cells.
Use gentle pressure or light strokes.
Lots of information is available online about skin brushing. If you would like a specific recommendation you might check out – this youtube channel by a Lymphedema Physical Therapist to learn more about how to properly skin brush for your health.
One more important tip:
Despite Mr. Pilates advice of a good stiff brush…
if you have sensitive skin or mature skin (skin does get thinner with age and more susceptible to tearing and bleeding), you can use a washcloth instead of a stiff brush.
If you have a wound, blood clot, rash, sunburn, psoriasis, eczema, area of active cancer or other skin condition, obviously you would not want to skin brush.
As always, please be sure to check with your medical professional before starting any new health routine.
Hope you have fun detoxing the Pilates way and practicing a little spring cleaning for the body!
Happy Spring!
With Best Wishes Always,
Shannon
*Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 20.
**Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 12.
***Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 21.
