You are currently browsing the Pilates category.
Yoga Journal has announced today that they will be having their 7th annual Yoga conference in San Francisco January 28-February 1, 2010. It will be five days, with more than 40 teachers, and 100 different classes offered. Classes are for beginners to advanced yogis. For more information and details, check their website here.
The secret to Madonna’s arms and Gwyneth Paltrow’s slender legs…it’s Tracy Anderson. Take a look at Gwyneth and Tracy in the gym. The resistance band device is pure genius. If you’ve ever worked with resistance bands, you’ll know how beneficial they are to looking long and lean. They are great when you travel, too. (Note to the Irishman: I know you could build this…which would score you serious brownie points. just sayin’.)
Working out in bare feet for exercises such as Yoga and Pilates takes a toll on your feet, causing rough dry spots on your heels and toe pads. If you want baby soft feet, you must try Supernatural Botanicals Body Butters! These body butters are truly skin transforming. The non-greasy formula makes it a perfect foot primer before a hard workout or before you slip your feet into socks.
The results are instantaneous! You’ll watch your skin transform the first time you use the body butter. Made with all-natural ingredients, no chemicals, no parabens, no artificial colorants or fragrances. Supernatural Botanicals Body Butters are made with pure ingredients, such as cocoa butter and beeswax, and are bursting with delicious essential oil scents in Island Coconut, Pure Mango, Pure Orange, and Pure Grapefruit.
Avoid “Yoga Foot” and start protecting those feet. Check out Supernatural Botanicals entire line of Body Butters for happier, sexier feet!
Working out does more for you than boost your sex appeal. According to a recent study by the University of Bristol in England, there are serious perks to exercising before or during your workday. They found that 72% of people improved their time management, 74% managed their workload better, and 79% were sharper and more focused. Switch your workouts to early morning or midday to gain the added benefits above.
Think about your end game. Did you know, you’d have to walk far longer than it’s worth 9 miles to burn off one Cinnabon? At 730 calories and 24 grams of fat, this thunder-thigh-inducing treat may cost more than you’re willing to pay.
This is what strength training does for you…it gives you amazing, well-defined muscles. So many women shy away from strength training/weight training, fearing they’ll develop body builder-type arms. The reality is, women who are body builders not only train to extremes and discipline themselves religiously in their diet, but many also take additional supplements and drugs to achieve a female body builder physique.
Exercises, such as lateral lifts, biceps curls, and triceps extensions with weights, are what’s needed to achieve the kind of muscles that our First Lady has. She’s gorgeous and healthy. It’s a beautiful look. The only way to achieve such lean muscle definition is to use resistance (weights or bands.)
Don’t reach for the 3 pound weights unless you are just starting out. Challenge yourself. You can lift a lot more than you think you can. Biceps and triceps are load-bearing muscles, they can take the challenge.
Try these three exercises to achieve arms like our First Lady.
Lateral raises
Triceps extensions.
Enter to win this fab Eco-Yoga Kit. This kit includes all the essentials, a mat, a strap and a block. The mat contains no formaldehyde or heavy metals & is mildew resistant. Enter here to win. Good luck.
I love my Bosu Ball and consider it to be one of my best pieces of equipment in my gym. You haven’t felt squats the way you’ll feel them while on the Bosu. I’ve learned a second technique in this clip….Bosu Ball Squats. I’ve done lots of squats for my hamstrings, quads, and glues on the Bosu, but with the ball facing up. They’ve flipped the ball, platform side up, and now it gives you even more core conditioning. Love that!
Try these moves on your Bosu. Don’t have one yet? You should look into that here.
I’m always eager to learn about other people’s workout routines. I try to gain bits and pieces from different workouts to fit into my own plan. In this case, the entire plan is laid out for you. Marie Claire magazine has the low down on Miss Jessica Alba’s routine. Broken down step by step, you can do the exact workout that Jess pays $200.00 a session for.
Go ahead and slash that gym membership from your monthly expenses. Celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza shares the simple, 40-minute at-home workout that got Alba and Halle Berry into fab post-baby shape. Follow her fat-burning program four times a week:
10-MINUTE CARDIO: Jog for two minutes; run hard for six; jog again for two.
STRENGTH TRAINING 1: Three rounds of 20 reps using 3-pound dumbbells.
5-MINUTE CARDIO: Alternate between 30 seconds of jogging and 30 seconds of sprinting.
STRENGTH TRAINING 2: Three rounds of 20 reps using 3-pound dumbbells.
5-MINUTE CARDIO: Jog for 30 seconds; run hard for four minutes; jog again for 30 seconds.
CORE WORKOUT: One round of 20 reps.
BOTTOM LINE: $15 (for two 3-pound dumbbells).
Think you have what it takes to pull this move off….gracefully? My friends over at www.YogaJournal.com never let me down when it comes to new, challenging poses. Even for a yogi like me, I find this extraordinarily challenging. It absolutely sets my glutes a-flame! It’s doable, though, not impossible. Follow the steps below to do it perfectly. Try it now…go ahead, lay down in the floor and see what you’ve got. You may surprise yourself.
Step by Step
1. Begin by preparing as you would for Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose). Lie on your back, feet on the floor, heels under the knees, and step your feet a little wider than your hips. Bend your arms and place your palms on the floor by your ears, fingertips facing the shoulders, shoulder-width apart. Pause for a moment to focus and tune in to your breathing.
2. As you exhale, press your knees away from your torso and lift your hips, shoulders, and head from the floor as you straighten your arms. Widen and draw your shoulder blades toward your tail bone to lift your shoulders and lighten the load on your arms.
3. Bend your arms and place the crown of your head on the floor between your hands and feet, keeping your elbows shoulder-width apart and directly over your wrists. To ensure that your neck does not become compressed, exhale, press your hands into the floor, and again draw your shoulder blades toward your tail bone. Keep your chest open and lifted.
4. On your next exhalation, slide one hand past your ear to cup the back of your head, bringing your weight onto your forearm. Repeat the same action with the other arm, interlacing your fingers behind your head (you may be more successful in these arm movements if you lift onto your tiptoes).
5. With a powerful exhalation, press down through your inner elbows and wrists and lift your chest to raise your head off the floor. As your head lifts, press your inner heels down. Of course, your head may seem glued to the floor; if that’s the case, continue to hold the pose where you are.
6. If you do manage to lift your head, the pose may actually become easier, since this movement allows your upper arms to directly support your weight, easing the demand on your muscles. But be careful not to strain the shoulder joints by pushing them beyond your elbows. Avoid this over extension by keeping your weight evenly distributed between your elbows and wrists, and by not allowing your elbows to slide more than shoulder-width apart. It is absolutely fine to remain in this position, with your head raised and your heels directly below your knees.
7. In the full pose, however, you walk the feet away from your hands until your legs are nearly straight; then plant your inner feet and exhale as you stretch down through your calves and push to straighten the legs completely.
8. Place the crown of your head back on the floor inside the cup of your hands, press your elbows into the floor and draw your shoulder blades toward your tail bone to help your shoulders stay lifted. Your middle back will be asked to extend more deeply.
9. Come out of this asana with great attention. First, walk your feet back under your knees. Remain on your crown and return your palms to the floor next to your ears. Again check to make sure your hands are directly under your elbows. Push with your hands to lift the head and tuck your chin and tail bone in as you roll your spine back down to the floor, tail bone touching last. Consciously slow your breathing down until you are once again at rest and can feel the powerful calm that is the product of balanced backbends.
