Total Body Wellness

Today is Sunday and it has been a week that we have been back. Not as busy with new people as we would have hoped but we are gradually seeing people come back in and a few new people have joined us and for that I am very thankful.
I personally can not be in the studio as much as I would like to this week. I need to be at my son’s spelling bee on Tuesday so I am taking Tuesday off and I have to re-take the PMA test on Friday because I did not manage to get in all of my continuing education for my Pilates certification these past two years.
Trying to do continuing ed for my personal training cert, my gyro cert and pilates takes a lot of time and although it is well worth all the education, sometimes the time goes by so fast I end up in the position I am in today.
It is all good though. Because I am adding a new Pilates Teacher Training and Intern program to my studio with the training to prepare for the Pilates Method Alliance test, it is a great way to see what changes and updates have been added to the test. I took my test when the PMA Cert first became available and so I am sure it has come a long way.
Anyway, that being the case I am out of the studio for two days this week.
Next week I am out of the studio on Friday because of a trip with my son’s class and then the following week is my first meeting as a new Advisory Board Member for the Department of Senior Affairs and apparently we are going up to Santa Fe to lobby the legislature. I am very excited about being on this board and look forward to meeting all those involved. I am also very proud to be representing The Village of Los Ranchos in this appointment.
So January will go very fast but I will leave the studio in good hands with Elyse and Geri coming back from maternity leave. Yeah! Until next time, try and drink one more glass of water and do 10 more minutes of cardio each day this week and see what happens.

Filed by Jeanette at 11:45 am under Pilates
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Time is moving too fast, already the middle of January. The week has been a good one. We have added some new clients to our studio family and all is well.
I passed my PMA exam yesterday. I better have as I have been PMA certified for years and because all of my personal training and gyro continuing ed credits were not all excepted this year, I had to go ahead and re-take the test to maintain my certification. It was actually all good as my Pilates Teacher Training program prepares the student for this exam so it was nice to see any of the changes that they have made to the exam since I took it last. Still challenging and still a long one.
I am really excited about this Pilates Teacher Training as I have been a trainer for other studios for awhile and finally decided to do it myself. With the level of expertise of the teachers at my studio, it only makes sense. It is a 500 hour course which is exactly the amount of hours it took Geri, Elyse and I to train. The difference is, I believe, the training is more affordable and more doable given the demands of work, school, family or whatever else you do.
So if you are at all interested in becoming a PMA certified pilates teacher, or you know someone who is, talk to me.

So how did you do on your challenge last week? This week, I would like you to keep up the good work with the water intake, increase you cardio each day by 5 minutes and try to eat one extra serving of fruit each day. I am sure you can do it.

Have a great week!

Filed by Jeanette at 11:44 am under Pilates
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Hello everyone,
Happy New Year to you all. I am excited about the new year because I know that there are many good things to come our way. It is very important to me this year to make Pilates/Yoga/Gyro and fitness in general more affordable and more available to everyone who needs it. I am excited to begin offering 40-minute private sessions for those who have a note from their doctor or PT or those over 70 who just would rather not work for an entire hour. These 40-minute sessions will be at a reduced rate of $35.00 per session and you can get this rate for 12 weeks before we and your doctor/PT evaluate the situation.
Also, we will begin a Pilate/Yoga for Osteoporosis class. A great way to work for those with low bone density or those who require a gentler class.
I also will be taking in more interns this year to train them to be Pilates Instructors. Very exciting for the studio and for those of you who choose to come to the studio.
I look forward to spending a wonderful year with you all!

Filed by Jeanette at 12:29 pm under Pilates
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Can’t belive the summer went so fast and it is already time for kids to go to school and everyone to come back from vacation. The summer was wonderful, started off with an awesome 6 week mind/body bootcamp that was an amazing success! And throughout the summer, I was able to take two long days of clients and only a couple of morning clients for three days and spend a lot of time with my boys. So nice! The boys and I began Kickboxing and I am loving it so don’t be surprised if someday I create a class incorporating it. Wonderful exercise and a really good thing to know for self defense. Almost certified in Reflexology and I will tell you more about that wonderful therapy in another blog but for now suffice it to say that I now have another wonderful tool in my toolbox to share with my clients in hopes of making them feel wonderful. I am really enjoying sharing this beautiful gift. Now with the kids back in school and my schedule once again filling up throughout the week, I look forward to another incredible Fall at Total Body Wellness and at home with my family. I hope to write more in this blog and hopefully not only share with you what I am doing but to share with you information about your health and wellness on a regular basis. Thanks for reading.

Filed by Jeanette at 4:38 pm under Pilates
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Wow, how awesome to walk into my studio at 6am and see 13 people all ready to workout! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me and how proud I am of all you who are coming. It certainly is not easy waking up that early and working so hard. We have completed one week and many of you are committed to 4 or 6 weeks. Can’t wait to see how strong you feel once you complete this incredible process. Here is to another 5 weeks of work and fun!

Filed by Jeanette at 2:09 pm under Lifestyle
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With the recent news about the “swine flu” everyone seems to be a bit worried. Remember that we are always exposed to viruses all day long, but some people seem more susceptible to catching colds or the flu. A strong immune system can combat these viruses.
The following factors have all been associated with impaired immune function and increased risk of catching colds: old age, cigarette smoking, stress, poor nutrition, fatigue, lack of sleep and over-training.

More and more research is finding a link between moderate, regular exercise and a strong immune system.

Early studies reported that recreational exercisers reported fewer colds once they began running. Moderate exercise has been linked to a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria. It is believed that regular, consistent exercise can lead to substantial benefits in immune system health over the long-term.
Recently studies have shown that there are physiological changes in the immune system as a response to exercise. During moderate exercise immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses.
After exercise ends, the immune system generally returns to normal within a few hours, but consistent, regular exercise seems to make these changes a bit more long-lasting.

There is one caveat however, too much exercise can be harmful to your Immune System so don’t overdo it!

some information taken from Can Too Much Exercise Make You Sick?
By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Filed by Jeanette at 4:20 pm under Lifestyle
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This year the biggest loser winner was a 48 year old women. She lost over 50% of her body weight. It was fantastic but throughout the competition everyone could not stop talking about how amazing it was that she was able to do this at 48 years old. In fact during the finale last night the host must have stated this poor womens age over a dozen times. What was worse was that the gal who won kept on saying, “you are never too old to reach your dreams!” Old? 48 is old?

Today on the MSN home page there was a video about some “feud” between Valerie Bertinelli and Marie Osmond who have both lost a lot of weight on diets with separate companies. Valerie Bertinelli posed on the cover of People magazine last month some time in a bikini. She looked terrific! Guess what? She is 48 years old.
In the video, there is a clip of Marie Osmond saying, “If it makes Valerie feel good to do it fine, but personally I don’t want to see a 48 year old women in a bikini on the cover of a magazine.” Why Not? She looked great!
However, the video continues on with Valerie Bertinellie saying, “I just wanted to show people that you are never too old to do something like that.”
So I ask you again, since when did 48 become old.
Maybe it is because I am 48 or maybe it is because I have a number of clients who are 48 plus and everyone of them looks great and far from old. As a matter of fact, they are all pretty hot!

What ever the reason, I am not very happy that at 48, we are supposed to consider ourselves “old” according to the media and some people. You are only as old as you feel and if I am supposed to be “old” then I guess I did not get the memo.

Filed by Jeanette at 4:19 pm under Pilates
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Earth Day, celebrated in the US on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. (Definition by wilkpedia).

I would like to write just a moment about 5 easy things that we can do for our earth that doesn’t take a lot of time or money and may not seem like much but if everyone does it together it will make a huge difference and really is part of choosing to be healthy.

1. Don’t litter. It drives me crazy when someone driving in front of me just throws a bottle or a cigarette or anything out the window as though the street is a trash can. They really don’t care who has to pick it up or if any one does. It is so simple to hold on to your trash until you find a receptacle.
2. Recycle. Clothes, furniture, plastic bottles, newspapers, glass. Anything that can be used again. Takes no time at all. Compost what you can.
3. Use less paper. Take your own shopping bag to the store. Don’t print something out unless you really need to. What ever paper you have to use. Recycle.
4. Drive less. Ride your bike, walk. Share a ride. Take the train.
5. Use non-toxic products in and around your home. Very easy to do nowadays because going green is popular. You can find green products every where. I recommend the Shaklee Get Clean Products

Pretty simple. And anyone can do it. Do it with your kids.
Taking care of our planet equals taking care of ourselves and others.

Filed by Jeanette at 2:37 pm under Pilates
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Did you know that you can reduce your stress level by practicing gratitude?

Two psychologists, Robert Emmons, PhD, of the University of California, Davis, and Michael McCullough, PhD, of the University of Miami, conducted a study on gratitude and thankfulness. (Emmons & McCullough, 2003): They divided hundreds of people into three groups, each of which was instructed to keep a different type of journal. One group recorded what they were grateful for, another recorded hassles. The third group simply listed five events that had occurred in the last week, but not told to focus on positive or negative aspects.
People who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier - they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition.

In the world we live in, the economy and our busy lifes, it is very easy to think more about what are problems are and not focus on what makes us happy. Think of your own experiences, just the simple act of saying thank you or thinking of or looking at someone or something that you are grateful for can change your mood drastically.

Don’t believe the Emmons and McCullough study?
Create your own study. Why not create your own journal. A gratitude journal. Before you go to bed just take a moment to jot down all that you are grateful for that day. It can be as simple as no traffic when you were running late to a bed to sleep in to a your families health. By placing these thoughts in your mind before you sleep, it will help you sleep better and help you to have sweet dreams and wake up rested.

When you are grateful on a regular basis, people recognize it and feel valued so that you will soon find that you are surrounded by happier people.

Try it for one week and see what happens, you may want to make it a habit.

By the way, I am grateful for all you who are reading this. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Filed by Jeanette at 10:10 am under Lifestyle
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Saturated fats are those fats that are hard at room temperatures such as lard, butter, cheese. It also includes fatty beef like lamb, pork, poultry with skin, whole milk and 2% milk. Saturated fats increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Trans fat is another name for Partially Hydrogenated Oils. Companies like to use these fats in their foods because they are easy to use, inexpensive to produce, they last long and they give food a great taste and texture. Fast food companies can re-use this oil to cook in all day. Trans fats raise your Lousy Cholesterol or LDL -low density lipoproteins and lower your happy or good HDL Cholesterol -high density lipoproteins. Trans fats increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Stick to good fats like olive oil, flaxseed oil, anchovies, cabbage, halibut salmon, walnuts almonds, pumpkin seeds, oysters, cloves, soybeans, tofu. Take an Omega 3 supplement. Your body will be happy and you will feel so much better!

Filed by Jeanette at 6:44 pm under nutrition
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