Have you done your Pilates today!

Did you know that Joseph Pilates felt that if you did at least 30 minutes of Pilates Matwork everyday you would have an incredibly healthy spine and a very healthy body. He actually believed that it was the cure for what ails you. Quite frankly, Joseph Pilates believed that if every body did Pilates their would be no war. So maybe that is the answer to world peace. That may be a bit extreme but I have to admit when I wake up and do at least 20 minutes of matwork everyday, I actually feel better. I have more energy and it really helps me get through 7 hours of teaching and actually makes me happier.

Also, did you know that a simple spine stretch before bed can actually make you sleep better. It’s true. The rolling and unrolling of the spine gives you a gentle massage and promotes a good nights sleep.

So if you haven’t done your Pilates today, get to it.

So what is GYROTONIC® anyway?

In the early 70s, struggling to recover from an injury,dancer and yoga instructor Julio Horvath created GYROTONIC® after many years of intense study and self-exploration. This unique system offers the same benefits also derived from yoga, dance, gymnastics, swimming and tai chi, but is not derived from these exercise modalities.

GYROTONIC® methodology allows users to stretch and strengthen muscles, while simultaneously stimulating and strengthening connective tissues in and around the joints of the body. These exercises are synchronized with corresponding brathing patterns, thus enhancing aerobic and cardiovascular stimulation and promoting neuro-muscular rejuventation.

GYROTONIC® exercises offer complete freedom of movement. Exercises are performed on “the Cobra”and the sysstem is fully adjustalbe and can meet the needs of many people with varying body types and levels of strength.

The circular, spiraling and undulating movements that characterize the method help to increase the functional capacity of the spine, contributing to a sperical and three-dimensional awareness, resulting in increased equilibrium.

All of the above information was taken from www.gyrotonic.com. More information is available.

What people at the studio are saying is that it just makes them feel good to really move. I couldn’t agree more.

Gyrotonic introductory rates continue!

Total Body Wellness in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque added GYROTONIC® to it’s offerings in March. Many of you have taken advantage of our introductory special of 6 sessions for $210.00 or a single for $40.00. This great price on GYROTONIC® is more than half of what the regular price will be. Pricing this way is a benefit to all of us. Ivy and Jeanette must each have a total of 60 teaching hours by the end of June to complete their teacher training and by allowing us to train you at a lower price you are helping us to get those hours in. So thank you. We are continuing this special introductory GYROTONIC® pricing through May 30.

The training for GYROTONIC® is very different in many ways than Pilates. Julio Horvath the creator of this method is very specific in how he wants things done. Every movement is choreographed right down to the teachers guidance. Very helpful and sometimes slow. Yes it may begin slow but as soon as you are through about the 6th lesson, more movements are added on and before you know it you are spiralling and flowing along beautifully. Well worth those first few slow progressions.

Joseph Pilates on the other hand, though also very specific about how he wanted things done did not realize how mainstream Pilates might become and did not write down specific directions on how it should be taught. Many of us are still teaching classic Pilates but their are so many different schools of thought.

Anyway, I would highly recommend trying GYROTONIC® you just might love it.

3 year anniversary in Los Ranchos

April 4th, 2008 marked three years in Los Ranchos. In July Total Body Wellness will be 5 years old. I started out going to peoples houses and then brought them to my house and then to a really small space. That space grew after a little more than a year and now as of last August, I believe we are finally home. I am as big as I want to be. And our space is beautiful. This year we have added Gyrotonic to the mix complete with a giant Gyrotonic Expansion System “The Cobra”.
Jordan has left to have a baby and will be gone for good because of time but we will miss her very much. Ivy will be having a baby in August and I imagine that she will be gone for a couple of months. Life goes on at Total Body Wellness. It has been tough making the move to a larger space but I am so grateful to all my consistent clients who keep coming back and for my husband for all his love and support and for my parents endless help and especially to God who is with me through it all and who always keeps challenging me to be a good person all the while bringing me such joy on a regular basis.
I am going to try blogging more on a regular basis. I always want to but think it is “too hard” to be technically savvy. All I had to do was look at some old emails from Jordan with directions on how to use it. Not so tough really.
Anyway, thanks for reading and feel free to write something yourself.

Please join us at our Open House!

We will be having an open house on May 2, 2007 to celebrate 2 years in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. It will take place from 6:30-8:30 pm. Come and have some food, drinks and view videos of Joseph Pilates himself.

You can RESET our body, lose weight and feel great!

The epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes is the result of millions of people who are slowly entering the progression toward the metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. This fact becomes crucial in our approach to slowing down and even reversing both the increasing incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

After years and years of abusing your insulin by consuming tremendous amounts of high-glycemic carbohydrates day in and day out, you too are most likely becoming resistant to your insulin. A calorie is no longer a calorie because the tracks of this glucose train have been switched and your body is not functioning properly. If you don’t learn how to switch the tracks back, you simply will not be able to lose weight even with the most agressive diets. In this state, the body is resistant to almost any weight loss program.

The only answer to this dilemma is a program designed to reverse insulin resistance and allow you to successfully “flip the switch back again. ” You need to focus on exacly wht you can do to prevent or reverse this underlying insulin resistance and allow you to not only prevent becoming diabetic but also allow you to lose weight permanently.

The Healthy for Life program created by Dr. Ray Strand is a great way to improve your eating habits and RESET your body. Healthy for Life is not a diet, it is a way of life. Dr Strand recommends using USANA products and along with that, you will learn how to make low-glycemic choices for all your other foods. The entire program as well as some very interesting and useful information is outlined in his book RELEASING FAT which is available in the mini-shop.

Also available if desired are personal check in appointments with Jeanette, certified by the American Council on Exersise as a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant.

Changes in your eating are just the beginning. An active lifestyle is also a must. Pilates, Yoga, NIA, walking, running what ever you love. Just get offurbutt and have an exergasm everyday!

High Glycemic Index diets increase the risk of chronic degenerative disease

Glycemic index (G) is a measure of the rate that the carbohydrates in a food or meal are digested and appear in the blood as glucose (sugar). Glycemic load is a way of measuring the total carbohydrates in a meal or diet with a mathematical adjustment for GI. These measurements can be used to simultaneously describe the quality (glycemic index) and quantity of carbohydrate in a meal or diet.

Recent data suggest that the sudden rise in blood sugar associated with a high glycemic load may increase free radical production and the risk of oxidative damage. This increased production has been implicated im many disease processes including chronic heart disease, accelerated aging, and type 2 diabetes.

Investigators from several leading US institutions recently investigated whether a diet with a high GI or GL is associated with greater oxidative stress by taking specific measurements in nearly 300 healthy adults.

Participants with a higher GI and GL diet were found to exhibit increases in oxidative stress when compared to those eating a diet lower in glycemic index and load.

Researchers concluded that chronic consuption of high-GI foods may lead to chronically high oxidative stress, increasing the risk for several degenerative diseases. A low-GI diet, not a low carbohydrate diet, appears to be beneficial in reducing oxidative stress.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84 No. 1, 70-76, July 2006

My belief is that a low glycemic diet is not only good for those who are diabetic or on the verge of diabetes, but it is an easy way to control our weight. - Jeanette

Recommended Book - Releasing Fat by Dr Ray Strand - This book speaks on the glycemic index and how it can work for you. - availble for purchase at the studio.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

There is never a better time than the present to make changes in your lifestyle that will improve your overall fitness and health.

I encourage you to start a fitness program that you enjoy. If you are consistent, I guarantee that you will see and feel results. Remember though that exercise alone won’t do it. You must eat healthy, drink water and balance your life between work and play. Slow down and enjoy your life. Enjoy your family and enjoy who you are and what you are contributing. Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Welcome to my new website!

Hello visitors,
Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you will come back again and again. I plan on writing interesting facts on exercise, nutrition and overall health and I invite you to join in the discussions.
Again thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you soon!
Jeanette