Total Body Wellness

Pilates is definitely a strength building exercise and because those who have weight trained before know that they should take a day off between weight workouts, I often get the question; Can we do Pilates everyday?

The answer is a resounding yes. You most definitely can. Because Pilates focuses on the mind/body integration and lengthening as well as strengthening the muscles, it is a different mind set than weight training. We are not working the muscles to exhaustion (however a challenging Pilates workout can break down muscle and promote stronger muscles ). We are also adding in things like breath, coordination and functional awareness which gives us the ability to vary the workout a bit everyday.

Now you don’t have to do a long Pilates workout everyday either. Joe Pilates actually believed 4 workouts 30 minutes each were just as good as 10 minutes of Pilates a day. Most of us can manage 10 minutes. I personally do about 20 minutes of matwork a day and I think that 20 minutes is pretty easy to get in. I do it in the mornings and if I miss one morning, I feel it right away.

So go ahead do Pilates everyday as long as it is done safely and as long as you are enjoying it. If it becomes a chore then you are definitely overtraining. Have fun!

Filed by Jeanette at 4:29 pm under Pilates
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Did you know that 20 percent of Americans daily calorie intake comes from beverages. That is twice the World Health Organizations recommendation of 10 percent.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutriiton has put together the following guidelines for Healthy Beverages.

Level one (which has the highest value based on caloric and nutrient content, and related health beefits and risks.) is Water - up to nine servings for women and up to 13 for men. 0 calories

Level Two is unsweetened coffee and tea both iced and hot. Up to eight (8 oz)servings a day of tea and up to four servings a day of coffee. 0 calories

Level Three is nonfat or lofat milk and fortified soy beverages. Up to two (8 oz) servings per day. 100 calories per serving

Level Four is diet beverages with sugar substitute. Up to 4 servings. 0 calories.

Level Five is 100% fruit and vegetable juices, whole milk, sports drinks. up to one serving. 115 calories a serving

Level Six is calorie-rich beverages without nutrients. Up to one serving and less if trying to lose weight. 110 + calories.

So with this in mind you might want to cut out the grande mocha drink with extra whip. Stick to water, unsweetened tea and non-fat milk.

Info from ACE FitnessMatters May/June2006

Filed by Jeanette at 7:02 pm under Uncategorized
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Recently I spoke to yet another person who was told by a medical professional to perform a certain exercise to help this person feel better. The exercise looked a little difficult and this persons first instinct was that it probably would not be the exercise for her and that in fact it might be too dificult and probably would not feel so good. However, this person was assured by the medical professional that it would be great and help tremendously.
As suspected the exercise was difficult to do and brought about even greater pain than what was being experienced prior to doing the exercise.

The other day a client came in and told me that she had seen a doctor on TV demonstrate an exercise that everyone should do every day. She demonstrated the exercise and I just couldn’t believe that someone who is a medical professional and watched by millions of viewers would make such a blanket statement. The exercise was pretty basic but many many people should not be doing it at all much less the second they jump out of bed as this Doc prescribed.

Remember that you know your body better than anyone and if something looks funky to you, it probably will be funky to your body. In fact unless you have a fitness professional standing right next to you to help you out with a new exercise, be very very careful. Listen to your instincts, you are most likely right.

And when selecting a fitness professional to help you with your exercise, make sure they are certified by a reputable agency and have experience with your kind of injury or issue. Never be afraid to ask questions. It’s your body and you have to live in it.

Filed by Jeanette at 5:47 pm under Fitness & Training
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I am back from my final GYROTONIC ® training in Miami and I am so excited to teach. Now more than ever do I understand how this work makes you feel. The strength, flexibility and overall feeling of peacefulness that it achieves is unbelievable. I can’t wait to show it to all of you.

Filed by Jeanette at 5:45 pm under Pilates
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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.

Filed by Jeanette at 5:24 pm under Pilates
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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.

Filed by Jeanette at 12:20 pm under GYROTONIC®
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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.

Filed by Jeanette at 4:46 pm under GYROTONIC®
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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.

Filed by Jeanette at 3:38 pm under Uncategorized
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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.

Filed by Jeanette at 5:14 pm under Uncategorized
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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!

Filed by Jeanette at 1:57 pm under Pilates
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