Sunday, March 18, 2007

8 Ways To Fall In Love With Fitness - pilates

8 Ways To Fall In Love With Fitness - pilates

No, it's not impossible. You can start in longing with liveliness instead of having that dangerous impression every cut you shoelace advancing your sneakers. The prank to falling in concupiscence with fitness is finding something you love to do, and trying new things because you may discover a dormant passion for line dancing, snow shoeing, or even something as exotic as fencing. It's time to uncover your inner athlete and fall in love all over again!Balls, Bosu and Barrels - If you were the kid who was always climbing the monkey bars and ropes at the park, you'll have tons of fun getting fit with these fitness tools. Exercise balls can be used for all kinds of abdominal exercises, a Bosu is a neat device for balance training and core stability exercises, and you can use a small barrel for practicing Pilates - all in the comfort of your own home.

So next time your at the park with your kids, they'll be chasing you on the monkey bars!Square Dancing - This energetic style of dance may look strange to you - but it's great exercise - and great fun! This folk dancing tradition has existed in Canada for hundreds of years and has maintained its popularity as a social activity often deemed "friendship set to music." Now this form of dance is even more popular as people are doh-si-dohing their way to being fit! Don't knock IT before you try it! You may forget you're getting fit because you're having so much fun!Snowshoeing - Snowshoes are thousands of years old, and Native Canadians used to use snowshoes as a form of transport. Only in the last century has snowshoeing become a recreational sport.

Now, Canadians across the country are strapping on their snowshoes and heading for the trails to spend some time outdoors, at one with nature, while boosting cardiovascular fitness and toning their backsides. Today's modern snowshoes are typically lightweight, aluminum frames with fabric decks and strap bindings as opposed to the classic bent-wood frames crisscrossed with rawhide strips. In recent years, many celebrities have talked about the physical benefits of snowshoeing, especially when it comes to toning your glutes and quads.Snowshoes are inexpensive compared to skis and snowboards, and snowshoeing is not a difficult sport, but don't let that fool you into thinking you are not getting a good workout. Using poles, whether specially designed for snowshoeing or made for cross-country skiing, they will help you maintain balance and give your upper body a good workout too, especially when you're doing some intense climbing.

Buddy Up! - It's no secret that having a fitness buddy helps get you going. Let's face it, when your doorbell rings at 6 a.m., you're not going to hide under the covers and ignore your buddy. Or, when your work buddy grabs you for your daily lunchtime power walk, you're less likely to sit at your desk and graze. A workout buddy provides a little extra incentive to get you going, and a little less response time to say no to exercise!Feel Good in Fun Clothes! - Remember the old adage about how when you look good, you feel better? This goes for the gym too. If you buy yourself some fun fitness clothes that you feel good in, you are more likely to have more confidence in yourself and as a result, push yourself harder at the gym. Stores like Winners and The Bay offer great deals on workout clothes that are able to stand up to any fitness test.

Remember, if you look the part, you're more likely to feel the part!Bring the Outdoors Inside - So what if the temperature is way below zero and the wind chill is making you shake like a leaf. Quit lamenting warm days gone by, and bring your beloved outdoor sports indoors. Shed all your layers, and find an indoor rollerblading rink, grab your tennis partner and hit your local tennis club, climb the rock wall at your local YMCA, hit a spinning class, or throw on your bathing suit and swim laps at your local pool. Create your own warmth, and you won't be missing those days any longer. Position Yourself Properly - Sometimes watching others can give you just the boost you need to get going at the gym. Look around you and position yourself next to someone who inspires you and watch yourself take off! You'll soon be running to keep up with them...Take Your Toddler With You- Most mothers never know when they'll be able to squeeze in a little exercise time while running their kids around all day.

Nowadays, many gyms have daycares, but if you don't want to leave your children, you can exercise with them! Of course, you can run around outside all together, play in the snow, and build snowmen. But, if it's too cold, why not try a kid-friendly Pilates video? Most companies which sell Pilates videos have kid-friendly ones too. Your kids will have a blast getting fit with you while trying all those fun exercises!

pilates

Friday, March 16, 2007

Pilates Exercises - Can They Give You The Body You've Always Wanted?

Pilates exercises are a favorite fitness choice for many people including movie stars like Danny Glover and Gweneth Paltrow, professional dancers, and even some professional baseball players. Why this fascination with Pilates? What can it do that other forms of exercise can't?I began doing Pilates several years ago when I was searching for a different look for my body. I had been exercising for many years when I began to experience a level of dissatisfaction with the way my body looked. While I was lean and muscular, my body had a packed, crowded look to it.
The more I used weights, the thicker my muscles looked. In addition, no matter how many crunches and reverse curls I did, I still had this abdominal bulge that would not budge. It drove me crazy. I began to yearn for the body I had as a dancer - trim, strong, with elongated muscles. That's when I stumbled upon Pilates. The people who did Pilates exercises had the long, lean look that I craved. So I began to do Pilates exercises and I have never looked back.What are Pilates exercises all about?They focus on your core. - Pilates focuses on strengthening the core of your body - the deep abdominal muscles and pelvic stabilizers, the back, the butt, and also creating flexibility in the spine. This continual focus on the core has helped me get rid of my belly bulge and also develop 'six pack' abs . They work your entire body as one unit. - Many people ask how Pilates exercises relate to yoga poses. In many instances, the poses overlap. However, while in yoga you often hold a pose, in Pilates you are always moving. In addition, no matter what area of the body you are focusing on, you are still engaging your entire body. For example, if you are doing an exercise for your legs, you simultaneously hold in your abdominal muscles and maintain proper body alignment while executing the movement.

They focus on quality, not quantity. - Pilates exercises are focused on quality, not quantity. With some exercises such as The Saw, you might only do 2 or 3 repetitions. In most cases, you will usually only do 10 repetitions of any given exercise. Yet because you are focused on the quality of each movement, you get a greater benefit from each exercise than with traditional strengthening exercises.Pilates exercises focus on muscle balance and coordination. - Many people who do weight lifting have muscle imbalances. Strong muscles get over trained and weak muscles get more strained. That is because muscles are worked in isolation. With Pilates, you use many muscles at the same time. You also stretch and strengthen muscles during the same exercise. This helps correct imbalances and develops better body alignment. In addition, you learn how to more effectively coordinate movements in your entire body, which will help you as you go about your daily activities.They focus on body awareness. - In Pilates, you are always focused on your body - your alignment, your breathing, the way you are doing your movements. This increased body awareness can help you maintain better posture, it can help you relax muscle tension through proper breathing, and it can help you reduce stress.They are energizing, not exhausting. - With traditional weight lifting programs, your body often feels depleted after you finish your workout. An interesting thing about

Pilates exercises is that after you do them, you feel more energized than before you started. The combination of deep breathing, high quality, low quantity movements, helps your body function better as a whole. The result -- you have more energy to go about your day.I love doing Pilates. I have seen dramatic changes in my body and I exert much less effort than I did when I was using traditional weight training programs. I have significantly strengthened my abdominal and back muscles and I have improved my overall posture. I also look better in a bathing suit. Try doing some of these exercises for yourself. When you do, I'm sure you'll be hooked on them too.