Our last mat class was somewhat like doing Pilates on crack - Not that I'd know....but it felt like that. Each week we were able to present a new "toy" to enhance your workout and we tried to integrate every one in an hour which was quite a challenge. I will do my best to break it down and please note it isn't in order of movement, but in order of accessory used.
Ball:
bounces
jumping jacks
pelvic circles
1/2 curls
bridges w/straight legs
bridge stabilizer with 1 leg up
leg presses single/double with feet on ball
Magic circle:
squeeze between knees in and out
bridge and squeeze
knee folds
double leg stretch
arm pulses
Theraband:
curls w/band behind head
100's
roll backs w/arm pulses
triceps
biceps
Fit Loop:
Placed at ankles and we walked around the room like penguins
Side leg lifts and circles
Overball:
behind head for support in ab series
squeeze between knees and roll back
under spine - lower and lift legs
swan
Roller:
roll side to side
pec stretches
neck stretches
arm circles
chicken wings
single knee folds for balance
roll at shoulders by shifting roller horizontally
That is the best I can remember!
Nutrition recap:
We all brought delicious food and Alice asked us to take a moment and survey the table we set. We were asked to think about what we wanted and to choose one item to put on our plates. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and then take the first bite. Pay attention to the taste and continue to keep your eyes closed. Once the bite is fully chewed, open your eyes.
Mindful eating can help keep us from over indulging. Set your fork down between bites. Breathe.
We talked about what we gained from our experience over the 8 weeks and each of you had something beautiful to say so thank you again.
Your challenge for the final week will be to eat something green every day. Good luck!
In-8 Week 7 Pilates/Week 6 Nutrition Recap
Pilates:
We added weights to our mat workout. Everyone used 2lb weights with the exception of Dionne. I recommend lighter weights to most people unless they are using weights at their gym, home practice or with a trainer and are strong enough to not use their necks or overuse their upper trapezius muscles. Keep in mind we were using these for props and not necessarily to build up muscles (this is just a bonus)
Start standing against a wall with your feet slightly forward of your body. Roll down one vertebrae at a time and let the weights assist in carrying your upper body lower. Initially you can just roll down and hang out and then come back up, but I want you to try to contract your bodies back against the wall to create additional resistance as you lower down. The idea is that you are "opening" up your back and stretching it in this contraction.
With back against wall, raise arms to shoulder height using the scapulae as your reference point and then lower. Pressing your shoulders back against the wall will assist you in keeping your pecs disengaged and will help you find your serratus and lats.
Sit with legs straight ahead of you on floor, arms with weights at the height of your shoulders. Roll back to where your stomach can support your back comfortably and then maintain this position as your arms "row" back towards you. You will open your elbows wide to the sides and then press the arms back out 5x and then sit back up.
Roll back again with arms at shoulder height, stabilize and lift 1 leg at a time
On back with knees bent, arms to ceiling do your rib cage arms. You will "float" your arms over your head and back while anchoring your ribs and upper abs and with the weights feel a deeper connection of the arms moving from your back
Bring knees up to chest and do your knee folds with the weighted arms. You can make this movement more challenging by adding ribcage arms to the equation.
Leg stirs/circles with opposing arms. We discussed the idea of cross patterning which essentially is a motor skill which fires both sides of the brain and assists with balance. Lift your right arm to the ceiling and left leg as well, circle your arm the opposite direction your leg is circling 5x and then reverse.
Sit up and find a balance point on your coccyx. Hold arm weights directly in front of you, but keep your shoulders retracted into your back
Rolling with weights - inhale back, exhale up x10. Weights can make your stomach work harder, but also help get you up.
Rotator cuff - lying on side with knees bent, elbow at hip bone and weight in hand. Keep elbow stable as you lift arm slowly and lower back
Straighten legs and reach arm with weight to ceiling, lower arm and lift top leg and return x10 (like a half jumping jack)
Still lying on side, swing arm forward and leg back and then switch x10
Double leg stretch - on back, weights to the ceiling, knees to the chest. Inhale as you extend the arms back and legs out, exhale as you come back to center. head up or down depending on weight and neck strength.
Stabilize shoulders again with arms to ceiling, knees bent at 90 degree angle. Tip your body over to one side without losing shoulder stability then use your obliques to assist in coming back to center.
Weight work can make your neck muscles and upper back muscles tight so we used tennis balls to release and massage our backs. Place the ball under your shoulder blade. if it doesn't hurt you aren't in the right place and will need to adjust the ball until you feel it. Reach your arm to the sky and make tiny circles. Next reach across your body and then open back up. Do a 1/2 chicken wing by opening up your arm and bending at the elbow.
Niceties over - stand up with weights in hands by sides. Lean over laterally and reach your hands towards your feet without twisting your upper back or hips. Slowly come up and lean the other way. Challenge yourself by doing sets of 2, 4, 6, etc....
Back to the wall for another set of roll down stretches.
Pec stretch on wall - stand against wall with arm directly to side, fingers spread, shoulder at wall and turn away from your arm as you hold and breathe.
Side stretch - stand arms distance away from wall with fingers on wall and stretch over to wall and then away.
Nutrition Class:
Special Guest Speaker Savra (spell?) spoke about Raw food
What is raw food?
- Food that isn't cooked or heated above 100 degrees
- Plant based, fruits, veggies, raw nuts and seeds, seaweeds, fermented foods, dried fruits, some grains
Raw food is eaten as they are like salads. You can soak or sprout nuts and seeds, make dehydrated crackers from nuts and grains.
Why?
- Gives energy
- Is fresh, pure, alive and is quickest way for energy to get into your body
- "whole foods"
- tastes good, quality is higher
Benefits include: clear skin, brighter eyes, can help weight loss, increase energy, skin softer, body odors eliminated, emotional and physical clearing
Foods contain a high amount of enzymes and minerals which are essential for our bodily functions. These enzymes diminish when food is cooked and we need these enzymes for digestion. The more enzymes your body gets, you have more energy because you aren't working as hard to detox. More live food helps replenish cells.
If you take digestive enzymes, use ones that are plant based and close to whole food.
How to add raw foods into your diet:
- In the morning try fruit before you eat anything else or instead of your normal breakfast eat fruits and nuts for fat.
- Try to make a smoothie with fruits, flax seed oil, can add greens.
- Salads - make them simple and use what you like. Add a few nuts and use oily dressings.
- try some dehydrated crackers or breads
Homework:
2 Raw foods a day, bonus points for 4
We added weights to our mat workout. Everyone used 2lb weights with the exception of Dionne. I recommend lighter weights to most people unless they are using weights at their gym, home practice or with a trainer and are strong enough to not use their necks or overuse their upper trapezius muscles. Keep in mind we were using these for props and not necessarily to build up muscles (this is just a bonus)
Start standing against a wall with your feet slightly forward of your body. Roll down one vertebrae at a time and let the weights assist in carrying your upper body lower. Initially you can just roll down and hang out and then come back up, but I want you to try to contract your bodies back against the wall to create additional resistance as you lower down. The idea is that you are "opening" up your back and stretching it in this contraction.
With back against wall, raise arms to shoulder height using the scapulae as your reference point and then lower. Pressing your shoulders back against the wall will assist you in keeping your pecs disengaged and will help you find your serratus and lats.
Sit with legs straight ahead of you on floor, arms with weights at the height of your shoulders. Roll back to where your stomach can support your back comfortably and then maintain this position as your arms "row" back towards you. You will open your elbows wide to the sides and then press the arms back out 5x and then sit back up.
Roll back again with arms at shoulder height, stabilize and lift 1 leg at a time
On back with knees bent, arms to ceiling do your rib cage arms. You will "float" your arms over your head and back while anchoring your ribs and upper abs and with the weights feel a deeper connection of the arms moving from your back
Bring knees up to chest and do your knee folds with the weighted arms. You can make this movement more challenging by adding ribcage arms to the equation.
Leg stirs/circles with opposing arms. We discussed the idea of cross patterning which essentially is a motor skill which fires both sides of the brain and assists with balance. Lift your right arm to the ceiling and left leg as well, circle your arm the opposite direction your leg is circling 5x and then reverse.
Sit up and find a balance point on your coccyx. Hold arm weights directly in front of you, but keep your shoulders retracted into your back
Rolling with weights - inhale back, exhale up x10. Weights can make your stomach work harder, but also help get you up.
Rotator cuff - lying on side with knees bent, elbow at hip bone and weight in hand. Keep elbow stable as you lift arm slowly and lower back
Straighten legs and reach arm with weight to ceiling, lower arm and lift top leg and return x10 (like a half jumping jack)
Still lying on side, swing arm forward and leg back and then switch x10
Double leg stretch - on back, weights to the ceiling, knees to the chest. Inhale as you extend the arms back and legs out, exhale as you come back to center. head up or down depending on weight and neck strength.
Stabilize shoulders again with arms to ceiling, knees bent at 90 degree angle. Tip your body over to one side without losing shoulder stability then use your obliques to assist in coming back to center.
Weight work can make your neck muscles and upper back muscles tight so we used tennis balls to release and massage our backs. Place the ball under your shoulder blade. if it doesn't hurt you aren't in the right place and will need to adjust the ball until you feel it. Reach your arm to the sky and make tiny circles. Next reach across your body and then open back up. Do a 1/2 chicken wing by opening up your arm and bending at the elbow.
Niceties over - stand up with weights in hands by sides. Lean over laterally and reach your hands towards your feet without twisting your upper back or hips. Slowly come up and lean the other way. Challenge yourself by doing sets of 2, 4, 6, etc....
Back to the wall for another set of roll down stretches.
Pec stretch on wall - stand against wall with arm directly to side, fingers spread, shoulder at wall and turn away from your arm as you hold and breathe.
Side stretch - stand arms distance away from wall with fingers on wall and stretch over to wall and then away.
Nutrition Class:
Special Guest Speaker Savra (spell?) spoke about Raw food
What is raw food?
- Food that isn't cooked or heated above 100 degrees
- Plant based, fruits, veggies, raw nuts and seeds, seaweeds, fermented foods, dried fruits, some grains
Raw food is eaten as they are like salads. You can soak or sprout nuts and seeds, make dehydrated crackers from nuts and grains.
Why?
- Gives energy
- Is fresh, pure, alive and is quickest way for energy to get into your body
- "whole foods"
- tastes good, quality is higher
Benefits include: clear skin, brighter eyes, can help weight loss, increase energy, skin softer, body odors eliminated, emotional and physical clearing
Foods contain a high amount of enzymes and minerals which are essential for our bodily functions. These enzymes diminish when food is cooked and we need these enzymes for digestion. The more enzymes your body gets, you have more energy because you aren't working as hard to detox. More live food helps replenish cells.
If you take digestive enzymes, use ones that are plant based and close to whole food.
How to add raw foods into your diet:
- In the morning try fruit before you eat anything else or instead of your normal breakfast eat fruits and nuts for fat.
- Try to make a smoothie with fruits, flax seed oil, can add greens.
- Salads - make them simple and use what you like. Add a few nuts and use oily dressings.
- try some dehydrated crackers or breads
Homework:
2 Raw foods a day, bonus points for 4
In-8 Week 6 Recap
Foam Roller Workout;
Foam rollers are a great tool to use for a variety of reasons:
1. They are an unstable surface which forces your body to recruit muscles which don't typically do too much work and allows the overworked muscles to take a break.
2. Rollers are great for stretching your arms, back and legs
3. It is like having a cheap massage therapist at your fingertips
4. Cost is only $25/roller and can be purchased through optp.com, pilates.com, some sporting goods stores carry them as well.
Exercises on the foam roller:
On your back with the roller running from top of head to base of tailbone:
- Roll side to side
- As you roll right, turn your head away and switch as you go left for neck release
- Arms to ceiling and as you roll side to side reach your fingertips to ceiling as your shoulder blades lift off the roller
- circle arms 10x each direction
- chicken wings - arms overhead, place back of hands as close to floor as you can as you bend your elbows and pull them towards your back pockets (this is a great pec stretch)
- knee folds single and double
- try to balance by first lifting left arm up and right foot off floor then switch
- do the same thing with both arms and one foot off floor
- upper back curls
- hundreds breath, but don't pulse arms
- single leg stretch with head down or up and don't use arms
- double leg stretch without arms
- Shift off the roller and turn it horizontally. Place roller at your bra line and support your neck with your hands. Lift your hips up off floor and roll up towards neck and back down to bra line.
- Place roller under the arches of your feet and do your bridges
- Stretch hamstrings
- Lift back up to bridge and roll the roller away a few inches and back in
- In bridge, take one leg off and reach toes to ceiling
- On stomach, place heel of hands on roller and send your shoulders down your back as you roll the roller towards you and lift your chest off the floor for your Swan
- lie on your side and place the roller under your ankles. your legs will be stacked on top of each other. bend your elbow right under your shoulder and reach your top arm towards your feet. press your elbow into the mat and your legs into the roller and lift your body off the ground into a side plank - only do 3 since this is tough on the shoulders, lats, obliques, serratus
- Roller is horizontal and placed under the small of your back and your legs are up to the ceiling
- lower one leg towards the floor and keep the other one up to the ceiling and then switch. You can add a pulse. Pay attention to your leg tracking straight down the midline of your body
- open both legs wide and then rotate one leg towards your face and the other one towards the floor then reverse (helicopter)
- bicycle your legs 5x each direction. Try touching your toe to the mat, reach out and bring the leg back up
-Roller is again horizontal only this time you are on the side of your leg close to the hip on top of it. Slowly massage down your leg. This will hurt like no one's business, but it releases your iliotibial band and helps with knee and low back problems
- on stomach with roller at top of thighs. Roll forward and back at least 10x with legs together, turned out and then wide open
In the end you will feel great!
Nutrition recap -
We discussed proteins and fats and Alice reminded us to use fats mindfully. Good fats include but are not limited to:
avocado
nuts
beans (fat + protein)
Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Hot pepper sesame oil (spicy), Flax Seed Oil
Safflower and Sunflower oils are good for cooking
Avoid Mazzola oils and Crisco
Butter - use good quality, organic
Ghee as a butter substitute
Nut butters - peanut, almond
Cheese, Yogurt - pay attention because too much dairy can cause mucous
More fermented cheeses are easier to digest
Also note if you are using organic or not because animals who are fed hormones can affect your hormones.
If using salad dressings, check labels since sugar is often hidden. Alice recommended Annie's Goddess dressing.
Proteins :
in addition to meats, we talked about Salmon being protein and good fat
Soy products:
edamame is good
Tofu is highly processes
Tempeh is better - more fermented than tofu, builds intestinal flora
Soy has a lot of estrogen
Alice went on to make some suggestions for how to integrate what we have learned so far. Examples included:
Cook your grains in advance
Saute carrots, onions, mushrooms and add leftover rice
Make soup in advance
Breakfast porridge can be made from grains
Millet - can be cooked like rice and used as b-fast porridge
Whole Grain instant cereals are great to have on hand like oat bran or cream of whole wheat
Buy already chopped veggies
Boxed soups
Frozen Veggies are good emergency food (birdseye brand was recommended)
Hard boil eggs
Bake your sweet and root vegetables in advance
We discussed the cleanse at Fruition and what cleanses are
Canned beans - saute and put in tortilla
Raw Salads - shred veggies like cabbage, bok choy, carrots, broccoli slaw
Dressings can be made with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar
Try umeboshi vinegar
Foam rollers are a great tool to use for a variety of reasons:
1. They are an unstable surface which forces your body to recruit muscles which don't typically do too much work and allows the overworked muscles to take a break.
2. Rollers are great for stretching your arms, back and legs
3. It is like having a cheap massage therapist at your fingertips
4. Cost is only $25/roller and can be purchased through optp.com, pilates.com, some sporting goods stores carry them as well.
Exercises on the foam roller:
On your back with the roller running from top of head to base of tailbone:
- Roll side to side
- As you roll right, turn your head away and switch as you go left for neck release
- Arms to ceiling and as you roll side to side reach your fingertips to ceiling as your shoulder blades lift off the roller
- circle arms 10x each direction
- chicken wings - arms overhead, place back of hands as close to floor as you can as you bend your elbows and pull them towards your back pockets (this is a great pec stretch)
- knee folds single and double
- try to balance by first lifting left arm up and right foot off floor then switch
- do the same thing with both arms and one foot off floor
- upper back curls
- hundreds breath, but don't pulse arms
- single leg stretch with head down or up and don't use arms
- double leg stretch without arms
- Shift off the roller and turn it horizontally. Place roller at your bra line and support your neck with your hands. Lift your hips up off floor and roll up towards neck and back down to bra line.
- Place roller under the arches of your feet and do your bridges
- Stretch hamstrings
- Lift back up to bridge and roll the roller away a few inches and back in
- In bridge, take one leg off and reach toes to ceiling
- On stomach, place heel of hands on roller and send your shoulders down your back as you roll the roller towards you and lift your chest off the floor for your Swan
- lie on your side and place the roller under your ankles. your legs will be stacked on top of each other. bend your elbow right under your shoulder and reach your top arm towards your feet. press your elbow into the mat and your legs into the roller and lift your body off the ground into a side plank - only do 3 since this is tough on the shoulders, lats, obliques, serratus
- Roller is horizontal and placed under the small of your back and your legs are up to the ceiling
- lower one leg towards the floor and keep the other one up to the ceiling and then switch. You can add a pulse. Pay attention to your leg tracking straight down the midline of your body
- open both legs wide and then rotate one leg towards your face and the other one towards the floor then reverse (helicopter)
- bicycle your legs 5x each direction. Try touching your toe to the mat, reach out and bring the leg back up
-Roller is again horizontal only this time you are on the side of your leg close to the hip on top of it. Slowly massage down your leg. This will hurt like no one's business, but it releases your iliotibial band and helps with knee and low back problems
- on stomach with roller at top of thighs. Roll forward and back at least 10x with legs together, turned out and then wide open
In the end you will feel great!
Nutrition recap -
We discussed proteins and fats and Alice reminded us to use fats mindfully. Good fats include but are not limited to:
avocado
nuts
beans (fat + protein)
Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Hot pepper sesame oil (spicy), Flax Seed Oil
Safflower and Sunflower oils are good for cooking
Avoid Mazzola oils and Crisco
Butter - use good quality, organic
Ghee as a butter substitute
Nut butters - peanut, almond
Cheese, Yogurt - pay attention because too much dairy can cause mucous
More fermented cheeses are easier to digest
Also note if you are using organic or not because animals who are fed hormones can affect your hormones.
If using salad dressings, check labels since sugar is often hidden. Alice recommended Annie's Goddess dressing.
Proteins :
in addition to meats, we talked about Salmon being protein and good fat
Soy products:
edamame is good
Tofu is highly processes
Tempeh is better - more fermented than tofu, builds intestinal flora
Soy has a lot of estrogen
Alice went on to make some suggestions for how to integrate what we have learned so far. Examples included:
Cook your grains in advance
Saute carrots, onions, mushrooms and add leftover rice
Make soup in advance
Breakfast porridge can be made from grains
Millet - can be cooked like rice and used as b-fast porridge
Whole Grain instant cereals are great to have on hand like oat bran or cream of whole wheat
Buy already chopped veggies
Boxed soups
Frozen Veggies are good emergency food (birdseye brand was recommended)
Hard boil eggs
Bake your sweet and root vegetables in advance
We discussed the cleanse at Fruition and what cleanses are
Canned beans - saute and put in tortilla
Raw Salads - shred veggies like cabbage, bok choy, carrots, broccoli slaw
Dressings can be made with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar
Try umeboshi vinegar
In-8 Week 5 Recap
For those of you who missed class Monday (which was everyone except for Dionne & Lori) your inner thighs and abs will be bummed! Katie and I ganged up on those two and make them do a "Magic Circle" workout. The magic circle is often referred to as a "ring of torture" or as Lori put it "that Suzanne Sommers thing the thigh master." Whatever you want to call it, we call it good old fashioned fun! Here is what we did and it all was with the magic circle which by the way can be purchased on the cheap through Target or at any sporting goods shop.
Squeezes with circle at knees, pelvis remains neutral
Upper back curls while squeezing circle (helps engage pelvic floor)
Upper back curls with a twist still squeezing circle
Bridges with circle at knees
100's with circle at either ankles or knees
Roll-ups (new this week) with circle between heel of hands
Hamstring Stretch w/leg in circle
1/2 curl up with one leg in circle (tricky!)
Rolling with Circle at hands and then between ankles
Single leg stretch with arms holding circle overhead
Double leg stretch w/circle at ankles or between hands
Side kicks with circle between legs
Arm exercises standing:
circle in front of body then squeeze 10 times; lift to head and squeeze 10 and lower and squeeze 10
circle resting on hip, arm presses circle into body
circle resting on butt, arm presses with a slighly bent elbow
Circle at forehead and press in with one hand to strengthen neck extensors (weird looking and feeling)
Legs standing
circle between ankles stand in a narrow stance
lift and lower heels and try to balance
shift weight to one leg and pulse in and out then switch weight to other side
on back again and use circle to stretch legs again
Squeezes with circle at knees, pelvis remains neutral
Upper back curls while squeezing circle (helps engage pelvic floor)
Upper back curls with a twist still squeezing circle
Bridges with circle at knees
100's with circle at either ankles or knees
Roll-ups (new this week) with circle between heel of hands
Hamstring Stretch w/leg in circle
1/2 curl up with one leg in circle (tricky!)
Rolling with Circle at hands and then between ankles
Single leg stretch with arms holding circle overhead
Double leg stretch w/circle at ankles or between hands
Side kicks with circle between legs
Arm exercises standing:
circle in front of body then squeeze 10 times; lift to head and squeeze 10 and lower and squeeze 10
circle resting on hip, arm presses circle into body
circle resting on butt, arm presses with a slighly bent elbow
Circle at forehead and press in with one hand to strengthen neck extensors (weird looking and feeling)
Legs standing
circle between ankles stand in a narrow stance
lift and lower heels and try to balance
shift weight to one leg and pulse in and out then switch weight to other side
on back again and use circle to stretch legs again
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