In 8 Workshop Week 1 Recap

We covered a lot of ground in one week and want to keep the information fresh for you. Starting with Pilates, here is what we did:

Pilates Mat Work:

Breathing - relax, imprint your spine onto your mat, feel the bony landmarks
Coccyx Curls - begin articulating your spine from the very base
Bridges - low, keeping ribs on mat, feeling hamstring stability
Neck Curl - a proper sit up where your spine stays neutral (no tucking)
Single Knee Folds - in neutral, lift one foot off the floor and stabilize your pelvis
Double Knee Folds - more challenging to stay neutral, small range of movement
Double Knee with Head Up - adds a level of difficulty, can hold your head w/hands
100's Modified - arms pump up down, knees at 90 degree angle, inhale/exhale 10
Knee Stirs - circle knees in socket from the joint to release hip flexors
Seated 1/2 curls - sitting up you curl your spine back and hold a C-curve
Balance - roll back to the "meaty" part of your butt and lift feet off mat, hold legs from deep belly muscles not hip flexors
Rolling - from the balance, roll back to small of back and up with a complete inhale and exhale - maintain the C-curve so you actually roll
Single Leg Stretch - on your back, head curls up and you extend the right leg out while holding your left knee and then switch while you inhale 2 legs and exhale 2 legs. Keep legs at an angle which is comfortable for your back.
Double Leg Stretch - both legs extend up and away from the midline of the body and your arms simultaneously go behind your body. Exhale and pull back into the center. Again, watch the angle of your legs and support your neck if necessary.
Spine Stretch - sit up with legs in a small V and reach for your toes while contracting your low belly muscles away from your feet - don't hunch upper body forward
Modified Corkscrew - legs bent and up in the air. Make a circle on your sacrum as the legs swing right around and center and then left back to center. Limit range of movement to what is appropriate for your spine.
Modified Swan - on stomach with arms at sides, fingers reaching to heels, exhale and anchor the pubic bone into the mat as you lift your upper back and arms off the mat
Side Kicks - on your side, lift and lower the top leg while extending the feet past each other and then small swings forward and back without shifting your spine forward and back.

I know that is a lot of information so sit with it and we will re-visit on Monday.

Nutritional Counseling Session:

We discussed changing our relationship to food.
Overview points to think about:
You are what you eat
What you put inside your body becomes you because it goes into your blood
Your Body is smarter than your mind - physiological and psychological responses to food
What effects does food have on your body?
Primary food is fulfillment, Secondary food is what you eat

WHOLE GRAINS:

Simple Carbs - white flour, white rice, pizza, pasta. These are addictive which becomes psychological. These process in fat cells like sugar.

Complex Carbs - these raise your blood sugar slower and keep it steady.

Note that neither one of these is bad.

Alice recommended the following book whose title has changed:
"Potatoes not Prozac" or "Sugar Addicts"

Homework was given to try one new complex carb. Examples were passed around such as Soba noodles, 4 grain plus flax cereal, trail mix with tamari almonds, cranberries sweetened with apple juice and raw pumpkin seeds, goji berries.

No comments: