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
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
In-8 Week 4 recap
Pilates Class on Monday Recap
We spent the entire class on the physio balls. The balls we used were 65 cm in case anyone is interested in buying one for their homes. 65cm tends to be the best size for most people (even if you are short like me!)
Seated on ball:
Bounce up and down (remember to not let the ball feel your weight - like sitting on someones lap)
Continue to bounce and add in arms - lift and lower, side and down
Jumping jacks on ball
Slow down your bounces and come to a still position
Coccyx curls - don't lose height or compress low back
Hip Circles - right and left
Crunches - ball at bra line and tailbone is anchored down (like 1/2 curls on mat)
1/2 curl with a knee fold - tricky! one side of your body is trying like mad to stabilize you and the ball needs to stay still.
On backs on the mat:
Bridges - knees over ball, straight legs with heels on ball
Single leg balance - in bridge, take one leg off ball and hold then switch legs
100's - ball in between ankles, legs in air
1/2 curls with ball resting on stomach; roll ball up to knees as you curl upper body off mat - keep tailbone pointing towards heels - no tucking
Knee folds - from the 1/2 curl keep your head up, arms straight and ball at knees. Feet lift off mat and lower and lift the legs with ball staying put at knees.
Double leg stretch - ball between ankles - extend legs away from center and pull back in - range can be small if you aren't strong enough to support low back.
Rolling/Balance - hold ball in air and find your balance point on your tailbone - roll back and up each time trying to balance
Spine stretch - sit with legs mat width apart and roll the ball forward as you stretch your back and your hamstrings
Swan - on stomach over the ball, legs hips width apart - anchor your pubic bone and rest your arms to the sides of the ball as you lift your chest slightly off the ball
Kneeling Side Kicks - kneeling with one leg straight out to side and knee closest to the ball is bent - wrap your arm over the ball and press your hips laterally into it as you lift and lower and then circle the straight leg
(modification - try standing with ball against wall, hips pressing into ball and lift outside leg)
Standing with ball on wall, backs on ball
roll down to stretch pressing back/butt into ball
Squats - only go as low as you are comfortable
Plank - kneel in front of ball and place elbows on top - lift body off mat and press ball away until your legs are straight and you are holding your abs to steady yourself. Lower after a few breaths and repeat 2-3 more times.
Arch over ball to get a big back stretch then sit up again and finish with the bouncing you did at the beginning of the workout.
Nutritional Counseling:
We did finally get to talk about greens and green vegetables, but first Alice talked with us about our negative speak when it came to our food preparations. For example - Sonia said she was too lazy to cook and Alice said "You have a full time job, live in a city and lead a busy life. That is not lazy. Lazy is lying on a couch all day. You just haven't developed the 'self-care' skill to make the food which is appropriate for you."
Another discussion ensued about stress eating and again wise Alice proclaimed "we don't have to eat over our stress/feelings." She brought to our attention the idea that maybe we are missing something else in our primary foods. During this discussion, Sarah coined the term "sugar tooth" to describe her recent activities in the sweets department.
A shopping list was passed out as was a list of "amazing greens"
In oriental medicine, green is related to the liver,emotional stability and creativity
"Bitter" is the flavor associated with the liver based on the 5 element theory of fire, water, earth, air and metal. Alice explained that each organ system is associated with a flavor such as sweet, bitter, pungent, salty and sour.
Women tend to lack in minerals and dark, leafy greens contain a lot of minerals.
Greens also contain phytochemicals which boost our immune systems and help fight disease.
Fermented foods help build intestinal flora.
The handout really says it all so if this recap seems lean, I apologize. Don't forget to pick one up next week. Our homework was to try a new green and here are some suggestions:
Kale
Collard Greens
Dandelion
Spinach
Arugula
Endive
Watercress
Bok Choy
Most of these can be blanched, boiled or sauteed. Recipes were included in another handout.
We spent the entire class on the physio balls. The balls we used were 65 cm in case anyone is interested in buying one for their homes. 65cm tends to be the best size for most people (even if you are short like me!)
Seated on ball:
Bounce up and down (remember to not let the ball feel your weight - like sitting on someones lap)
Continue to bounce and add in arms - lift and lower, side and down
Jumping jacks on ball
Slow down your bounces and come to a still position
Coccyx curls - don't lose height or compress low back
Hip Circles - right and left
Crunches - ball at bra line and tailbone is anchored down (like 1/2 curls on mat)
1/2 curl with a knee fold - tricky! one side of your body is trying like mad to stabilize you and the ball needs to stay still.
On backs on the mat:
Bridges - knees over ball, straight legs with heels on ball
Single leg balance - in bridge, take one leg off ball and hold then switch legs
100's - ball in between ankles, legs in air
1/2 curls with ball resting on stomach; roll ball up to knees as you curl upper body off mat - keep tailbone pointing towards heels - no tucking
Knee folds - from the 1/2 curl keep your head up, arms straight and ball at knees. Feet lift off mat and lower and lift the legs with ball staying put at knees.
Double leg stretch - ball between ankles - extend legs away from center and pull back in - range can be small if you aren't strong enough to support low back.
Rolling/Balance - hold ball in air and find your balance point on your tailbone - roll back and up each time trying to balance
Spine stretch - sit with legs mat width apart and roll the ball forward as you stretch your back and your hamstrings
Swan - on stomach over the ball, legs hips width apart - anchor your pubic bone and rest your arms to the sides of the ball as you lift your chest slightly off the ball
Kneeling Side Kicks - kneeling with one leg straight out to side and knee closest to the ball is bent - wrap your arm over the ball and press your hips laterally into it as you lift and lower and then circle the straight leg
(modification - try standing with ball against wall, hips pressing into ball and lift outside leg)
Standing with ball on wall, backs on ball
roll down to stretch pressing back/butt into ball
Squats - only go as low as you are comfortable
Plank - kneel in front of ball and place elbows on top - lift body off mat and press ball away until your legs are straight and you are holding your abs to steady yourself. Lower after a few breaths and repeat 2-3 more times.
Arch over ball to get a big back stretch then sit up again and finish with the bouncing you did at the beginning of the workout.
Nutritional Counseling:
We did finally get to talk about greens and green vegetables, but first Alice talked with us about our negative speak when it came to our food preparations. For example - Sonia said she was too lazy to cook and Alice said "You have a full time job, live in a city and lead a busy life. That is not lazy. Lazy is lying on a couch all day. You just haven't developed the 'self-care' skill to make the food which is appropriate for you."
Another discussion ensued about stress eating and again wise Alice proclaimed "we don't have to eat over our stress/feelings." She brought to our attention the idea that maybe we are missing something else in our primary foods. During this discussion, Sarah coined the term "sugar tooth" to describe her recent activities in the sweets department.
A shopping list was passed out as was a list of "amazing greens"
In oriental medicine, green is related to the liver,emotional stability and creativity
"Bitter" is the flavor associated with the liver based on the 5 element theory of fire, water, earth, air and metal. Alice explained that each organ system is associated with a flavor such as sweet, bitter, pungent, salty and sour.
Women tend to lack in minerals and dark, leafy greens contain a lot of minerals.
Greens also contain phytochemicals which boost our immune systems and help fight disease.
Fermented foods help build intestinal flora.
The handout really says it all so if this recap seems lean, I apologize. Don't forget to pick one up next week. Our homework was to try a new green and here are some suggestions:
Kale
Collard Greens
Dandelion
Spinach
Arugula
Endive
Watercress
Bok Choy
Most of these can be blanched, boiled or sauteed. Recipes were included in another handout.
In-8 Week 3 Recap
This week we used the Thera Band to enhance our mat workout and here is what we did:
Our workout started seated with the band at our feet and we pointed and flexed 10x
On our backs we extended one leg up in the air with the band at the ball of our foot and we gave ourselves a hamstring stretch and then did ankle circles x10
We then sat up and placed the band across our feet and rolled down through our spine and back up again
On our backs, we placed the band behind our heads to support our necks and we did upper back curls which allowed us to really access our abs without engaging our neck muscles.
Double knee folds came next with our upper bodies lifted and supported by the bands
100's with band supporting head and pulsing our arms holding the band
Leg circles - extending our legs out into the band allowed for greater stretch
Rolling - band at balls of feet. This was a big challenge!
Double Leg Stretch - first we did this with the band supporting our heads as both legs extended away from us and then back to center and then we placed the band at our feet and changed the resistance.
Open Leg Rock - harder than rolling since our legs were higher in the air with the band around our feet
Arm Exercises Seated -
We held the band and stretched our arms over our heads to open up our chests
Rotator Cuff - band between hands w/palms up, elbows at sides and press arms open without disengaging the elbows from waist
Arm Exercises Standing
Bicep curls - band under left foot, hold with right hand and reach up with palm facing in
Triceps - one hand behind back at waist, opposite hand holds band by ear with elbow pointing forward, extend band up and out and slowly return
Lunging triceps - one foot forward standing on band (hips stay squared off) and both arms press band back and up
Lunging Bicep - switch feet and pull band forward and up
Side Legs with Fit Loop
Band at ankles lying on our sides - lift and lower top leg then do circles - 10x each
Swan - on stomach, hold band with arms long behind back and pull band out as you extend spine up
NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING SESSION:
What started off as "Greens and Green Vegetables" quickly became "deconstructing your cravings."
Alice explained this as if we aren't getting a balance of tastes and textures, our bodies will find a way to get them.
There are 5 different tastes and here are some examples
Sweet (sugar, fruits)
Salty (salt, nuts)
Sour (grapefruit)
Bitter (arugula, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens)
Pungent (garlic, ginger, radishes)
We discussed how if you deny yourself sweet in your diet, you are more likely to find it in a not so positive manner - i.e. muffins + coffee. Aside from the multitude of side bars and Trader Joe's recommendations we discussed how we push ourselves to the point where our blood sugar drops and we make poor food choices especially when we reach the point of "homicidal hunger" (a Katie term)
Some people lean to the savory more than the sweet and those people find their sugar in other ways like with bread or other processed foods. Alice suggested trying sprouted breads, European sourdough, hemp bread or women's bread. For the coffee/muffin combo the suggestion was made to try Kashi Go Lean cereal with Soy Milk, or toasted bread with cheese, tomato. Instead of PB and Crackers, try PB and Apple.
Our "homework" was to pay attention to the 5 different tastes and see if we are lacking somewhere and how we can integrate them all in. Also we were asked to see how we felt when eating one way and then making subtle changes.
Our workout started seated with the band at our feet and we pointed and flexed 10x
On our backs we extended one leg up in the air with the band at the ball of our foot and we gave ourselves a hamstring stretch and then did ankle circles x10
We then sat up and placed the band across our feet and rolled down through our spine and back up again
On our backs, we placed the band behind our heads to support our necks and we did upper back curls which allowed us to really access our abs without engaging our neck muscles.
Double knee folds came next with our upper bodies lifted and supported by the bands
100's with band supporting head and pulsing our arms holding the band
Leg circles - extending our legs out into the band allowed for greater stretch
Rolling - band at balls of feet. This was a big challenge!
Double Leg Stretch - first we did this with the band supporting our heads as both legs extended away from us and then back to center and then we placed the band at our feet and changed the resistance.
Open Leg Rock - harder than rolling since our legs were higher in the air with the band around our feet
Arm Exercises Seated -
We held the band and stretched our arms over our heads to open up our chests
Rotator Cuff - band between hands w/palms up, elbows at sides and press arms open without disengaging the elbows from waist
Arm Exercises Standing
Bicep curls - band under left foot, hold with right hand and reach up with palm facing in
Triceps - one hand behind back at waist, opposite hand holds band by ear with elbow pointing forward, extend band up and out and slowly return
Lunging triceps - one foot forward standing on band (hips stay squared off) and both arms press band back and up
Lunging Bicep - switch feet and pull band forward and up
Side Legs with Fit Loop
Band at ankles lying on our sides - lift and lower top leg then do circles - 10x each
Swan - on stomach, hold band with arms long behind back and pull band out as you extend spine up
NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING SESSION:
What started off as "Greens and Green Vegetables" quickly became "deconstructing your cravings."
Alice explained this as if we aren't getting a balance of tastes and textures, our bodies will find a way to get them.
There are 5 different tastes and here are some examples
Sweet (sugar, fruits)
Salty (salt, nuts)
Sour (grapefruit)
Bitter (arugula, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens)
Pungent (garlic, ginger, radishes)
We discussed how if you deny yourself sweet in your diet, you are more likely to find it in a not so positive manner - i.e. muffins + coffee. Aside from the multitude of side bars and Trader Joe's recommendations we discussed how we push ourselves to the point where our blood sugar drops and we make poor food choices especially when we reach the point of "homicidal hunger" (a Katie term)
Some people lean to the savory more than the sweet and those people find their sugar in other ways like with bread or other processed foods. Alice suggested trying sprouted breads, European sourdough, hemp bread or women's bread. For the coffee/muffin combo the suggestion was made to try Kashi Go Lean cereal with Soy Milk, or toasted bread with cheese, tomato. Instead of PB and Crackers, try PB and Apple.
Our "homework" was to pay attention to the 5 different tastes and see if we are lacking somewhere and how we can integrate them all in. Also we were asked to see how we felt when eating one way and then making subtle changes.
In -8 week 2 recap
Great work this week! We saw some great changes in your form during your mat work out. I hope everyone stays healthy and does their homework. Here is what we did this go around:
Mat Class:
We incorporated the overball which was used for keeping the neck supported and for assisting with alignment. Some people treated it like a pillow and you know who you are....exercises we accomplished are listed below and the ones in bold were new:
coccyx curl w/ball at knees
bridge w/ball at knees
upper body curl w/ball at chest and then at knees
double knee folds w/ball at knees
100's w/ball under neck
seated curls back with ball at knees
balance w/ball at knees
rolling w/ball at knees
Knee stir/modified leg circle w/ball at opposite ankle
Single leg stretch - ball at head
Double leg stretch - option of ball at head or ankles
Spine stretch - use ball to roll away from center
Corkscrew modified with ball at ankles or knees
Swan using ball under hands for leverage
Swimming kick stabilizing ball w/arms/back
Side kicks w/ball - clam w/ball at ankle, straight legs double leg lift w/ball at ankle, place ball under top knee and lift/lower then circle bottom leg for inner thighs
Our nutritional counseling session was really interesting in that we discussed sweet & root vegetables, but we also got into a discussion about Yin/Yang how it relates to food as well as acidity in our bodies. I hope you can follow my notes!
In the beginning of our session we went over what we had tried during our week and Alice said we should all incorporate good quality fats into our diet as our bodies will streamline these.
Sweet & Root Vegetables include:
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Carrots
Beets
Onions
Parsnips
Daikon Radish (a blood cleanser & fat burner)!
Spaghetti Squash
Delicatta Squash
Butternut Squash
Alice recommended we pick 2-3 of these and either roast them or cook on stove. The oven could be heated to 425 degrees and we can place these veggies which should be cut into small pieces in the oven. Another option would be to saute in olive or sesame oil with a few inches of water for 10-15 minutes.
This would be a high fiber, complex carb snack which would stabilize your blood sugar. When your body gets sweet, it doesn't crave sugar.
Several of the squashes we discussed are shaped like women and have seeds in the middle and help balance hormones.
In Chinese medicine there is a 5 element theory of:
Fire
Water
Metal
Earth
Air
Different organs are associated with each element.
We look at our diet as 5 elements as well:
Whole Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Oils/Proteins
Primary Food (vacation, sleep, family etc.)
At this point we began discussing Yin (of the heavens, expansive) and Yang (of the earth (contracting) and how it relates to our lives and what we eat.
A standard american diet consists of salt which is a contracting mineral (yang). Excess salt contracts the organs. For example, if our livers are contracted we are often angry.
The salt we eat is poor quality. The purpose of salt is minerals. Table salt is just sodium chloride which is void of minerals. Integrate high end salts like sea salts.
Primary foods are both yin and yang.
Living in a city is yang
Living in the country is ying
In the middle is movement, sleep, sexuality, breathing
We lead yang lives and we crave yin like sugar and alcohol which are expansive. Vacation to us is yin. We are also balanced to the extremes. In the morning we want caffeine and sugar and in the evening we want meat and cheese. Where we need to be is in the middle where whole foods such as fruits, grains, beans and tofu exist.
We decided that Fish and Chicken are more Yin and Beef is more Yang.
Eating whole foods cleans out mucous in our intestinal linings. More acidity in blood exacerbates joint pain.
We were given recipes which incorporate sweet and root vegetables as homework.
Mat Class:
We incorporated the overball which was used for keeping the neck supported and for assisting with alignment. Some people treated it like a pillow and you know who you are....exercises we accomplished are listed below and the ones in bold were new:
coccyx curl w/ball at knees
bridge w/ball at knees
upper body curl w/ball at chest and then at knees
double knee folds w/ball at knees
100's w/ball under neck
seated curls back with ball at knees
balance w/ball at knees
rolling w/ball at knees
Knee stir/modified leg circle w/ball at opposite ankle
Single leg stretch - ball at head
Double leg stretch - option of ball at head or ankles
Spine stretch - use ball to roll away from center
Corkscrew modified with ball at ankles or knees
Swan using ball under hands for leverage
Swimming kick stabilizing ball w/arms/back
Side kicks w/ball - clam w/ball at ankle, straight legs double leg lift w/ball at ankle, place ball under top knee and lift/lower then circle bottom leg for inner thighs
Our nutritional counseling session was really interesting in that we discussed sweet & root vegetables, but we also got into a discussion about Yin/Yang how it relates to food as well as acidity in our bodies. I hope you can follow my notes!
In the beginning of our session we went over what we had tried during our week and Alice said we should all incorporate good quality fats into our diet as our bodies will streamline these.
Sweet & Root Vegetables include:
Sweet potatoes
Yams
Carrots
Beets
Onions
Parsnips
Daikon Radish (a blood cleanser & fat burner)!
Spaghetti Squash
Delicatta Squash
Butternut Squash
Alice recommended we pick 2-3 of these and either roast them or cook on stove. The oven could be heated to 425 degrees and we can place these veggies which should be cut into small pieces in the oven. Another option would be to saute in olive or sesame oil with a few inches of water for 10-15 minutes.
This would be a high fiber, complex carb snack which would stabilize your blood sugar. When your body gets sweet, it doesn't crave sugar.
Several of the squashes we discussed are shaped like women and have seeds in the middle and help balance hormones.
In Chinese medicine there is a 5 element theory of:
Fire
Water
Metal
Earth
Air
Different organs are associated with each element.
We look at our diet as 5 elements as well:
Whole Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Oils/Proteins
Primary Food (vacation, sleep, family etc.)
At this point we began discussing Yin (of the heavens, expansive) and Yang (of the earth (contracting) and how it relates to our lives and what we eat.
A standard american diet consists of salt which is a contracting mineral (yang). Excess salt contracts the organs. For example, if our livers are contracted we are often angry.
The salt we eat is poor quality. The purpose of salt is minerals. Table salt is just sodium chloride which is void of minerals. Integrate high end salts like sea salts.
Primary foods are both yin and yang.
Living in a city is yang
Living in the country is ying
In the middle is movement, sleep, sexuality, breathing
We lead yang lives and we crave yin like sugar and alcohol which are expansive. Vacation to us is yin. We are also balanced to the extremes. In the morning we want caffeine and sugar and in the evening we want meat and cheese. Where we need to be is in the middle where whole foods such as fruits, grains, beans and tofu exist.
We decided that Fish and Chicken are more Yin and Beef is more Yang.
Eating whole foods cleans out mucous in our intestinal linings. More acidity in blood exacerbates joint pain.
We were given recipes which incorporate sweet and root vegetables as homework.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)