It’s a good time of year to recommit to your goals: With kids in school, summer long gone and some down time before the big November and December holidays, these autumn weeks are an opportunity to invest in yourself. We’re here to help with a new juice cleansing program. Fasting with juice gives your digestive system a rest and allows your body’s natural cleansing system to take over. A juice cleanse can deliver real health benefits. “Not only does fasting rest your overworked gut,” writes Woodson Merrell, M.D. , APOGEE’s integrative health advisor, “but especially if you introduce maximally healthy nutrients (with vegetable juices, probiotics, fiber, etc.) fasts can promote detoxification , reduce inflammation, improve overall health and dramatically increase energy.” A juice fast that includes healthy nutrients also means that you won’t suffer from deprivation. When you drink fresh, natural juices at regular intervals during your day, you will supply your body with easy to assimilate calories so you’re not staggeringly hungry. Even better: A juice cleanse can help sensitize your body to blood sugar, so you may be more in tune with your body’s energy needs after the cleanse. And of course, fresh vegetable and fruit juices supply your body with the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients it needs to clean out and detox while it’s resting from the regular input of big meals. Our Nourish Juice Cleanse , which will be available by Nov. 1, is a line of fresh, hydraulically cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juice combinations. We will provide you with six sealed juices for each day of your cleanse. You can choose from a one-day, three-day or five-day cleanse, or schedule a month of Monday cleanses and pick up a one-day supply of juice on four consecutive Mondays. Of course, like any health tool, you’ll want to approach a cleanse mindfully and with awareness. Here are some tips to make it work for you. – Drink one juice every two hours. Take 15 minutes to finish the entire bottle; swish it around so you can savor the flavor. Mixing it in your mouth also starts the digestive process. Our juices are blended for taste and nutrition, so enjoy each one. – Drink a lot of water. Each day of your cleanse be sure to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water, plain or with lemon, or non-caffeinated herbal tea. This can help lessen side effects such as dizziness, fatigue and even bad breath. – Stay quiet. On your cleanse days, dial back on vigorous exercise, socializing and even media consumption. Focus inward; keep a journal to write down your thoughts—use this time to be more aware. Also, please contact your doctor before you begin so you know if a juice cleanse is good idea for you, with your specific health history. Let your doctor know that juice cleanses can change the way over-the-counter and prescription drugs act in your body; your doctor may want to change your dosage during the fast. There are health conditions, including pregnancy, diabetes and cancer, with which you should not do a juice cleanse–please review the list here .
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Should You Do a Juice Cleanse?
Posted in Florida Pilates 
Tags: Body, change-the-way, consecutive, Goals, nourish juice cleanse, overworked, review-the-list, time, wellness, white plains 
Comments OffPilates Plate
How I keep my Pilates Body other than through exercise I am passionate about cooking! Healthy cooking, of course. I especially love to cook this time of year, peasant style one pot meals. Stews and Soups. So easy to take a recipe and make it your own. Easy to freeze and have a meal in the ready. What a perfect time to share some recipes with you! Just yesterday I made a big pot of Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes You can eat this as a side dish or it’s a meal in itself. Loaded with fiber, iron, protein, and other vitamins and minerals, lentils are a nutritional fountain of youth. Researchers who studied the elderly found that eating these earthy-tasting seeds (and other legumes) is the single most important dietary factor in longevity. When it comes to fiber, a mere half cup of lentils provides around a third of your daily requirements. While lentils share many health benefits with their legume cousins, they gain a distinct edge when it comes to preparation: Lentils need no presoaking, and they cook in less than an hour. So let’s bring on the lentils… Ingredients 2t olive oil 2 lg sweet onions diced 3-4 carrots chopped 3 cloves garlic minced 1 (28 oz can whole plum tomatoes) 1 cup French green lentils 2 cups water or stock 2t curry powder (mild or hot) 1t cumin 2t kosher salt Black pepper freshly ground Procedure Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until softened. Stir occasionally. Add garlic stir for 1 minute Add curry powder, cumin stir until fragrant at least 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients. (Tomatoes can be pureed first or like I do broken up with a fork while in the pot) I like my tomatoes chunky in this dish.. Raise the heat. Bring to a boil, Lower heat cover pan and simmer until lentils are consistency you like. Approx 45-60 min. **Be creative** If you don’t like the taste of Curry not to worry perhaps you like a more Mexican feel than use Chili Powders or perhaps you’re in the mood for Italian, how about some Rosemary? Feeling very Greek, lets use some Oregano. The flavoring is up to you! Do you like fennel? I do. Chop some up and add it. Make it your own. Most of all….Enjoy! Do you have a favorite lentil recipe? Please share. Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor specializing in those 50+ in NYC, NY
Pilates Plate
How I keep my Pilates Body other than through exercise I am passionate about cooking! Healthy cooking, of course. I especially love to cook this time of year, peasant style one pot meals. Stews and Soups. So easy to take a recipe and make it your own. Easy to freeze and have a meal in the ready. What a perfect time to share some recipes with you! Just yesterday I made a big pot of Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes You can eat this as a side dish or it’s a meal in itself. Loaded with fiber, iron, protein, and other vitamins and minerals, lentils are a nutritional fountain of youth. Researchers who studied the elderly found that eating these earthy-tasting seeds (and other legumes) is the single most important dietary factor in longevity. When it comes to fiber, a mere half cup of lentils provides around a third of your daily requirements. While lentils share many health benefits with their legume cousins, they gain a distinct edge when it comes to preparation: Lentils need no presoaking, and they cook in less than an hour. So let’s bring on the lentils… Ingredients 2t olive oil 2 lg sweet onions diced 3-4 carrots chopped 3 cloves garlic minced 1 (28 oz can whole plum tomatoes) 1 cup French green lentils 2 cups water or stock 2t curry powder (mild or hot) 1t cumin 2t kosher salt Black pepper freshly ground Procedure Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until softened. Stir occasionally. Add garlic stir for 1 minute Add curry powder, cumin stir until fragrant at least 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients. (Tomatoes can be pureed first or like I do broken up with a fork while in the pot) I like my tomatoes chunky in this dish.. Raise the heat. Bring to a boil, Lower heat cover pan and simmer until lentils are consistency you like. Approx 45-60 min. **Be creative** If you don’t like the taste of Curry not to worry perhaps you like a more Mexican feel than use Chili Powders or perhaps you’re in the mood for Italian, how about some Rosemary? Feeling very Greek, lets use some Oregano. The flavoring is up to you! Do you like fennel? I do. Chop some up and add it. Make it your own. Most of all….Enjoy! Do you have a favorite lentil recipe? Please share. Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor specializing in those 50+ in NYC, NY
5 Ways to Improve Your Home Pilates Routine
The following post was recently featured on Betterfly- a website about ways to become better at the things you love to do! Check out Betterfly- http://www.betterfly.com/ , to find instructors and instructions on how to do thousands of activities. Here is the article- and stay tuned for my additional pilates posts on Betterfly in the future! If you are one of the many Pilates students who practice Pilates mat exercises at home, you are doing a great job at taking responsibility for your physical and mental fitness! These days, anyone can do Pilates at home with a book, dvd, or podcast. While finding a way to do Pilates at home has gotten easier in the past few years, doing Pilates properly without a live instructor will always be a challenge. Here are five tips on how to get the most out of your Pilates mat workout at home. 1. Take at least one private lesson at a Pilates studio. The most important aspect of Pilates, and the way to guarantee results from the exercises, is to do the exercises properly. Correct form, correct breathing, and the correct order of exercises are very important. Visiting a Pilates studio and taking a private lesson with a certified Pilates instructor can really help propel your home Pilates practice. Call your local Pilates studio and let them know that you want a private lesson on the mat exercises. An experienced instructor can take you through each exercise in the mat routine, make sure you’re doing each exercise properly, and offer you some helpful tips specifically for your unique body- that’s something you can’t get from a book or video. 2. Slow Down. Rushing through Pilates is one of the worst things you can do, as it can compromise your back or your neck, and the quality of your movements. Honor each and every position of the exercises, feel every muscle in your body work in unison, keep your core muscles engaged, and take the time to fully inhale and exhale as you go. The difference will amaze you! 3. No Pain, No Gain? If this is your mantra for Pilates, you need a new mantra! In Pilates, there should never be pain during any exercise, especially not in the back or neck. Pain could be due to spinal problems, disk problems, improper form, or weak core muscles. Pain can also result if you are trying to advance too quickly through the exercises before your body is ready. If you are aware of a spinal problem that you do have, there are certain Pilates exercises that you should not do. If you are experiencing pain during your Pilates routine, a visit to a Pilates studio could make all the difference in the world. An instructor can help you figure out which exercises to avoid, and give you different exercises to do in their place. 4. Give yourself space. If space is an issue at your house, take some extra time before your Pilates routine to make adequate room around your mat. One of the fundamental aspects of Pilates is “lengthening” the whole body. Quite difficult to do if your arms wack the coffee table every time you circle them around! Lay your mat out on the floor and lay down. Reach your arms back behind you, then circle them out to the sides. They should not hit any furniture, and should move freely. Next, lay on your side, and reach both legs straight out in front your body. They should be able to straighten and not feel hindered by anything in their way. Make sure you have room on both sides. Giving yourself room all around your body will change the way you move and feel during and after your Pilates workout. 5. Hit All Major Muscle Groups. Pilates exercises are famous for working the whole body, while each exercise targets a particular area of the body. It is very important to work your way through each and every muscle group, making sure not to skip any exercises. Many Pilates students who practice at home make the mistake of skipping exercises they don’t like or don’t understand. Another common mistake is focusing on the abdominal exercises in Pilates and skipping other that are just as important- such as the standing exercises, or exercises laying on the stomach. One of the most important elements of Pilates is balance. Focusing on the abdominals, but not exercising the back muscles will create an imbalance throughout the whole body. If stomach-laying exercises hurt your back, consult a Pilates instructor for assistance, or add a few extra standing exercises into your routine so you’re sure to work your back and your arms adequately.
Posted in Florida Pilates Tags: arms, articles, Body, coffee, Exercises, movements, Pilates, pilates-at-home, private-lesson, time, unique Comments OffPilates Is Wellness
The benefits of Pilates as a mind body exercise practice can be summed up in one word Wellness. Have you ever thought of using the Pilates Principles in your everyday life? Kylie Saunder my Guest Blogger has, and she is going to share how you can too. 6 STEPS TO FINDING YOUR PILATES FLOW by Kylie Saunder Have you ever noticed how the basic Pilates principles: centering , concentration , control , precision , breath and flow relate to other areas of your life? These 6 powerful Pilates principles infiltrate all areas of your life. From how you look after yourself, how you function at work and how you structure your business and work-day. The Pilates principles of Breath and Flow can be used to look after your mind, body and spirit. The increasingly busy world with intense demands can make it challenging to find time and space to do this. However, by using these principles you can create better outcomes and manifest your intentions with ease. Steps to take: Using the Breathing principle: Inhaling and exhaling deeply not only centers and connects, it also allows a sense of present moment awareness. Each breath enters and leaves the body, with ease and freedom if you are feeling well balanced, joyful and centered. But what if you are feeling stressed, unbalanced and overwhelmed? How can a focus on this breathing principle help? When you find yourself like this ask the following questions: Are you clear on what your inner value and purpose is? Are you nurturing your mind, body and spirit with love and respect? Are you living congruently in all areas of your life? Are you taking time out each day to stay in the present moment, with your breath? Using the Flow principle: Life can “get in the way” of your good intentions. The intention to eat more healthily, to spend more time with your family or to take up painting lessons. The Pilates principle of Flow allows you to bring yourself back to where you want to be. It allows you to course-correct with minimum fuss. So when you are feeling out of alignment in your life, ask the following questions: Are you asking for and receiving what you want from your work? Are you surrounding yourself with the people you want to be around (your clients, your staff, family and friends), or are they draining you of energy and life? Can you remove obstacles that are restricting your life-flow, that are stopping you from fulfilling your purpose? The principles of Center and Concentration can be used during your daily work routine. Whether you’re a Pilates instructor, entrepreneur, employee or stay at home mum or dad, there will be times during your week when demands and pressures can threaten to engulf you. Using the Center principle: Take the time to connect with who you are and what your goals and dreams are. Connecting with your values, your goals and your dreams is a great first-step to connecting with your core; to your center. Once you’ve started this process, take some time to assess if what you’re doing now is leading towards this or away from it. If your current lifestyle and work situation is not supporting who you are and where you want to go, without judgment and stress, aim to create space and time to adjust this. For example, if you’re in an office environment and really want to be working for yourself as a massage therapist: what steps can you take now that will bring you closer to this dream? What course can you take? Who can mentor you? Who can you connect with that will support your dreams? Using the Concentration principle: Are you able to sit down and focus on getting one task done? Do you have single-minded focus when you’re at your computer? Or are you like most people, jumping from Email programs, to Facebook, then back to your work tasks? Concentration in today’s environment is challenging and recent studies suggest this is one reason why stress has increased dramatically in the last 10 years or so. The ability to focus on one task at a time seems simple, but it’s not easy! So how can you break out of the habit of multi-tasking? Try the following: When you are next at your computer, finish one task before starting another. If you decide to check emails, set a time limit on it. If you are on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In), set a time limit and stick to it. If you note something of interest, write it down or bookmark it and schedule time into your diary to research further. Is your workday “out of control”? Do you sometimes feel like you get to the end of the week and you haven’t achieved what you hoped to? Try using the principles of Control and Precision! Steps to take: Using the Control and Precision principles: The feeling of being “out of control” creates stress, overwhelm and unease. Oftentimes these feelings result from a lack of clarity and focus. So when was the last time you looked at your business plan? Do you have a daily “to-do” list that keeps getting longer and longer? Are you working towards your goals? A clearly defined plan allows you to gain more control of where your energy is going. Precisely defined outcomes allows you to direct your time, energy and efforts into the most important and meaningful areas of your life. Setting a precise goal, inserting dates, times and amounts will allow you to measure your achievements. Doing this allows you to know when you have achieved the goal, so you can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it. So there you have it, the 6 steps to finding your Pilates flow outside of the studio! Let me know what you think below or contact me at http://businesswellbeing.com.au Bio – Kylie Saunder is a Business and Marketing Mentor for Pilates & Yoga Instructors. She has been involved in the Fitness, Health and Wellness industries for 13 years as a Personal Trainer, Pilates Instructor/Studio owner and Wellness coach. She also helps female entrepreneurs increase their clarity, focus and outcomes through connecting with their mind, body and spirit through workshops, coaching and on-line programs. http://businesswellbeing.com.au/blog/ You can follow Kylie on Twitter WellbeingAngel Susan Sommers is a Pilates Instructor for Pilates Body NYC in New York City specializing in those 50+
