Lifestyle Fitness Tips

• Move more. Stay active. That doesn’t mean going to a gym or running a marathon. Walk, stretch, breath, work your core.
• The brilliance of Pilates is that it teaches you to connect with your core or what we call “the powerhouse”. All movement in life comes from your core and when you keep it strong it positively effects the rest of your life. A strong powerhouse for me has meant a better life.
• Going on a diet or exercising from a negative place like “I hate my body or I am too fat or my thighs are huge” is not good in the long run and keeps you in a vicious cycle of negativity. Think of eating right and adding exercise into your life to be healthier, to help you not get sick as much. This is a much better outlook and will help with your motivation for the long run.
• Exercise because of the several other benefits other than just to lose weight. Instead of viewing exercise just as a means to lose weight, think about all the way exercise will improve the quality of your life –
  Improve energy.
  Improve your sex life.
  Get better sleep.
  Reduce symptoms of mild depression and enhance your mood.
  Reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
  Oh yeah, and it can help you fit better into your jeans and you could actually lose weight. But look at the big picture. Exercise to have a better life and if your buns look better, well then, that is the icing on the cake!
• Keep a gym bag or shoes in your car so you never have the excuse of not having the right thing to wear or the right shoes in order to fit in a workout.
• Remember the world is your gym. Use what you have. You can move more and exercise without having it happen within the 4 walls of a gym facility. Walk the mall. Walk a dog. Walk the beach. Walk to window shop. Just walk whenever you can! Jump rope, pop in an exercise video, take a group class at a rec. center or YMCA.
• Keep small portable props in your home so that you can always fit in a quick toning workout or some stretching. You do not need large, heavy, expensive equipment to make it count. Bands and balls exercises work great and can be done anytime, anywhere.
• With regards to starting exercise, take it slow and don’t give up hope. Let body be your guide and expect failure but keep trying. Just start with adding little bits of exercise/ activity into your daily routine.
• For many of us, stress is a huge reason for weight gain. So incorporate stress-reducing activities into your life like yoga, stretching, walking in nature, breathing.
  Practice Stress Reduction techniques and work them into your daily life.
  Here is a simple technique that works for me - Sit with knees bent, ankles crossed - Sitting tall, arms gently rest on knees, hands relaxed. Inhale for a count of 5 and exhale for a count of 5. Work up to an inhale for a count of 10 and exhale for a count of 10.
  This is a helpful way to feel more relaxed in no time.
• Just remember, exercise empowers! It empowers you to be the best you!