April 17, 2026

JUMP IN…and experience the POWER IN A GROUP!

January 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

JUMP IN to 2013!
So you’ve committed to a New Year’s Resolution to get healthy once and for all. One of the best ways to stay on track, for any goal really, is to find an accountability group.  In an accountability group you’ll find a mentor. A mentor is one who has already accomplished what you desire or who is simply further along the path. With this comes valuable insight and advice! You’ll enjoy empowerment and inspiration in an accountability group. For example, maybe it’s a new runner who just completed his/her first 5K race. Perhaps it’s someone who is juggling the demands of parenting and still continues to attend spin class three times each week. Or maybe it’s someone whose job requires a hefty travel schedule and yet still finds a way to eat healthy while on the road.

It is this solution that Health Your Way Online is wishing to provide YOU, and so specific New Year’s Resolution Support twitter chats have been created: Our Motivational Monday Live Chats begin TODAY and happen every Monday in January with the focus of supporting YOUR healthy living in the new year.

During our chat’s you’ll meet others with similar goals. You’ll be a mentor for some, and others will serve as a mentor for you. The camaraderie runs deep in the Healthy Living world! We know there is power in a group. If you have a specific question, there will be someone who has solved this challenge previous and can provide guidance. If you’re needing encouragement, there will be one who is having an awesome day, when you’re day has been a tough one. If you’re looking for a resource, there will be someone who has already found what you’re looking for. We’ll cover a wide variety of topics, tips and resources.

We are proud to introduce the Sponsors of our Motivational Monday Resolution Chats. Check out their products as they provide extreme value to all healthy living and fitness enthusiasts.

Surf-Her Skincare.  Created by a 30 year veteran in the self-care business, these “products repair plus protect the skin and hair from damaging effects of the sun.” www.camillethedayspa.com. Join their facebook community at https://www.facebook.comsurfherskincare

Ragnar Relay Series. A true example of the power of the group, ragnar relay is the epitome! Ragnar Relays are “overnight running relay series that makes testing your limits a team sport.” www.ragnarrelay.com. Follow them on Twitter @RagnarRelay

Sparkly Soul Inc. Effective gear is essential to creating your exercise experience. Enter Sparkly Soul Inc. unique design. They provide “Sports and fitness headbands. No slip and no headache. Entirely elastic all the way around. #1 headband that fits EVERY head shape- Guaranteed.” www.sparklysoul.com. Check them out on Twitter at @SPARKLYSOULINC

Bia Sport. Exercise should not add stress to your day, it should eliminate it! Hence Bia Sport was born! They offer the “1st GPS watch with SOS safety alert.” www.bia-sport.com.  Become a follower on Twitter at @biasport

JUMP IN and join our Power-in-a-Group Motivational Monday Live Chats EVERY Monday in January! 5pm(pacific) See you there! We are here to support YOUR healthy living efforts!

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2013 Health Trends to Watch by Rachael Roehmholdt

January 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In 2012, you couldn’t read a health-related publication without running across some mention of getting enough sleep at night, the dangerous rise of energy drinks, or how so many women are eating a gluten-free diet – for allergies, sensitivities, or as a weight loss solution.

2013 will usher in a whole new set of trends that will return us back to basics - natural products, tuning in to your body, and being active wherever you go. Let’s take a look at five of these trends that might make their way into your life this year.

On-the-go fitness.
With so many of us using mobile phones and tablets, we’ll continue to see a rise of fitness and health apps to get that workout in wherever you go. We’ll also see a lot more membership based fitness apps (like GaiamTV.com) that you can access wherever you have an internet connection so you can get your sweat on from anywhere.

Love your body at any size.
With the rise of more celebrities embracing their bodies, we’ll see more women taking this to heart as well. As a culture, we’re shifting from the idea that one body size is the right size and seeing that all shapes and sizes have the ability to be healthy.

Personalize your fitness and health programs.
Understanding that no two people are alike, more personalized and custom health and fitness programs will emerge for women. More women will work one-on-one with certified professionals to motivate them to success by creating programs that work best for their bodies and where they’re at in life.

Go au natural.
In 2013, we’ll continue to see more natural and sustainable beauty products hitting the shelves. Many established brands will likely branch out with new lines of makeup, creams, lotions and potions that come from nature and aren’t made with harsh chemicals.

Tune in to your body.
We’ve seen many food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities pop up in recent years, which means women are becoming much more aware of how foods affect them. With that in mind, we’ll see new allergen-friendly brands pop up, as well as established brands work to keep their customers happy with these options.

Many of these trends in women’s health are tried and true, so you can be sure that the ones you choose to participate in will be here to stay well past 2013.

Rachael Roehmholdt is a certified holistic health coach and founder of Be More Healthful. With a passion for good food and living a healthful and balanced life, she believes that small changes to our everyday lives can set us up for a lifetime of health and happiness.

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EVERY Workout Essentials by Gen Levrant

December 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Had you asked me what the above were when I first became a Personal Trainer, I would have replied “warm up, resistance, cardio, core, cool down and stretching.” Six years and two diplomas later, my answer is now somewhat different!

This article hasn’t been written to instruct you on what you ‘should’ be doing when you work out. Everyone’s different personal goals make creating a universal instruction blueprint quite difficult! It is to share my thoughts from experience on what is essential in creating results from every workout.

Functional Purpose
What are you training for? Do you want to lose some stubborn inches? Improve your performance at your sport? Are you training for an event? Whatever your purpose, make your training functional TO it! For example, if you want to improve your soccer or tennis skills, do you really need to be doing deadlifts? If you want to decrease body fat, do you really need to pound the treadmill for hours and raise your cortisol (stress hormone) levels? Tailor your workouts to what you are trying to achieve. Even if your goal is maintaining your general health and well-being; purpose is essential to every workout. Using it to motivate you can be the difference in intending to work out and ACTUALLY working out!

Time
Planning is another essential of every workout. Enough of us start the day with good intentions but events and distractions end up taking priority; thus putting back or even cancelling our workouts altogether. Try scheduling your workouts in your diary as if they were appointments with someone.  Technically…they are! Put your phone in flight mode, close the laptop, turn off the iPad, remove all distractions and dedicate at least twenty minutes to yourself.

3D Training
Training the body three-dimensionally is a big essential in every workout because this is how we are designed to move. Training your muscles and proprioceptors in the three planes of motion; frontal (left and right) sagittal (forward and back) and transverse (rotational) can enhance your results whatever your goal!

So the next time you come to work out (with purpose and zero distractions!) think about the plane of motion in which you are performing each exercise and stretch, and see how it feels to try another. You may, as I was after embracing this style of training for myself and my clients, be pleasantly surprised!

Gen Levrant is a Faster Health and Fitness certified Personal Trainer and Advanced Functional Training Specialist. She operates out of a private studio in Southampton, UK. For more info please visit www.fasterglobal.com or email Gen@fasterpt.com

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Which style of Yoga is best for me? By Jessica Matthews

September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Which style of yoga is best for me? With a number of different styles of yoga to choose from, it’s important to be familiar with some of the specifics of each in order to ensure that you select a style that is in lie with your unique health, fitness and wellness goals, as well as your particular needs and interests. Below is a general overview of five of the different style of yoga currently being offered (this is by no means a comprehensive list)-

Hatha- This term, which can encompasses a variety of physical types of yoga, is typically reflective of gentle, slower-paced yoga classes which are great for beginners as well as for those seeking a solid, foundational understanding of basic yoga postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama) to help reduce stress.

Vinyasa- Much like Hatha, this term may also be used to describe a variety of class styles. The term vinyasa in its Sanskrit roots means “to place in a special way,” as this style of yoga is comprised of breath-synchronized movements designed to create flow throughout the practice (this style of yoga commonly referred to as “flow yoga.”)

Ashtanga- Sometimes referred to as “power yoga,” this physically demanding practice is a great option for those looking for a more serious physical challenge, as it is devised of six series of asanas which increase in difficulty.

Bikram- Also commonly referred to as “hot yoga” (although not all hot yoga classes are Bikram classes), this practice is comprised of a set sequence of 26 asanas that are performed in a heated room. Bikram classes are typically 90-minutes in length, and because of this it’s important to keep hydration in mind, as it takes time for the body to acclimate to exercising in heat.

Iyengar- This style of yoga focuses on bodily alignment, and encourages the use of props to facilitate precise body position within each pose. Emphasis is placed on holding the postures longer (for several breaths) as opposed to quickly flowing from one posture to another, making it a suitable option to accommodate those with any special needs, such as previous injuries or structural imbalances.

Jessica Matthews, MS, E-RYT, is an exercise physiologist, yoga teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, adjunct professor, blogger and fitness personality. Jessica strives to open minds, ignite passion and inspire the world to health and fitness through purposeful movement, quality nutrition and kind words. She has been featured as a fitness expert on CNN and has been quoted in numerous publications including Shape, Self, Oxygen and Oprah.com. For more health and fitness information, follow Jessica at www.twitter.com/fitexpertjess. 

 

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Why Pilates Works by Chanda Fetter

August 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Pilates was created as a way to address injured soldiers in WWI. It was a means to keep the integrity and strength of the muscle while recovering from battle wounds. Yes, it was designed originally for men and as a sense of rehab and ultimately preventative care. Since in America, Pilates has taken on all different forms, but the foundation has always been  a common thread; people function better as a result of training in the Pilates method.

Corrects Muscular Imbalances. Through conscious repetition and attention to detail, any function can be re-learned. When the body is traumatized by an injury or accident its protective mechanism is to “shut down” the injured area. The only problem is the body doesn’t naturally “turn on” that same area once it’s better. Whatever compensation the body has done to work around the injured area is now the new norm of that junction. Over time, this uneven recruitment of muscle tissue creates asymmetries (mismatched sides, imbalances). These asymmetries lead to improper wear and tear on the joints and spine, ultimately causing improper GAIT (how we transfer weight through the body), stress on hips, back and spine.

Repairs and improves Muscle Recruitment Patterns. Once you’ve worked to correct your muscular imbalances the body will naturally grab hold of these learned behaviors and the neurological relationship between brain and body will be repaired. After all your body wants to behave properly, we just need to be conscience in our movements while this process is taking place, then ultimately it will do it on it’s own.

Functional Adaptation. Pilates has many parallels to functional movement patterns. For instance, when working any weight over our heads we teach the clients to draw down into their middle back muscles (Lattisimus Dorsi) as opposed to taking that weight directly into the neck and shoulders. This is functional to life, all movements should translate as such to all activities of daily living.

Everybody can do it. Pilates is based out of a rehabilitative principle and has adapted to the general population over the years to be one of the most safe and effective forms of exercise. It allows you to maximize the potential of each muscle group without compromising the spine or joints. It promotes core strength, balance, flexibility in a way that helps you understand the limits and potential of your body.

By Chanda Fetter
IM=X Pilates Studio, Owner

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