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> Check List : How Balanced is Your Workout?
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Check List : How Balanced is Your Workout? |
| By Caron Bosler - Caron has been teaching Pilates for over 15 years. She received her Yoga Teacher Training from Yoga Vida Gurukul. She is the author of 3 books on Pilates. For more information please go to www.cor-e-nergy.com |
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 Time in today?s hectic pace of life seems to be the only thing we haven?t developed a gadget to control. With the internet, globalization, cell phones and blackberries, life often feels like it?s on fast forward. With so few hours and so much to do, sometimes it feels impossible to get through half my list, let alone have time to exercise.
Let?s pretend we have all the other boxes in Life?s Check List ticked: the kids are happy and well adjusted, our partner is content, the pet?s acupuncture is going well, our diet is fabulous and we are getting plenty of sleep. Let?s look at health and fitness and do a quick test and see how close to the mark we actually are...
If you get out a sheet of paper and write down all the types of exercise you do, how would the paper look? Like a pure white canvas on which to pontificate the definition of art? Or a little wish list starting with the invisible words, ?In an ideal world...? (That?s ok too! Think about what you would like to do and then we can work on incorporation it into your daily schedule later!) Daily yoga, with no Cardio? Or only running with just enough stretching so the calves aren?t complete rocks? Or do you consider your pilates instructor yelling at you once a week enough?
Now, take a step back and look at your list (real or fantasy!) Would you describe each activity on the paper as strengthening the muscles, stretching, or working the heart? In an ideal world, we have a bit of everything, like a balanced diet: fruits, veg, carbs, protein... Your body doesn?t respond well if you cut out carbs completely, no? But exercise is not about knowing what you should be doing, it?s incorporating it into your daily schedule! What?s the point in learning the art of cooking if all you do is take away?
Some of you might be die hard exercise fanatics. (Surprisingly, they are out there) Others couch potatoes. Others might have a 10 percent desire to get in shape, but no clue how to do it. For the rest of us: Here?s how. I can?t make the time for you, but if you do decide to make the effort, you?ll know what to do.
 First step: get moving. The trick is to try and do something every day, or at least every other day. Anything. Just get out there and get moving. I promise, you?ll feel better, and look better. Start with anything you enjoy doing. Swimming, cycling, dance class, whatever! Second step: diversify. Again, only doing things you enjoy. Do something for strength, something for Cardo, and something that stretches you. This is what it means to cross train. So, in an ideal world, you don?t just do one form of exercise. Both Pilates and yoga strengthen the body while elongating the muscles. So, you do get stretching and toning in both. But unfortunately, they are not cardiovascular. So, in order to strengthen the heart and help metabolism rates in the body, you must do some form of exercise that raises the heart rate for a sustained period of time. Also, especially for older people, using light weights is extremely important! By using weights you are helping to increase the bone density in the body thus reducing the chances of osteoporosis.
While I have a lot of work to do on the rest of Life?s Check List, at least one thing is checked off today!
Caron Bosler - http://www.cor-e-nergy.com |
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