Voting & Pilates
When you vote today, remember to keep your belly button pulled toward your spine.
No Fat Burning Zone
The fat burning zone doesn’t exist. When you see “fat burning zone” listed on an elliptical or have a trainer tell you that you should be working in the “fat burning zone,” it’s not true. It is all about calories in, calories out. It really is that simple.
The so-called “fat burning zone” is usually a lower heart rate than the cardiovascular zone. Working at this zone actually does burn fat while working at a higher intensity burns carbs, but that is deceptive. More calories are usually burned by increasing the intensity level. And more calories burned, ultimately (if you don’t replenish them) means more fat loss.
And research has show that working out at a higher intensity maintains higher level of metabolic rate (fat burning) throughout the day than lower levels.
Working out in the fat burning zone is fine if that is where you feel challenged, but don’t hang out there simply because you think you’ll burn more fat there. You won’t. It’s a fallacy.
Golf Balls & Feet
Are your feet aching from strolling malls and standing in line trying to get the perfect gift for someone you love? Our feet take a lot of abuse. When you get home tonight, grab a tennis ball or a golf ball and roll your foot all over it. Place the ball on the floor, have a seat, and just roll one foot at a time over the ball. Don’t use so much pressure that it hurts. Make sure to get every part of your foot. Spend about two minutes on each foot.
Your soles will thank you for it!
Sobering Fact: Kids and Exercise
Children today consume about 350 more calories than children did in the 1970’s. To burn the additional caloric intake, kids would have to walk an additional 150-minutes per day. Let’s make it a point to get outside this weekend and spend some time being active with the children in our lives who we care about.
Improv
A common discussion point came up in both my recent meetings with Elders Ron Fletcher and Mary Bowen: improv. Ron Fletcher had us improv after doing exercises and ended each workshop day with improvisational body movement.
Mary Bowen talked about moving the body the way it wants, finding positions that feel good, and had me “play” on what is called a ladder to stretch my shoulders. “Try this,” she said, showing me one way to hang onto the ladder. “And this. Move one arm up and the other down.” She wanted me to play with my body and discover what felt good and what didn’t. I think one position I wound up in struck her as odd. She has reason to think so. It didn’t feel good.
Pilates is all about control, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be silly or play or try new and different movements. The more you learn about your body, the more control you will have. So play or improvise–whatever you prefer to call it. Just never stop learning about your own […]