One of my Pilates instructors that I train with every week passed away earlier this week. She used to end all of her classes by raising her arms over her head, bringing her palms together, and saying: “Say a prayer for someone who needs it.”

I always thought that was a nice way to wrap things up. It put the world back in perspective. After taking an hour for ourselves we could focus on someone specifically in need.

If the word prayer is off putting because you aren’t particularly religions, exchange the phrase with “Send positive thoughts to someone who needs them.” It is a good thing, now and again, to stop what we are doing, consider someone’s needs and send them our good will. We can do this with our thoughts and keep it personal or we actually tell someone we are thinking of them.

(In Memory of Betsy Morelli.)

By mid afternoon when you’ve been standing or sitting at the office all day, it can begin to wear on you. That tuckered feeling might hit you sooner and it’s good to take some time to stretch, breath, and generally revitalize yourself. You won’t be wasting time at work, you will actually be making yourself more productive.

So today (or right now) when you start to feel tired, stop what you are working on, sit up tall at your desk–like you would in a Pilates class–and begin taking deep breaths. Fill your lungs with air. Practice the Pilates accordion breath, breathing into the sides and lower lobes of your lungs, trying to keep the breath out of your shoulders, chest, and stomach. Fueling your body with oxygen may be all you need to help wake you up a little bit.

Next try a little forward flexion and extension. Exhale: Try not to let you hips move, but let your head and shoulders drop forward so that your gaze is at your thighs. Take and inhale here. Exhale to sit back up nice and tall. Pause for an inhale. […]

I’ve touched on the topic of taking a moment before on this blog, but it seems it can never be mentioned too much. We all get so caught up in the fast pace of life we sometimes don’t take a moment to just stop and enjoy the people and the world around us, which, of course, are probably the two areas we should focus on the most.

Today, try and give yourself time to stop being a part of the rat race and take just five minutes to enjoy a moment. It doesn’t have to be a momentous moment. It can be simple, but let it be yours and simply appreciate some aspect of your world for a minute or two.

This week a client asked a great question: Do men have kegels and can they exercise them?

Men do have kegels–pelvic floor muscles–and they can exercise them. We tend to put more importance on women doing kegels because they have children and often want and need to strengthen the muscles after giving birth.

However, kegel exercises can be just as important for men since generally speaking the kegel does much of the same work whether in men or women. The kegel muscles help support the pelvis; kegel exercises are believed to reduce incontinence; and there is support that they help increase sexual pleasure for both men and women, potentially providing men with more control over their orgasm.

Men sometimes have more trouble finding their kegel, but it can be difficult for everyone. My first suggestion is always to stop the flow of urine when you are going to the bathroom. The muscles you engage are your kegel muscles. For men who are still having trouble finding the muscles think, “Turn your head and cough.” To exercise the kegel you engage the muscle and release it, holding for various amounts of […]