Move It or Lose It

I love my body and what it can do.  I'm not being up myself, I just mean I love that my body is flexible and actually moves. 

Being a pilates instructor I come into contact with all sorts of people, different shapes and sizes, jobs, fitness levels, and nothing excites me more than when someone in my class has that light bulb moment, "gets it", and starts seeing results.  Initially the changes are subtle (they won't happen over night - persistence is key) but with continued practice the effects can be huge!

My philosophy has always been move it or lose it. 

My mum ("E") is a perfect example of this as she's constantly moving it.  E's never joined a gym and doesn't play sport, however she walks at least 5kms each day (I'd say it's closer to 8km), does the gardening, mows the lawns, and always starts the day doing her "twists" after she jumps out of the shower.  Relax it's all above board...let me explain.

She'd asked me years ago if there was anything else she should be focusing on, apart from walking & using a resistance band for her upper body.  I suggested she stand on the bathmat, feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent & twist - the bathmat slides nicely on the tiles and gets everything moving.  It's not only a great workout for the waist (swing those arms), but incorporates the upper & lower body and really gets the heart rate up.  E gave it the tick of approval, did it for a while, then tweaked it slightly & added the extra challenge of twisting down to the floor and then up.  I asked how many twists she did each morning to which she replied "120".  Strewth!  I was amazed and so proud of her as she'd worked up gradually over a period of time, increasing the number by 5 or 10 each week (smart woman...baby steps, the only way to go).  All this before she takes off for her morning walk - impressive!

E has very good posture, partly due to her positive outlook on life - she feels good about herself and it's reflected in her body (positive, happy people just stand taller) - but the most important thing is she's consistent.  Rain, hail or shine she's out in the fresh air pounding the pavement and never finds excuses not to "move it".

She's reaping the benefits in bucket loads as she's got a great energy about her & is always on the go (dad used to call her a fart in a bottle which I never really understood, but am sure was a term of endearment), people think she's younger than she is (I won't share her age - she'd kill me as she truly believes an error has been made and the wrong date is on her birth certificate), she loves life, and gets out and just lives it.

I love being around people who put a smile on their dial and choose to be happy. E is a great advertisement for this.

Keep up the great work - you're a true inspiration. x

P.S.  How are you going to "move it" today?  Would love to hear from you.

Learning to Walk...in Hampton

 

Last weekend I was fortunate to get to go along to a "Secrets of Natural Walking" workshop at The Pilates Company in Hampton.

 

I was intrigued by the title.  Obviously as an adult well I know how to walk (one would hope), but was I doing it naturally?  Hmmm who knows?  I'm always up to learn something new and anything alignment related well I'm there with my lycra on!  Yep I'm a pilates gal through and through.

Donna, our fabulous presenter on the day, was one of those people you meet and instantly warm to.  She was a lot of fun, created a safe, comfortable environment to "walk" in, and her presentation skills and knowledge were bang on.

Personally I thought I had good posture and body awareness, instilled in me from a young age by my piano teacher, Madam Chapman, as she always had her ruler in hand and was ready to rap me over my knuckles if I ever slouched or let my wrists "be lazy" during a lesson.  Trust me as a 6 year old I did not want that ruler anywhere near me so I sat to attention like a well trained toy soldier.  Merci beaucoup Madam Chapman as in hindsight you did me a favour, even though I think at the time you put the fear of God into me!

Anyway the following 6 hours proved me wrong about having it all down pat as I discovered my body was doing some crazy stuff that I wasn't even aware of.  I mean who knew my right foot did a slight flick out to the side as I walked, and no I hadn't gone all gangsta, it was subtle, but it was definitely doing its own thing. Sounds freaky I know, but I wasn't the only one believe me, as most people in the session were amazed at what was picked up in the way they "normally" walked. 

The Natural Walking website explains how Natural Walking is different:
"Our body has an extraordinary potential to self heal. As we go about our daily lives we are mostly not allowing this process to happen effectively. Walking, when done properly promotes the awakening and activation of our body's natural self healing functions (through stimulation of meridians and inner energy channels) resulting in physical health improvement as well as mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits that can be experienced straight away."
There are so many benefits that I won't list them all down, however click onto the link above for a cheeky peek.

I found the session absolutely fascinating and was amazed how my body felt like it had done an intense gym session, especially in my upper back, and all I'd done was walked.  I have tight glute muscles on my right hand side (yep I have a tight ass and not in the good way) and was shocked when we were holding in a standing position and my right knee slightly buckled - awesome!  My body was realigning itself and I was doing absolutely nothing other than standing in correct alignment as Donna had instructed.  The tightness in my glutes definitely lessened.

The other thing I must mention is about half way through the day, Donna asked to see my hands.  When I looked down I saw that my fingers had swelled slightly and turned an unusual colour.  Eek what was going on?  She explained this was simply due to toxins being released.  Holy cow I'll be putting "Dr" in front of my name soon...self healing, I love it!

Wow what a day this had been.  Jumping in my car with a big smile on my face, me and my not so tight ass headed off home and I was in bed by 8.30pm that night!  Totally stuffed, but in a good way. 



 

Donna (in the gorgeous green top above) it was so lovely to meet you and thanks again for such an informative, fun filled day.  You truly are a beautiful spirit. x

 

P.S.  If you're interested in attending one of the workshops I've noted Donna's details below (open to everyone, not just those in the fitness industry).  Do yourself a favour and take your fitness, health, and wellbeing into your own hands.  How empowering!

 

Donna Ellerton

Mob: 0405 514 462

Email: donna@natural-walking.com.au

 

A Stripey Shed in the CBD



 I love it when you stumble across a little gem that's been right underneath your nose but you've never really noticed it.  I'm talking about Knock Knock 

If it wasn't for the funky striped little shed that grabbed our attention from the other side of the road well we still might be none the wiser.  Although to be honest this bad boy plonked in the middle of the CBD was an attention seeker and would have been hard to miss.

  

 

Walking through the front door was like stepping back in time...

 and right into Barbie's Playground.  They were everywhere! 

  

  

Even Ken was frocked up in his pretty pink party dress!  Unsure what had gone on the night before or if that was merely his regular attire (no judgement here), but whatever had gone down he was looking mighty pleased with himself.  The dude looked like a lady, but the angle of his legs said otherwise.  Really Ken, some decorum please...you frock up, you keep your legs together...people are eating!

Actually the more I thought about it the more I suspected something had definitely gone down last night.  Satin Pants was out cold, however on the up side she had pants on...nicely done (Ken you could learn a thing or two from Satin).

 

The freshly baked food looked absolutely delicious, and when I spotted the supersized yo-yos (they looked like they were on steroids!) and the vanilla slices (or mille feuilles as I now like to refer to them) it took me right back to my childhood.  You'll have to trust me re the yo-yos as I think the whole Ken situation had me a little frazzled and I forgot to take a pic...oops.

Gorgeous day to sit outside which was probably just as well as if we had have been inside the temptation may have been too great and we could have buckled and ordered a mille feuille.  However showing superb control we ordered lattes only and the coffee was great.

  

If you're up for a real retro experience head to Knock Knock as the super friendly staff will make you feel very welcome and I'm sure you'll enjoy the coffee.

We'll certainly be back to try a mille feuille as that custard looked to die for, and after all we will need to check up on Ken.  He's a definite worry that one. x

Why Settle For 1 Dessert When You Can Have 12!

I love food, which will come as no shock to anyone who has read any of my posts (all 3 of you), but more than that I love the whole dining experience.  Nothing better than frocking up and trying out somewhere new.

Today I was off to Bendigo as my sister, the fabulous Madam J, had booked Rocks on Rosalind for mum's birthday lunch.  Mum, or "E" as she's known to her friends (she's even cooler than Madonna or Beyoncé as she just has an initial) was very excited and ready to indulge.

As we walked towards the restaurant the topic of conversation was how the dining experience starts when you make the booking, not when you arrive at the restaurant. Madam J said you could not have got a more friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, person on the other end of the line, so already we knew we were off to a great start.
  

 


 

 

The menu looked absolutely delicious and it was hard deciding what to order - always want to make the right choice as life's too short to rush the decision, and then have food envy of the guy on the next table.

 

Nailed the entree.  Monsieur S had the pork belly and us ladies shared the salt & pepper calamari (as smart chicks we work backwards from the dessert menu & didn't want to peak too soon).

 

 

The ladies went with the duck & pork belly for main.  I must have been distracted with the presentation of this dish (just gorgeous!) as I totally forgot to get pics of the other dishes.  Oops.  No problem...next time, and trust me there will be a next time.

 

Thank god we were on the ball and left room for dessert as this little selection took me to a whole other world.

 

Not one tier,

 

Not two tiers,

 

But three tiers - oh mon dieu! 

 

 

I was in heaven and wasn't going anywhere soon (to be honest I doubt I could have lifted myself out of the chair at this point).  Our waiter walked past at one stage and commented "Why would you have 1 dessert when you can have 12?".  This guy really got me.

 

Monsieur S had his eye firmly planted on the Sticky Date Pudding and I thought it may have turned into a bit of a knock down / drag out situation as I was convinced he wasn't going to share.  However Madam J stepped in and to ensure we all played nicely she expertly cut each little treat into 4 pieces.  Nicely done.

 

After much discussion and oohing and aahing we voted and the Passionfruit Semi-freddo came out the winner on the day.  I could have eaten a slab of it - truly delicious.

 

As I mentioned earlier, love food, but it's the whole experience that sticks in one's memory.  From the moment we walked in the door we were welcomed with open arms (well not literally, but you know what I mean) and were very impressed with the relaxed atmosphere, friendliness, knowledge of food and wine, and general enthusiasm.  These were passionate guys doing what they loved and it showed.

 

 

Thank goodness we were given the grand tour as it was exactly what we needed to help walk off what we'd just eaten...

 

The Vault for those after that intimate dining experience.

 

 

 

Downstairs to an area that I believe is going to be turned into a bar - very funky.

   

This beautiful heritage listed building is the old National Bank and was the first bank for gold discovered in the area.  The bullet hole below in the front window is from an attempted bank robbery and to prove it's the real deal our waiter actually stuck his pen through it.  Fascinating!

 

WOW what a great choice Madam J!  The bar has been set and this restaurant is going to be hard to top.

 

If you're in the area and up for a fabulous dining experience, do yourself a favour and try it out as this place on Rosalind really rocks!

 

 

Happy Birthday E.

 

Love you. x