Category: well-being

Pilates at Home, Effective Workouts

by Fitness Excel, posted in bone health, flow, health, Pilates, posture - the neck, strength training, well-being

Pilates is a fantastic exercise method that can be easily practiced at home. It focuses on core strength, flexibility, and overall body conditioning. Here are some tips on how to exercise at home using Pilates:

  1. Set up a dedicated space: Find a quiet area in your home where you can spread out a mat or a soft surface to exercise. Ensure that you have enough space to move comfortably.
  2. Warm up: Before starting your Pilates routine, warm up your body with some gentle movements to prepare your muscles for the workout.
  3. Start with the basics: If you’re new to Pilates, it’s essential to begin with foundational exercises. Start with exercises that target your core, such as the Pilates Hundred (abdominal exercise), Pilates Roll-Up (spinal articulation), and Pilates Single Leg Stretch (abdominal strength and coordination).
  4. Follow instructions from a qualified teacher can guide you through various Pilates exercises, ensuring proper form and technique. Look for reputable instructors or platforms that suit your needs and skill level.
  5. Progress gradually: As you become more comfortable with the basic exercises, gradually increase the intensity and challenge of your Pilates routine. Add variations, increase the number of repetitions, or introduce props like resistance bands or Pilates balls to make your workouts more dynamic.
  6. Focus on proper form and alignment: Pilates emphasizes precise and controlled movements. Pay attention to your form, alignment, and breathing throughout each exercise. Engage your core muscles, lengthen your spine, and maintain a neutral posture.
  7. Mix it up: Keep your Pilates routine interesting and diverse by incorporating different exercises that target various muscle groups. Include exercises for the arms, legs, back, and glutes to achieve a balanced full-body workout.
  8. Listen to your body: As with any exercise program, it’s crucial to listen to your body and avoid overexertion or pushing yourself too hard. Take breaks when needed and modify exercises if you have any physical limitations or injuries.
  9. Cool down and stretch: After completing your Pilates session, cool down your body with gentle stretches. Focus on lengthening and stretching the muscles you worked during the workout.

Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or certified Pilates instructor if you have any pre-existing health conditions or concerns. They can provide personalized guidance and modifications based on your needs.

Key Benefits of Forest Bathing

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", enrichment, fitness instruction, fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Pilates, well-being

Forests are an incredible resource. They produce oxygen, purify our water and cleanse the air we breathe; the forest is a truly remarkable resource. In Japan two thirds of the country is forest, it is one of the greenest in the world with a rich diversity of tress and is sometimes referred to as the green archipelago.

Forest bathing known as (Shinrin-Yoku) was first created in Japan, 1982 and refers to the healing techniques which restore both the physical and psychological health of the human body, and when especially exposed to a forest environment which activates the senses smell, vision, touch, taste and hearing. 

Our modern lifestyle is busier than ever with increasing levels of stress which can lead to low mood and poor sleep.  Good quality sleep is essential for our health, well-being and for the functioning of our immune system and forest bathing may be a solution.  Li, (2018) research on participants sleep patterns after spending up to 2 hours walking in a forest environment shows an increase in sleep activity, in addition participants were significantly less anxious.

Further, Wen, et al (2019) studies on Asian adult populations and the health effects, used the forest for physical activity to include interventions such as walking, Pilates, yoga and sight-seeing. The data reveals a significant reduction in blood pressure.  The present research on emotional states such as depression, fatigue and tension anxiety also showed a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions when walking in a forest environment.

It is recommended to incorporate more green exercise into our daily lives, even short bouts of outdoor exercise can have a big impact on our mood, feel less tired and tend to have a longer-lasting energy boost.  A brisk walk outdoors is easier than going to the gym or working out on a treadmill, it is both rewarding and more enjoyable.

References

Li, Q. (2018) Shinrin-Yohu; The art and science of forest-bathing, how trees can help you find health and happiness.

Wen, Y. Yan, D, Pan, Y, Gu, X & Liu, Y (2019) Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku): A systematic Review

7 Coaching Tips for Exercise Adherence

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", fitness walking, flow, health, mental health, outdoors learning, Performance, Pilates, Resilience, well-being

How do you motivate yourself for exercise? Below are some 7 quick tips to get started.

1.Make a regular schedule of you daily routine, work, social engagements, appointments, family or managing a home.  Identify where you spend your time.

2. keep a diary and write down exactly when and how you are going to exercise, whether it’s an early morning run or an exercise class, could you fit in a session between work or study and meeting friends in the evening. It is also useful to plan and book ahead your fitness routine that you are going to attend that week, most gyms and leisure centres now have online booking apps.  By scheduling exercise in advance you commit yourself to your exercise programme.

3.It is important to have variety in your exercise routine, for example, change your walking, running programmes by adding different routes, speeds, challenges, incorporate Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi or strength training into the programme.

4.Focus on doing rather than thinking, there are many times we can use excuses to skip an exercise session.  Excuses can range from ‘its too cold’, I’m ‘too busy’ or ‘too tired.  Recognise the inner dialogue which goes on and change this to a positive state. 

5.You can also use visualisation technique of recalling when you felt great after a previous exercise session, anchor and recapture those feelings and thoughts and use the visualisation to imagine yourself feeling energised and fit. 

6.Use a fitness App for tracking your progress, these can be useful for monitoring the amount of steps you walk or miles you run and act as a motivational tool.

7.Use goal setting to determine what you want to achieve, this will help, encourage and motivate you when times get tough. Create new goals regularly to ensure you are on track.

Breathing Efficiently

by Fitness Excel, posted in flow, health, mental health, well-being

Breathing is easy, it’s natural, you just do it don’t you? But wait a minute, a new book by James Nestor entitled “Breath” points out that it’s not quite so simple!

It turns out that there is more to breathing than just letting it happen and the consequences can be damaging. We all know that if someone gets into a panic, they can start what’s called, hyperventilating, where they breathe deeply and rapidly- with the result that they can feel faint.  And sometimes just thinking about a scary or highly stressful incident can induce the same reaction.

In both cases we breathe through our mouths and that we calm down by slowing the breathing down it will reduce the stressful sensations we go back to breathing through our noses-or do we?

Quite often, if the stress is low level and near continuous, we end up mouth breathing more than is healthy. But what’s wrong with breathing through the mouth you ask? Well according to James Nestor, breathing experts point out that nose breathing is the optimum way to breathe, except when undergoing physical exertion.

Why? Because amongst other benefits the nose is our own in-built air filtration and air conditioning system. Catching all the dust, dirt and germs floating around in the atmosphere. Which would otherwise be drawn deeply into the lungs when we breathe with our mouths. Also the air coming in via the nose is warmed and humidified, whereas it isn’t when coming in via the mouth.

Benefits such as these and many others are explained in his book, which whilst fascinating and is highly recommending reading, it doesn’t give any details of practices you can do to alleviate the situation. It appears that nearly all the techniques Nestor mentions are similar to a Yoga teachers handbook of Pranayama together with some of the physical exercises/practices utilised are also taught in a Pilates class. In view of this check out our short and entertaining theory and practical workshop on breathing efficiently for interested people to come and learn more about how the body breathes, how you can improve your breathing via some simple exercises from Yoga and Pilates and understanding what benefits you can gain.

References:

Nestor, J (2021) Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art.

Building Resilience through Sport

by Fitness Excel, posted in Endurance, Performance, Resilience, well-being

What is Resilience?  Resilience is the ability to bounce back, know how to cope with setbacks, learn how to manage yourself and your resources, it is also the ability to function in times of stress, recover, adapt and change.  However, do we know what skills we need to pick ourselves back up.  Why do we need to develop resilience? Without this skill, it is easy to give up, this could apply to any area of life, study, career or sport.  One of the skills for developing resilience is perseverance, it is defined as the continued effort to keep going.    Where do we start?  You can start by building your mental resilience through enhancing your health and well-being.

Some simple steps to start with are:  to improve your physical health by eating well and exercising, develop your sleeping habits, incorporate meditation through mindfulness, celebrate your successes and achievements.  This is fine when everything is going well, but what about when something comes along to throw us off course?  Compare this to a gymnast balancing on a beam, how many times do they wobble and fall? It is only with determination through getting back on the beam, pushing through with persistence will they achieve their objectives and advance to perform a complex routine. 

Redondela-Pontevedra

by Fitness Excel, posted in camino, health, pilgrim walk, santiago, well-being
Buen Camino

Day 3 – Another 6.30am start as it is going to be a tough day walking in the heat. Passing through and leaving Redondela behind, there is a much to see to include the estuary of Vigo and its islands. I merge with a long convoy of walkers in good spirit who greet each other with ‘Buen Camino’. Continuing along the way there are quaint villages, cobbled streets, crossing the medieval bridge of Ponte Sampaio, a varied, hilly route, with numerous places to stop for rest where you can get a 3 course pilgrim lunch at most restaurants for 10 euros. Eventually arriving in the historic centre of Pontevedra, for a well deserved back massage with the local physiotherapist.

London Marathon – Running Injuries

by Fitness Excel, posted in "life coach", bone health, Endurance, flow, health, Marathon Training, outdoors learning, Performance, Pilates, Resilience, running, strength training, Uncategorized, well-being

plank-fitness-muscular-exercising-163437

Injuries are inevitable when participating in endurance events and can occur as a result of a breakdown in tissue and muscles being overloaded. With just over one week to go until London Marathon 2019, my plantar fasciitis has flared up again.  This condition can causes inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thin layer of tough tissue supporting the arch of the foot.  Rest and ice are the best form of treatment together with a performance based Pilates exercise programme for the core, such as side plank, integrating foot muscle strengthening and flexibility in the lower limbs.

Functional Strength Training

by Fitness Excel, posted in bone health, health, Pilates, strength training, Uncategorized, well-being

pexels-photo-221247

Ageing is associated to physiological changes and declines in muscles and joints which could contribute to falls, frailty and disability, the term for this condition is known as ‘sarcopenia’.  Factors include a loss of muscle mass and strength.  Current research has shown that by engaging in regular strength training programmes 2-3 times per week, exercise can help combat muscle weakness, build muscle strength and improve bone density.

Benefits of Short Intensive Summer Courses

by Fitness Excel, posted in careers, enrichment, fitness for the camino, fitness instruction, health, outdoors learning, short courses, Uncategorized, well-being

 

pexels-photo-616999

Short courses can take place in winter, summer or throughout the academic year, delivered as a professional or academic course. Maybe you are looking to add an ‘extra flair’ to your study or would like to pursue a practical course in an academic subject combined with practical subjects, which is flexible, less connected to the regular curriculum, but is a course of interest.

A short course can not only enhance your skills, knowledge, but it enables you to specialise further, study from a different perspective or look into a different field of study you may of thought of as a hobby or interest.

An Intensive course gives you freedom, if you are looking for a job or seeking better opportunities, a short course will not only enhance your CV but enrich your study experience.

Camino & Resilience

by Fitness Excel, posted in adventure education, camino, fitness for the camino, fitness walking, health, mental health, outdoors learning, pilgrim walk, Resilience, santiago, well-being

pexels-photo-562623

The route continued to Palas De Rei. After leaving Portomarin, crossing the River Mino we continued uphill steadily through woodland, the rain continued and got heavier and heavier. Continuing through small hamlets, passing the Hospital de la Cruz. Arriving at Vendas de Naron to get a ‘pilgrim stamp’ the old Romanesque Chapel, then continuing along the paved path, arriving at Sierra de Ligonde which offered fantastic views over the valleys. Particular parts of the route were isolated and quiet, apart from a rather large dog. The fog was dense and we were soaked through.

Approaching A Calzada the weather was so bad, we took shelter under a tree. There were other walkers, one an Australian man, we had met further back in other towns.  After discussing the weather, our blisters, stories of one walker getting frostbite back in the Pyrenees, our conversation compared the weather to life and the Camino, there are good and bad times, but we must press forwards.

The Camino de Santiago builds resilience, both emotionally and physically, it enables us to develop a positive mind and can-do-attitude.  We can integrate resilience into our lives on a daily basis, by being more active, getting more sleep and eating well, forgiving ourselves and resolving conflict. These small steps can help us improve our mental health and to face everyday challenges.