Finally! My new website is completed! Thank you to everyone who has contributed with advice and testimonials. It has been a fun process! Check it out HERE.

I have long thought to start a newsletter where I can share ideas and tips relating to health and fitness. Here is the first issue.

You will find a short article on the difference between Exercise and Activity motivated by my observation that there are a lot of people who believe that their activities meet their exercise needs, which is often not the case. I think it is important be consciously aware of the difference to stay in tune with what your body needs to stay healthy and balanced.

I also felt obliged to share findings that came out of researching how to optimize my diet for triathlon training. What I learned was not what I had expected!

I have included a short video showing how to use balls to release lower back tension. If you are a client in the studio you have probably tried this but maybe you know someone who could benefit from this technique, if so feel free to forward this newsletter!

I will periodically create more movement videos that will be available on my website and distributed through this newsletter.

There is also a short video showcasing the studio and the Pilates method.

Have a friend, co-worker or family member that might be interested?
We'd love for you to share this newsletter.

Our Vancouver studio is located in Kitsilano
Book your appointment with us at info@newmovespilates.com

EXERCISE OR ACTIVITY?

There is a difference between exercise and activity. The difference lies in the objective, the purpose. In my mind the purpose of exercise is to obtain or maintain the ability to perform the activities you are passionate about. These activities can range widely from sports to gardening, hiking, playing instruments or making art.

All activities you engage in will have an effect on your body. Certain movement and muscle recruitment patterns will be used a lot whereas others may not be used at all! Very few activities engage the body in a balanced way and most will with time inhibit it's freedom of movement. This is where a functional exercise modality, such as Pilates, comes in.

With a well-designed and applied exercise routine imbalances can be corrected, enabling you to continue the activities you love. Joe Pilates designed his system of exercise with exactly this in mind. Pilates is the perfect system of exercise for balancing your body; all movement patterns are represented in the repertoire and the equipment makes it possible to adjust and modify the movements to achieve the correct level of challenge and support for each individual body. With ongoing practice the brain and nervous system is programmed to make balanced uninhibited movement habitual.

Practicing functional exercise such as Pilates, is like hitting a reset button, after your workout your body will be re-integrated and balanced and ready to perform the activities you love for a long time!



My passion is triathlon. I continually research and access how Pilates can improve performance in endurance sports. READ MORE HERE...

NUTRITION AND RECIPES

This past summer I researched how to best and most effectively eat when training for a triathlon. Traditionally endurance athletes worship carbohydrates so this is where I started. I quickly realized that to consume my prescribed amount of carbohydrates I would more or less have to eat mashed potatoes and pasta for breakfast lunch and dinner. And even when I did that I would often fall short. So I turned to my friend in Sweden, who I knew had been following a specific eating plan for his training, and asked him how to get enough carbs into my diet to train on? His answer was scrap carbs altogether! Eat protein, above ground vegetables and FAT! You can get the carbs you need from vegetables but your body does not need a lot of them, instead eat more fat. Fat will become the primary source of fuel for your body.

Keeping carbohydrate intake low switches on an energy producing process called ketosis in a matter of weeks. This was new information to me and it triggered my interest. My friend recommended that I look up the website dietdoctor.com and read the book: Low carb, high fat food revolution; by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt (the diet doctor). When reading the book I learned about how fat was demonized and the negative effects of sugar and white flour was largely ignored. I was amazed by the number of serious studies that has been conducted that all show how fat has positive effects and carbs from sugar and starches/grains is detrimental to your health. And yet the common advice is to keep fat low and eat lots of grains.

Since I've started cutting down on the carbs and increase fat in my diet I have less fluctuations in my energy levels, I rarely feel tired or hungry and I dropped 15lb in a few weeks. The diet change has led me to look for alternatives to pasta, rice, and potatoes as well as inventive ways of adding more fat (not hard). I have gained new appreciation for squash which I use instead of potatoes. I stab it a couple of times and stick it in the toaster oven for about an hour then scoop out the contents and sauté it with butter and garlic or season it with chili, curry powder or allspice and eat it with meat and chicken.

Cauliflower has also climbed on my shopping list. Grate it and use as an alternative to rice, mix it with cheese (mmmmmm cheeeeese) and an egg and boom pizza crust! Weird, I know, but done right it works great! I have also made mayonnaise to add to various foods, here is a ridiculously easy recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver. I used organic canola oil and it worked fabulously!

There is, I have learned, a huge shift currently in process where fat is being redeemed and the full negative effects of sugar and grain revealed. I recommend everyone to look into this and a good place to start is the website dietdoctor.com and his book: Low carb, high fat food revolution.

NEW MOVE OF THE MONTH

Forward this new move video tip a friend by clicking below.

CLICK HERE FOR TASTY MAYO RECIPE