What's holding you back?

I was watching “What Not to Wear” the other day. For those uninitiated few, this show features two smart-mouthed fashionistas who swoop down on an unsuspecting person, shower them with cash for a new wardrobe, and completely turn their lives upside-down. The person ends up confronting all their demons and learning a thing or two about style, inevitably becoming happier and having more confidence afterwards. On this particular show, a failed ballet dancer figured out how to let go of her past and celebrate the body and the person that she is now. She got some advice that really hit home with her, and that I think we could all stand to hear and internalize…

Stop with the negativity! This woman’s sentence structure was full of “but’s,” as in, “This jacket is a nice color, but my shoulders look really wide.” The WNTW people helped her recognize that she was totally tearing herself apart instead of building herself up. Focus on finding clothes that fit and flatter your shape, they told her, and if a piece of clothing doesn’t meet those specs, it’s not your fault. I think this advice is infinitely translatable to you, and me, and everyone…telling yourself over and over that you’re not good enough is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Change that message to something positive and you start moving forward! I have trouble with this because I’m a perfectionist – if I’m not the best mother/trainer/martial artist/wife/motivator every day I tend to feel that I’ve failed. It’s taking hard work to change that message, but I know it’s the most important work!

What are areas of your life where you have trouble hearing/seeing the positive?

BLEE

People often ask me “How do I get my butt a little perkier?” or “How can I get my inner thighs to stop jiggling?” My first answer is always this: lunges. Lunges and more lunges. I think they’re the best leg exercise ever, for a couple reasons…

First of all, they SUCK. They suck as you’re psyching yourself up to do them, as you’re doing them, afterwards…they’re just really hard. And I like things that are tough – I like challenging myself and my clients!

Also, they involve all the major and minor musculature in your lower body. You’ll probably feel it the most in your butt and quadriceps (front of the thighs), but if you have good form, you’ll also engage all the littler muscles that help stabilize your knees and ankles. The hamstrings also get a good workout if the form is correct.

So what’s the right form? I’m so thrilled to be able to tell you. When I belonged to a major gym chain I used to walk around wincing, trying to keep myself from leaping across the room and grabbing a weight out of someone’s hand, yelling, “Don’t DO that! You’re going to kill yourself! Now, let’s just all take a breath here and let me show you the right way to do this…” Lunges are especially hazardous because the exercise’s traditional form requires balance, coordination and leg muscles that all know how to work together. Most of us have maybe one or two of those components, but not all three – so here’s a couple different version of the Best Leg Exercise Ever (BLEE).

· For the coordinated athlete-type: Walking Lunges. Moving forward in space allows your hamstrings to more strongly engage, making this the most well-rounded version of the lunge. Take a long step forward and drop your back knee toward the ground, allowing the back heel to come off. Make sure that you’re stepping out long enough so that your front knee doesn’t go past your toe as your back knee drops. Keeping most of your weight in the front heel, use your front leg to power your back foot off the ground and into the next long lunge step. Keep it up until your legs are tired! It’s important to keep your upper body tall and your core strong…the tendency is to lead with your head and kind of hoist your body forward, especially as you get tired. When you can’t do them well any more, stop! Add dumbbells to make this version harder.

· For those with knee/coordination issues: Standing Lunges. Get into a long lunge stance with the front foot flat on the ground and the back leg stretched back behind you, resting on the ball of the back foot. Keep your feet in line with your hips – you don’t want one foot directly behind the other. Make sure your legs are far enough apart (length-wise) so your front knee doesn’t go past your toes, and keep your torso upright. Drop your back knee toward the ground, keeping most of you weight on your front heel. Get as close to the ground as feels comfortable, then go back up – but not all the way! If you straighten both legs, you’re more or less in a resting place…rest when you’re done! Pulse up and down until you can’t do any more, then shake out your legs and try the other side. If you have serious balance issues, stand close to a wall or post and rest one hand lightly against it.

There you have it! Gonna try to start shooting some video demos…more on that soon! Have fun with the BLEE…and remember, if you’re not hurting after these, you’re not doing them right. J And these are just a couple versions of lunges…know any other good ones you want to share?

To TA or not to TA...is that the question?

This article (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/core-myths/) raises interesting questions about the importance of the transverse abdominus (or TA) in core stabilization. The TA has been on everyone’s lips the last few years, and has been widely regarded as the “true” way to get your core in shape safely and most effectively. But I agree that focusing only on the TA leads to imbalances – the body has to work as a unit, and there are a bunch of muscles that support the midsection that need a little love. However, one population I feel can really benefit from increased attention to the TA is postpartum women…the core muscles gets so stretched out of shape and separated, and need to be reintegrated. I’m curious…those who do TA-focused work (such as Pilates) - have you found any of the issues mentioned in the article to be true for you?

Don't read a lot into this...

Does it ever feel like there's a little too much wellness information out there? I've had so many clients ask me which diet book is the best, whether Bikram yoga is worth the sweat, or what I think about the latest research on creatine. The pace at which new information (and propaganda) is released in these viral technolgical times is staggering, and can be extremely confusing. Some people love all the input, and happily clip the newest stability ball move out of Shape magazine. Others just wish they could have someone to tell them what to do so they don't have to figure it out for themselves. Either path to fitness is totally legit! There is no right or wrong way to pursue better health...it all comes down to personality. Me? I'm a mixture of the two. I'm open to new ideas and will definitely seek them out, for the betterment of my own health and my clients. But let's face it - I help people get in shape all the time, and sometimes I just like to go to my Muay Thai kickboxing class and know I'll get my butt kicked! What type of a mover and shaker are you?