1.22.2010
Are You Pushing Yourself Too Hard?
{How to know if you need to make some adjustments to your health & fitness focus!}
1.12.2010
Need More Personal Weight Loss Coaching?
I'm not saying I don't have my down days, but there are many many more good ones now.
Well, she's just re-opened the doors of her exclusive Online Weight Loss Coaching program called the Diamond Club.
The program includes some amazing features and is well worth the cost. Some girls already in the club even joined the Diamond program for a little extra help over the next 6 weeks.
Check it out if you need a more personal approach. You'll get coaching from a celebrity personal trainer...for a mere fraction of the cost. Plus, you will also meet some amazing women who I've grown to call my friends--the RCR girls!
Check out the Diamond Club now before the last 14 spots fill up! (Yes...I know she just released today, but the club is already 1/2 full since she's only taking 30 people)!
1.11.2010
Do you like music during pilates class?
I'm FINALLY putting together a few different playlists for my mat and reformer classes. Do you like music during class? If so, what type or artists do you like to hear? After taking a great yoga class that played a mix of pop, classic oldies (ish), and hip hop, I was inspired to make my own list. I loved drowning out my constant mental commentary that doesn't let me relax too easily!
1.10.2010
About.com's Exercise of the Week~Love this set of exercises!
I promised you we would do some serious working out in the new year, and now I post something about footwork? Guess what? This set is serious ab and leg work. If your Pilates powerhouse went on vacation the past few weeks, it's going to have to come back quick.
Learn the Pilates Reformer Footwork Series on the Mat
Have the Exercise of the Week, along with other great Pilates info, sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.
I'm so excited to share this post with you. If you aren't subscribed to get these latest workouts when she posts them, do yourself a favor and get on her mailing list. About.com always has great ways to fit pilates into your life. This is one of my personal favorites. I love doing Reformer on the Mat workouts and can't wait to share with my own pilates students!
1.05.2010
Great Before & After Success Story
A Glamour Girl Tells All in Her Weight-Loss Blog Check out the article!
Each week, we introduce you to bloggers who share their weight-loss journeys and hefty doses of inspiration with their readers. This week's featured blogger is Sheryl Yvette of Bitch Cakes.
{I really love this woman's story and no-nonsense way she finally took control of her health...and now she's even going further by transforming her life. After you read the article, check out her blog. I am reminded of the ways I changed my own health and fitness. While I didn't have as much weight to lose, I was a recovering new mom and needed some major mindset shifts in order to get my fitness back on track. It's all about the mindset, in my opinion and I'm glad to hear others touting this aspect of health too! }
Feel free to visit my main blog where I talk about topics like this -- including my recent post about Lifestyle Design.
Have a great day and stay motivated!
Balancing Pilates with your Commitments
Check out this interesting account of a woman balancing her work as a Pilates Instructor and as a Mother...I love reading stories like this because they really hit home for me.
12.28.2009
about.com exercise of the week!
Exercise of the Week: Open Leg Rocker
Exercise of the Week: Open Leg Rocker originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 08:00:01.
The Benefits of Eye Focus During Pilates and Fitness Ab Work Exercises
{check out this interesting article from http://www.centerworks.com about using eye focus to enhance effectiveness of ab exercises} What are you looking at?
12.20.2009
Get Great Pilates Reformer Workout At Home! | Anne Samoilov Pilates
(…even without expensive studio equipment)
So, you’ve bought your reformer…Maybe it’s a home version of the studio machines you are used to working on. Maybe it’s a sub-$500 model that uses a bungee style chord instead of the springs. Maybe it’s a resistance band setup that hooks up to a door and mimics a reformer. Whatever you have chosen, I’m here to tell you that you still can get a great workout at home…
Here are a few simple things to remember and try…the first one being my personal favorite!!
Technorati Tags: pilates at home, pilates home reformer, pilates moves
{prompted by an email from an old schoolmate in Vermont!}
12.16.2009
3 posts in one day???
Here's a blast from the past that you might already know about...
Check out this short clip....If you like the Divinyls pretty well-known song, you might like this...hopefully. :)
The clip is lifted from a longer video...so apologizes for the stun sound at the beginning!
Enjoy...and if that's still not enough for you....
Check this out...another blast from a not so distant past: Anne Miller Sampler CD.
Red Carpet Ready - What it Takes
So, the question is...who is right for the Red Carpet Ready program and what does it take to become a success story?
Here are 5 things that made ME right for the RCR program:
- I immediately connected with Val. Her videos spoke to me because she is like people I know and am friends with already. No attitude. No negativity. Plain, simple, support. If you connect with Val or like what you see of her in the videos, you will like the program. You will allow her to be your teacher. I know it seems pretty surface level stuff, but you will be more open to listening to her strategies if you first like her. Simple. Not to say that you won't like the program even if she doesn't resonate with you, but it will help if you like her style.
- Simple Nutrition Guidelines - There was no specific meal plan to follow, but guidelines that were specific and simple enough for me to follow without feeling like I was on a diet.
- Straight-forward Challenging Workouts that bring you through 2 different phases and help you build a base of strength.
- I was ready to make a specific change in my life and my body. I had already made the decision and was merely looking for the path.
- Mindset Support - I knew that she provided a way to get your brain in the game of getting in shape. I knew this was a big hurdle for me and liked that she focused on this aspect of fitness.
Here are the 5 Things that Made (and make me a RCR Success Story):
- Mindset Exercises and Goal Setting - I did all of the exercises she provides and follow up on them regularly. I readjust when I need to and add new goals as the first ones are reached.
- Diet & Nutrition - I took the guidelines she gave me and I stuck to them. Simple. The food was a huge part of my success. If I hadn't taken her guidelines and also went further into learning about clean eating, there would have been very little change to my body.
- Workouts - I did them as she requested and also took her advice to increase weight when the workouts needed to be more challenging.
- Pilates - I combined RCR workouts with only a few pilates workouts per week. These pilates workouts reminded me how to stabilize my body first before moving. I think that increased the effectiveness of Val's exercises.
- Consistency - There is no maintenance. I am still doing Val's workouts. Now, I'm into the Action Hero Babe Training System, but might return to RCR in the beginning of the year for a change of pace.
3 1/2 inches off my waist
2 inches off my hips
2 inches off my muffin top (just below my belly button)
1 inch off each thigh
Weight Lost = 13 lbs.
2009 - My Red Carpet Ready Year
Things started off bumpy....
January - I was still jittery being a new mom. Held so tight to my schedule and routines that I was making everyone and especially myself CRAZY. I won't lie and say that the schedule is gone, but the hysteria behind it is! Yay! I win!
February - Mila turned one and was overwhelmed with the turn my life took since her birth. So much turmoil I had brought on myself. When I saw the pictures from her birthday, I realized how much I needed to start taking care of myself again. Started teaching more pilates...
March - Birthday month for Mommy. 1 week before my birthday I made the decision to change and improve myself. Started working out more, started going out of the house more! I even left Mila with a babysitter! What?? Yay, mommy's getting her groove back.
April/May - Through a series of events I cannot even recall, I found Valerie Waters. I started her Red Carpet Ready program and have not been the same since. Check out my next post about how to be a Red Carpet Ready success story. We moved to an amazing new townhouse which further helped me to relax and let Mila do the same.
June - Going strong, getting in shape, feeling energetic. More pilates, more teaching...but most importantly, more me.
July/August - Visits from Grandparents...Mila running around in the sunshine. Ahhh...life feels good.
September/October - Solidifying my Clean Eating habits and Regular workouts. RCR reunion and working out with Val. These were stellar months and I'm so thankful for them!
November - Thanksgiving with my little family.
And now...winding the year down by making goals for 2010...but starting them now in 2009.
25 Days of Self-Appreciation
Day 11 - I appreciate my bravery to take chances at different times in my life…not returning to the animation industry and just working on creative projects. I was lucky to have my husband to support me, but it felt good to only choose ways to spend my time that actually excited me.
Day 12 - I appreciate my skin too, just like my RCR sister Leeanne. I love being told by dermatologists that I do have the skin of a 38 year old who lives in Southern California. I take pride in NOT spending hours in the sun or the tanning bed just to get a healthy glow. However, I will do a spray tan for my upcoming AHB pics.
Day 13 - I appreciate my choice to breastfeed my daughter for 13, count them 13 months. It was tough, but I am happy that I was able to give her this much of my time and body. When we finished, I knew she was ready just as much as I was.
....see you in a few days!
12.02.2009
Pilates Shoppers Take Note
The About.com Pilates blog is a great resource if you're looking to learn more about pilates. Check out this post on buying pilates home equipment, pilates clothing, and pilates dvds!
11.19.2009
One Nice Step Forward, One Small Step Back, and Redeeming Poor Choices
Check out this blog post on a great website I like to visit every few days...Especially since it's almost Thanksgiving where Food is a main focus of the holiday. It's a good reminder that even if you do get off track, you can always get right back on at the next meal. Also, keep movement going. Take a Pilates Class, Go for a Hike, Start a New Home Workout program.
Check this out and if you decide to purchase, let me know! I would love to have another workout partner and see another friend succeed!
11.16.2009
Red Carpet Ready TV Episode 8 - Don't Miss This!
{go to Valerie's blog link and check this out. Red Carpet Ready TV was really inspiring and looks to continue that this year. Gratz Val!}
Your Healthy Thanksgiving!
Ok, I need your help on TWO THINGS for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
{check out my latest post! I need your help coming up with a healthy Thanksgiving feast and workout plan for the 4 day weekend}
11.14.2009
Getting Unstuck and Finding Happiness – How to Change Your Life
A reader recently asked for help getting unstuck in life; she’s not alone in wanting to find happiness! These tips can help her – and you – change your life.
Here’s a brief excerpt of her comment on my article How to Let Go of Someone You Love:
“I met my husband 16 years ago, after I walked away from a relationship that was scary for me. I loved my old boyfriend with all my heart, mind, body, and soul. But I decided that I didn’t want to be in love because I needed to be able to control my feelings and actions…So, I married this guy that fit the illusion…14 years later, I am unhappy with everything about him…Leaving him would destroy my children and the happy home they think they have. I am afraid if I don’t leave, I may eventually cheat. He is not what I want at all. I need help!”
To read my suggestions to her directly, go to the article itself. For psychotherapist’s advice on getting unstuck and finding happiness, click Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths. And read on for my tips on how to change your life…
Getting Unstuck and Finding Happiness – How to Change Your Life
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been,” said George Eliot.
First, figure out what went wrong. My reader realized that she left her first boyfriend to protect herself from the unpredictability of love. She didn’t want to be vulnerable (maybe she had a fear of intimacy). Now, 14 years later, she realizes she’s been trying to force her personality and life in a direction that’s not natural for her…and, understandably, she’s unhappy. What about you — can you look at your life and figure out what went “wrong”? This is the first step in getting unstuck, finding happiness, and achieving your life goals.
Accept that you did the best you could. Don’t waste your time or energy feeling guilty or bad about the choices you made. You did the best you could, my friend. You couldn’t have made other choices in your life at that time…so forgive yourself and accept where you are right now.
Decide what needs to change in your life. What are you willing and able to change? What do you have to live with? There’s probably a bit of both in your life; you need to accept the things you can’t change – and by acceptance, I mean not complaining or wishing things were different. Then, focus on the things you can and want to change. To learn how to deliberately and effectively create change, read 10 Tips for Setting and Achieving Your Life Goals.
Accept your lack of control. To find happiness and get unstuck, you need to accept that you can’t control many things in your life. You can’t control who loves you, who leaves you, who helps you, who betrays you. You can’t control your neighborhood, the traffic, the weather, or the economy. Of all the things you want to change in your life, remember that you can’t change people. You can sometimes change circumstances, and you can change your attitude and response to events and people…but you can’t change your husband, children, coworkers, neighbors, or family members.
Tap into your soul. The happiest people are those who are in touch with their spirits. Adding spirituality to your life not only makes you feel better emotionally, it improves your physical health. Tap into your soul by meditating, praying, taking time to really listen to your heart, reading Scripture or other soulful books, and talking to people about spiritual matters.
Focus on one step at a time. Does your whole life need an overhaul? Pick the biggest thing you want to change, and break it down into reasonable, manageable steps. Or, if you’re not ready to tackle the biggest problem – or you think that isn’t the road to finding happiness – then pick the smallest problem. What matters most is that you’re taking action in one area of your life, that you’re taking a step into personal growth.
Get help: a life coach, counselor, financial advisor, professional organizer. Whether you should consider hiring a life coach or getting counseling depends on your situation. If you’re struggling with self-identity, major life changes, fear, anxiety, depression, or your marriage – then I encourage you to talk to a professional. Therapists can provide objective feedback and guidance that our friends and family can’t offer. If you have money problems, financial advisors can help you with things like rebuild financially after bankruptcy. Professional organizers can help you declutter — which can improve your physical and mental health!
Find a book that reminds you about getting unstuck. I pick up Sarah Ban Breathnach’s A Daybook of Comfort and Joy whenever I felt sad, lonely, or full of existential angst. I just flip through it when I need encouragement. To find happiness and change your life, you need to surround yourself with books, photos, inspirational quotations, etc – whatever reminds you of your goals, of the life you want to lead.
“Courage is not the towering oak that sees the storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.” – Alice M. Swain, writer.
If you have any questions or thoughts on getting unstuck, finding happiness, and changing your life…please comment below!
Related Posts on Quips & Tips for Achieving Your Goals:
{I love articles with simple messages on creating a better life. Even though is great to learn how to get rid of your holiday pounds and stay in shape and eat healthy, yadda yadda yadda...It's also good to be happy!}
