What do you really want or achieve? You can make it happen 2010!

Only a few days until this year come to its end and this is when most of us take time to reflect on how the year has been and where we want to see it going in the coming year. Did you achieve last year’s resolution or goals and if not, why not? I guess it happens to all of us at some point in life – that we set a goal but does not follow it through. So, what could you do to prevent this from happening and be left with frustration and disappointment? There are a number of things you can do to achieve your goals whereas its exercise related, work, personal or financial.

• Decide what YOU really want to achieve! Make sure it really is what you want and not what you think you should do or someone else thinks you should do.  Be specific. Be prepared to give up some things in order to reach your goal.
• Plan ahead! – decide by what date you have achieved your goals (the goal could be a personal, financial, health, relationship goal etc. & needs to be specific and measurable) and work backwards from there setting a time line. Start big and break it down into daily tasks that will take you towards reaching your goal. I suggest you do 5 things everyday that will bring you closer to your goal.
• Make a “Pro” and “Con” list: It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.
• Set your mind on your goal.
• Get on with the work: Make sure you do all the things you are set out in the plan to do. You need to do something ( I suggest 5 things) that takes you closer towards your goal everyday.
• Talk about it: Make sure you tell friends and family who you know will support you in what you want to achieve.  Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year’s Resolution and motivate each other.
• Reward Yourself: This doesn’t mean that if your resolution is to diet you can eat an entire box of chocolates. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy. Treat yourself if you have stuck with the resolution for a while & when reaching a goal. But be careful of your reward type. If you have lost weight, don’t eat a box of chocolate as reward. Instead, treat yourself to a something non-food related such as a massage.
• Track your progress: Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Way of copping out. Especially when it comes to fitness, research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves people’s success rate.
• Get assistance from a fitness professional if you find it hard to do it alone. Everyone needs help & sometimes you need the help of a trained professional.
• Don’t Beat Yourself Up: Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take them one at a time.
• Stick to it: Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality.
• Keep being persistent: If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! There’s no reason you can’t make a “New Year’s Resolution” any time of year.

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BODY AWAKENING

Author: Karin Hagberg

Have you ever wanted to get into better shape but thought it was too hard?

Have you suffered an injury or illness that left you weak or in pain?

No matter what your situation; it is never too late to change and improve your fitness and overall wellbeing. Most of the problems people encounter or assume about fitness have more to do with their own mindset rather than with reality.

In Body Awakening; Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer & Remedial Massage Therapist

Karin Hagberg shows you:
• How good health can be part of your lifestyle no matter your age.
• How to become more active and have more energy.
• How to set achievable goals and reach them.
• Where to find the self motivation to start and sustain an active lifestyle.
• How to set a healthy and good example for your family and children.
• How to find balance of body, mind and soul through Pilates.
• How to develop a “Pilates mindset” of awareness during exercise.

Though many people have heard of Pilates, they don’t necessarily understand how or why it works. By improving your overall wellbeing you improve every aspect of your life and reduce stress to a minimum. No matter your circumstances or physical condition everyone can benefit from the wisdom and advice offered in this book and get motivated to achieve a better life.

The book can be purchased through www.aspirepilates.com.au

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Correct breathing will assist in muscle control and revitalize the body with fresh oxygen to give us more energy. There are many different breathing techniques but in Pilates we practise “lateral thoracic breathing” while exercising. This means that you breathe into the lower ribcage and upper back to make maximum use of your lung capacity.
This action will also create greater flexibility in the upper body and work the abdominals.
To learn lateral thoracic breathing you can sit, stand, or kneel with your pelvis in neutral position and your spine lengthened. Place your hands on your ribcage. When you breathe in you will feel the ribcage expand and as you breathe out you will feel the ribcage narrow. Make sure you keep your shoulders down and relaxed while you practise this breathing technique. When you become more comfortable with it, focus on engaging the pelvic floor and your transverse abdominis as you exhale and then release only a little bit as you inhale. You might find the breathing hard to get used to as you start practising Pilates and perhaps the hardest to perfect. It is thought to be the most important
principle in Pilates to master. To breathe correctly can be the difference between straining to complete an exercise and performing the move easily.

This is a typical way of breathing through a Pilates move:
Breathe in to prepare (wide and full into your back). As you begin the movement, breathe out and contract your abdominals (the deeper abdominal muscles are contracted). Breathe in as you return to neutral position or before you start the next stage. The main rule is to breathe out on the greatest effort or the hardest part of the move.

Watch this video to learn how to do Lateral Thoracic Breathing.

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