Tag Archives: working out

Happiness-Affecting the Mind & Body

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Being happy truely affects our overall health and well being. Everything from digestion, blood pressure, sleep, eating habits, relationships with family and friends, energy levels, the list is endless. In a world surronded by contant negativity it’s no wonder we’re all overly stressed, plagued with chronic illness and disease, depressed, and easy to develop addicting habits including food, sugar, smoking, and alcohol. And negativity continues to breed negativity, until it becomes a vicious ugly cycle.

So, what if you could change your whole lifestyle just by changing your mood, thought process, or even your actions. The mind/body connection is just as it says. Your mind controls how your body is feeling, how you take care of your body, and how you use your body depending on your emotions.

Finding happiness can mean having a bigger purpose in life, being full-filled, or having a deeper sense of meaning. Happier and optimist people have stronger immune systems, live longer, look younger,  have better relationships, live enriched lives, and develop healthier habits.

How does happiness effect the mind? It stimulates the brain, increases attentiveness, produces serotonin, improves mental productivity and ability to think. The body reacts to being happy by lowering blood pressure, breathing and heart rates slow down, you  get better sleep, make healthier diet decisions, have a better immune system, and greatly increase your energy levels.

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Prenatal & Postnatal Pilates

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With all the benefits Pilates has to offer to every age, gender, and race it’s no wonder everyone is at least trying it once to see if all the hype is really true. Well, what if I told you there is Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates? Pilates that will benefit your sweet little pea in the pod as well as you as a mama and your ever-changing body for those glorious, exhausting, emotional 10 months while you carry and all the months after, as a brand new mom. That’s right I said 10 months, that’s actually how long we really do carry these little bundles! That’s a lot of hard work, stress, and changes on the body for almost a year.

I’ve had the honor and privilege of taking new mamas anxiously awaiting their little ones to arrive using the Pilates Method. And I’ve also been blessed to be able to help them bounce back and into those pre-pregnancy jeans after those little sweet faces have come in to the world. Being a mama myself with two small little ones, I can honestly say Pilates has made my pregnancies, deliveries, and recovery time so much easier and quicker. Pilates allowed me to continue to exercise while I was pregnant, focus on breathing and relaxing, it gave me flexibility, energy, and kept my weight gain to only 20 pounds for each baby! I was definitely able to bounce back quicker and lose the baby weight in record time.

Pilates allows you to build your core, strengthening your pelvic floor muscles, (these are the ones that get overstretched as the baby grows-and also the hardest to redevelop) and protect your lower back. The lower back is what seems to ache more and more as the baby gets bigger, your center of gravity shifts, sending your weight forward and causing your pelvis to tilt putting more strain on the lower back.

Pilates is great for pregnancy because it is adaptable and can be modified as your body and abilities begin to change. Always check with your doctor or midwife before starting Pilates or any other exercise program. Make sure to find a Certified Pilates Instructor. And always tell your instructor if you feel faint, light-headed, nauseous, short of breath, your heart rate picks up. Make sure to listen to your body!

Pilates helps you maintain your balance, centers you, teaches control and breath, helps with precision, concentration, and flow. Learning these aspects will help you stay in tune to your body during your pregnancy, during birth, and even with your recovery. And they will help you take care of yourself as well as your new little bundle!