From AmyRDH website

December 17, 2008 by mindyourbodybook
Thanks  Juli! I have to tell everyone that I have been doing Pilates for months now.  I have Juli’s book that I use when I am away and also a Pilates reformer at home.  I’ve also been weight training for months with heavy weights.  It’s absolutely amazing how the combination of the two just changes your body and forms muscle that I haven’t seen in years. For the last two weeks, I have been walking with my husband almost every night when I’ve been home for almost an hour outside (I get so bored of the treadmill and workout videos).  I just jumped on the scale after working out today and I’ve lost over ten pounds but more importantly my clothes are starting to get to be too big.  I’ve also cut WAY back on the Pepsi intake and am trying to drink more water, as well as try (not always easy to do) cutting down on the crap I eat at night. 
 
If I can do it, being the sugar and caffeine-aholic that I am, you can do it too.  Pilates makes you feel so good afterwards, but yet you know you’ve worked out because you can feel it.  Not to mention if you tend to get “down” around this time of the year, this definitely helps make you more in a positive mind frame.
 
Like Juli keeps motivating us to do — KEEP MOVING!
Amy :)

Keep Moving!

December 16, 2008 by mindyourbodybook

DID YOU KNOW:

The average 30-year old can expect to lose about 25% of muscle mass and strength by age 70!
And….another 25% by age 90.

Personally, I think we will all live beyond 90. What will your muscles say to you: Thanks or I am sorry?

KEEP MOVING!!!

Interesting Information

December 16, 2008 by mindyourbodybook
One of my Pilates clients sent this to me. 
I thought it was exceptionally informative and wanted to pass it along.
 CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL:

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .
 
 
 1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
 
 2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.
 
 3. When the person’s immune system is strong, the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
 
 4. When a person has cancer, it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmen tal, food and lifestyle factors.
 
 5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, change diet and include supplements which can strengthen the immune system.
 
 6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract, etc., and can cause organ damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.
 
 7. Radiation–while destroying cancer cells–also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
 
 8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size.  However, prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
 
 9 When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation, the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
 
 10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.  Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
 
 11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

 12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes.  Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.
 
 13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering.  By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
 
 14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6 , Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted or unneeded cells.
 
 15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.  A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor.  Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment.  Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit.  Learn to relax and enjoy life.
 
 16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level.  Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
 
 
 CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
 
 A. Sugar is a cancer-feeder.  By cutting off sugar, it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells.  Sugar substitutes likeNutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made with Aspartame which is harmful.  A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts.  Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color.  A better substitute is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt.
 
 B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract.  Cancer feeds on mucus.  By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk, cancer cells are being starved.
 
 C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment.  A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork.  Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
 
D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment.  About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for build ing healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day.  Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
 
 E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate which contain a lot of caffeine.  Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.  The best water to drink is purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water.  Distilled water is acidic; avoid it.
 

 Advice:
 1. No plastic containers in micro.
 2. No water bottles in freezer.
 3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

 Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.

 Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

 Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.

 Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.  He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers.  This especially applies to foods that contain fat.  He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastic releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.

Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.  He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
 
 Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cook ed in the microwave.  As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.  Cover food with a paper towel instead.

MIND YOUR BODY!

It’s Thanksgiving

December 16, 2008 by mindyourbodybook

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


I am in overcast, cold New Jersey (that’s compared to sunny, warm South Florida!) and I know you have the day off!

Enjoy your day, but please take just 20 minutes out of your day to stretch or move.

Stretching is easy and gentle on the body. 

If you don’t know what or how to stretch: the first, light blue, section of my book has 20 delicious joint release stretches.

A terrific gift you can give yourself is to walk outside for 20 minutes and mindfully repeat to yourself all the things you are grateful for.  I PROMISE you will feel better afterward! (Oh and if it’s too cold, just walk up and down your house staircase for 20 minutes!  That’ll get your heart working!)  Personally, I’m opting for the walk;  it’s easier on an off-day, like today!

Whatever you do: KEEP MOVING!!

Book Signings are lots of fun!

December 26, 2007 by mindyourbodybook

Mind Your Body had it’s first book signing at Pulse Pilates in Boca Raton, FL. in November. The book signing was a lot of fun and a time to let others see the book for the first time. It was an exciting evening and the first of many book signings. booksigning-pulse-5.jpg

Just Get Moving!

December 26, 2007 by mindyourbodybook

Nike has a great campaign that says: “Just do it.” I think seated professionals should start on a new campaign called “Just Get Moving!”

The plain reality is that we usually work all day sitting in a chair, drive home sitting in our car, eat dinner in a seated position and often, either sit in front of a computer or lay down watching a TV screen for much of the evening!

Simply being more active is a first step in a direction towards better health and fitness.

To begin with, park your car farther away than normal and take some extra steps to get to where you’re going! If you did park close, kick up your pace a bit and walk fast instead. Take the stairs instead of the elevator; better yet, walk up the escalator if you can’t find the stairs. Look for “exercising opportunities” to be more active. It can really add up over the days, weeks, and years.

If you are not used to exercising routinely begin walking gradually. Promise yourself you’ll only go out for about 15-20 minutes. (You’ll see that once you’re out, 20 minutes will seem too short!) My girlfriend Kathy said to me the other day, “I used to think I needed to make time to go on the Stairmaster®. Now, if I have just 20 minutes, I’ll jump on and get it done. I feel better afterwards.” The same idea can be used for walking. Exercising for your body and mind doesn’t have to be an Olympic event. Just do it-get moving.

I know…you’re giving me excuses already! But here’s the real deal: make exercising the excuse that will convince you that you want a higher level of health. Make health the reason to walk farther, step more frequently and stand with better posture. Set a date with yourself to exercise. Have it be “your time.” Better yet, find an activity that you like or can do with others.

So what’s holding you back? We are all tired, sometimes, may not feel like moving, sometimes, and just don’t want to, sometimes! OK,as long as your excuses are only sometimes! Just make it a point to move and be active most of the time! It’s your choice to be active or inactive. The interesting thing is that you know better; you’ve read about exercising in every magazine and the best selling books are diet and exercise related. What I’m proselytizing is this: what you do makes all the difference, not what you say you’ll do!

The benefits of exercise include: bone strengthening (which inhibits osteoporosis), improved heart and lung function, better muscle tone (which assists with posture and positioning), increased physical stamina, enhanced mental acuity, and more than everything else, a greater sense of self that can only be achieved from “doing the work.” You feel better about yourself after exercising!

Get moving. If you choose not to then that is your choice, but accept the consequences. Here is the kicker, however, when your back aches from sitting poorly, you aren’t sleeping restfully at night, you feel more agitated than you should be, or you just can’t seem to keep your weight in check, know that exercise might be the golden ticket that can cure these troubles.

Exercise is a choice. The good news is that it need not be vigorous to reap the benefits.

So, go ahead and do it- “Just get moving!”

 

 

 

 

Mind Your Body Book

August 24, 2007 by mindyourbodybook

bookpic_03.png

At this very moment, without moving an inch-how does your back feel? Tired, sore in a spot or is there pain around a larger area? Maybe your back feels strong, lengthened or you are sitting upright without any discomfort. If you are in the latter, you are among the minority. Back pain is ubiquitous and exceptionally common, especially among professionals who sit a large part of their day.

The 33 bones that make up the spine are truly an engineering marvel as its design allows for jumping, running, twisting, and turning. Yet, the spinal column is the most precarious of all bones in the body. One wrong little turn and sharp pain can have us seeing stars. Chronic back pain appears commonplace; just ask any number of coworkers if their back is sore and the answer is most likely a resounding “yes!”

Back pain is the third leading cause of doctor visits by adults in the United States. (Dept. of Health and Human Services). And if you are younger than 45, back pain is the number one reason for missing work. (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons). Pain can come from a weekend physical activity that you are not used to (think seasonal skiing or Spring golfing for the first time) or from a disc that has ruptured due to spinal compression over time. The bottom line is that about 70-85 percent of men and women will experience back pain in their lives.

The most important key in relieving back pain: movement! Exercise is your ally when it comes to spinal health. Mind Your Body is dedicated to the seated professional. It contains joint stretches, Pilates Mat exercises and stretches you can do right at your desk. The book will quickly get you on your way to feeling fantastic or more importantly, keep you in that 15-30 percent of the population that rarely experiences challenging back pain…Mind Your Body: Pilates for the Seated Professional will help you Sit Tall; Stand Strong; and Work Without Pain.