Part two in our Pilates in Pregnancy series - today we're guiding you through the best approach to your health and fitness through all three stages of your pregnancy.
A Film Introduction to Rachel Lawrence Pilates
Dynamic Pilates Workshop at Lululemon Richmond
I'm delighted to announce I'll be presenting a Dynamic Pilates workshop this saturday for Lululemon Richmond 10:45- 11:45.
This is a complimentary class so a great chance to rock out with fellow fitties, and get to know me too.
Here's some information about the session:
This is a challenging and energetic class which takes your fitness, flexibility and strength to the next level.
Taught in the way it’s practiced in California, this is a free flow class where you move seamlessly from one exercise into the next, giving you a cardio workout as well as increasing your core strength, stamina, balance, and mind/body awareness of movement. Great for athletes, fitness fiends, dancers, and anyone who has undertaken Pilates before and is looking for a new challenge.
*Only suitable for those with previous Pilates experience.
Are you ready?! Click here to see the invite on Facebook from the lovely Lululemon people.
As they say first come, first mat! See you there!
© Rachel Lawrence. All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
Thought for the New Year
Welcome to 2015 and what a wonderful year its going to be! May it be filled with happiness, health and goodwill for you all. Whilst we are all encouraged to set new goals for 2015, before we leap forward into the New year I think it's really important to take a moment to think about all the little things that when added up make life so much more meaningful.
Christmas Message
Well I have hung up my ballet shoes for 12 days, after the last ballet barre class of 2014!
I'll still be inhaling and exhaling for one more day doing my Pilates personal training with private clients keen to hone their bodies on Christmas Eve, as well as those who I have been working with remedially this year.
Have you got 'Text Neck' ? How technology is damaging your spine
Oh yes there is actually a word for it now. And not only that, scientific studies have been carried out to test the stress on your neck when constantly looking down at your technology device. With an average head weighing 12 pounds, the poundage increases with each degree of curvature in your neck. At a 15-degree angle the weight is about 27 pounds, at 30 degrees it’s 40 pounds and at 60 degrees it’s a whopping 60 pounds.
Stand up for health. It may lengthen your life
It’s official; it is now an actual fact that sitting for too long is bad for us. Whilst there is no doubt that sedentary behavior as a result of long hours sitting at the office desk, hunched over a computer is bad for you, scientists have found that standing for longer can actually help lengthen your life.
Fancy a Date? Smoothie that is....
Well, I had to get your attention somehow didn't I? I've been tinkering around my West London kitchen working on new healthy recipes for smoothies and absolutely love this one.
It has to be one of the simplest recipes as well as the most delicious. Putting dates into a smoothie is a great way to get some fibre into your body, as well as satisfying a sweet tooth. Using only three ingredients you'll get a delicious drink packed full of essential, vitamins, minerals and nutrients. And if you've ever been partial to a bit of butterscotch then this is for you! It's really healthy and tastes just like it!
Ingredients
15 Whole Dates
300 ml Coconut Milk
1 Ripe Banana
Make sure your dates are as squidgy as possible, de-stone them, chop in half then put into your blender along with the coconut milk and ripe banana. Whizz away until you get that lovely butterscotch colour and you're good to go. As always don't keep it to yourself, be generous and share the love around by giving a glass to a friend, family member or work colleague. Enjoy!
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?
My first online interview about the benefits of Pilates
Am very excited to announce that I was asked by local fitness organisation Urban Vitality to do an interview about Pilates and how it can improve sports performance.
Those of you that know me know how passionate I am about Pilates based exercise and its benefits- no matter what your age, gender or fitness background. So how could I refuse their request for a few words? Plus they are lovely people with a like-minded passion for what they do. It was my first 'Live' interview so slightly nervous but loved it!
Here it is in full!
What does a Pilates teacher eat?
Being healthy and happy (which is my mantra) is all about looking after your mind and body in a way that not only feeds you in a literal sense, but feeds those feelgood receptors that get treated when eating tasty food.
So whilst I’m mindful of eating lots of good stuff, it doesn’t come with the sacrifice of food with no flavour. Oh no. No blandiness (is that an actual word?) for me. It has to taste good as well as be healthy. So what does a Pilates teacher eat? Well, there are no set rules but teaching 20 plus hours of exercise a week I have to make sure I eat plenty of protein, as well as get a good shot of essential fats and fibre in each meal, so here was my lunch today. And I can tell you it sure was tasty! Recipe below. Why not try it and see if healthy tastes good to you too?!
Toasted Goats Cheese and Nectarine Salad drizzled in Orange Blossom Honey
100g Goats cheese of your choice (I used Chevre blanc)
Ripe Nectarine
Handful of Pumpkin Seeds
Handful of Walnuts
Generous handful of baby spinach leaves
2 teaspoons orange blossom honey
Salad dressing
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ cup Olive Oil.
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Assemble your spinach leaves on a plate, scatter the seeds and nuts over them, and add slices of nectarine. Slice your cheese into two pieces and grill on a greased baking sheet until bubbling and golden. While the cheese is toasting make up your salad dressing and pour a little (vary the amount to your taste) over the leaves. Remove the melted cheese very carefully from your baking sheet with a flat spatula and lay on top of your salad. Then comes the best bit, drizzle the honey over it, and eat. And for added va va voom, why not make my Summer Workout Smoothie to go with it. In previous post. Delicious!
Real Men do Pilates by Rachel Lawrence
I guess the overuse of this headline (try putting it into google and see what you get) reflects the fact that it is much harder to encourage men to try Pilates for the first time. One of the challenges I face as a Pilates instructor is the idea that Pilates is just for women, that it’s easy and not challenging enough for the male psyche. And this is the perception I love to blow out of the water. Pilates was, after all invented by a man who was incredibly strong, athletic and dedicated his whole life to fitness. If you’re in any doubt as to how manly the exercise regime can be, you only have to look at the picture below of Joseph Pilates himself, taken in the 1940’s when he was already 60 years old.
By any standards, he had a very impressive physique for a man, let alone a 60 year old, and when you take on board that it was solely down to practicing daily Pilates there must be a lot more to it than you think. So what do you get out of it if you are a man?
The men I train all want a powerful core, defined muscles and most of all to feel strong and look good, and Pilates delivers this on all counts. One thing I should add here though is visible muscle definition does depend on weight, and the muscle to fat ratio in the body. If a man is overweight to begin with, and doesn’t adjust his eating/drinking plan along with his exercise regime, he’s never going to look as good as a man with a healthy diet, and that goes for any form of exercise. But every man who attends regular Pilates sessions will see an improvement in core strength, stamina, muscle definition, back strength and better posture- all of which makes a man look and feel better.
The first thing men notice with regular Pilates sessions is a reduction in their waistline- one of my clients who trains three times a week has gone from a 36 to 34 inch waist which he is delighted about. The reason being that in Pilates we work the abdominals continually due to the breathing technique we use, and the use of both isometric and isotonic movements (so a static hold using the abdominals whilst performing a dynamic movement with the arms or legs, or both). Also, the Pilates session is always focussed primarily on correct postural alignment throughout every exercise, therefore whatever you may be doing you will be using your core to stabilise whilst you do it. Simply broken down that means you get an hour of abs every class, no matter what other exercises you are given. So why not try it? Are you man enough?!
Written material copyright of Rachel Lawrence.
All Rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.