May Flowers

May is only a matter of hours away, and hopefully all of the April showers really will bring those flowers.

Even though the nicer weather is surely upon us, don’t let your Pilates routine slow down just because the weather is nice. There is still room in other class slots, so if something appeals to you let us know.

The current spring schedule is:

BALANCED FITNESS STUDIO – SPRING SCHEDULE (APRIL 02-JUNE 23)

	Mon	Tues	Wed		Thurs		Fri	Sat
8:30am	Reformer Intermediate -Jamilah- (9:00am) FULL	Reformer Intermediate -Shannon- FULL	Apparatus Beginner -Shannon- (9:00am) FULL		Apparatus Intermediate -Shannon- FULL		Reformer Mixed Lvl -Shannon- FULL	Reformer Beginner -Rachael- FULL
9:30am	Reformer Beginner -Jamilah- (10:00am)	Mixed Apparatus -Shannon- FULL	Reformer Intermediate -Shannon- (10:00am)		Reformer Intermediate -Shannon- FULL		Apparatus Beginner -Shannon- FULL	Reformer Intermediate -Rachael-
10:30am								Yoga Flow -Alison- (9:00am)
6:00pm	Reformer Mixed Level -Shannon- FULL	Reformer Intermediate -Jamilah- FULL	Apparatus Beginner -Andrea- FULL		Reformer Intermediate -Andrea- FULL
7:00pm	Apparatus Intermediate -Shannon- FULL	Reformer Beginner -Jamilah- FULL	Reformer Mixed Level -Andrea- FULL	Yoga Flow -Alison- (7:30pm)	Apparatus Intermediate -Andrea-		PRIVATE TRAINING by appointment. Call to reserve.
8:00pm	Reformer Intermediate -Shannon-	Apparatus Intermediate -Jamilah-	Reformer -Andrea-		Reformer Beginner -Andrea-	Pilates Mat -Shannon-	EARLY MORNING REFORMER CLASSES TUES & THURS 6:00am

Spring Schedule

Our spring schedule is up and ready with all of your favourite classes plus lots of new ones!

Join us for Pilates Mat on Thursday’s at 8pm or Yoga Flow on Monday’s at 6pm or Wednesday’s at 7:30pm.

Plus lots of other great classes! Space is limited so make sure you register early and get ready for the summer season which is quickly approaching!

Spring Schedule

Our spring schedule starts April 02nd, which means warmer weather, sunshine and summer are that much closer.

Join us for your regular class, or maybe try something new! Classes are held based on registration numbers so make sure you register early to make sure the classes you want go ahead.

Here is what you can expect this spring;

Reformer – Beginner, Intermediate and All Levels
Apparatus – Beginner, Intermediate and All Levels
Yoga Flow – All Levels

Schedule dates and times can be seen here; http://balancedfitnessstudio.com/classes/index.htm

Don’t see something you would like to take…let us know (info@balancedfitnessstudio.com)

Pilates….A Quick Review

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly.

Pilates called his method Contrology, because he believed that his method uses the mind to control the muscles. Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps to not only build flexibility, but also strength, endurance, and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back.

Purpose of Many Pilates Exercises

Improve Blood Circulation
Reduce Heart Strain
Develop the Lungs
Stretch the Muscles, Increase Flexibility
Develop Minor Muscles to Strengthen Major Muscles
Perfect Posture
Gain a Sturdy Body and Sound Mind
Coordinate the Mind, Body, and Spirit
Happiness and Relaxation

Difference between pilates and yoga?

Perhaps the stock answer to the question of the difference between Pilates and Yoga is that Yoga is more relaxing and spiritual while Pilates is more focused on the core and control.

So, what is the difference? Well, it is true Pilates does have more abdominal work. Pilates also has more shoulder work when you add in the work on the equipment (the equipment itself is a difference). Additionally, Pilates has the side leg series for the gluteus/bottom. Yoga has some poses/asanas one does not find in Pilates as well. Yoga has more balancing exercises and often ends with a relaxation pose.

Finally, the breathing is very different. Students who practice both often find it confusing at first. Pilates moves the diaphragm by using lateral thoracic breathing – moving the ribcage out to the sides of the room like an accordion as one inhales and stitching the ribs together as one exhales. Pilates also usually has the breath go in through the nose and out through the mouth. Yoga uses more of a belly breathing with an inhale into the belly and both breathes are done through the nose.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Pilates

As written on http://www.shape.com; Fun facts and fresh ideas from celebrity Pilates instructor Alycea Ungaro.

1) PILATES ORIGINAL NAME: CONTROLOGY
“Mr. Joe Pilates, the inventor, intended it to be about the art of control, an exercise method where you control your body, mind, and muscles,” says Alycea Ungaro, personal trainer and founder of the Real Pilates studio in New York City. The moves he designed focus on core muscles in the “powerhouse” (abs, pelvic floor, lower back), proper alignment of the spine, and awareness of breath.

2) MAT MOVES ARE VINTAGE PILATES
Joe Pilates’ original sequence of 34 mat exercises is still going strong in studios nationwide. The hundred, the roll-up, single-leg stretch, double-leg stretch…some of us can recite these in our sleep. “Trends like Yogalates and Piloxing (Pilates-boxing) tend to be short-lived,” Ungaro says. “Now I see a return to authentic Pilates, the 34 original mat exercises from soup to nuts.”

3) YOU CAN DO PILATES ON A GUILLOTINE… IF YOU DARE
Besides his mat exercises, Joe Pilates also loved to tinker with gear to design a slew of equipment that goes way beyond the ubiquitous reformer. “He made the original ‘magic circle’ from the steel bands around beer kegs,” Ungaro says. His other devices include the Wunda chair, the Guillotine, the Spine Corrector and the Ped-a-Pull, all found at Real Pilates and many other studios around the country. “If you haven’t worked out on these,” says Ungaro, “you simply haven’t experienced all Pilates has to offer.”

Read the rest of the article HERE!

Low Fat Berry Cheesecake!

What You’ll Need:

2 HONEY MAID Low Fat Honey Grahams, crushed (about 1/4 cup)
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened
≤ cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
∏ tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
∏ cup sliced fresh strawberries
∏ cup blueberries
∏ cup raspberries
2 Tbsp. strawberry jelly, melted

Make It:

HEAT oven to 300°F.

SPRINKLE graham crumbs onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Beat next 5 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.

POUR into pie plate.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Top with fruit just before serving; drizzle with jelly

Preparation:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the egg white, and beat until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix until the dough becomes a soft ball.

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Remove the dough. and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured flat surface. Use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut shapes out of the dough, and continue the process until all of the dough is used. Place the cookies on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sugared sprinkles if desired.

6. Bake for 10 minutes, or just until the edges start to brown. Cool completely on wire racks.

Pilates Has No Boundaries!

Man or woman, athlete or beginner, soon-to-be Mom or busy Mom, active ager or teen ˆ Pilates can do a world of good for nearly everyone and anyone! Whatever your fitness routine, Pilates can enhance your everyday workout, improve your posture, lengthen and tone your entire body, prevent injury and develop greater body awareness ˆ to name just a few of the perks.

Common Pilates Myths

Fortunately for all of us, there are some pretty effective ways to combat holiday eating woes, and they’re (mostly) under your control. The following strategies can help you curb holiday eating without minimizing the joy and enjoyment you feel during the holiday season:

Myth #1 – Pilates is not for men

Mistakenly stereotyped as exercise for women, Pilates was originally designed by a man, for men. Joseph Pilates developed the regimen during a career that included stints as a boxing coach, martial artist and athletic trainer. Despite this history, Pilates has gotten off to a slower start with men. It‚s the best exercise for men because it increases their strength, flexibility and agility.‰ The truth: Pilates will greatly enhance athletic performance, by improving strength and flexibility. Golfers will hit the ball farther. Runners will run longer and they‚ll do it without pain. Professional NBA and NFL sports teams ˜ including the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ˜ now use Pilates as an essential part of their conditioning.

Myth #2 – Pilates is not challenging enough.

For decades, a traditional workout consisted of lifting weights, running hard, and getting sore ˜the classic „no pain, no gain‰ mentality. Pilates is different, focusing on quality and precision of movement rather than the quantity of repetitions. Nonetheless, it‚s a thorough full-body workout that‚ll challenge even your most fit members. Pilates demands that you concentrate on each movement. Focus on performing the exercises correctly, and you‚ll definitely feel like you‚ve had a good workout. The truth: For members willing to rethink the „no pain, no gain‰ approach, Pilates provides no-nonsense, full-body strength and agility training. It delivers results, often with decreased potential for the strains and soreness that inhibit progress.

February Promo

Pilates Principales

 

For many, these six principles are the foundation of the Pilates approach to exercise. Their application to the Pilates method of exercise is part of what makes it unique in the fitness world.

1. Centering: Physically bringing the focus to the center of the body, the powerhouse area between the lower ribs and pubic bone. Energetically, Pilates exercises are sourced from center.
2. Concentration: If one brings full attention to the exercise and does it with full commitment, maximum value will be obtained from each movement.
3. Control: Every Pilates exercise is done with complete muscular control. No body part is left to its own devices.
4. Precision: In Pilates, awareness is sustained throughout each movement. There is an appropriate placement, alignment relative to other body parts, and trajectory for each part of the body.
5. Breath: Joseph Pilates emphasized using a very full breath in his exercises. He advocated thinking of the lungs as a bellows — using them strongly to pump the air fully in and out of the body. Most Pilates exercises coordinate with the breath, and using the breath properly is an integral part of Pilates exercise.
6. Flow: Pilates exercise is done in a flowing manner. Fluidity, grace, and ease are goals applied to all exercises. The energy of an exercise connects all body parts and flows through the body in an even way. Pilates equipment, like the reformer, are very good mirrors of one’s flow and concentration as they tend to bang around and suddenly become quite “machine-like” if one loses ones control and flow.

The Pilates principles may sound a bit abstract, but the integration of these principles accounts for the balance, grace, and ease that one can experience as a result of practicing Pilates.