When I was 18, I had started to teach aerobics classes at my local gym, and I remember telling my parents that I wanted to be a “career” aerobics instructor, and that I wasn’t too keen on going to college. My mom said, “That’s ridiculous,” and immediately denounced the notion. My Dad gave it a bit more thought but ultimately said, “That’d be like digging ditches all day, Ellen.” He was worried about the toll...
“Fit people like themselves better.” – Diana Vreeland I came across the aforementioned quote and I found it startling, but true. It reminded me of something I’ve heard Dr. Gabriel Cousens say again and again, “Love yourself enough to heal yourself.” Self-love is a major component to wellness. I’d say it’s the foundation – it’s where all of the goodness springs from down the road. Fitness gets abused when there is a lack of self-love. The...
Do you know how awesome it feels to be limber? Just look at little kids at the playground, how they sit comfortably in hero’s pose for lengthy periods of time and swing back and forth on the monkey bars with glee. They are not “roadblocked” with tension or stiff joints, instead they celebrate life with exuberant movement. How wonderful, right? I want to be like them…don’t you? Well, mindful movement can help us achieve this goal. People...
Abs in, chest up, shoulders down…three simple cues that I pretty much say in every class. I also think them to myself periodically throughout the day. Getting the abs, chest and shoulders in their rightful places is the “big kahuna” of good posture. (And BTW, the abs, chest and shoulders are the biggest alignment scofflaws…very quick to get out of line.) Why should we care? Well, for one, it looks better. “Get good posture” is my #1 beauty...
Thanks to my sports-loving family, I find myself watching sports in person and on TV a lot. (It seems like every day…) Many of these games have cheerleaders smiling courtside, spewing encouraging words with energy and happiness. It dawned on me, wow, what a luxury it is to have real people cheering you on for all the world to see. If I had an actual person shouting, “You can do it, Ellen” or “Hip Hip...
For my entire life – without realizing it until fairly recently – I have used “doses” of cardio as mood boosting medicine. When I was an 8 year old, I freakishly took my dog on walks into the woods when I could have stayed inside idly watching cartoons. (Where were the adults 😉?) In my early teens, I’d bike to my friends house even though I could have gotten a ride. In college, when feeling blue...
I’m a mom of one, a bona fide morning person, a nutrition geek, and a huge believer in “get your day started right,” so breakfast with my son has always been a big thing. We live in a culture that tends to race through meals, and while the rest of the day may require eating on the go, breakfast time is old school in my house. Simple but home cooked food. Real dishes. Real glassware. Sit...
It’s easy to get down about aging, especially as a woman. There is so much negative messaging about getting older and many of the celebrities of the moment convey serious fear over it. If we follow their lead, I think we are doomed. Work on yourself. Be the best you can be, but accept yourself right here and now too. If you can do that, you win. I love being the age I am. I’ve come...
Symmetry is honest to God so important yet often ignored. Alignment gets more play, and while alignment is just as crucial, function and flow need both. When bodies are misaligned and asymmetrical, they feel strain and unease, like a sliding door with a wonky track. If you’d like to move like a well-oiled machine, here are five things to do that facilitate the one-two punch of symmetry and alignment: We all have some specific nuances within...
“I used to workout, then I stopped.” “I joined a gym, but then I didn’t go.” ” I bought a treadmill, but never use it.” How does one ingrain the daily habit of movement? For me, daily movement is very ingrained, but it was easy to ingrain. I genuinely enjoy exercise, I have positive feelings towards it, and I’ve never seen it as anything other than feel good. What’s your relationship to exercise? Do you...
