“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ―Confucius In the fitness world, endurance has a cardio connotation – it’s actually a byproduct of cardio, in that regular cardio leads to greater endurance. Endurance begs the question, “Can the breath keep up with the oxygen demand?” You definitely want the answer to be yes. It’s a yes to capability, to having a huge comfort zone, and to being able to go after all your dreams. There is another aspect to endurance...
Exercise tells your cells that you are alive. – Suzanne Somers “I’m so busy” is something I used to say a lot, but I stopped using it as a go-to statement whenever anyone asked me how I was doing. I’m really not that busy. I mean, I get 8 hours of sleep at night, and I have plenty of time to walk my dog, pack my son’s lunch, and water my plants. The truth is, “There is so much I...
God gave me a great body, and it’s my dutyto take care of it.– Jean-Claude Van Damme Have you ever been up close to a deer running wild in the woods? The way the deer moves is sheer elegance. She’s agile and light, and has precision and ease in motion that’s quite breath-taking. The muscles and joints of her body are coordinated, like a symphony. Your body wants to move in symphony too. Your body prefers unity over isolation. In fact, isolation is...
Today is your day!Your mountain is waiting,So… get on your way! – Dr. Seuss Self-awareness means mind/body connection. It’s paying attention to your whole self and its needs. Moving mindfully is a great way to bring in self-awareness because it puts your own attention on the mechanics of moving, and then of the sensations surrounding what that entails come oozing forth. (What a concept!) Self-awareness is lacking in our culture, and that’s because there are so many distractions. it seems, everyone...
There’s a brand new video fit tip on Ellen Barrett Mindful Movement and this one may be the most outside-the-box yet. It’s literally what’s in my daily go-to bag. I’m a working woman on the run and you’ll see I am very practical and my bag is very functional. A few initial comments I received upon posting this were: 1. you don’t carry food or snacks? Nope. I’m not a snacker. 2. What about a change of clothing? I usually do go home...
What the heck is Four Elements Flow? That’s what my husband asked when he read the name of the newest video workout on ellenbarrett.com. It’s a good question…allow me to explain. Four Elements Flow is a 45minute fusion low-impact cardio workout where instead of focusing on cardio, strength and stretch, it brings awareness to air, water, fire and earth. The workout fuses yoga, barre and Pilates in a seamless, all standing, flow. Why divert attention from the usual...
Stretch is as important as strength. One is not more important than the other. They take equal billing – in fact, stretch and strength need each other. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…one without the other turns the body into a hot mess! Here’s the breakdown: When strength is in greater proportion to flexibility, the body is a ticking time bomb. Any little movement could reek havoc, tearing muscles and taxing joints. Mobility is limited and...
How about this…how about we all stop, take a minute, and think,”Hey, do my off-the-mat habits negatively influence my exercise routine?” As a trainer, I’ve learned it’s not on-the-mat that’s the problem – it’s simply getting to the mat in the first place! Here are what I deem as the top five biggest habits that set us up for exercise success:1. Organization (a.k.a., get your sh!t together!)Know where everything is – your keys, your water bottle, your life. Do you know...
I’ve known many people over the years who just didn’t have any inspiration, for workouts or otherwise, and I see a lack of inspiration as a root cause of a lot of suffering, a lot of dreams deferred. The mistake is that people wait around for inspiration to strike. They think it comes from the outside. And sure, inspiration can come from the outside. For example, I watched US Open Tennis and was so inspired,...
A new workout just arrived on Ellen Barrett Let’s Move! called Power & Balance. It’s a 30minute Ballet-inspired strengthening experience with lots of grounding, core connection and stability challenge. We filmed in a new location and I’m happy to report, Amy and Krystal joined me again, so you’ll see their smiling faces throughout class. Power is more than just strength. Power is strength integrated. Power is the entire universe of your body working as one, and it hinges on two things: 1. accessing strength and...
