The Barrett Blog

Call Me Crazy

Yes, movement is movement, and we certainly have signature moves here at LET’S MOVE!, but there are three underlying signature components that are woven into every workout. They make a huge difference to our overall well-being, and I think they are worth highlighting:  There’s no knit picking. Nothing ever has to be perfect. The only thing I want to see is a mind/body connection. I don’t care if you can’t point your toes much, and no worries if...

Prevention Is the Cure

Ellen Barrett "Prevention is the cure"

While getting my car serviced last week, I saw a “startling” set of tires that were just taken off a vehicle. These tires were unevenly worn out – obviously so, even to my untrained eye – they skewed so much to one side, they no longer had a cleanly circular shape. The service mechanic referred to their state as dangerous asymmetry. I thought, aha, that’s a great term…and it doesn’t just apply to tires. When it comes...

The Big Five

The Big Five by Ellen Barrett

If you ask a little kid to imitate an old person, they stereotypically do two things: 1. they hunch forward, contracting their front body, and 2. they make their movements smaller and tighter. If you ask a little kid to imitate someone really cold, as if enduring a winter storm, they stereotypically do two things: 1. they hunch forward, contracting their front body, and 2. they make their movements smaller and tighter. The only difference...

The 411 on “One&Done”

One & Done!

One & Done! is here and it’s a unique take on fusion sculpt as this 30minute workout uses only one handheld weight. The video is now streaming on “Let’s Move! and I sure do hope you check it out.  Having only one weight throughout the workout puts the body, intentionally, off-balance. That 3 or 5lb asymmetry “tips the scales” so to speak, forcing the midline (the core) to engage differently in order to stay aligned. If you are someone who sits in a car or at...

My Favorite Summer Salad

Summer Salad

To me, summer is salad season. Homegrown produce and warmer weather is a winning combo. Since the end of June, I’ve made this particular salad six times (I just did the calculation), so clearly I’m smitten. My whole family likes it too. I thought I’d share it with you. It’s simple and requires zero cooking. All you need is a touch of patience as you peel, slice and dice. Here it is: Crunchy Summer SaladIngredients1 yellow or...

Keep the Fire Burning

Inspiration Board

When you log in to your Let’s Move! membership, the first page that pops up is our Inspiration Board. Our Inspiration Board gets updated every Sunday morning and includes 1. an affirmation of the week, 2. a suggested weekly workout rotation, 3. a quote of the week, 4. a link to our latest newsletter, and 5. a mini pep talk. Here are a few things to know about the Inspiration Board:  First, I personally create it, always, and all week long I...

Adapt & Thrive

Greetings from Narraganset, Rhode Island, the quintessential New England beach town I’ve been coming to pretty much every summer since I married Steve in 2004. Sometimes, our time here is just a day trip, but this year we’re doing a whole week. We have extended family here and it was time to get the kids together and really do it up. Like most people on vacation, my workout routine is thrown off. I’m in a...

The Importance of Parameters

The Importance of Parameters THE BARRETT BLOG

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...

Love & Fitness

“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...

The Cool Kids on the Playground

Limber Up!

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...