Today is a cold and gloomy spring day, and I just brought a cup of hot tea with me to my mat. I’m after TLC. My cup of tea, my sheepskin rug, my leg warmers, and my cute yoga mat with my name on it…they are my very own workout hygge. “Hygge” is a Danish word for a quality of coziness that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. I was craving Hygge, and voilà – my at-home...
One of the biggest things I’m working on personally this year is not living with the feeling of “I’ve got to be somewhere else” or “I’ve got a million things to do.” Our society really celebrates busy-ness and rushing around, and women especially are expected to go-go-go with to-do lists galore. I bought into this for years, but now I see it for what it is: a lack of being present. You and I can accomplish just...
The more grounded you are, the more present you are, and the more present you are the less reactive you are. Reactive behavior is usually not in anyone’s best interest. Some examples include, reactively running to the kitchen and eating a tub of ice cream after a stressful phone call, or reactively shouting obscenities at someone for cutting you off in traffic. Lately in the news, there has been a tremendous amount of reactive behavior on planes! Dare...
It’s time to set the tone for 2022. First, you can do it. You are incredibly capable and the possibilities are endless. Second, you have everything you need to achieve your dreams. You are enough already, as is. Three, good things come to those who keep their eye on the prize and persist. Keep going and know you are on your way. This applies to fitness and wellness, as well as to life at large. Tune out...
I keep hearing people use age as an excuse for lack of mobility, lack of physical fitness, or pain in their bodiy, saying things like, “I’m too old to sit cross-legged on the floor,” or “Running is out of the question at my age,” or “Everyone in their 50’s has a bad back.” My message today is don’t blame age. That’s not to say challenges don’t come with age – it’s just that age is unchangeable. Age is what it is...
Fitness is all the time. It may, at first, seem like it’s just that hour or so you spend working out each day, but at closer examination, you’ll see that everything is part of your fitness routine. From the quality of your sleep to the hours you sit at your desk – even the people you surround yourself with – it’s all part of your fitness routine. I have a client that flies all over the...
Season’s change. Right now, in Connecticut, it’s beginning to feel like winter. While every time of year has its greatness, this time of year, late November specifically, has always been hard for me. I already miss the barefoot ease of summer, and winter is not fully in effect. It’s colder and darker, and nature is still in route. We ‘ve left the shores of summer, but haven’t “landed” in winter, and I think that’s why I can...
“Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.” – Rumi After years of working with people and being privy to some clients’ destructive inner dialogs, I realized self-criticism is the biggest obstacle to true wellness, and it usually comes from a place of self-loathing. At first, I thought, “Oh, it’s just words” but as my understanding of health and happiness grew, I realized that words stem from beliefs, and beliefs rule the world. How we feel about ourselves...
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness in movement is self-education. You learn yourself. At first it’s physical things, like you learn how your ankle tracks when you step forward, and that lunging warms up your quads. Then it’s more than physical – just the other day, I learned that my breath tightens with thoughts of the approaching holidays! Our workout today is the most mindful one on the ellenbarrett.com platform. It’s Moving Meditation, 20minutes of meditative...
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...
