Mood Boosting Cardio With Ellen Barrett

Boost Your Mood In 15

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...

Let's Move!

Step Into The Flow

When I look at this action shot from Quick Core Fusion, my first reaction is, “No strain.” You can tell that Krystal, Amy and I are flowing. There’s a lot to be said about flow. Flow makes effort feel better. (Huh? How does effort feel better? And what exactly is flow?) Flow is a way of moving the body where there is ease and effort simultaneously. It’s not all yang, and it’s not all yin…it’s a bit of both. Flow has five...

The Secret

Energy begets energy. What gives you energy? We often think our “fuel” is food, and that is true of course, but in a more esoteric sense, breathe, sleep, water, certain people and events, and the right kind of movement all give us energy. They all give back.  All movement is not created equal. I mentioned “the right kind of movement” not just “movement” because some movement depletes us. Some movement takes away. What’s the difference? It’ll vary...

Barre Cardio With Ellen Barrett

Cardio is Synonymous With Feeling Good

I grew up in one of the snowiest parts of New York State, with a polar bear father who never turned on the heat, and a very unusually low body temperature (never breaking 97degrees). Discovering aerobics in the 80’s was divine intervention. I’m not kidding. It saved me from the agony of being cold. To me, cardio is synonymous with feeling good.  Cardio is my favorite. When I was a student of Pilates, I was blown...