It’s Non-Negotiable

Thank you for your patience this past weekend as we struggled with some tech issues. The site is up and running smoothly now and all is well, but whoa, that was stressful –  iPhones and Let’s Move! are compatible again! Speaking of stress, we’re heading into big holiday season, where life can move fast, be extra busy, and put us in uncomfortable social situations. Lots of people (including me) have “fallen off the fitness wagon” mid-November, in year’s past, because...

How To Keep Moving…Even With “Bad” Knees

It’s a daily thing now for me to either receive an email inquiring about knee-friendly workouts or to have someone in class tell me they have a “bad” knee.   Well, with 30+ years in the fit biz and my own personal “bad knee”  experience, I have a lot to share on this subject!  First off, as far as joints go, knees are vulnerable and complicated, making them more susceptible to injury. If you are struggling with knee...

Ellen Barrett

How to Thrive at Thanksgiving

In the United States, it’s Thanksgiving week. It can be a challenging week on many levels, but it is especially challenging for those of us wanting to stay on a healthy living path. Be sure to spend some time today setting an intention for yourself. For me, it’s to stay grounded and move my body everyday.We tend to get way off-routine this time of year, and sometimes that “off-routine energy” continues until New Year’s. You can...

10Day Kickstart with Ellen

10DAY KICKSTART: DAY 3 EFFICIENCY

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...

The Barrett Blog

The Biggest Game Changer of All

Can movement create confidence? Can movement remedy anxiety? Can movement eradicate stress? To tell you the truth, I don’t know. What I do know is that everyone has ups and downs. Life is not always sunny. Things shake us up. Movement doesn’t change those outside “things” but it does one very significant thing to our inside state – it brings us back to the body. Anxiety, stress and low confidence happen in our heads. They are thinking....

I’m Moving!

Are you ready to move? It has dawned on me that I tend to dress for a certain kind of success? Movement success! My clothing, my shoes, my accessories – even my hair and makeup – are never too fussy so as not to sit on the floor, wrestle with my dog, or do some manual labor around the house. I look at the British royal family and all of their social committments and (sort of) feel sorry for...

Ellen Barrett Fusion Fitness

Outside-The-Box Is In

We step out of bed, walk to the kitchen where the countertop height provides total ease, and where we don’t have to stretch or strain in the slightest to pour ourselves a glass of water.  We then position ourselves in a car or a bus or train where we find another comfortable sitting position, then many of us find a desk next where we sit some more. We walk between locations, but leisurely walking is still...

Ellen Barrett

Fitness & Faith

Joe Pilates famously said, “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”  He couldn’t have been more right. It is the first requisite. The body is meant to move and wants to move. Feeling strong and capable is foundational to joy. Now, what’s the second requisite?  Well, I’d say it’s faith. Faith in it’s broadest sense, meaning complete trust or confidence in something. So for this topic, that means faith in your body’s ability to function, to heal...