Three Cheers for Gentle

The idea that “gentle” is for babies or for the injured, but aside from those specific demographics, you should be embracing intensity, is still alive and well in the world today, but not in my world. In my world, gentle is sustainable, nurturing and a winning aspect of longevity. What is a gentle workout? First, gentle might just be slower. It might just be shorter. It might just be avoiding certain ranges of motion that cause pain. Gentle doesn’t mean less effective.  Secondly,...

Boss Move

Ladies, it’s our nature to ebb and flow. Our energies and moods fluctuate and our needs constantly shift. One day we’re extroverted and have loads of energy, and the next day we might need to prioritize a good nap. In 2013, the big catalyst for writing the 28 Days Lighter Diet was my realization that our culture ignores – and rewards us when we do – one of the most important aspects of women’s health, the menstrual...

Hamstring Happiness

A happy body needs happy hamstrings, yet nobody pays much attention to their hamstrings unless they’re tight or sore. I say ignoring your hamstrings is a fitness cardinal sin. Here are three simple ways to create some hamstring happiness:  1. Give your hamstrings a massage. Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you and knees bent. Then take your fingers and “dig” into the backs of your thighs. Start behind the knee and work...

Ellen Barrett Let's Move!

Deal of the Century

You want to know what the most neglected, underrated, and underestimated aspect of physical fitness is? Extension. In most people’s daily life – and in their workouts – the body stays in its tiny little box, never busting out. Overtime, ranges of motion get smaller and smaller, and the body’s comfort zone shrinks. In turn, the body is easily uncomfortable.  Don’t be an average Joe! Take this call to action: be sure to stretch. Stretching can...

Feel Good Flow ellenbarrett.com

Feel Good Flow – now streaming

I was just talking about how I like to get creative with naming workouts and here I come out with a “boring” title that’s not all that exciting, and seems a bit generic. I know, I know….but the workout told me its name. The workout was adamant it be called FEEL GOOD FLOW. All the other names (“Barre Flow” was a frontrunner) were shot down by this workout’s incessant whispers I couldn’t drown out.  Feel Good...

Ellen Barrett Breath & Body

Breath & Body

Way back, as a teenager in the late eighties, I was so spiritually pumped up by, and physically invigorated by, aerobics class. Aerobics was sort of like my lower middle class, upstate New York, suburban version of a southern baptist church service, energizing to body and soul. Movement has become more sophisticated now, but at its root, it’s still about energy. Never forget – energy is at the root.  It’s important to remember this about exercise – especially these days, where there are so many “fancy” options....

Ellen Barrett Let's Move!

AGLOW WITH ENTHUSIASM

You go house hunting, and upon walking into a dream home that’s up for sale,  you have so much enthusiasm for it, you can’t contain yourself. You love this house. You want this house. It’s the one! BUT, then your spouse whispers to you something like, “Shhhh….play it cool. Tone it down,” because the realtor is watching. This scenario is truly painful for me not just because I’m bad at playing it cool, but because repressing enthusiasm feels...

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...

Ellen Barrett "Prevention is the cure"

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 by Ellen Barrett

The Big Five

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...