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By Patrick Przyborowski
Dear Practice Friends,
February is typically a month when our instructors place their shoulders to the grind stone as they study and practice for levels of certification and/or continuing education; we call this a month of “less talking, more doing.” It’s also an opportunity to look for deeper understanding in the fundamentals of the methods we teach.
To that end I recently re-read Joseph Pilates’ 1945 text, “Return to Life Through Contrology.” In his introduction he points to the importance of breathing: “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it.” It was a reminder to me of just how integral conscious breathing is to the Pilates Method.
Because breathing is involuntary, it’s something that is easy to let fade into the background of our awareness, and so it may seem odd at times to have your instructor calling your attention to your breath with every single move you make. The Pilates breath pattern of inhaling through the nose and exhaling deeply through pursed lips helps to activate our deep support muscles that surround our core. Breathing into the lateral and posterior aspects of the lungs draws oxygen into underutilized areas. Deep breathing also helps us avoid unnecessary tension in the neck and shoulders and it aids in relaxation, all great stuff.
Take a moment to observe your own breath pattern right now. If you find your self breathing shallowly, try pushing the air out of the lungs first then accompany it with a deep inhale. Feels great, yes? During your sessions at Practice in February, I encourage you to treat yourself to some deep, conscious breaths. Don’t worry about forgetting to breathe, we will be there to remind you!
Finally, thank you again for all your support, and also a warm welcome goes out to our new practitioners in January:
Trish Caramico, Mindy Damstra, Heidi Donnelly, Judy Lipton, Susan Strong, and Denise Swick
Best wishes,
Patrick Przyborowski
Practice
Monthly Class Calendar
Practice Calendar February 2012
Class Changes
After a successful rotator cuff surgery last month, Joy will return to teach Hatha Yoga and Pilates Yoga Fusion beginning Thursday, February 7th. She will be in an arm sling for several more weeks, which means she will be providing more verbal cueing than demonstrating, and this will give her more time to help her students correct their form. Welcome back, Joy!
Practice Abroad!
Where in the World is Vipal?
Vipal Patel, while on overseas assignment for a year, took his picture from inside the U.S Embassy, but which U.S. Embassy is it? Can you guess where Vipal is? Be the first to reply with the correct country to win your very own Practice tee. Here’s a hint: He’s not in Kansas anymore, but he’s not in OZ either. However in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her cohorts run into a dilemma that requires the intervention of Glinda the Good Witch. The “dilemma” they run into is intimately related to this country.
Would you like to have your very own Practice tee for free? Here’s 2 ways to get one:
- Take a trip somewhere, and let us know that you would be willing to take a pic in a fun location (preferably not standing in front of a sign that gives away your location!) and submit it to us for the Practice Abroad feature in our newsletter. We’ll give you a tee to take with you on your trip.
- Be the first to figure out where the current Practitioner is in their photo. Reply by email to Patrick at pprzyborowski@gmail.com. The first correct respondent wins a free tee!
Community News
On February 10th, Leslie Miller will be competing in the 7th Annual Valentine’s Dance at the Schuster Center. A benefit for A Special Wish Foundation, the evening will offer heavy hor’ doueuvres, a silent auction, live entertainment, the dancing competition, and a Caribbean cruise raffle sponsored by Miami Valley AAA. For more information, click here.
Meanwhile, Brent Johnson will step into the boxing ring to raise money for the Aids Resource Center of Ohio on Saturday, February 25th. Knockout, a V.I.P Fight Night, in collaboration with Drake’s Downtown Gym, will be held at Memorial Hall at 7p. General Admission tickets are $15, and can be purchased in advance at Square One Salon (downtown and Centerville locations). For more info, click here.
Research: How Exercise May Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay
From the Well blog at the New York Times website, Tara Parker Pope shares some fascinating research results that suggests a daily walk or jog could alter the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or change the course of the disease if it begins in some people.
Exercise and Alzheimer’s
A Cautionary Tale about Taking Yoga Too Far
The New York Times wrote an article earlier in January on the dangers of trying to do more in yoga than you as a student are ready for. Our resident yoga instructor, Joy Karl, in discussion with Patrick, noted that the smaller group sizes in the Practice studio make it possible for her to tailor modifications for clients based on their needs and their level of readiness, something that isn’t possible in larger venues. When done properly, and within the ranges appropriate for the individual, yoga is fantastic for developing flexibility, balance and strength.
How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body
The Great Genetics Debate
Adam Bornstein, Deitorial Director at Livestrong, continues to write no-nonsense articles on health and fitness that are backed by research and often dispel popular myths related to weight loss and muscles gain. This one shines a light on the role of genetics in body composition. Check it out!
Are You Doomed to be Fat?
Funny Yoga Girl Video
Thanks goes to Barb Haley, who found this very clever music video on Youtube. Thanks, Barb!
Yoga Girl Music Video
By Patrick Przyborowski
Dear Practice Friends,
We’ve had a busy month here, in spite of vacations from many of our regular clients. While on my own vacation with my partner Deb, I finally got to take my first Pilates session at the STOTT Pilates main studio in Toronto, Canada. It was great! Thank you to my instructors for doing such a great job in my absence and thank you for being willing to share your class time to accommodate everyone.
We do have some class changes this month so please see below. As always, you can print off the August calendar for all of our class offerings for August by clicking on the link in the column to the right.
We had a wonderful crop of new clients show up on the scene last month, owing partly to our Living Social promotion for new clients, as well as from referrals from our veteran practitioners. Welcome Stacy Besecker, Matt Carpenter, Anna Clarke, Joyce Cludy, Gloria Goldman, Heather Wagner, Sharon Kaper, Annie Miller, Molly Shanks, Dona Niswonger, Jean Peterson, Ione Potter, Jacob Richter, Nicole Richter, Janet Shanks, Sarah Shanks, Susan Smallwood, Denise Staebler, Mercedes Steiger, Kerry Ulery, and Annette White!
Best wishes,
Patrick Przyborowski
Class Changes
- No Yoga-Pilates Fusion on Thursday, Aug. 4th
- Hatha Yoga on Tues., August 2nd at 7p, and Thursday, August 4th, at 9a will be taught by Cindy Mills.
We’re thrilled to have Cindy teaching Joy’s Hatha Yoga classes while she in on vacation the first week of August.
Cindy is a native of Ohio and founder of Harmony House Yoga and Wellness Center in Powell, OH. More recently, Cindy is living and practicing in Dayton. She is certified in Hatha yoga as well as Senior and Laughter yoga, Yoga for Golfers, and Pilates Matwork. She is a member of Yoga Therapy Association and Yoga Alliance. Cindy is also a certified Wellness Coach and Hypnotherapist. Check out her coaching website:
Well Health for Life
Instructors Attend Advanced Training
Kitty Snow and Joy Karl recently attended advanced coursework for the Cadillac, Stability Chair, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector and Arc Barrel. They said their training was excellent. Some of you have already received the benefit of their training: Good stuff!
Research: How Exercise Can keep the Brain Fit
From the NY Times Well column, this article details recent findings on the effects of even moderate levels of activity and its effect on cognitive decline. Keep moving!
How Exercise Can Keep the Brain Fit
Ella Bella Cookies
When Mandy Groszko’s daughter Ella was found to have a gluten intolerance, she set out to find products that were both gluten free and good tasting. Says Mandy:
“I wanted to make sure she enjoyed all the food her big sister did. I was very disappointed in the chocolate chip cookies available. So I started making my own. Now I want to share my yummy cookies with you. Enjoy the best cookies around, which just happen to be gluten free!”
They’ve passed Patrick’s taste test (2 times) with flying colors. Please contact Mandy at ellabellacookies@gmail.com. Also:
Ella Bella Cookies
Monthly Class Calendar
Practice Calendar for August 2011
By Patrick Przyborowski
Dear Practice Friends,
Happy New Year (coming up shortly)! For many, the days leading up to January 1st present opportunities to think about what has been accomplished over the course of the current year and consider what is possible for the next year. I’m a fan of fresh starts. They can happen on any day of the year, at any moment of any day, though I acknowledge that there is a strong appeal in charting your commitments in a brand new calendar.
New Year resolutions can be a hit or miss event, depending on a number of variables, one of the most prominent being that people often set goals that are unrealistic, or they fail to break an audacious goal into smaller, bite-sized action-steps.
There’s also another variable that often goes unnoticed and it has a direct bearing on your ability to make positive change that is both achievable and sustainable. Click on this link for the full text.
When we look forward in time, envisioning ourselves new and improved, we tend to create a static image, a picture of a better self, to which we grant a sense of permanence. We set our goals to achieve peak fitness with the assumption that, having reached our goals, we will stay like that forever, or at least for the rest of the year. But in the same breath you and I both know that progress in action is messy. So we have competing claims:
Progress envisioned = “To infinity and beyond! Right now!”
Progress applied = “Two steps forward, one step back”
By being aware of this dynamic, we can generate complementary claims instead through a few simple shifts:
- Break the year into three phases: pre-peak, peak, and post-peak.
- In plotting out your timeline on the calendar, allow enough time – around 4 months – to reach your peak. This pre-peak phase is enjoyable when you start to see both the steps forward and the steps back as a natural part of the growth cycle.
- Plan for both “transformation training” and “maintenance training”: The training you do to reach your peak should be designed to generate the changes you wish to achieve. Upon reaching your peak, switch to a maintenance program for the remainder of the year. Seriously, your muscles and joints will thank you.
- Plan for, and enjoy, your post-peak phase. The key here is to allow for those life events – holiday meals, vacations on a beach – that will inevitably impact your body and your mindset. If your goal is to reduce your waistline by 3 inches during your peak phase, plan for a 1-inch gain from September through December. It’s most likely going to happen. If you know this, and you agree from the outset that a net loss of 2 inches on your waist over the course of the year is a win for you, then you can experience Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas or Hanukkah with a sense of victory rather than being miserable with guilt.
The point of a New Year’s resolution is to do something positive for ourselves, so that at the end of the day we are happier than we were before. Some folks are happier by choosing not to make any resolutions at all, which is fine. Regardless of whether you approach the New Year strategically or spontaneously, I hope you’ll make Practice an integral part of your vision for a healthy body and mind in 2011.
Best wishes,
Patrick Przyborowski
Practice
Free New Year’s Matwork Class!
Get the New Year started right (or work off the grogginess from New Year’s Eve) with a free matwork class, Saturday, 1.1.11, at 10a with Patrick.
Class change
Our Thursday 7p yoga class has moved to Tuesday, starting Jan 11, at 7p. The Thurs. 6p class is cancelled for the winter.
Practice Strength 2011
For the New Year, I’m crafting the Practice Strength program as a 14 week Intensive for new and existing clients who want to train for peak fitness this winter. I will work with clients on a weekly basis in private or duet sessions, offering guidance and support to help you establish an inspiring vision, set effective goals, learn to practice eating well, and train your body for optimal fitness.
Please email Patrick at pprzyborowski@gmail.com if you are interested in making 2011 your strongest year yet!
Rates for 2011 stay put
I’m happy to announce that rates for both standing appointments (Privates, Duets, etc.) and group classes (Matwork, Yoga, Group Reformer, TRX) will remain at 2010 price levels for 2011. Good News!
Social Opportunities
Are you kidding me? You’ve been partying since Halloween! It’s time to dig in and focus on your training. Besides, it’s cold out there!
10 Great Reasons for Practicing Yoga in 2011
In the spirit of David Letterman’s daily top 10 lists, our resident instructor, Joy Karl, has given us 10 excellent reasons for including yoga as part of our fitness regimen for 2011.
10 Reasons to do Yoga at Practice
Research: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast
Check out this article from the New York Times that relates a recent experiment in exercising before breakfast.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast/
Note: If you are experimenting with this yourself, make sure you do your exercise early and then eat breakfast (within 30-45 minutes) after your workout. Delaying your first meal in the day can actually slow your metabolism!
Practice Class Calendar for January, 2011
Practice Calendar 1-2011 portrait
By admin
Apples could protect against Alzheimer’s, Parkinsonism, Cornell studies find
A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists. The studies show that the chemical quercetin, a so-called phytonutrient, appears to be largely responsible for protecting rat brain cells when assaulted by oxidative stress in laboratory tests.
Phytonutrients, such as phenolic acids and flavanoids, protect the apple against bacteria, viruses and fungi and provide the fruit’s anti-oxidant and anti-cancer benefits.
Quercetin is a major flavanoid in apples. Antioxidants help prevent cancer by mopping up cell-damaging free radicals and inhibiting the production of reactive substances that could damage normal cells.
“The studies show that additional apple consumption not only may help reduce the risk of cancer, as previous studies have shown, but also that an apple a day may supply major bioactive compounds, which may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders,” says Chang Y. “Cy” Lee, Cornell professor of food science at the university’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y.
In a study that recently appeared online and is to be published in the November/December 2004 issue of theJournal of Food Science (69(9): S357-60), Lee and his co-authors compared how two groups of rat neuronal cells fared against hydrogen peroxide, a common oxidative stressor. Only one of the two groups was pretreated with different concentrations of apple phenolic extracts.
Apples could protect against Alzheimer’s, Parkinsonism, Cornell studies find…
A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists. The studies show that the chemical quercetin, a so-called phytonutrient, appears to be largely responsible for protecting rat brain cells when assaulted by oxidative stress in laboratory tests.
Phytonutrients, such as phenolic acids and flavanoids, protect the apple against bacteria, viruses and fungi and provide the fruit’s anti-oxidant and anti-cancer benefits.
Quercetin is a major flavanoid in apples. Antioxidants help prevent cancer by mopping up cell-damaging free radicals and inhibiting the production of reactive substances that could damage normal cells.
“The studies show that additional apple consumption not only may help reduce the risk of cancer, as previous studies have shown, but also that an apple a day may supply major bioactive compounds, which may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders,” says Chang Y. “Cy” Lee, Cornell professor of food science at the university’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y.
In a study that recently appeared online and is to be published in the November/December 2004 issue of theJournal of Food Science (69(9): S357-60), Lee and his co-authors compared how two groups of rat neuronal cells fared against hydrogen peroxide, a common oxidative stressor. Only one of the two groups was pretreated with different concentrations of apple phenolic extracts.
