February is the month of LOVE!   February is also the month of Heart Disease Awareness. Since matters of the heart are highly celebrated during this month I figured it was only fitting to share with you a few tips on how to take good care of your heart and the hearts of those around you!

1) Eat heart friendly foods and avoid high levels of saturated fats.
Put Plain and Simple...  Eat these heart friendly foods 3-4 times a week; omega 3 fish like salmon and tilapia, fresh fruits and leafy vegetables. Limit these saturated fat foods such as; heavy cheese, whole milk, red meat and butter. Do not eat these everyday only have in moderation a day or two a week.

2) Get weekly exercise and measure your waist line periodically!
Put Plain and Simple... Do some type of cardiovascular exercise 3-5 times a week. Start out slow with 20 minutes and build up to 30-40 minutes. Make sure you pick an activity that you enjoy!  Exercise and healthy eating together can reduce your waist line. If most of your fat is around your waist rather than at your hips, you’re at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men.

3) De Stress!!!
Use mediation, read a good book, spend time with friends/family, or do anything you enjoy. Put Plain and Simple... Make time for yourself to enjoy your life! Do this at least once a week.

4) Volunteer!
Put Plain and Simple ... doing something for someone else's heart helps your heart as well as helps to make our planet a better, happier home where people work together to make life easier for all.

5) Live Smoke-Free: Avoid smoking and/or avoid secondhand smoke.
Put Plain and Simple ... Although quitting smoking is oh so hard; quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits that begin only 20 minutes after smoking your last cigarette. The positive changes that develop in a smoke-free body continue for years after that last inhale!
References: http://www.healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/heart-disease-awareness-month   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm

Okay so it's the third week into the new year and I have officially settled into it. I'm watching my nutrition (not as well as I'd like, but watching it) and I am cross training between core work outs, indoor treadmill running and outdoor walking/jogging. Business is better and I am happy.  I am happy largely because I am learning how to keep on learning.  You know that saying "You learn something new each day?" Well that rings so true. If you stop and pay attention and live in each moment  with conscious awareness that you are a human that has flaws and makes mistakes, than you can embrace learning and began to grow from it. Each new lesson learned can broaden who you are as a person. These are some things that I have learned so far this year:

• Comparing myself to others is time spent wasted.
• Your best friends may not always take your side even when you think they should.
• What you think may be encouragement to others may be discouragement in their eyes.
• Communication sets you free and honesty is the key to it.
• People are attracted to negativity only because they crave positivity.
• I will never receive everyone's full approval because I will always offend someone.
  
• Sometimes a judgement is a judgement in the disguise of an opinion.
• Perception is everything yet nothing.
  
• Running a smart business is an art.
• Ignorance is not bliss...turning the other cheek to it is.
  

Wow...all of this and its only January 18th! I wonder what else is in store for me? Feel free to comment on the lessons you have learned in this early 2012...I'd love to read them as well as read how your resolutions are going.

Smiles,

Ava

What does Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Marie Osmond, and Jennifer Hudson all have in common? Besides being big Hollywood stars and "A" list divas of song? They have all claimed they were fat and lost weight with their recently endorsed national weight loss products. Let's pick them each apart:

Mariah Carey has recently signed up with Jenny Craig and is now claiming her 70lb weight loss from her twins is directly associated and a result of Jenny Craig.

Janet Jackson has signed onto Nutrisystem with her "Get on it" slogan, pitching that she has finally found a system made just for her. Marie Osmond is another Nutrisystem alum but her slogan is a bit older "Lose it and learn to keep it off" is her tagline. I guess there wasn't enough long term confidence in Janet to give her that slogan so they had to come up with something new.

Finally we have the biggest weight loss success diva of them all, Ms. Jennifer Hudson singing her ever so loud and endless siren of "It's a new day, a new life and I'm feeling gooooood!" claiming that Weight Watchers was her saving grace.

Now I'm not saying that these divas don't have any merit or that the products they are endorsing do not work. They in fact do! However, did they really need to buy into a packaged system to make things work from themselves or did they need to buy into the accountability of eating good, wholesome food at the right time and in the right amounts? Basically isn't that what each of them are doing and what each of these products advocate?

So, ladies and gents before you run out and spend oodles of money on the next box of cookies that are supposedly made "just for you" but are actually cut from the same cookie cutters as every other one, just pick up a pen and a notebook and follow this nutritional plan from me for free!

Click here for the plan and how it works!
Let me know if you plan on following this and if you have any questions. I myself will be updating my own successes here at this blog!

Okay so we are getting close to the end of the year. That usually means a fresh start for us all in some sort of way. Maybe for you it's a financial new start, maybe for others it's a fitness re-start. For me, it's always a nutrition do over. I must admit I have never been great at watching my calories and the things that I place into my mouth. People just naturally assume because I am a fitness professional that the nutritional thing goes hand in hand with my job. I mean it does but I too am not perfect. I admit to having a sweets and pastry addiction as well as an extreme pizza craving appetite. I could literally eat pizza every day. Anyway, usually at this time of the year I take inventory on my daily diet and decide to make improvements upon it.

Improvements for me involve a journal and a pen. I generally write all of my food choices down as well as the calorie counts and the time in which I ate. I try to eat 5-6 small meals  including snacks every 3 hours totaling about 1,400 - 1,500 calories per day. This is tedious, not fun and not very sexy, but it's the only way for me to be honest with myself (and others) about what it is that I am eating or not eating. So I will begin my journal of meals, calorie counts and times on Monday, January 2nd.

Hello there,

I have been moving and shaking and just going non-stop for the last two years. I have opened and unfortunately closed a fitness studio in Germantown, I have had a baby in 2010 and gave birth to a new fitness studio baby in Manayunk! I am exhausted. Some may feel like it's time for me to relax, take it slow and maybe even give up. Not me...2012 is my year of possibilities...for me nothing is impossible.

I have been reading a blog called The Blog of Impossible Things by Joel Runyan, It's a blog about things that one may feel that they would or can't do in their lifetime like run a marathon or complete a triathlon. This blog makes the impossible feel possible by motivating one to change their outlook and attitude. One of his writings was just about not being nice, that nice people don't get anywhere. I can sometimes attest to that although being nice is an art form of itself...nice people do not always finish last. So, I don't take everything to heart in this blog but I do chew on the good stuff and swallow everything else.

Check it out and Happy New Year!
Blog of Impossible things

Ava

A YOGA BLOG

The Journey of  Sunday Yoga Soul
by Jamila K. Wilson

There is little separation between soul music (rhythm and blues) and spirituals; it is literally one in the same. It is derived from the same origin within the core of Africans transported to the Americas.

This music is the memory of that passage; of that struggle through the terrain, to the dungeons, on to the sandy beaches, into the bowels, across the raging waters, amongst the stench of death, hearing the wailing cries, blindly walking upon the shores of this once sacred land now desecrated by greed. And in that music lives the faith of knowing peace and justice can, and will, prevail.

The sorrow song, soul song, spiritual song of the African transported to America is where we reside. It is the safe haven of our ancestors' collective spirits. It is a song that cannot be replicated by anyone else. You can hear the very distinct difference of voice, tone, reverence, and emotion when sung by someone other than the ones who spirits crossed those seas just a few short years ago. Their renditions of these soulful songs are just standard and customary. For them it is a process by which to praise or acknowledge a lover.

But to the African in the Americas the soul/spiritual song represents our existence. It is more than a show or performance; it is the remembrance and storehouse of our humanity. These songs represent the promise of return; a return to a time and place where we were defined by world humanity, not as chattel, but as human beings. When the voices sung "swing low sweet chariot, coming forth to carry me home" you can feel the tremors of the soul seeking refuge in a promised land. You experience the depth of their need to grasp a reality that they can only envision in their nightly dreams. You can know through that song that hope is more than an abstract perception, but a “faith in the ultimate justice of things... (where) men will judge men by their souls and not by their skins…”

Dr. W.E.B. DuBois writes eloquently in The Souls of Black Folks that the sorrow (spiritual) song “…stands today not simply as the sole American music, but as the most beautiful expression of the human experience born this side of the seas.  It has been neglected, it has been, and is, half despised, and above all it has been persistently mistaken and misunderstood; but notwithstanding, it still remains as the singular spiritual heritage of the nation and the greatest gift of the Negro people.”

It is through this gift that I share the offering of yoga, Sunday Yoga Soul.  During this practice, the sound of soul music will serve as the vehicle to liberation and truth, using the power of the breath to open you up to the unlimited possibilities of your ordained purpose. I invite you to join me in celebrating not just this music, but celebrating you, a recipient and benefactor of this legacy, unlocking the wisdom of yoga for your liberation. 

Sunday Yoga Soul welcomes all people and is every 4th Sunday of the month at The Well Loft located at 6143 Germantown Ave, loft #101 (enter off Pastorius St.); for more information and to RSVP go to www.thewellloft.com.

I look forward to seeing you there,
Ase. Namaste.

Hello there,
As the dog days of summer slowly come to an end and a new time and season begins... we gradually step away from the hazy, lazy days of sun to the crisp and cool autumn air. The fall brings about the upcoming holidays and brings to vision the colorful celebrations of the harvest of golds, oranges, reds and browns.

As we change seasons The Well Loft changes too..It's been a long time coming, however with change a newness presents itself...read more below about our upcoming autumn changes!

So what's new?
It's so hard to say goodbye, but we must finally say farewell to our indoor cycling program. Unfortunately, these classes have always had low attendance and because of that they have not made it into our fall class schedule.

In light of this decision to cancel out the indoor cycling program we will replace our bikes with small group training equipment. We have ordered new professional grade stability balls and BPA free vinyl coated 3lb dumbbells. We have ordered enough equipment to give the first 10 clients (that reserve for classes in advance) a small group training class at a fraction of the cost of what you would pay for one-on-one personal training. We will offer these classes three times a week. Our schedule will start with an upper body strength class on Tuesdays at 6pm and a lower body strength class on Wednesday's at 6pm. Our signature Interval Strength class (now called Interval Cardio strength), combining both upper and lower body work will be on Thursday's at 6pm.

Who teaches this fall?
The Well Loft Director, Ava Adames will be teaching all three strength classes along with Mat Pilates, Fit Boxing and the recently popular Lyposculpt (a butt and abs intensive). Our resident yoga teacher...Jamila K. Wilson, will continue to head up our Yoga programming and as always we are creatively thinking of ways to bring you adjunct faculty through workshops and special class offerings.

Hot Weather Exercise Safety Tips for preventing heat stroke, heat exhaution, and dehydration
Written By Elizabeth Quinn , About.com Guide

Preventing Heat Related IllnessNormally, our body temperature is regulated by sweating. A number of factors can limit the sweat response, including intense exercise in high temperatures or high humidity, age, obesity, fever, dehydration, illness, medications and alcohol. When an athlete develops a heat illness, it usually occurs after several hours of exertion and excessive sweating that leads, first to to dehydration, and then to electrolyte imbalances. To prevent heat-related illness, follow these precautions:

• Drink the Right Amount of the Right Fluids
  Finding the right amount of fluid to drink depends upon a variety of individual factors including the length and intensity of exercise and other individual differences. There are, however, two simple methods of estimating adequate hydration.
• Replace Lost Electrolytes
  Sweat leeches salt and minerals from the body. It's important to maintain sodium and electrolyte levels if you are sweating profusely and exercising more than 90 minutes. The easiest way to replace these are with salty foods or sports drinks.
• Wear Appropriate Clothing
  Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. In the hot sun, a hat and sunscreen is helpful. Wear light, loose-wicking clothing so sweat can evaporate. Better yet, invest in some clothes made with CoolMax®, Drymax®, Smartwool or polypropylene. These fibers have tiny channels that wick the moisture from your skin to the outer layer of the clothing where it can evaporate more easily.
• Use Sunscreen and Avoid Sunburn
  Sunburn decreases your ability to cool yourself and causes fluid loss. Use sunblock with SPF 15 or higher. Wear a hat that provides shade and allows ventilation.
• Acclimate to the Heat
  You will have a greater tolerance for exercise in the heat if you become accustomed to it slowly over one to two weeks. If traveling to a hotter climate, allow several days to acclimate before doing intense exercise. Avoid exercise during the hottest time of day; train closer to sunrise or sunset.
• Use Common Sense
  Avoid hot foods, alcohol and heavy foods that increase your core temperature. If you feel any headaches, fatigue or irritability or notice your exercise performance decreasing, stop exercising and cool off.

Remember, it is easier to prevent heat illness than to treat it once symptoms develop.

Can a Pilates workout help me lose belly fat?
By Ava Adames, MS

Many people turn to Pilates as a way to tone their body, improve their core muscles and lose belly fat. However, many people that have taken a series of Pilates classes soon discover that although it’s successful at toning one’s overall body, it takes a great deal of effort to eliminate “belly” fat. Why is this so? It’s because Pilates is an anaerobic method of exercise which works at strengthening the body using muscular endurance. Muscle endurance is the rate at which your muscles work against a series of repeated actions.  More often, exercise methods that incorporate aerobic work, which are movements utilizing oxygen driven rates of pace (think running, bicycling and swimming) systematically help one’s body burn fat much more readily.  Aerobic conditioning contributes to overall fat loss including the loss of belly fat.  So the question still remains…will a Pilates workout help me lose belly fat? The answer is indirectly yes but primarily no. Let me explain by discussing what body composition is.

Pilates can change your body composition

Body composition describes the percentages of fat, bone, and muscle in your body. Pilates can change your body composition, because muscular tissue takes up less space in our body than fat tissue. Our body composition, as well as our weight, determines leanness.  A body can look aesthetically thinner by using the method Pilates but it may end up weighing the same or even a bit more when measured on a scale. Pilates done the right way will give you the appearance of looking like you have lost weight that which can include some degree of belly fat. How is this so? It’s because Pilates targets the increase of lean muscle. Lean muscle is the amount your body weighs absent of the percentage of body fat that your body has. Whenever muscles grow and become strong it results in a muscle increase and a fat decrease. However muscles weight more than fat so the scale may not go down but your clothes may fit better which may mean that inches were loss. This inch loss happens in certain areas of the body such as the hips, the arms and yes the abdominals or more so the waist. So in a roundabout way yes…a Pilates workout can indirectly help you lose belly fat!

How long does it take for a Pilates body composition change?

For measured results practice the Pilates promise! What is the Pilates promise? The Pilates promise is a timed barometer or rate of success that is gauged within a consistent Pilates practice. When Joseph Pilates created his method he knew how his system would benefit the body and also how it could atheistically affect the way a body appears. In fact he assured anyone that practiced his method that it had transforming capabilities.  Joseph Pilates stated that " In ten sessions you'll feel a difference, in twenty you'll see a difference and in thirty you'll have a whole new body" Joseph Pilates 1880-1967. However, when Joseph Pilates made the aforementioned statement it was during a period when people were more active and had less access to processed junk foods. In these modern times we need to acknowledge that more people are generally overweight and are much more sedentary.   Modern individuals are also looking to improve their appearance quickly within a short duration of time. So, for expedited results I would suggest a cardio based progressive Pilate’s routine where one does intervals of 1-3 minutes of target heart raising movements like jumping jacks and jogging in place within a classical Pilates repertoire that lasts for at least 45 minutes.  These short bursts of aerobic or cardiovascular exercises will generate greater fat burning potential. One should also consider their nutritional intake and only consume non-processed foods (whole foods) that fuel the body appropriately that which will increase the rate of your results. Foods that have the proper nutritional values are fruits and vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats and plenty of fresh water.

The Legs Have It....
by Kelly Miller

Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall Pose)

After a long day, no pose is better at calming the mind and relieving tired legs and feet than Viparita Karani (vip-par-ee-tah car-AHN-ee), or Legs up the Wall.

This wonderfully restorative pose gently stretches the back of your legs, the front of your torso, and the back of your neck. It can also help relieve mild backache. Begin by sitting sideways next to a wall – close enough so that your right hip is touching the wall.
 
Swing your legs up so that your heels are on the wall as your bring your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor. Bend the knees slightly so that you are not locking out the kneecaps. If you have any low back or neck pain, place thickly folded blankets or round yoga bolsters under the low back and under the neck.

Then just breathe, surrender, and melt. You can stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.

You can also experiment with different variations, like sliding your legs apart into the letter “V” or bending your knees and bringing the soles of your feet together, like in Baddha Konasana. When you are ready to come out of Legs up the Wall, bend your knees and lower your heels as you roll onto your right side. Take a few moments and observe the effect of the pose on your body, your mind, and your heart.

Namaste.