Thursday 23 February 2012

Juice bar + yoga/pilates venue


 Ever since returning from Ubud in May, I've been missing the ability to read a menu with multiple pages full of raw veggie/fruit juices in almost every cafe you enter! I think Melbourne is crying out for a place with some hipster atmosphere and a million and one juices.


One of my favourite places was The Yoga Barn with a fantastic 7-day schedule of yoga, dance and pilates classes for all levels and styles. They had a brilliant outdoor cafe too, as well as an ayurveda clinic. (The menu (pdf) for you curious types!)

So, what I want to know is:
  • do you think this would work in Melbourne? 
  • Would you want to go here? 
  • What time would you want to go to classes?
  • Would you want to attend casually or sign up for a multiple pass visit?
  • Have you seen this work elsewhere? Details!
Really appreciate your feedback!

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Emma Seibold of Body Barre

I had the great privilege of interviewing Body Barre founder and instructor, Emma Seibold. She managed to find the time between running a business, attending a festival in Byron Bay, looking after her baby and teaching to answer some questions for me. Enjoy!

Could you describe the structure of your BodyBarre class and the rationale behind the type of exercises in class?

We move through a series of strengthening and stretching exercises in isometric and interval formats targeting the arms and back, legs, seat and core. Strengthening sets to sculpt the muscles are complemented by yoga stretching sets to shape the muscles. We work the entire body in a dynamic and fun session.

 Who will this class benefit and how? 

 
Barre classes are good for people who want to tone and shape their bodies. Visible results are obtained very fast so it has a very wide appeal. We offer modifications in all of our classes; the goal is to challenge everyone, but also make sure that people are working with their own bodys’potential and limits.  

As a yoga instructor, what does yoga mean to you and why do you want to teach it?

Yoga is my heart & soul and my greatest passion. It’s what grounds me and keeps me sane. It has nursed me through breakups, supported me through pregnancy, made my heart sing in the mornings and made me fall in love with it. I teach it because I love it so much. I love working with students at an individual level. A great class for me is where I can lead someone to have an “aha” moment in a posture.
 

How often does a participant need to attend a BodyBarre class to see results?

Most people see results within about 10 sessions and 3 sessions per week are recommended.

Tell me about the studio space and why it is designed as it is.

I wanted the studio to be a beautiful, open, light and bright space that it warm and welcoming and has a boutique feel to it.
 

What are your plans for Barre Body in the coming year and how can we stay up to date with the latest classes and news?

We plan to grow! We are adding more classes to the timetable and opening another Melbourne studio and a Sydney studio in the next 12 months. Keep up to date by liking us on facebook and signing up for email alerts (or love notes as we call them). 


http://www.bodybarre.com.au

Tuesday 21 February 2012

BarreSculpt at Kew Recreation Centre in March

Barre Sculpt
Inspired by the big trend overseas to incorporate ballet work, pilates and yoga, I am instructing a class  that aims to lengthen, stretch and shape the muscles. Core strength (meaning your abdominals, hips and back) is a major focus, so too are balance and increasing flexibility through motion.
If you love power yoga, If you love pilates
If you love dance
Join me for Barre Sculpt at Kew Recreation Centre in March! Any queries? Email me.

Friday 17 February 2012

Step up and shape glutes and quads

Happy Friday! Here's something for your weekend. Step ups are brilliant - not only do they get your heart rate up, raising a sweat and burning up calories like magic, but your quads and glutes work extra hard if you add in a knee raise once you've stepped up (see image).
To maximise heart rate and total energy expenditure, do a superset combining 1 minute of step ups with 30 seconds of push-ups and 30 seconds rest for 5 - 10 minutes depending on your fitness level. Don't say I don't look after you!

Saturday 11 February 2012

Cat and Gemma spending Tuesday lunch at the barre

On Tuesday, the lovely Gemma and I will be trotting into the city (well, taking the train) to try Body Barre at Barre Body in Flinders Lane. Sure, we may not master the art of looking like ballerinas after one class (maybe Gemma will, she's got the hair and poise mastered!) but we're both excited about mixing the principles of pilates, dance and dynamic stretching. I also understand they have a kickass Vinyasa class - I'd love to hear back from any participants!

Thursday 9 February 2012

What is your WHY?

Turkish get-up
Morning all - I know this is a bit lazy, but I'd like to direct you to a blog post I found inspiring and I think it is always good to question what you do, how you do it, and why you're doing it. Once you can articulate it, you can remind yourself of it when you're tired, when it gets hard, when you have other things to do, etc.
So! Here is strength & conditioning expert Molly Galbraith's blog post.

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Tricep Attack!

This one is for you Meghan! How to deal with tuckshop arms/bingo wings/insert_nasty_flabby_arm_slander_here. There is no way to spot reduce excess weight, sadly.
So, first of all, clean up your diet so that all this tricep work isn't hidden by donuts.
Secondly, grab a mat, some light to moderate hand weights and a chair or bench.

Tricep kickbacks
1. Bend from the hips, supporting one knee on a bench and brace your abs, lengthening through the spine. Try not to hunch!
2. Hold the weight in an "L-shape", with your elbow close to your torso, in line with your shoulder.
3. Raise the weight so that your arm is long and straight, squeeze through the back of the arm, then return to original position.


Tricep dips
1. Sit on the edge of a chair/bench with your hands close to your thighs.
2. Inch forward until you are only supported by your hands, with feet at hip distance ahead of you (further out than your knees)
3. Lower yourself, keeping your back close to the bench, until you are at a 90 degree angle to the ground, then push through the palms of your hands to rise until arms are almost straight
4. Repeat, without sitting back on the chair/bench until you have completed a set.
Overhead extension

1. Hold a dumbell or weight with both hands over head
2. Frame the face with elbows - trying to keep your biceps close to your ears throughout the exercise
3. Lower the weight behind the head (only your forearms are moving!), then raise the weight to starting point
4. Brace through the abdominals for stability
Chaturanga Dandasana
1. Yogis will know this pose from their regular ashtanga class - for the rest of us, it's basically a tricep push up, where you hold at the lowest point before pushing up to start (or through to upward dog)
2. Keep your elbows in close to your body, shoulders away from ears, abs braced, eyes on the ground and heels pushing back
3. Push through the palms to raise back to start position
  4. You CAN do this from your knees, the same techniques apply

Sunday 5 February 2012

TRX - get to grips with it

TRX suspension training options
If your gym doesn't have one yet, it soon will. The TRX is a great way to add challenge to staple moves like push-ups, rows, prone holds, lunges and...well, you name it. Here is a recent article from Fitness First magazine with ideas and a guide to TRX.

Summer Juice : carrot celery cucumber & ginger


celery carrot cucumber ginger juice
So now that the sun appears to be sticking around in Melbourne, I've dug out the juicer and I'm making lots of mess and noise. Started my morning with juice. Admittedly, followed up with a strong black plunger coffee (hey, girl needs her fuel! There's antioxidants, ok?)
I got a juicer for under $120 at Good Guys about 15 months back and it does the trick quickly without much setting up or dismantling. Wish there were more cafes doing "green" juice options out there - can't hurt to ask your local to consider adding it to the menu!




SUMMER BREAKFAST JUICE

2 x carrots (peeled or unpeeled/beheaded!)
4 x celery sticks (leaves attached/unattached)
2 x green cucumbers (the big ones, NOT continental or lebanese)
chunk of ginger (amount up to you)

Throw it all in the juicer and adjust quantities to suit your taste. More ginger = better I say!

Saturday 4 February 2012

Aerobic Cleaning: The New Zumba?

There was an article in WSJ recently on aerobic housecleaning (Exercise in Utility: Cleaning House the Aerobic Way for Fun and Profit). Stevie Markovich, 57, incorporates squats, lunges, high-kicks and couch lifting into his regular fitness regime.
So, initially, I thought Good on you, buddy! How resourceful! But then I thought, there are just too many things that can go wrong here. What if you're on your own and you get trapped under the couch while trying to bench press it? What if you are actually really weak through the core and you're only worsening all those vulnerable back issues just waiting to cause you permanent aches, pains and injury? So what I want to know is, how can you avoid gym fees and spandex, and stay fit SAFELY? My vote goes with:
  • hitting up the library for some fitness dvds (yoga, boxing, salsa dancing!)
  • going for a jog in the local park and then challenging yourself to a round of chin-ups on the monkey bar and tricep dips on the bench
  • joining any free local council fitness classes, running groups or postnatal exercise groups
  • using the skipping rope that is getting dusty behind a pile of old tax returns (guilty)
  • using your bike to get from A to B when it REALLY isn't worth driving!
Got more? Let's hear them!

Hi!

Happy Saturday morning all. I figure it's about time I got on this whole blogging/multimedia bandwagon! I hope you'll join me and feel welcome to give me feedback, suggestions and ideas. I'm intending to post all sorts of goodies on pilates, fitness trends and challenges, juice and food recipes and ideas and style/fashion gear too. Stay tuned. xx

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