About the Five: Each month I offer five exercises to improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility. My hope is that you will go through these on your own or with me at least three times a week.
Here’s a video of yours truly demonstrating the March Five:
Boat
Single Leg Kick
Pilates Push Up
Crescent Lunge
Half Moon
Please use your best judgment as to how suitable these are for you right now.
BoatSingle Leg KickPilates Push upCrescent LungeHalf Moon Pose
These photos are meant to remind you of work we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.
If you’d like more detailed information on these exercises, click one of the links below:
Each month I offer five exercises to improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility. My hope is that you will go through these on your own or with me three times a week.
Some moves (like this month’s bridge) you could do every day.
If you do The Five each month, over the course of the year you will have taken yourself through a well rounded strength program that includes upper body, lower body, back, core, standing balance, mobility and flexibility.
The February Five:
Bridge
Cobra
Side-Lying Leg Lift
Saw
Teaser
Please use your best judgment as to how suitable these are for you right now.
CobraSide-Lying Leg LiftSawTeaser
These photos are meant to remind you of work we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.
If you’d like more detailed information on these exercises, click one of the links below:
About the Five: Each month I offer five exercises to improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility. My hope is that you will go through these either on your own, or with me two to three times a week. Some moves (like this month’s bird dog) you could do every day.
In our weekly classes we start week one with the most accessible version of each exercise, then by the end of the month we have worked our way up to the most challenging variation (like this month’s crow for example).
If you’d like specific guidance from me as to which exercises are right for you right now, or how to execute these safely and efficiently, give me a call (503) 705-4762.
Bird dog
Mermaid
Side Angle
Bow
Crow
Please use your best judgment as to how suitable these are for you right now.
Bird Dog Mermaid Side Angle Bow Crow
These photos are meant to remind you of work we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.
If you’d like more detailed information on these exercises, click one of the links below:
Have you heard that “women shouldn’t lift heavy weights”?
Are you afraid that if you lift anything heavier than a 5 lb weight you might “bulk up”?
I call b.s. on these claims.
What does your suitcase weigh?
How about a bag of mulch, or dog food?
If you want to be able to chuck your suitcase into the overhead bin, or load your kayak onto your car, or if you are concerned about losing muscular strength or bone density, you need to lift weights, and 2 lb dumbbells aren’t going to cut it.
To develop massive, bulky muscles takes a lot of work (and often supplemental help from steroids or testosterone). Doing weighted squats, or chest presses twice a week is not going to make you look like a monster.
One common theme I hear from most new clients is “I’m walking almost every day, but I don’t do strength work on my own”. I’ve heard lots of reasons women do not lift weights. You may be afraid of injuring (or reinjuring) yourself, or you’re not sure exactly how to program, or schedule your workouts. Maybe you find it boring, or prefer the camaraderie of a group cardio fitness class, to the solitary, sometimes lonely experience of taking yourself through a strength workout at home or at the gym.
If you don’t know how or where to start, give me a call. We will chat about your goals, and your current activity, and set a plan going forward to help you live your best life!
We can meet for one session, then you can take yourself through your workouts on your own, we could meet weekly until you feel comfortable with your knowledge of the exercises, and your form.
If small groups are more your thing, join an ongoing class. In our Monday yoga, Wednesday Pilates, and Saturday Barre classes, we incorporate weights and resistance training, often doing squats, lunges, rows, and push ups.
If you don’t have equipment at home I will provide you with everything you need to set up a basic home gym, or we can look around the house for tools you can use for now to get started. A large bag of rice can provide dynamic load. A step stool, or sturdy box, can sub for a bench. If you are new to exercise, or recovering from an injury, bodyweight workouts may be the way to go.
To get started, give me a call today and we will set up a complimentary consultation to see if we are a good fit.
This seems kinda weird to announce in a blog post, and also appropriate since so much of our lives are online these days, so… I’m officially engaged!!!
Since my sweetie is very much the opposite of me – he has zero online presence – I like to post about him every once in a while so that y’all believe that he is a real person, not a figment of my imagination. Like Sasquatch, he likes to hang out in the woods, he’s fuzzy, and he’s quiet.
We have been talking about getting married for some time now, so while this was not a surprise, he did want to make this a special experience that we would remember. He put a lot of thought into where he wanted to propose. We were wrapping up a relaxing week in the Bend area, in Eastern Oregon. The smell of juniper was in the air, and we could hear chirping birdies, and the relaxing sounds of the Deschutes from our condo.
We did several hikes along the river. We had mostly sunny and cool weather, one day it was downright balmy! The day of his proposal we had lunch in Sisters then drove west towards the Mackenzie river.
He remembered the observatory at the lava fields just west of Sisters as a lush, green mountain top with views for miles.
Due to recent forest fires this was our view.
It was freezing cold, windy and overcast; so much for our beautiful mountain views. It was memorable for sure!
He chose this weekend as it was our 5 year dateaversary, and I am also a big fan of Halloween. When we drove back thru Sisters, all the local kids were doing a daytime trick or treat down main street.
There could not have been a better end to this day! Good food, nature, trick or treaters, and spending time with my sweetie.
We did go back to the warmer, prettier riverfront condo to snap a few more photos.
And we had a lovely drive back home over Mt Hood. Look close and you can see these bungee jumpers we stumbled across at the Crooked River (we did not jump btw).
