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The June Five

Who wants sexy summer legs? Shorts weather is just around the corner and these moves are designed to get your gams in shape. Try for one minute of each of these moves a few days this week.

On Friday my courthouse Pilates class got to try out this month’s five and Cindy and Dan were coerced volunteered to model a few of these for me. Check them out doing the Reverse Warrior and Calf Raises below.

 

1) Goddess Pose (Wide Leg Squat):

  • Stand with feet apart, inhale and arms extended overhead.
  • Exhale and bend your knees to sit into a squat as you draw your elbows in and down.
  • Make sure your knees stay right over your ankles.
  • Builds leg and arm strength, hip flexibility.

2) Reverse Warrior:

  • Stand in a lunge (Warrior II) with right foot front, left foot at a 45º angle, hips face the side wall.
  • Stretch your right arm up towards the ceiling, rest left hand on your back leg.
  • Strengthens legs, stretches shoulders and hips.

3) Step Ups:

 

  • Stand in front of a low step or bench.
  • Step right foot up onto the bench, then step back down.  If you have healthy knees try jumping up and back down.  One minute, moving at a pace that feels challenging.
  • Strengthens legs, improves balance.

4) Calf Raises:

  • Stand with feet together.
  • Lift both heels, then slowly lower.  Ten standing on both feet, then lift one foot – ten on each leg.
  • Strengthens calves and ankles, improves balance.

5) Chair Pose:

  • Stand with feet together.
  • Inhale and stretch your arms up towards the ceiling.
  • Exhale and bend your knees as if to sit on a chair behind you.  Hold for one minute.
  • Strengthens legs and back and stretches shoulders.

French Grated Carrot Salad

I was at the farmer’s market this week and picked up some carrots. Here’s what I decided to do with them.

This is a take on a classic French salad and is traditionally made with a salad oil rather than stronger-tasting olive oil. I suggest subbing extra-virgin olive oil because it is so good for you. I have also subbed apple cider for sherry vinegar again for the health benefits. My great grandmother, who we called Grannie Bird used to take a shot of apple cider vinegar every morning because she believed it helped ease her arthritis pain. I also added a squeeze of honey but if your carrots are very sweet you may not need it. Try this and let me know what you think.

French Grated Carrot Salad

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

To make the dressing whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper, mustard, oil and honey

Toss dressing with the carrots and parsley in a large bowl.

Taste and adjust salt.

Let salad rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour, toss again and serve.

Wachlella Falls May 2012

 

This month I found a new (to me) trail, Wachlella Falls. This is the perfect hike to take out of town visitors who are looking for an easy, short hike (just over an hour total) that passes some amazing waterfalls. This hike is kid friendly and a good spot for a picnic. I plan on doing more of these this summer. Contact me if you are interested in joining us.

What are your favorite Oregon hikes?

Disabled Vet Turns “Can’t” into “Can” through Yoga

You have probably seen this video going around the internet of Arthur Boorman the disabled vet who transformed himself from couch potato to athlete! There is lots to love about this video – Arthur’s determination, his rapid strength and balance improvements, his weight loss and the amazing before and after photos where he looks like a different person. I love the 1:50 mark where he is doing modified yoga poses in his living room using a chair to steady himself and he falls completely over, legs in the air like a cockroach. Guess what happens next (2 min mark) he gets back up! Over and over again.

Oddly enough his yoga instructor is none other than wrestlemania star Diamond Dallas Page.

I won’t spoil the ending if you have not yet seen this video but I had tears in my eyes watching it. Makes loosing that last 10 lbs or getting up at 6 am tomorrow to hit the gym seem not so difficult. Do you have an amazing transformation story or are you just starting to make some changes in your diet or activity? Tell me about it.

The May Five Exercises

The May Five

 

Each month I assign my clients five exercises to work on every day. Here are your May Five.

See if you can go through these at least once today – in fact you could get up from your desk and try them right now, I’ll wait…

 

1) Plank:

From hands and knees, step back into a plank position (drop to your knees if you need to). Hold for one minute.

In plank you build core strength, strengthen your shoulder and back muscles and improve your shoulder girdle stabilization.

 

2) Flight:

 

 

Start lying on your tummy with arms by your side.  Reach back through your fingers and toes and lift your chest to come up into a small back extension.
Strengthens back extensors, abdominals, opens shoulders.

3) Roll Over:

Start Lying on your back with legs in the air, knees bent. Press your legs up towards the ceiling (lifting your hips) then slowly roll down.
Strengthens lower abdominals.

4) Seal

 

 

From seated, scoop your abdominals and round your spine. Lift your feet and hold on to your ankles. Slowly roll back onto your upper back, then roll back up to sitting.

Strengthens abdominals, improves spine flexibility, muscle control.

5) Side Angle:

 

 

Stand in a lunge with right knee stacked over your ankle. Rest your right arm on your right thigh, reach left arm to the ceiling.
Strengthens legs, opens hips, and stretches shoulders.