Sunday, April 4, 2010

Posture and Balance Workshop Announced
"Posture 101 for Balance 911"

Presenters: Pam Holt, One-to-One Personal Training and Wellness Coaching
Kelly Holt, One-to-One Creative Movement
Date: April 29, 2010
Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm
Location: One-to-One Studio, 5430 Green Road, New Haven, Indiana
Enrollment: e-mail
workshop@pamholtonetoone.com or call 260/749-7226
Limited class size.
Pre-Pay Deadline: April 22, 2010
Fee/Refund Policy: $35.00/No refunds will be given after April 22.
Make checks payable to: One-to-One.
Mail to: One-to-One, 5430 Green Road, New Haven, Indiana 46774
Who Should Attend: Any fitness level.
What To Wear: Form-fitting shirt and shorts or pants that come above the knee.

Workshop Description:
Have you heard the expression "stand up straight"? Have you ever "lost your balance"? It is possible to stand up, sit up and move well with healthy posture and balance awareness for safe and efficient, low stress movement. Posture is quite simply the alignment of our skeleton, joints and muscles over our center of gravity. Simple perhaps but not always easy - until you attend this workshop. Learn why poor posture creates neck, shoulder, low back, knee, and foot pain/discomfort and how it even affects our metabolism and brain health. Learn a basic posture practice and participate in a technical posture analysis to improve overall function of your body, resulting in less inflammation, less pain, and greater ease of movement. You will also learn a moving posture practice to use as you travel through your days.
Posture in action requires good balance. Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults, as well as a significant cause of disability in this group. A fall, or even a near fall, can instill fear that can lead to a self-imposed decrease in activity which can contribute to a decline in health and an even greater risk of falling. Balance exercises are recommended for those with diagnosed bone loss, those who recognize a loss of confidence in activities that require balance, and for those with strong balance who wish to learn these exercises as a preventative tool now.
Learn to identify the factors linked to falling and learn balance-specific exercises to target the muscular system and the three major senses that affect balance.
You will leave this workshop with handouts that you can use to practice what you learned, and a healthy sense of where your body should be in space to feel great and be safe.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Trust In the Subtler Side of Life

I sit in my living room as the sun rises, sipping my Italian cream coffee and smelling the sweet aroma of my newly lit "early sunrise" candle. I am the only soul up and awake at this early hour. I hear the faint sound of the train whistle and see a dog walker trot past the yard. The only sound in the house is the hum of the heat vibrating through the old metal registers along the floor. I sense a calm and a stillness in the house. I sense a calm and a stillness in myself.

I am reminded that I hold all power in which to continue this feeling throughout my day, no matter what my external situation. I can do this by staying present and aware of each moment and by always choosing the subtler path.

The word subtle is often interchanged with words such as calm, gentle, restful, less stressful, kind, soft and simple. The definition of success in American is often about moving to the other extreme; in order to be successful, many believe that they must overwork, over achieve, and over exercise, pushing and struggling their way to the top; carrying much stress, burden, and unhappiness in the process. However, shifting your everyday definition of success and moving to this subtler, softer way can be the path to wondrous personal transformation.

By being aware of your words, actions, and reactions and non-reactions to the people and situations in your day, you can practice choosing the subtler path. When talking with friends and colleagues, do you gossip and speak negativley about others? Or do you take the subtle way and shift the converstaion to a positive subject? When another driver cuts in front of your car, do you get enraged and lay on your horn? Or do you breathe and remember that you, too, sometimes make poor driving choices? Do you control and direct the people and activities in your household? Or do you find the subtler side and play outside with your family, feeling the unconditional love and joy you have for each other?

Ask yourself if your daily practices and habits are of benefit to you and your health. Shift to the subtler side and see what happens. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment only when you are able to cross things off your list? Or do you move to the subtler side and allow and enjoy yourself to just 'be' without an agenda or timeline? Do you exercise or work harder than you should creating stress in your body? Or do you sometimes replace rigorous cardio activity for a gentle massage and replace working on the weekends with getting together with friends?

Trusting in and moving to the subtler side of life will open up space within you and around you, allowing for great transformation to take place in your life. Be calm, gentle, and still and live a happy, healthy, and fun life that you love to live!

Kelly