In this Progression / Intermediate Core Strength & Pilates Video I’m showing you three strength based exercises, that combine
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(1) Upper-Body Strength >> focusing on 1. Chest / Pecs, 2. Shoulders
(2) Core Strength & Toning >> focusing on 1. Obliques / Waist, 2. Lower Abs / Abdomen
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[1] A Push-Up (full version, knees off the ground, there a lots of variation you can do)
[2] Plank with a Knee Pull-In
[3] Plank with a Side-Leg KIck
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Always warm up before exercising e.g. go for brisk walk, jog, do a bit of cycling, do some mobilizing and loosening exercises for your joints.
Let me know how you get on with these exercises. Find more videos on my partner website – www.PilatesDublin.ie or on my facebook page.
Martin
Tag Archives: Leopardstown
2015-2016 Lessons Learned – Reflections and Health, Sleep Quote T. Dekker
Thomas Dekker’s quote made me reflect on the last year, a year full of changes that had a massive, positive impact on my energy, mental clarity, ability to focus and switch off.
Like a lot of us (e
specially those self-employed folks) , I worked crazy hours 60-80 hours per week, ate (healthy) but very irregular – sometimes I just forgot to eat, was stressed out chasing my tail trying to earn sufficient money, to pay the studio lease, council rates, bills and then there is the mortgage of our house as we well.
Running a fitness, Pilates and Kettlebell studio in Churchtown, South Dublin, Ireland with up to 25 Fitness, Pilates and Kettebell classes per week, 5 part-time instructors (that wanted to get paid on time “of course”), anything from 100-170 class participants per week, coordinating two-three therapists that rented a consultation and treatment room – managing all with my amazing part-time office wonder-women and having issues with my landlord just got to much for one person, me.
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I closed the Fitnecise Studio “my baby” on Friday 3rd July 2015, after nearly six years of effort, long hours and dreams of being a studio owner, trainer as my health just suffered too much (I had stress related stomach cramps, digestive issues, absolutely no mental or physical energy left – something I nether experienced in the last 45 years), my stress levels were sky-rocketing.
Everything changed from there onward, it was end July 2016, the studio was closed. I signed up for a one year long Nutrition & Health Coaching Course with the IINH (Irish Institute for Nutrition & Health) in Bray. Just south of Dublin, with an inspiring, amazing, endlessly enthusiastic and unbelievably knowledgeable Nutritionist and teacher Richard Burton (contact me if you are thinking of doing that course and you want to pick my brain). I started to organize local fitness classes in community centres, parish and other halls (closer to where I live in South Dublin, Dublin 18), as I did up to 2009 before opening the studio. Beside that I took on my first personal training clients since years, this work is so much more rewarding – seeing clients getting fitter, trimmer and slimmer, seeing them progressing and succeeding.
I began to catch up with sleep, slept regularly eight to nine hours (something I rarely did in the last ten years) and have occasionally a 10-15min nap in the afternoon (the benefits of being self-employed or if you are working for Google 😉 . I take lots of time to eat properly and enjoy food (no TV, no phone, no laptop, no digital device around). I didn’t really change what I eat. My digestive issues disappeared.
My energy levels are the highest since many many years. It is so much easier to focus and concentrate, I feel mentally much sharper and more alert.
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What are the learnings from the last year July 2015 – July 2016?
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(1) It’s absolutely crucial to look after your health, as the saying goes “Your health is your wealth !”, without it nothing else matters. Being sick or unwell puts everything else in perspective.
(2) “Less is more” less classes, no commercial rent to pay, more time for my own health, fitness, friends and family.
(3) ( for fitness, health professionals and therapists ) Stay local, save yourself commuting time and stress getting stuck in traffic, plus you get your name out locally.
(4) Focus on the 10-20% of activities and actions that get 80-90% of the results, look up “Pareto Law” or “Pareto Principle” or ask yourself “What are the two or three things, I do thought the day, week, month, that get the majority of the results?”.
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In terms of health and well-being I can think of
(4.1) prioritizing sufficient rest/sleep (the majority of us (in western societies) go sleep deprived through life, without even being aware of it and it’s serious health effects).
(4.2) taking and make time to eat (your digestion & energy will improve lots, promise ! )
(4.3) be physically active without stress (some people put themselves under to much stress re exercising, which can negate it’s positive effects).
(4.4) take digital breaks, for a few hours, a day, a weekend or even a week (switch your mobile, laptop, computer, tablet off every now and then … this might allow you to reconnect to those who are around you, these devices have a “off” button for a reason! ).
(4.5) Enjoy what you are doing. Ask yourself “How can I make this easier and more enjoyable now?” for tasks that you normally don’t like doing.
(4.6) Relax, Switch-off, Re-Energize regularly. Relaxing might mean different things for different people. Watching TV or browsing the web is not relaxing for me. I can switch off completely if I write diary with non-vocal music in the background or when going for a run after the important jobs are done or when having a chat with my partner or friends. Find out what works for you.
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Let me know what you think, send me a e-mail or leave a message.
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Martin
FREE Diet & Nutrition Advice – IINH case study participant needed in January, February 2016 in South Dublin
Are you interested in
- improving your diet so you have more energy, be healthier and fitter.
- being able to choose healthier types of foods from the vast amount of different foods that are available in our supermarkets, restaurants and other food outlets.
- learning more about how food and how what you eat influences your health and well being.
“Look at this as a chance to learn more about nutrition and how food and what we *eat* or *don’t eat* influences our health, energy levels and ultimately quality of life.”
Some of my current south Dublin (D14, D16, D18) based personal training clients or fitness and Pilates class participants might know that I’m attending a one year *Nutrition & Health Coaching Course* with the IINH in Bray, just south of Dublin. IINH stands for “Irish Institute for Nutrition and Health”.
I will have to write four nutrition and health case studies as part of this course and found already two participants, who will join in in the next one to two weeks (Sat 16.01.2016). All meaning I’m still looking for another two case study participants in the D14, D16, D18 area.
The case studies consists of four One-to-One sessions, which are spread out over the next 8-10 weeks.
Session (1) – Initial Consultation – 1-1.5 hours:
The consultation should take place mid to end of January 2016. We will go through a nutrition and health questionnaire to find out what you are currently eating, are there any health issues, how active you are etc. etc.. I might give you a few small food, nutrition and diet tips after this session. The main objective here is fact finding and identifying what you current lifestyle is like.
Session (2) Nutrition, Diet Food Plan, recommendations, Tips – 1 hour:
(ideally 7-10 days after our initial consultation)
The information we gathered in the first session will enable me to create a personalized and nutrition and food plan with various tips, advice for you. This might include recommendations regards what foods you ideally eat more off, other foods you may replace with something else or foods that you could consider cutting out completely to improve your health, fitness and well being.
We could look into how to read and understand food labels, enabling you to make healthier choices when you go shopping. There will also be time where you can ask other nutrition and food relation questions e.g. “How much healthier is it to eat organic and is organic food really better for us or is it only a marketing ploy?”.
Session (3) Follow-up One 20min to 1 hour:
(around three weeks after our second session)
We will review how you got on with the plan and the various recommendations, possibly tweak the plan, identify other things that you can do and see what worked and what might not have worked for you, gather your thoughts, impressions and experiences so far. All to improve and deepen your understanding of how food and nutrition influences you physical and mental health, fitness and overall well being.
Session (4) Follow-up Two 20min to 1 hour:
(around three weeks after our third session)
The objective are the same as for session (3).
The follow-up session (3) and (4) might be done via skype or phone, but are ideally done in person.
Are you motivated? Do you want to make 2016 a health and fitter year and put in a bit of time, energy and commitment to see real results, then contact me. You will ideally keep a food diary for 7-10 days before we meet.
Please call or send me a brief e-mail via the form below within the next few days or as soon as possible if you are interested in participating in these case studies or if you know someone who would benefit from something like this.
Thank you
Yours in Health, Fitness and Well Being
_ Martin
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