Archive for Inspiration
YOU!
Posted by: | CommentsYou were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.
Rumi
Susan Sommers is a Pilates Instructor & Wellness Mentor in NYC
Never Give Up!
Posted by: | CommentsAs long as you are alive anything is possible!
“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Be an inspiration to others by refusing to give up. Who knows what someone else can achieve because you never gave up and in turn inspired them not to give up.
The Weekly Fitness Challenge – An international grass roots initiative designed to educate, motivate and lead the “Not yet fit” to a healthier lifestyle.
Help us ‘Change the Shape of the World’
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor in NYC Upper Westside specializing in those 50+
The Magic of You!
Posted by: | CommentsIs it Hocus Pocus? Or is it you?
Everyone of us works out a personal philosophy of life by which we are guided and inspired. Your life. Your choice. Did someone tell you it wasn’t?
One of the commonest mistakes and one of the costliest is thinking that success is due to some genius, some magic, something or other which we do not possess. Success is generally do to holding on, and failure to letting go. You decide to learn a new language, study music, take a course of reading, train yourself physically. Will it be success or failure? It depends on how much pluck and perseverance that word ‘decide’ contains. The decision that nothing can overrule, the grip that nothing can detach will bring success. Remember the Chinese proverb, ‘With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin.’ ~ Maltbie Davenport Babcock ~
Keep these concepts in mind:
You’ve failed many times, although you don’t remember.
You fell down the first time you tried to walk.
You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim
Don’t worry about failure. My suggestion to each of you:
Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try. ~ Sherman Finesilver ~
It’s not Hocus Pocus. I say it’s the Magic of YOU!
Do you have a favorite success quote? Please add to comments and Pay it Forward.
Susan Sommers is a Pilates Instructor in NYC specializing in those 50+
Why Wait?
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All over the world people look to New Years Day as the day to make a fresh start, or the day to set goals for their upcoming year. It is without doubt one of our most optimistic of days. It’s the day the glass is half full rather than half empty.
I would like to run a thought by you, I say ‘Why Wait’? What’s wrong with right now, this very day, this very minute? Every day can be a New Years Day. Don’t you think?
Consider this; we have the power with our thoughts to create the kind of self we want to be. Our thoughts belong to us alone; they are our own personal property, with us 24/7 not just on January 1.
You can start living ‘Positively Positive’ and aim to accomplish all your dreams and goals anytime you choose. The choice is yours. It always has been and always will be.
May I suggest that you open yourself up right this very minute to a wonderful and blessed new future full of love & joy. Focus on thoughts that will promote your happiness. Allow miracles to enter your life every day.
“Why Wait’? Happy New Year, today!
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor in NYC specializing teaching those 50+
Positively Positive
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Is your glass half full or half empty?
According to the Mayo Clinic optimism and pessimism — can affect many areas of your health and well-being.
So what does this all mean? Being strong and healthy mentally is our very best defense against sickness and our strongest ally when it comes to healing. It’s not magic. It’s really quite simple. Heal your mind heal your body!
So how do you do this?
Start by paying attention to your thought patterns. Are they filled with I CAN or I can’t. Once you notice what and how you think the next step is to understand that you alone control your thoughts. Are you with me so far, as the last step is entirely up to you. Be careful what you think and what you say. Never criticize yourself, instead replace those thoughts with positive self-nurturing ones. The difference between your success & failure is the difference in the way you think.
Need help? You can learn how to change your thinking. Change negative thoughts to ones that are positive.
Always remember ~~~ What YOU think about yourself is most important!
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor specializing in those 50+ in NYC 10023
Midlife Magic
Posted by: | CommentsLife is a wonderful journey. It’s important to savour each segment as we travel along. Right? Todays segment up for discussion is that dreaded ‘Midlife’. “Well it doesn’t have to be” says Jayne Cox, The Body Image Expert. Say hi to Jayne from across the pond. She will show us how you can enjoy a fulfilling, meaningful life as you move toward and through mid-life. She says it can even be magical! Sounds good to me.
Body Image at Midlife!
by Jayne Cox
It’s a fact that women struggle with how they look and it seems, for many, insecurities about body image increase with age. For some women it’s a battle to conform to social and personal expectations to be a certain size, shape or weight and for others it’s the visual signs of age that cause torment. Advertisements, features on TV and in glossy magazines apply steady and constant pressure for us to join the anti age revolution and put our hands in our pockets and try products and radical procedures that guarantee we’ll be more beautiful, successful and loved BUT only if we keep it up!
The truth is it can seem as if we are caught between a rock and hard place but I believe there’s far more to our marvellous midlife than weight, age and looks!
So what’s the alternative?
How about stepping back and really giving some thought to your life and how you really feel about yourself. There are some simple things you can do to love your years, your body and your life!
Midlife can be magical – let me prove it!
My Top 10 Tips…
1. Ditch the diet for life! It’s simple, feed yourself a varied diet, keep active and find professional support to STOP using food and start living.
2. Find a sensible and manageable beauty routine that specifically targets any problem areas.
3. Monitor your TV viewing, how much influence does TV have over your feelings about your body?
4. Do a life audit and check who your friends are. Negative friends encourage negative thinking and drain your positive reserves. Is it time to look at the company you keep?
5. Ask yourself ‘Do I feel fulfilled?’ if not what’s missing? There’s never been a better time to find something that really interests you, stimulates you and makes you feel fabulous! Boredom is a perfect breeding ground for body dissatisfaction.
6. Magazines can influence your thoughts about yourself, so how about picking a new magazine OR just walking on by!
7. Clear out the dated make up and clothes, invest in a few key seasonal pieces and take a make-up lesson or try a wardrobe detox.
8. Get outdoors and get active. If you love the gym great, if you don’t getting active outdoors is fantastic. Use a pedometer to chart your success. Bounce on a trampoline, help mind body and spirit with Yoga or Pilates perhaps find a walking buddy!
9. Throw a Beauty Brunch for your friends, pamper yourself with some beauty product samples or trial sizes and how about finding time to spend 30 minutes telling each other what is really fab about each other, you’ll all feel terrific!
TEN!
How about looking at your career and your life, is it stale and are you ready for a change? Focus on what you can do, what is within your control and do it! Think outside the box, look beyond your numbers and fill your life with what you deserve and settle for nothing but the best for you and your life!
YOU can Love your Years, Your Body and Your Life!
Bio:
Jayne has been in Private Practice for over a decade as an Eating Disorder Therapist and a Professional Coach and she has become known as The Body Image Expert, both in the UK and Worldwide. Her specialities include over coming midlife eating disorders and diet addiction, creating midlife balance at home and in the workplace, finding spiritual fulfilment and discovering the fabulous you!. She is passionate and driven, motivating and inspiring midlife women to overcome their insecurities and to love their years, their bodies and their lives!
She is available for Specialist one to one Coaching face to face in the UK and Worldwide using Telephone, ichat or Skype
www.jaynecox.co.uk You can also follow Jayne on Twitter @Loving_My-Years
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor specializing in those 50+ in NYC
All About You
Posted by: | CommentsSo you decided to start exercising. Something got you motivated. Whether it was your Dr’s warning, a vacation where you will be on the beach and you must wear that dreaded bathing suit or an upcoming high school reunion, you’ve taken step one a decision to start. Now what? How do you set yourself up for success? Remember this is for YOU. YOU have to like what you’re doing not anyone else. Therefore may I suggest a good place to start is selecting an appropriate exercise regime that is suited specifically for you.
• Do you prefer the solitude of exercising alone, or is companionship more motivating?
• Are you more attracted to activities which require greater mental alertness and quick bursts of energy? Or are you more attracted to workouts that promote tranquility?
• Do you thrive on competition? Team sports?
• Would you rather be indoors or outside? This can also be a seasonal question.
• Would your previous experiences with exercise programs lead you to believe that you will like or dislike the activities you’re considering?
Your responses should offer you some insight to your exercise personality. Finding your exercise personality will greatly increase your odds of success. Remember you want to succeed!
Tip! Take time for you. While many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family, co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise appointment. Your health is your life.
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor specializing in those 50+ in NYC
The Core of the Matter
Posted by: | CommentsI am very happy to introduce you to my Guest Blogger Renee Ludwigs. Renee has exceptional people skills and possesses a natural compassion and caring for the needs of others. Today Renee is going to show us how developing our Core can lead us to a more tranquil and peaceful life. We understand The Core as it relates to Pilates. Now let’s take the journey with Renee and learn how developing our core can also bring us tranquility. It’s all part of having an Island Perspective!
So let’s get to The Core of the matter….
How Strengthening Your Core Can Lead to Peace and Tranquility by Renee Ludwigs
Inner peace and tranquility – it’s all we really want. It feels so good, so right because it’s our natural, inherent state of mind. But in the go-go culture of today, it’s often hard to find.
We get caught up in thinking we should do this, should do that. All these shoulds wear us out and can even keep us from finding our best self. Sound familiar? Yeah, me too. And this not only hurts us, but those around us.
But luckily we can invite tranquility back into our lives – by finding our core.
You probably know that core strength is the foundation of Pilates, but you may be wondering what it has to do with inner peace . . .
It’s about focusing on your whole self – body, mind and spirit. And your whole self will benefit from regular core building exercises. By attending to your inner self, both physically and mentally, you’ll soon be on the path to enjoying sustainable tranquility in your life.
Here’s how to get started:
• Focus on your core.
Be quiet and still. Listen to your inner voice and internal knowing. Connect with your deep and true desires. Trust your ability to make wise choices about what’s best for you.
• Train your muscles.
Be patient and loving with yourself. Growth will come from conquering tough challenges, one at a time. Believe in the possibilities and your unique ability to bounce back when the going gets tough.
• Use proper form.
Eat healthy. Exercise most days. Get enough sleep. Make nurturing yourself a top priority. Surround yourself with positive energy and people who are full of hope and enthusiasm.
• Build balance and stability.
Take time to explore what makes you happy. Stay the course as you find your center, your equilibrium, your purpose. Little by little, with diligent practice, shore up a firm and stable foundation.
• Remember to breath deeply.
Put your whole heart into your own self care. Accept life events and people that you can’t control. Stop to breathe when it gets hard. Let go and flow through your daily activities with grace and ease.
Your body is a beautiful machine, a gift really. To remember your core, you can think of yourself as a majestic palm tree – confident, steadfast, beautiful and resilient. And what makes palm trees so flexible? Strong, pliable trunks.
Make good health the focus of your attention by empowering yourself – from the inside out. Create the time and space to nourish and strengthen both your outer and your inner self.
By living from the sturdy core of your being – you will naturally find more peace and tranquility.
Renee Ludwigs is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Tranquility Coach who inspires people to develop their own unique path to inner peace and tranquility by living with An Island Perspective. Discover powerful, fun ways of looking at life that will help you find balance and perspective by visiting Renee’s blog at islandperspective .com. And you can be a part of the “island tribe’ at Facebook.com/IslandPerspective and follow her on Twitter @ReneeLudwigs. Inspiration with a tropical flavor!
Susan Sommers is a Pilates instructor in NYC specializing in those 50+
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Posted by: | CommentsMirror Mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all?
Did you watch the red-carpet last night before the Emmy awards? I did. Well, it got me thinking. We live in a society where “perfect” body images are everywhere we turn. We are constantly bombarded into thinking that the “perfect body” is being able to fit into a size 0. I have good news for you, body image is more than just size. It’s about how we feel within our own skin; it’s how we hold ourselves when we are standing around unaware of our posture; it’s about our own internal strength.
If, when you encounter a mirror, you can think things like “I’m pretty” or “I’m strong” or “I look damn hot in this bikini (or out of it!),” then you’ve got a healthy, positive body image. But if there’s a nagging little voice in your head constantly throwing confidence-crushing curveballs at you—like “my butt is too big” or “my breasts are too small”—then your body image might need a little work.
Body posture speaks volumes about ailments, discomforts or physical limitations we may have. It can also portray a state of mind, whether we are happy, sad, anxious or afraid. This is the language of our body.
What can we do to improve our Body image?
Fake it till you make it
When it comes to the image you project to others, “the way you use your body is far more important than what it looks like,” says psychiatrist Paul Dobransky, M.D., founder of WomensHappiness.com, a website devoted to relationships. The key is to project confidence. If you stand taller, pull your shoulders back, and stride across the room with purpose, it’s unlikely anyone will be thinking, “Wow, she sure could stand to lose a few.”
Pay a compliment forward
Women can be highly competitive about their bodies: After all, deep down we are flaunting our potential to nab a guy and keep the human race ticking along. (“May the wispiest waist win!”) You could argue, then, that it’s our role in the survival of the species to compare, contrast, and criticize—and, as a result, we’re sometimes less than free with flattery. So when a woman compliments another woman, her words can carry considerably more weight than a man’s.
The point is, the more positive feedback you get from other females about your appearance, the more positive your body image will probably be. The best way to invite compliments? Give some yourself. No need to be disingenuous; I’m not suggesting you start passing out compliments like Halloween candy. But go ahead and tell the woman ahead of you in line at Starbucks that you love her haircut. You’ll feel good for making someone else feel good—and you’ll create the kind of karma that will bring self-esteem-enhancing kudos your way. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose.
Susan Sommers is a Pilates Instructor in NYC specializing in those 50+
Pilates Goddess in Paradise
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Lynda Lippin aka the ’Pilates Goddess’ has been teaching Pilates for over 20 years. She also happens to live and work in what many including myself would consider Paradise. This is her story her journey to lose weight, overcome health challenges, and to look and feel her best. It was not always easy, most journeys aren’t, but Lynda kept at it. Her ultimate success, spirit and boundless energy is both motivating and inspiring.
Lynda approaches all exercise, energy, and body work as healing. Her nurturing yet demanding style of teaching allows clients to move past their thresholds of body, mind, and spirit and embrace newfound strength, flexibility, coordination, and energy.
Lynda is currently in Residence as the expert Pilates and Fitness Teacher at the A-List COMO Shambhala Retreat at Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos Islands. She writes several blogs and is active in social media.
I have been teaching Pilates for 21 years and was overweight (OK, fat) for a good 15 of those years. In the past year I lost over 30 pounds and am in great shape (better than my 30s). If you wonder how I lost the weight read on!
In high school and college I was not really into exercise, but did want to be as skinny as possible. I grew up chubby with two overweight parents, so eating normally was not really something I knew about. To control my weight I simply cut my calories to about 600 per day and exercised like a maniac. In graduate school I began a regular exercise program including Pilates and weight training, so I was pretty much able to eat anything and be OK.
Then my hormones changed. At 27 I had severe endometriosis and adenomyosis (both inflammatory pelvic conditions) and was in a lot of pain. I ate out of depression and slowed down on exercise due to pain. Then I went on GNRH Inhibitors like Lupron® which put me into chemical menopause, followed by a hysterectomy that put me into full menopause. My GYN gave me Premarin for hormone replacement and I went on with my life, but I couldn’t lose weight.
I would lose and gain, lose and gain, lose and gain until I couldn’t take it anymore! Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, low fat, low carb, Sugar Busters, blood type diet – you name it and I tried it.
But through it all I learned a lot about the body, about fitness, about biomechanics, and about chronic pain. This understanding drew clients into my Pilates studio. They all felt better and many lost weight, but my scale would not budge.
Finally I went to my doctor crying in frustration, and she checked my hormone levels only to discover that I had way too much estradiole (what is in premarin) with almost no progesterone and no estriole. The first 2 weeks where I simply stopped taking Premarin and started a low dose of DHEA were life changing. I had energy to spare and I lost 5 pounds without any change in diet or exercise. When I saw that I was finally dropping weight I started to add in more exercise, and finally I could see the effects of the hard work.
Now at age 43 I have lost over 30 pounds and am in the best shape I have been in for 15 years. I feel better than I did in my 30s and have energy to spare. In addition to Pilates, I now do and teach kettlebell training and TRX® Suspension Training as well as bodyweight fitness and cardio.
I encourage anyone who has truly tried to lose weight and couldn’t to check your hormone levels and if needed switch to a natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. The difference it has made for me is incredible. Once that is situated find a good food plan and do 20-30 minutes 3 days a week of high intensity exercise in addition to Pilates for the core postural work. I offer fitness coaching as well as Pilates Audio Programs that you can load on your iPod and take anywhere, but if you can find a good local personal trainer and Pilates studio/teacher to assist you in your efforts.
Susan Sommers of Pilates Body NYC is a Pilates Instructor to those 50+ in NYC
