August 26 2008 by admin.

Getting your loved ones, your friends and family members, or your coworkers to join you in losing weight or getting stronger can seem like a waste of time. Changing habits, learning new things and becoming proactive about their health are some of the toughest things for people to do. More and more research, however, is reinforcing the many and varied benefits good health has on everyone.

In an article titled, “How Much Does Physical Inactivity Cost You?,” Entrepreneur.com provides a link to East Carolina University’s Physical Inactivity Cost Calculator. ECU combined research on medical costs, workers’ productivity and workers’ compensation to create this tool useful for quantifying the benefits of a healthy team or community. The calculator computes dollar amounts representing the total costs to a business or community, the per-person cost, medical care, workers comp and lost productivity costs, and the potential savings if only 5% of the group became more active!

Using Census.gov Factfinder data for the Blue Bell area, this is what the numbers look like:

click for a larger image

What could your community do with $2.6 million? The state of Pennsylvania could save $942 million per year- imagine the programs that could benefit from that kind of money! Corporations can run this calculator too- partnering with your local IM=X Pilates Studio franchise for special group rates can be an inexpensive way to cut down on healthcare costs among employees. Don’t underestimate the importance of team building in small-group exercise classes, either- but that’s a topic for another time.

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July 9 2008 by admin.

As your pilates instructor, looking out for your health, I ask you: Have you been trying to increase the fresh fruits and veggies in your diet? Are you overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of varieties in your local produce section? Look no further than the CDC’s Fruit and Vegetable of the Month list!

Showcased for the month of July, meet the sweet nectarine and the bold garlic. With information on their selection, storage, preparation and availability, as well as nutritional information and recipies, you have all the facts and figures you’ll need to purchase and enjoy some familiar and some unique foods- cactus (August) or persimmons (October), anyone?

By this time of the summer, you can find great quality fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses and other fare from small farms in the area. LocalHarvest lists farmers markets in Norristown, North Wales, North Hills/Oreland, Conshohocken, Chestnut Hill, Glenside, Skippack and Jenkintown.

Recipies exist all over the internet, from all sorts of sources. One regular site is The Food Network. You should also try the magazine Eating Well, and the more focused Cook’s Illustrated. They each have tasty and different takes on all eating styles.

Your own favorites and experiences are always welcome, both here on the IM=X Pilates Blue Bell blog and at the IM=X Pilates Blue Bell studio. Enjoy!

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July 7 2008 by admin.

We’ve had a few discussions in the IM=X Pilates studio about water bottles, both plastic and metal. I’ve done some digging (mostly at idealbite.com) and here are concise answers to some of your plastics questions:

What is the best plastic bottle to reuse?  #2 plastic- HDPE plastic, soft and opaque. Think “The ants go marching two by two, the little one stopped to tie his shoe…”, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Two Pina Coladas- you get the idea.

What are better choices? Glass and stainless steel.  (Aluminum needs a coating over it.) Sigg bottles, or leftover glass juice bottles are in this category.

What is unsafe? Copied directly from Ideal Bite:

Note: Nalgene does now carry an Everyday brand bottle made without bisphenol-A.

What about recycling? Here is a list, again from Ideal Bite, of plastic numbers and recycling:

Usually recyclable:
1. PET - 2-liter and mouthwash bottles, boil-in-bag pouches.
2. HDPE - milk jugs, trash bags, detergent bottles, some yogurt cups.
Sometimes recyclable:
4. LDPE - grocery bags, produce bags, food wrap.

5. PP - diapers, straws, yogurt containers.

6. PS - CD cases, egg cartons, Styrofoam.
Not so much…
3. PVC - cooking-oil bottles, meat packaging, office binders.

7. Other - other types of plastic, plus things made from more than one type of plastic (see below).
Bioplastics (7, and marked as either compostable or biodegradable):
7. Compostable Plastic - is nontoxic and breaks down as fast as paper in compost.
7. Biodegradable Plastic - may contain toxins, so you have to send it to a special composting facility (enter compost and your zip at Earth911, see below).
Commonly questioned items:
Container Caps - typically different plastics than the container; take ‘em off, check the # inside, and either recycle or throw them away.
Grocery Bags - reuse them first! You usually can’t recycle them curbside, but some supermarkets have bins in-store.
Earth911 - find out if you can recycle specific items in your area.

 So, here’s a summary: we like glass or stainless steel for sipping during your brief pilates breaks, #2 plastic is also ok, and you can recycle most stuff.

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May 16 2008 by admin.

Here at the IM=X Pilates Studio in Blue Bell, we see a LOT of really wonderful, dedicated clients week-in and week-out. We know who to expect in certain classes, and if a few go by without them, their classmates start pressing us for reasons!

At the same time, we have just as many motivated, hopeful clients who are ready to change their body, ready to look good for the summer, and ready to simply feel better in their own skin, but they haven’t quite made the time commitment yet. They’re not quite ready to change their habits and be responsible for their workouts and results.

In an article by author Bill Phillips (Body for Life, Eating for Life),  he lists 7 Ways to Find Time for Fitness. These ideas are great for newbies, as well as workout veterans who need some inspiration to get going again.

#1. Watch Less TV- Lost and Idol are frequent discussion topics during stretches. And TV time is great for relaxing! But think about it this way: “The average American spends 30 hours a week watching TV (and people say they can’t even find 4 hours a week to exercise!).”

#2. Plan Ahead- Bill talks about making lists the night before and checking off your accomplishments. I take this a step futher by spending 10 minutes packing a lunch bag so I don’t just grab anything edible during the busy day, and laying out my gear so that getting up and going for a morning run takes no morning prep time at all. Pants, top, jacket, socks and shoes, headband, flashlight since it’s usually dark out still- knowing I took the time to get it ready helps me get up and use it, and keeps me from running up and down the stairs looking for things I lost and things I forgot, wasting time and starting my day annoyed at myself!

#3.  Exercise Regularly- Bill says, “Not only does exercise help give you more energy, it has also been scientifically proven to improve the quality of sleep…Do not, under any circumstances, skip workouts in an effort to save time. This “quasi solution” will backfire,” and many people’s experience will agree. Every success story I have read includes a description of that magnate, mogul or tycoon’s daily excercise routine.

#4. Consume a Nutritious Diet- You are what you eat! Do some research, consult an expert, and be firm in the grocery store.

#5. Eliminate Mindless Phone Chitchat- How much time do you spend on the phone each day? Now take a look at your minutes counter and see if your guess was accurate! Try to multitask while you talk- for example, you could exercise!

#6. Have a Sense of Urgency- Have a good reason to do something, and to do it quickly and efficiently. You’ll be able to get more done.

#7. Don’t Get Sick- Like you have a choice, right? But Bill makes a good point: “if you won’t make the time to be well, you’ll be forced to make the time to be sick!” How often has it happened that you run yourself ragged only to have some illness come on right at an important time- think weddings, graduations, vacations…  A few hours a week exercising and a few extra minutes to make healthy choices are a better use of your time than a few days in bed, or acting like the walking dead, not to mention the havoc a simple cold can wreak on a family!

Read the whole article here: http://www.successmagazine.com/7-Ways-to-Find-Time-for-Fitness/PARAMS/article/211/channel/221

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February 14 2008 by admin.

Snake Plant

Rubber Tree

Christmas Cactus

Many of you have noticed and commented on the new plants in the studio. While Jim and I both like how they look, there is another reason we decided to get those specific plants. Since our studio has carpet, and new paint, and plastic on the leaky windows, we were concerned about air quality. We found these reports online:

NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America worked together to study indoor plants and their ability to absorb indoor pollutants. This site lists the top 11 most effective plants at removing the common pollutants benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide. Here, you can read up on 7 common houseplants that help clean the air. This is an article on how houseplants do their cleaning. More research can be done from NASA’s Technical Reports Server, searching for Wolverton, the main scientist in charge of these studies.

Read the rest of this entry »

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December 12 2007 by admin.

Read this!

USA Today writes, “Male athletes get no pain, big gains from Pilates“

Professional athletes- basketball players, football players, golfers- are interviewed.

“For [the Nets superstar point guard] Kidd, Pilates is all about finding the edge. He estimates 30% of his strength and flexibility training comes from Pilates. “Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive,” he says.”

“For Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl offensive guard Ruben Brown, Pilates is all about preventing injury.

How has his body responded to Pilates?

“I came out of the season injury-free,” he says. “I used to feel like crap after practice and games but not since Pilates.

“I learned how to breathe through my muscles. My posture is better. I can run more fluidly. And I increased my bench workouts.”

“Caroline Schmid, [PGA Tour pro Rocco] Mediate’s Pilates instructor, says, “The golf swing is a little one-sided, which can create imbalance in the body. Pilates helps to balance out the body against the forces of the swing. It helps to create less torque in the spine because you learn to swing from your center and not from your limbs.”

These are great testimonials! Use them to talk the hard-core men in your world into trying something new. As Curt Schilling, the Boston Red Sox star pitcher, says, “By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I’d lost 15 pounds.”

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