First day of Week 2: Stretch and Strength

Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the blog!  Today was a day for "Stretch and Strengthen" ("S&S") and so I chose to do both by following along with a Pilates video by Shape magazine.  I've owned this DVD for about 3-5 years now and had only watched it once before, if that!  It went great!  The workout went by really quickly.  I could definitely feel the burn but in a very controlled way so a bit different from running.  Definitely helped me stretch out my hip flexors too.  All in all, I think it was a great little workout.  I will probably get a couple more DVDs just so I don't get really sick of this one.  I also have a 3-pack yoga DVD so I'll probably whip one of those out on my next S&S day.

The DVD was great and came with some useful tips on Pilates form that I will share with you here:

Pelvis: Stabilize the pelvis.  Contract your abs and do not tighten your glutes.
Rib Cage: Keep abs in.  Engage the abs and keep them pulled in to prevent lower ribs from flaring out, causing your back to arch.
Shoulder Blades: Hold shoulders down.  Try to draw them flat against your rib cage.
Head and Neck: Always align head and neck with the line of your spine.  Do not hyperextend.

Make sure to breathe!

 Muggsy also likes pilates :-)

Also, if you are looking for something delicious to refuel from a good workout, try this quick fix: Fage Greek Yogurt (no fat and tons of protein) and add in some frozen berries (I used mixed--raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries) and add on some blueberry Special K.  I let it sit next to me for about 5 minutes before eating it so that the berries would thaw out a little bit.