How To get an amazing toned body by following these tips And start looking and feeling vibrant and young again!

Discover the secrets to an amazing toned body with these Pilate Mat Tips!  

Are you wondering if you should take a Pilates Mat Exercise Class?  I have been practicing the Pilates Method for more than 10 years and the following tips will help you jumpstart your Pilate mat practice at the gym or at home.

Would you like to stabilize and firm your core, improve your posture and get the toned body you've been longing for?  If so, taking a Pilate Mat class may be just the answer.  

In the next few moments, you will learn some valuable tips I've learned while taking classes.  The tools we use are the foam roller, the Pilates ring also called the Magic Circle,  a variety of Pilates balls and resistance bands.

Pilates is designed to train the body’s “powerhouse”, which is the CORE, the abdomen, lower back, hips and buttocks. Two of the key elements of Pilates are core muscle strength and spinal alignment. 
Most of your movements will come from your "Powerhouse."  Pilates Mat classes follow a flowing choreography and emphasize the core principles of Pilates including: breath, concentration, control, centering, precision, balanced muscle development, rhythm/flow, whole body movement and relaxation.  

If you are beginning Pilates Mat Exercise classes, it's important to take a class from a certified Pilates instructor and if possible take a class where you can get individual attention if needed.  When the class is too large, say 20 or 30 people, you may miss out on key Pilates methods from the instructor.

I highly recommend taking a Pilates mat class to learn to control you muscles and then move into a reformer class and practice Pilates at home.  I have all the equipment at home and do them when watching television or on the exercise channel.    Pilates classes are focused on helping you connect the mind and the body and require concentration and focus.  Throughout the sessions, whether on the mat or on the reformer, your instructor will prompt you to concentrate deeply on your core muscles as well as your breath.  The tips below will be very helpful in jumpstarting your practice.

Proper Alignment Tips for Lying on the Foam Roller. 

1. When lying vertically on the foam roller, make sure your spine is aligned.  Your knees bent with your feet flat on the floor.  Make sure your knees and feet are aligned with your hips.
2. Your sacrum, the triangular area just about your butt cheeks, should be very HEAVY, (you should feel the weight of your butt cheeks move down onto each side of the roller.
3. The back of your head will rest HEAVY on the roller with your nose pointing straight to the ceiling. When you do the exercises, you tuck your chin to your chest (imagining a small orange between your chin and your chest) looking at your belly button or your knees. 
4. There will be a space between your neck and the roller.
5. Your back ribs are resting on the roller- no space between your ribs and the roller.  Relax your ribs! Melt into the roller.
6. Your low back is rounded and making contact with the roller. SCOOP your low abs, pull them in and up. it's not a tuck, you are in neutral spine position.
7. Your belly button is always pulling back to your spine and up towards your heart.
8. Your shoulder blades are moving down and back. I visualize putting my shoulder blades in my back pocket.  Your shoulders are always moving away from your ears.
9. With each movement remember to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth while pulling your naval towards your spine.  Your core is always ENGAGED.
10. LIft and expand your chest and keep you ribs on the foam roller.

The above foam roller tips will put you in neutral spine.  Your pelvis region will be level.  No tilting and No tucking. Your pelvis is in the shape of a bowl.  If the bowl was filled with water, no water would flow over.

Magic Circle or Pilates Ring Tips! 

1. When you lift the ring, make sure you draw your shoulders blades down and relax your shoulders. Also, you shoulders don't move forward or back.  They stay STABLE and will get stronger in the most stable position.  Make sure you always have your scapula "settled on you back." Shoulder blades and scapula are the same thing.  Your shoulder blades need to be flat, not sticking out or winged out.   Put your shoulders blades in your back pocket!
2. Magic Circle will help you find the connection your your center (Powerhouse/Core) more easily.  Use it as an assistant.  Always focus on your CORE and use rings as a great tool to deepen your work.
3. As you move through the Pilates ring exercises, you want the movement to connect all the way to your core.
4. You will be doing pulses with the Pilate ring.  When you squeeze and you release, make sure you use control in both the squeeze and the release.

I've heard teachers saying, "Think about a tree."  Does it have all its strength in its limbs? No. The tree is only as strong as its trunk and roots. Without a strong trunk, the tree would topple over.

It's the same for human bodies, if we don't concentrate on building a good foundation and a strong trunk or core, we'll end up tight in some places and weak in others, injury-prone and susceptible to the pitfalls of our occupation or chosen form of exercise.  Pilates helps us have a stronger and healthier back and body.  

Finally, it's time to sign up for a Pilates Mat exercise class at your gym or do them at home anytime you want.
The cable television channels have many sessions as well as DVD's are available after you get your initial CORE instruction.  Remember to always concentrate on your POWERHOUSE through out the entire Pilates mat exercises. The tools are used to deepen the work and make you more aware of what your powerhouse.

to find Pilates props that can add a new dimension of resistance, stability and balance to traditional Pilates mat exercises.

I Never Thought I Could reduces chronic pain - But I Finally Discovered The Secret! Here's How...

If You Want To reduces chronic pain And Have All But Given Up... Here's Hope!

In the next few moment, you will learn the many Melt Method benefits and how to begin restoring your body back to feeling great!!! Discover how I became pain-free after MELTING.   
No more Chronic Pain....

First of all M.E.L.T.  stands for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique and Sue Hitzmann, an exercise physiologist in New York City, developed the MELT METHOD, a self-treatment system of moves for use on a foam roller that has been a life changer for me. I want to shout it out to the whole world!  Why? My body has been hurting for years and each day I was getting stiffer and stiffer.  What was it?  STUCK STRESS=TIGHT FASCIA=Chronic Pain..  Some areas were tight so I was compensating and causing more and more pain and imbalance in my body. The connective tissue or fascia was restricting my  mobility and I wasn't balanced at all. Fascia is like a big cobweb that runs throughout your entire body.  Its interconnected nature means that everything in the body is connected to everything else. When one part of the body is injured or compromised in any way, it can affect tissues that are far from the original site of the injury or impairment. I have had chronic back, shoulder and neck pain for more than 12 years.  I had built up scar tissue from several surgeries that I couldn't break down on hard rollers or even with hands on massage.  Then I was introduced to MELT.   
When you have pain in your body, it is really tight fascia that needs to be released and hydrated. New science reveals that this “stuck stress” is literally trapped in our connective tissue, which surrounds every joint, muscle, nerve, bone, and organ.  

FASCIA

MELT is for everyone, young, old anyone that wants to slow down the aging process and feel as good as possible.  MELT has helped thousands of people get out of pain. The cool thing about the Melt Method is you can see and feel the results right away. Immediately after I melted,  I could truly see and feel the changes that occurred in my body.  My posture was better, my muscles weren't tight and my alignment was more in balance.    An important part of the technique is you Assess where your body is before you MELT,  then you MELT, then you ReAssess.  The goal is to get your body back to it's ideal state where your fascia is doing what it was meant to do which is to support and protect your body.  Sue has been working with the body for many years and has been helping many people heal by releasing the STUCK STRESS and restoring the body back to it's natural balance.  By releasing the neurofascial system and bringing it back to where it is happy and hydrated, the body will be restored.

When you MELT you can self-massage and self treat yourself anytime you want.   Day to day living creates tension in our body and it needs to be released.   The tension and sore spots that you are feeling need to be rolled out and hydrated for a body to feel good.  Our bodies are made up of water so we need to make sure our connective tissue are hydrated.  Much of our pain come from dehydrated connective tissue.  MELT uses a softer high density foam roller as the hard foam rollers inflames the nerves and the experience is painful instead of a relaxing pleasurable release.  

"Don't neglect the FASCIA, says Sue Hitzmann,  the seamless web of connective tissue covering your muscles, bones and organs.  When the fascia is toned and hydrated, your joints are more flexible and you feel fewer age-related aches."   By gently rolling on the areas that are stiff and sore, you will hydrate the connective tissues, which will increase mobility and flexibility.   By massaging away the knots and tight muscles, you will prevent injuries from happening in the future. Damaged tissues that are not moving and are inflexible, cause other parts of the body to compensate.  The key to foam rolling effectively is to roll slowly and when an area feels tense or tight, slow down even more and stay on the area.  Sue Hitzmann suggests in MORE Magazine, "Use a slow, rolling movement often;  if you feel discomfort when you’re on the roller, it’s a sign that the fascia is tight, knotted, or dehydrated. Instead of racing over a tight spot, pause there for two or three breaths until the tissue releases. 

Decompress your back

Sue Hitzmann has a MELT METHOD book out this month, January 2013 and I'm excited to learn                      .

OPTP Pro Foam Rollers - Full Round 36" x 6" Blue Marble

OPTP Pro Foam Roller - Soft Pink Marble Full Round 36" x 6"

The MELT Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day!

The MELT Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day!   Kindle



As you can see, I'm hooked on MELTING.   I feel younger, more agile and balanced and no more chronic pain.   The Melt Method is for everyone!
To learn more about the MELT METHOD watch these youtube videos: 

                                                                                             

The Best Foam Roller BENEFITS Revealed! Even get rid of Cellulite and Sleep Better

Former Chronic Pain warrior discovers foam roller benefits!  

Janet Anderson has discovered 3 important things that everyone looking a for a foam roller should know.   In the next few moments, you will learn the most important benefits discovered to a pain free life.

When considering different types of rollers, it is very important that you look for a roller that will simulate the touch of a a hands-on-massage.  Using a soft foam rollers makes your body feel just as good as when you walk out from a massage. It's not as luxurious but it's very affordable and does the trick.  Your body is relaxed, your nervous system is calm and the knots and tightness are released.  The reason I love my soft foam roller is because I am finally being kind and gentle with my body.  Unlike the hard foam roller, soft foam rollers won't inflict pain on the body and you can apply more or less pressure on an area that is tender and sore without firing up your nervous system.   By applying gentle pressure, the tight or contracted sore area are released and loosened.  The stress that builds up in your body each day, if not released, turns into chronic pain so it is very important  to loosen it up and get the connective tissues hydrated.   Rolling on a foam roller helps to reduce stuck fascia buildup, and tight fascia is the stuff that makes us stiff.  It's easy to get to the areas that are stiff by rolling daily on a foam roller as it let's you get in the exact area.  It's not painful so you can move slowly and relax into the roller. Rolling on a foam roller not only speed the repair process and reduces soreness but also improves range of motion, reports a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Also it's very important to drink a glass of water before and after you roll on the roller to hydrate your body and connective tissues (fascia). Just  as they suggest after you have a massage, your body needs water to benefit for the massage and roller.

The second benefit of rolling on foam roller is it helps you sleep better.  An example of this is, each night before going to bed, I roll away the days stresses by gently giving myself a massage. No one know where I hurt and need to relax more than I do.  Each night, I spend 10-15 minutes with soothing music on, gently rolling out my body and then I lay vertically on the foam roller to align my spine and open my chest.   It's very relaxing and meditative.  I'm amazed at the crackle and pops I feel and hear from the days wear and tear of making things happen.  It's very important to breathe through each movement slowly and allow yourself to relax and open.  It's like ironing out all the stress and strains of the day.  When I get into bed, I'm well aligned and have noticed that I sleep much better.

An added bonus of rolling is it helps get rid of cellulite.   Yes, it helps get rid of cellulite.  One of the many benefits and actually a surprising benefit is rolling breaks down cellulite by stimulating collagen.  I have personally witnessed this.  I had cellulite on the back of my legs, hips and glutes and now the texture of my skin is much improved.  Foam rolling brings blood supply and drainage to the connective tissues and surprisingly has rolled the ripples away.  I can honestly say that I notice my skin is much firmer on the areas that I roll on.  Some people say, you can never get rid of cellulite but I'm positive if you spend time rolling on the roller say 5 times a week for 20 minutes, on the areas that have more loose skin you will notice a difference in the texture of your skin.  You can even roll you upper arms, triceps and they will firm up.

Finally, anyone who is looking for a foam roller needs to pay attention to these benefits as they will change your health and make your life more joyful.  As a reminder, the roller should be a high density soft foam rollers that allow you to be gentle with your body while rolling away all the pains and stresses that are stuck in your fascia and connective tissues.  Before you go to bed it's really great to use the soft foam roller to align your body and roll out the stresses of the day and a surprising and very welcome result is it gets rid of CELLULITE!

To get the recommended soft foam rollers, click here:
OPTPbluemarble
OPTPpinkmarble
MELTmethodroller
MELTmethodBook

To learn more about foam roller benefits, check out this video on YouTube.

12 Year Chronic Pain Warrior discovers the best foam rollers....

Are you wondering what is the best foam roller to help heal your body and roll away your aches and pains.

After surviving chronic pain for more than 12 years, Janet Anderson has discovered what everyone who is looking for a foam roller must know.

When considering different types of foam rollers, you need to ask yourself, are you looking to get out of pain or to create more pain in your body?  I'm sure the answer is, you want to get OUT of pain and promote healing.

After spending more than 10 years, rolling on hard foam rollers (black) to relieve my lower back, hip, neck and shoulder pain, I have recently discovered that I was inflaming and overexciting my nerves and muscles. Within the last year, I discovered the soft foam roller benefits.  Previously, I had been trying to release the scar tissue (fascia, connective tissue, adhesions, all the same thing)  that built up after wear and tear, working out and the many of stresses of life and I was irritating my nerves.  I was rolling each day to heal and the hard roller was causing more stress and pain in my body.  I used to sing John Cougar Mellencamp's song, "Hurts so GOOD" when rolling on the hard rollers.   When in reality I should of been singing "Hurts so BAD!" as it was very painful and BAD for my body.

I have never given up my journey to heal and find out what is stressing my body and making me hurt and feel stiff all the time.   The results have been amazing.  If you can't get a massage everyday, this is definitely the next best thing. Foam rolling has decreased the stiffness of the soft tissue and each day I'm more and more balanced.  The scar tissue and "stuck stress" has been released in my hips, shoulder blade and neck area and I have the mobility and flexibility throughout my body that I have been longing for.  I can now self massage my body on the roller without irritating my nerves.  As we have always heard, knowledge is power.   I feel empowered to share this with everyone on the planet.

Obviously, you are reading about soft foam roller reviews so you understand the importance of using a soft foam roller.  What you might not understand is there are many soft foam rollers available that may not benefit you.  Many soft foam rollers are too soft and are not supportive.  You want a roller that will support your structure and give your body the most benefit.  A high density soft foam roller is what you need.

That's why, after discovering the soft foam roller benefits, I recommend:

1.   (blue or green) which provides a more firm compression.
2. OPTP Pro Foam Rollers -  
3. ODTP Soft Pro-Roller TM (pink) provides a more gentle compression and is soft yet supportive and creates a more stable environment for high risk users so that exercises are easier than on other rollers that are traditionally more firm.  This roller is great for people that have challenged backs.
4. MELT SOFT PRO-ROLLER-  This is the only roller designed specifically for the techniques of the MELT Method, offering gentle compression without unnecessary discomfort. 

These are the only high quality long lasting foam rollers that I would buy and USE.  They all have cross-linked, closed-cell construction for lasting durability. They are 36 inches and 6 inches across.  They have some texture to them so grip nicely and don't slide around like many other rollers.

"The M.E.L.T. MethodTM (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) is a a proactive, self-treatment approach to maintaining a pain-free, active lifestyle by rehydrating the connective tissue.  The OPTP PRO-ROLLERTM and SOFT PRO-ROLLERTM are the only rollers I recommend. 
            -Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT present for IDEA, ECA and IHRSA Somatic-
Movement Educator, Manual Therapist Longevity Fitness, Inc.  www.meltmethod.com

Also when deciding on a foam roller, it's important that you look for one that is guaranteed not to break down and not to get deformed. Rolling on an out of shape roller or one that doesn't support your body will be harmful to your body and defeat the purpose.  It's hard to roll on a roller that is out of shape or hurting your body.

Finally, anyone who is looking for a foam roller needs to pay attention to these foam roller reviews as using the best foam roller will make a big difference in your health.  The soft foam rollers I suggest allow you to self massage your body and release the tension and hydrate the connective tissues.   These are the same rollers they use in physical therapy offices and are very durable and sturdy.  When someone says, just get any roller and start rolling, don't listen to them.  The foam rollers may cost more but they will last longer and benefit your body in many many way. The roller you choose needs to be firm yet gentle on your body.    It needs to be guaranteed not to break down or get deformed. You also need to commit to USING it as often as possible to self treat yourself and bring your body back to where it is pain free, balanced and calm.   It's wonderful self massaging myself everyday,  I suggest you try it.

To get the recommended soft foam rollers and MELT book go here:

      





Youtube videos with Melt Method:  10 minutes and low back pain is gone!