Who feels like running a marathon while they are pregnant! NO ONE!Although you may not feel like running a marathon, most women benefit greatly from exercising throughout their pregnancies. The level of exercise recommended will depend, in part, on your level of pre-pregnancy fitness. Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy No doubt about it, exercise is a big plus for both you and your baby (if complications don't limit your ability [...]
Breathing When was the last time you actually took a moment and took a good breath? What is breathing anyway? Breathing (or respiration, or ventilation) is the process of moving air into and out of the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly by bringing in oxygen and flushing out carbon dioxide. Well that is the basic function of the lungs to exchange Oxygen with the carbon Dioxide. But what does it do for our bodies? When we [...]
Great Legs! Do you ever feel your legs are just not holding you up like you want them to? Muscle imbalances and poor joint functioning can lead to both acute and chronic injuries. Improper functioning of the leg mechanisms can lead to poor performance in athletics. Proper Alignment of the Legs! The proper alignment of the legs is with your hips balanced over your knees over your ankles. Toes should [...]
It can be hard to take a good long look at ourselves, determine what we want and then set realistic goals – sound right? Well I think it is. It feels like life is moving so quickly that just getting through each day the best we can for our children, ourselves and work commitments feels like a goal in itself. But there must be more we want for ourselves, health, [...]
“Isn't that just when I need a drink of water…?” Well yes and no, let's look at it closer… What is dehydration? Dehydration is when more water is moving out of the body’s cells than what we can take in through drinking. When your body and cells lose too much water the body becomes out of balance, sometimes leaving us feeling a headache or nausea, but often not realising [...]
What is Cardio and why do I need it? Aerobic exercise – (also known as Cardio) is Physical exercise at a low or high intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-process. “What does that mean?” I hear you asking. Basically, this means how much Oxygen is taken into the body to support energy out-put. Or how hard the heart is working to re Oxygenate the blood. How can we [...]
How many of us continue to tell ourselves, "I need to /should stretch more"? Most think stretching is bending your head to your knees, or touching your fingers to the floor no matter how your body is contoured to do it. My favourite one, the bounce stretching! Yikes, don't do it man! Imagine an elastic band, bounce on that a few times and see what happens? It breaks! Well, stretching [...]
Posture is where it all begins Let’s take a moment to look at what we might think BAD posture is. - rounded shoulders - head either leaning forward or back - sinking into lower back with shoulder line behind the line of the hips - walking with bent legs - pot-belly - muscle aches - headaches from poor neck alignment WHAT CAUSES THE ABOVE? Over time poor posture due to [...]
Who hasn't wanted, enjoyed or hit a high when hearing the words... "HEY, GREAT BUTT!" Sadly though, for most of us, a butt that draws admiration doesn't occur naturally. But a little bit of butt work goes a long way. Let's look at the actual function and use of the glutes rather than the look. The largest and potentially most powerful group of muscles in your body, the gluteals [...]
How stunning is the Winter here on our Sunshine Coast? We're so uplifted by how many of you are keeping away the Winter blues by continuing to attend your Pilates, Yoga and fitness classes with us at Oxygen Pilates. We'd like to share with you two of our favourite things to enjoy during the cooler evenings. After a workout, taking a good soak in a warm bath with added salts [...]
