Note to Students/Saturday Classes

Today you are able to register at the gym for the Fall session. I just want you to know that if the program fills up and you are left with no option for fitness, I give classes on Saturday morning in Pointe Claire.

I am also offering a Level 2/3 Line Dance on Monday afternoon. Some of my Level 2 students at the gym may be interested in trying some more complicated material.

I also give classes in my home studio. Please contact me if you are interested or if you fail to get into the program at the gym. Lets keep you fit!!!

betholdfield01@gmail.com

While I do give the Yoga class at the gym, some of you do not have access to it because of the program that you have chosen. The Core Class is a brand new class that I have developed and it will not be offered at our gym.


9 am: Core (Abs/Back) and Concentrated Stretch

          Mat required. Shoes optional. We are on the mat for the whole class.

10am: Yoga Stretch

           Mat required. Shoes optional. There will be standing poses.

BONUS ********** 11:15 am: Ultra Beginner  Line Dance – Free                          You will learn the basic steps and be dancing before you know it!            This is your chance!

Early Bird Special: Register before September 5^th

^{Have a great day everyone!}

See you soon,

Beth

Cancer Puts Life in Perspective.

Most of us know someone who has battled cancer.

Some of us win the battle.

Some of us lose.

Through the process we all learn from the experience.

Ever optimistic and positive, someone I know is doing all that they can to live fully despite the odds.

Through my tears, I remain speechless.

Yet my mind races.

What would I do?

If I were standing in the same pair of shoes, could I fill them as well?

Would I stumble around, trip and fall or could I manage to balance and walk tall?

Could I soldier on with such grace and compassion?

I have no answers but I'm learning as I watch this person navigate an ocean of stormy seas. They rise and fall with the waves of treatment, and look upon each new sunrise with an optimism that makes me feel ashamed for complaining about trivial things. The time we all waste on this earth is remarkable. I need to change this and fill my days with quality people and activities that bring me joy.

I'm learning to keep life in perspective.
To cherish what really matters.
To take the time to talk, listen, laugh and love.

Sometimes the best teachers come in the most beautiful packages.
I thank you.

All my love to you.
Soldier on!

Beth

Peer Pressure in Group X Classes: It's a Good Thing!

Some clients hate the gym. They prefer to exercise in the comfort of their own home, while others love the atmosphere of being in group fitness classes.

Peer pressure can be a problem in classes because some students tease each other, or try to push others to go beyond their limits. I've seen this happen on more than one occasion and I've stepped in to remind everyone to train at their own pace. While it's good to have support and positive encouragement, we have to remember to listen to our own body.

More often than not however, peer pressure has a positive effect.

For instance, some of my clients who are approximately 65-70 years young are in excellent physical condition. They are flexible, have great endurance and balance. Often when a new person joins the group, who is younger (55-60 years old), they suddenly see that they have a lot of work to do to achieve the same health. In this case, being around others motivates them to work hard and never miss class. Even when they share the same age as the majority of the class, new students see how fit they should be in comparison to their peers.

If you normally train alone, I highly recommend that you try a group fitness class and see how you measure up around people your own age. Working out alone sometimes gives us a false sense of security. We can become complacent and stop trying to improve ourselves physically and mentally.

Get to the gym!

See you soon,
Beth

Fall Classes

I can already see the Christmas holidays even though it's still summer.

Every year at this time I set up my class schedule for Fall and while others are still enjoying their summer activities, my thoughts are far away.

If you were attending my classes last Spring, my schedule remains exactly the same at the gym and I believe that registration is taking place next Monday. Check the website so you don't miss out!

The only difference that you will notice is my aerobics class is going to become an aerobic interval class. You will still get muscle conditioning, mat work and stretching but the aerobic portion will have some upper and lower body exercises mixed in.

This year I'm happy to offer my private level 2/3 line dance class again. I took last year off from teaching this class because I had accepted a last minute, afternoon teaching position. If you're interested in this class and have not received my email with the details, please contact me as soon as possible as you need to register before September 1st.

I know it's hard to pull away from the beauty of summer but take a minute to register for the upcoming fall activities. I look forward to seeing all of you in classes very soon!!

Have a wonderful day.
Beth

Cookies After Exercise?

If you're attending my mini summer session, you've noticed that I'm providing a few light snacks after the workout.  I've had many comments concerning this so I thought I'd repeat some of the tips that I've expressed in previous blogs.

If your goal is to lose weight, you need to spend (burn) more calories than you consume in a day. There's no magic pill or perfect exercise to help you achieve this. Any activity that gets your heart rate up and makes you break a sweat, will help you lose weight, if you're watching what you're eating at the same time.

If your goal is to lose weight, than you should either enjoy the treat and adjust your food intake for the remainder of the day, or pass.

What I've noticed after many of years of working with you, is most of you like to gather together after class for a coffee. Often there are homemade goodies to go along with the coffee or I've run into you at Tim's.

My goal is to provide a space for these meetings. Friends who exercise together, support each other and have the most success achieving their fitness goals. The best part of group fitness classes is the socialization aspect. 

Thank you for the lovely comments concerning my baking!  

Have a great weekend.

See you soon,

Beth

If You Can't Meditate, Concentrate!

I continue to hear clients say that they just can't get into the meditation aspect of yoga and I can understand this perspective.

The first time I experienced meditation, I was on an 8 hour silent ( yoga ) retreat and we began the experience with an hour of meditation.

I thought I was going to burst. I had driven two and half hours to get to this retreat. I was pumped and ready to get moving but we were asked to be still for what seemed like an eternity. My mind would not slow down. The leader had told us to try to resist the desire to shift our position or scratch those itchy places on our nose etc. She told us to focus on our breath and if we still could not settle, she asked us to isolate one sound in the distance and focus on that instead.

You know when someone tells you that you can't move or scratch what happens? I was suddenly itchy and felt the need to fidget non-stop. It felt terrible.

So I can understand it when people tell me that they will never be able to meditate.

If you are one of those people, maybe you can think of this aspect of yoga, as 'concentration' instead of 'meditation.'

In all fitness activities, you will benefit far more from the exercise at hand if you really concentrate on where you are, and what you are doing, in that very moment. If I teach you how to perform a squat, hopefully you're going to really concentrate on doing it well so you don't get injured.

If you are lying on your back, and I ask you to meditate, concentrate on your breathing. People generally only breathe into the top third of their lung capacity. Focus on breathing better. Equate it to any other exercise you would do at the gym. Your challenge is to do it to the best of your ability and eventually you will be able to concentrate for longer periods of time on other activities in life.

While holding the yoga poses, the idea is to not entertain every thought about your discomfort. Acknowledge that you feel your muscles but don't give into the idea of giving up because it is hard. Try not to scratch those itchy spots for the duration of the pose. Try not to think about anything other than your breath. This exercise is about controlling your thoughts so they do not control you.

Eventually our yoga practice, helps us to handle events that come our way, over which we have no control. We learn to keep our thoughts in the here and now, and focus on what needs to be done to survive whatever comes our way, including the next yoga class!

Have a wonderful day and see you soon...
Beth