Music to the Soul

"Music is what feelings sound like." -Anonymous

Music can transform the most tedious of chores and exercise into a powerful, motivating experience. The Modbe Move line was specifically designed to fill this need with those amazing little pockets for your ipod and the great music on the Movin' DVD. Download any music that you love, whether it's rock or Rachmanonov- and just do it now. Get up and go today. It will be easier with music. Keep a list of songs you love, and don't be afraid to ask people for their playlists!

Speaking of which, here is an introduction to my playlist for aerobics classes, jogging, and getting the house cleaned. Use the "listeners also purchased" feature on iTunes to sample other electronic and dance tracks.

Song Titles

Moderate/High Heart Range

Played-A-Live
Snake Food
Feelin' Good
Alive
Time bomb
When Doves Cry (Cardio Mix)
Hung Up
Moonlight Sonata, Cannon in D (Classical Cardio)
Heart of You (Euro Club Hits)
My Shooter
Umbrella
Kemkraft 400
Pull (Solid Deep Mix)
Summer Haze (my favorite song)
Happy Valley
Just Like Heaven
Take me Out
Call On Me
Should I Stay
Green Day- most of their music, especially Holiday
U2- Elevation
Sahra Saidi
Big Girl
Ojos Asi
Santa Maria from Gotan Project
Nachna Onda Nei
Mickey
Eye of the Tiger
Stayin' Alive- N Trance
Every Single Day
Buddy Holly
Hazy Shade of Winter
Beverly Hills

Cardio Scale Means Less on the Scale!

If you train the same, you stay the same. To achieve the results we are all capable of, we have to get out of our comfort zones and take our efforts to the next level. Interval training is one of the best ways to do this, is a great mind-body teaching tool, and is one of the only ways to shift metabolism up. Interval training means that in a cardio workout we raise our heart rates, back off, raise our heart rates, back off, and so on. Doing this trains our hearts to handle harder loads over a sustained periods of time. How high should our heart rate go and for how long?

To know how hard your heart is pumping, the best way is to use "The Perceived Scale of Exertion." What does this mean? On a scale of 1-10, 1 is zoning in front of the t.v. and 10 is a full-out gazelle intense sprint. To build a stronger heart, we need to train our bodies between a 5-9. Here is the talk-test scale:

5=glistening, getting heating up, but could chit chat with a friend
6=working hard enough that talking would be an irritation, could sustain intensity for 8 minutes
7=could give one or two word answers, could sustain intensity for 6-7 minutes
8=incapable of conversation, very intense
9=full out, anaerobic

Your challenge:
In two cardio workouts this week, either walking, biking or a group exercise class, used this scale to interval train. Take the first two minutes to warm up, then hold a level five for one minute, a level six for a minute, then so on to a nine. Return your heart rate back to the six, and repeat the sequence two more times. The last round through, if you have doctor clearance, go for a ten, then cool down for five minutes. If you have health issues, just focus on getting out of your comfort zone, out of the familiar. We all can do something. If you miss a day, just keep moving ahead. A little something is better than a big nothing!

Field of Dreams

To make things happen physically, we have to create them mentally first. Here is an example: I had a good friend who made it to the Olympic tryouts in the triple jump. The amazing thing about this is that she was only 5'5"! She shared with me how her coaches would have her sit in front of the track and visualize herself perfectly performing the event for a half hour at a time. By the time she was ready to practice or compete, she had already done the jumps perfectly 500 times in her mind, and then her body could follow suit. Mentally, are we seeing ourselves strengthening and succeeding, or are we beating ourselves up? This week your challenge is to control your thoughts as you exercise: see yourself feeling relaxed and strong. Cut out the complaint and noise and comparison from your mental dialog. Replace it with the truth that you are beautiful, capable and tough!


Why do workout clothes matter? In the book "Mindless Eating" the authors explain that people usually start a workout plan not when the scales tip, but when their clothes don't fit right. For example, inmates in jail tend to gain weight, despite the yucky food. Why? Because of their big jumpsuits! They had no way feel that their health was sliding. Are your workout clothes a jumpsuit? Are in you health prison? Modbe's fitness line finally gives us the option to look and feel sexy when we workout, and to workout hard because of the fine construction of the clothing. So tell your clients to ditch the grey sweat pants and T-shirt and set themselves free with the Modbe Move line. Also, when we make an investment in something we tend to stick with it more. Share with people that these top of the line athletic clothes will help them to commit to their health.

Happiness is a Choice Challenge

When is the perfect time to workout?
Never. We're women. We have ten million things on our to-do list and a day that is too short to fit it all in. There will never be the perfect time for us to squeeze in a workout, and if we wait to do it when we feel like it...it doesn't happen. Your challenge this week is to pick two specific times that you will do the Movin' With Modbe Pilates DVD, write them down, and then do them. Remember that your health is like happiness- it doesn't happen on accident. We have got to purposely take steps to make it happen... and you can do it!

Permission

Marianne Williamson wrote:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?...Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory... that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

If you know why, then you can deal with how!

A compartmentalized approach to health and wellness has never brought about long-term results. Pilates training is so powerful because it melds daily movements (functional fitness), muscle strengthening and lengthening, calorie burn and mental analysis into an effective workout sequence. It is also beautiful and very dynamic- it grows with you, becoming more challenging and offering more options as you master the principles and your body. So keep moving your body with Modbe, and get the results you want!

Progress is the Process Challenge

Moving With Modbe Challenge, September 21-30

The weather is changing, and so are you. Moving with Modbe is infusing a new dimension into your boutiques, and your customers are excited. How do you maintain the excitement that comes so easily for the first moments of any new program we set up for ourselves? Telling people about your progress is a sure way to keep the energy pumping into your goals! This is the challenge for this week. Tell five people about some of the personal victories you are achieving. Remember that your health is not mere a goal, but it is a process. Success along the way is measured on many levels, for example, success could be:

-making the decision to change your life and the lives of others
-moving your body just a little more than you did last week
-moving out of your comfort zone, physcially or mentally
-bringing someone along on the journey with you
-concentrating on what you can do, rather than on what you cannot
-gaining new knowledge to benefit your health, your family's health and your friend's health
-feeling strong and beautiful because of the confidence that being consistent gives you
-getting back up if you miss a day
-smiling when times get tough and doing it anyway!
-staying connected by reading modbepilates.blogspot.com

Fitness Journal Challenge!

When you know why, you can deal with how. Why are you moving with Modbe? Why do you care about your health and the health of those around you? Finding the answer to these questions will give you the inspiration and strength to keep moving when life wants to get in the way of your goals. Your challenge this week is to continue introducing yourself to Pilates through the Moving with Modbe DVD, and to journal why you want to be fit. Paper, blog, your kitchen wall- get it down in writing somewhere! If you feel comfortable, please send us your thoughts here or email the moderator.

They Are Friends for a Reason!

When beginning any fitness program, or frankly any important endeavor, it is vital to enlist the support of the people around you. Being accountable helps motivate us, and even more importantly the love and encouragement of our family and friends will pull us through the difficult or monotonous times. Your challenge: tell five people today that you are beginning a health program, and that it includes doing pilates twice a week. Better yet, ask them to do it with you.

September 8-14 Challenge!

Have you experienced the Moving With Modbe Pilates DVD this week? Do it twice this week and write us about it. If you don't have the DVD yet, go to Modbeclothing.com and order it asap, and then go on a brisk, 20-minute walk.

Joseph Piltes said:
"After ten times you will feel a difference;
after 20 times you will see a difference, and after
30 times you will have a new body."

Please blog back with your experiences with the Moving With Modbe DVD!

What is Moving With Modbe Pilates and Why Do It?

Pilates is a safe, total body discipline and can be very challenging. The movements were designed by Joseph Pilates, who took the most effective core exercises available from several athletic disciplines. Benefits include:



-- muscle strengthening=metabolism boost!
-- identifying and healing muscular imbalances
-- intense calorie burn
-- increased muscle mass—particularly long, lean muscle tone
-- greater flexibility, faster injury recovery
-- enhanced mental awareness due to concentration focus- learn how to learn!
-- greater oxygen intake and increased cardio output potential
-- massive low back stability, deep muscular torso strengthening
-- tightening of the waist, abdominals, rear and thighs. Greater tone in the arms, back and chest
-- increased bone density
-- grace and confidence as you move your body with new ease, strength and correct posture
-- pelvic floor strengthening, post-partum recovery
-- enhance athletic performance in any physical discipline

What is the Modbe Movement?

The Modbe Movement is a fitness challenge sponsored by Modbe Clothing Company. The purpose of The Movement is to help women strengthen their bodies, feel confident in their hot Modbe clothes, and gain a greater sense of community as they workout and share Modbe clothing with other women.

There is a weekly challenged issued to all participants of The Modbe Movement. These fitness opportunities are safe and challenging, and will include physical and nutritional goals. The challenges are created by a master aerobics and personal trainers who not only love fitness, but love and use the Modbe clothing line.