The Pilates Center
  • Book Your First Class
  • About
  • Instructors
  • Services and Rates
  • BASI Teacher Training
  • Blog
817.737.2673

Fueling for Wellness

10/24/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
Everyday we’re bombarded with ads and news stories of “eat this, not that!” One day eggs are terrible for you, another day you can eat them in unlimited quantities. One week kale is all the rage as the “ultimate superfood”, the next week it’s revealed kale's no greater than spinach. It can be very confusing to understand how to fuel your body for holistic wellness, but I stick to a just a few time-proven habits, rather than chasing the trends. The tips below are like the little black dress for your wardrobe: tried and true, will make you look and feel great, and will never go out of style.
 
  1. Fill the majority of your plate with whole fruits and vegetables
 
Nutrition experts around the world agree: a diet that is focused primarily on fruits and vegetables is better for your health, your mind, AND the planet. “Plant based” can mean 100% animal product free, or it can mean a diet made up primarily of fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, beans, and legumes, with smaller amounts of meat and dairy still incorporated. Either way, the benefits are enormous: Prominent research has shown that plant based diets can lower your blood pressure, reduce or reverse your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and reduce your risk of diabetes. A Harvard study of 110,000 people tracked over 14 years showed that people who ate 8 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day had a 30% decreased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
 
Fruits and vegetables truly are superfoods in their own right! Try filling at least 50% of your plate with fruits and vegetables of several different colors--focusing on them as the main dish rather than just a side dish. 
 
  1. Incorporate whole grains for energy and fiber
 
Many people have gone off grains like whole grain oats, brown rice, and quinoa because of their carbohydrate content, but a moderate amount of whole grains are essential to our everyday diet. Whole grains provide an array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and protein, and consuming them has been linked to a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure!
 
Oats are one of the quickest and easiest ways to incorporate whole grains into your diet, and coming into the Fall season are a perfect hot breakfast, lunch, or snack! Check out the nutrient powerhouse of one cup of dry oats:
 
Manganese: 191% of the RDI
Phosphorus: 41% of the RDI
Magnesium: 34% of the RDI
Copper: 24% of the RDI
Iron: 20% of the RDI
Zinc: 20% of the RDI
Folate: 11% of the RDI
Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 39% of the RDI
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 10% of the RDI
Smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B3 (niacin)
 
This is coming with 51 grams of carbs, 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and 8 grams of fiber, but only 303 calories.
 
  1. Make sure to supplement
 
Though we always aspire to eat healthy and hit all our food groups, a busy life can often get in the way. That’s why it’s important to incorporate a good round of supplements into your day. My family and I swear by Young Living’s supplements: they are infused with essential oils and studies have shown the body is able to absorb them up to 46% better.
 
 If you only add one supplement to your diet. I’d highly recommend Omegagize3. One the whole, most Americans don’t get near enough omega 3’s in their diet to properly feed the brain. OmegaGize3™ combines the power of three core daily supplements—omega-3 fish oil, vitamin D3, and CoQ10 (ubiquinone), and the omega-3 used is one of the purest available on the market.
 
Benefits of Omegagize3 include:
 
  • Antioxidant/Reduce free radicals formed in the body in adults
  • Maintain/support energy levels in adults
  • Helps enhance/promote general health and wellbeing in adults
  • Maintain/support healthy teeth in adults
  • Maintain/support bone health in adults
  • Maintain/support healthy cardiovascular system function in adults
  • Maintain/support cognitive function/mental function in adults
  • Maintain/support brain function in adults
 
  1. Enjoy your favorite treats in moderation
 
Completely eliminating entire food groups or treats from your diet not only isn’t healthy, it’s not sustainable long term and can even lead to overeating and weight gain later on. While it is best to limit things like refined sugars (candies, sweets, juice, breakfast cereals) and alcohol, learning to incorporate these items as small treats (if you want them!) will work better than trying to abstain from them 100%.
 
Nutrition is often more than half the battle in our overall journey to wellness. I’d love to talk with you more about a nutrition and exercise plan that meets your unique goals. Contact me today to get started!
2 Comments

Why Your Instructor Matters

10/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Pilates is more than just exercising, and it does more than just improve muscle tone and strength, relieve chronic pain, and produce an evenly conditioned body with long and lean muscles. At The Pilates Center, Pilates is a way of life, and when you practice with us, it will change your life. Pilates will create emotional changes in the way you feel about yourself, helping you to stand taller physically as well as emotionally, helping you move through the world with more confidence and ease. This is in large part to our strong, dedicated, and highly educated and trained team of instructors.
 
Why Your Instructor Matters
 
There are a LOT of fitness “instructors” out there, and the quality varies greatly. There is no shortage of YouTube and Instagram sensations with little to no substantial training, who have millions of followers. Underqualified and over-promoted celebrities and influencers can spread unhealthy and dangerous fitness messages at worst, or provide shoddy products focused more on decreasing your body size than on real health and fitness. And following these influencers can have a negative impact on our overall well being: Recent studies have even shown that while those who follow fitness influencers on social media found the access to the information to be beneficial, the content also negatively influenced their well being and their perception of what was a healthy goal. Another study of college age women showed that the “fitness” images on social media led to greater body image concern and did not motivate participants to engage in more levels of activity.
 
Choosing the right Pilates instructor is important because you’re going to invest time and money, and as with any investment, you want to get a good return. This is your body and your whole well being we’re talking about- would you trust that to just anyone?
 
What Makes Our Instructors Different
 
Every one of the instructors at my studio has completed over 500 hours of training through classroom lecture, self-practice, observation, and apprentice instruction before obtaining their teaching credential. This means not only do they have a very strong knowledge background, they also have real world, on the ground experience working with the different needs of different bodies.
 
But I also don’t just hire any trained instructor off the street. I look for that something special, that something extra, that I know will deliver the absolute best results for our clients, and have built a well rounded team that is able to develop personalized and customized Pilates sessions for any type of client. My team comes from all walks of life: from lifelong dancers, athletes, and gymnasts, to recovered chronic pain sufferers, stay at home moms and corporate CFOs. No matter who you are, chances are we’ve walked a mile in your shoes, meaning the Pilates program we develop will meet your needs and your specific goals. This is our love and our joy and we are so excited for you to join us on this journey.
 
Come join us! To get started today, sign up now or contact us to get started. 
0 Comments

    Heather Gradke

    I'm a BASI Certified Pilates Instructor by day, somewhat competent housewife by night. I used to have hobbies but then CHILDRENS. I am married to the love of my life and somewhat charismatic Rustin Gradke. I have 4 kids that are wonderful sometimes but mostly they just eat a lot. I'm a lover of God and movement and the occasional bowl of queso.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

 © 2017 | The Pilates Center, Inc.  |  Policies
  • Book Your First Class
  • About
  • Instructors
  • Services and Rates
  • BASI Teacher Training
  • Blog