Core work can be hard and tedious.  Especially if you tend to think of it as doing a thousand crunches.  A strong core is essential to a strong and stable body.  After all it’s our core that keeps us from falling over.

Let’s get into what the ‘core’ actually entails.  Most people believe that it’s just our abs and if you have a 6-pack you have a strong core.  The core is more than just our abs though.  It’s all the muscles in the center of our body, hence the nickname core.

The core is made up of the abs, chest, and back muscles.  Sit ups will work on the abs but leave out the chest and back muscles.  So the BEST exercise to get the whole core is Plank Pose.

Starting on your hands and knees, with you shoulders over your wrists and hips over you knees, press into the earth with you hands and knees to feel the chest, shoulders, and belly muscles engage and pull up and into the bones.  Inhale and extend the right leg back tucking the toes into the earth.  Tuck the tailbone down toward the ground and lift the left leg back.  Pull the heels up toward the bum and lift the belly button up toward the spine.  Extend the top of your head forward to create a nice long line!

There seems to be a lot of little things to think about but just breathe and allow yourself to play with each one separately and notice how it feels.  How long can you hold plank pose?  Breathe through the discomfort and know that you are helping to create a strong core.

Namaste,

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts:  Balanced Woman Retreat  How to Do a Sun Salutation Quick Workout that Boosts Metabolism

This is a step by step tutorial on how to do a sun salutation.  The sun salutation is the foundation of many yoga classes.  It’s called a sun salutation because it builds heat in the body.

Many yogis believe that if you do a sun salutation for every year you are old every day you will have unlimited vitality and energy through old age.  I personally love to celebrate my birthday with doing as many sun salutations as my age to represent the literal trips around the sun I’ve taken.  Plus one to grow on!

1.  Standing tall and firm in mountain, inhale the arms up and exhale into Forward Fold.

2. Forward Fold.  It’s OK if the legs are bent here–work them towards straight.

3. Inhale to lunge with the right leg back.  3a. (optional) Rise up to a high lunge then lower to 3b. lower back to lunge.

4. Exhale and extend the left leg back while lifting the hips to down dog and hold for an inhale.

5. Exhale into plank position (aka top of your push-up). Holding the core tight, slowly lower to the ground.

6. Inhale and lift the heart up off the ground.

7. Exhale back to down dog, pulling the belly button back to the spine as you lift up.

8.  Inhale bring right foot forward into a lunge. 8a. (optional) lift arms for high lunge 8b. lower back to lunge.

9. Exhale, bringing left foot forward into forward fold.

10. Inhale and rise back up to mountain pose.

11. Exhale. Reach your sit bones back and down to a chair position (not shown).

Congratulations!  Now you know how to do a sun salutation!  Remember:  yoga is NOT about forcing your body into a position, it’s about honoring and listening to your body and what its needs are.  If at any time your body tells you that the position you’re in is not ‘right’ or ‘safe’ then slowly come out of the position and rest for a couple of breaths.

You are beautiful and unique, the movements and breath will look and feel different for you than they do for your neighbor, instructor, or person on TV so respect the differences!

Namaste,

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts: The Balanced Woman Retreat Tap Into Better Health Quick Workout that Boosts Metabolism

Are you struggling to keep up with all the things on your ‘To-Do’ and ‘To-Be’ Lists?  Are you overwhelmed with all the hats that you wear?  Are you struggling to balance all of the roles that you play as mom, wife, teacher, supporter, lover, friend, volunteer, etc.?

If you said ‘YES!’ to any of those questions then this Balanced Woman Retreat is for you!  Check out below ALL that comes with this amazing retreat!  Look at the images with the beautiful view from the cabin we’ll be staying at.  I can already breathe better knowing that this is happening!

Go to http://BalancedWomanRetreat.com to register today.  Spots are limited so get yours reserved now!

Love and Light!

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts:

Did you know you can literally tap into better health from the comfort of your own home?  No fancy equipment or supplement are even required.  All you need is your thoughts surrounding health!

Tapping, or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), is a form of healing that is starting to gain more and more popularity.  I’ve personally been practicing it for 4 years and just recently have delved into it deeper and started using it with my clients.  Some of you may know this amazing phenomenon and the rest of you are probably still confused about what I’m talking about.

What is tapping?  According to The Taping Solution “Tapping is a combination of Ancient Chinese Acupressure and Modern Psychology that is providing startling results across the spectrum. From pain relief, to healing childhood traumas, to clearing limiting financial beliefs, to weight loss, body image and food cravings, to fears and phobias, Tapping is proving to be a powerful, well-researched and easy to learn and apply technique.”

Sounds great right?  I’m sure you’re still wondering what the heck it is and how to use it to tap into better health.  It’s simple…really!  Below is a diagram of the tapping points.  All the points you gently tap on multiple times, notice I said gently, while stating your issues/problems around health (or anything really).

Let’s do a basic round of tapping so you can see how it works.  If you want to learn more or dive deeper I HIGHLY recommend you get the book The Tapping Solution.  More on that in a minute.  Let’s get back to tapping.

Say out loud, “I feel fat, overweight, and lazy!”  On a scale of 1-10, 1  being not true at all and 10 being absolute truth, how true is that statement for you?  Once you have your number make sure to write it down.

We begin tapping on point 1-Karate Chop while using our set up statement.

“Even though I feel fat, overweight, and lazy I accept myself and how I feel.”

“Even thought I feel fat, overweight, and lazy I accept myself and how I feel.”

“Even thought I feel fat, overweight, and lazy I accept myself and how I feel.”

Moving through the other points in order:

EB-”I feel so fat”

SE-”I know I’m Overweight”

UE-”I’m just too lazy to do anything about it”

UN-”I KNOW I should workout”

CP-”I know I should eat better”

CB-”I’m just too lazy to do it”

UA-”I must be destined to feel this way”

TH-”It would take a lot of effort to change”

Repeat this cycle 3 times.  If another thought or emotion comes up for you, honor it and speak it while you tap.  When you’re done with the 3 cycles take a couple of big deep inhales and exhales.  Now go back to the statement “I feel fat, overweight, lazy” and say it out loud and give it a number on the scale of 1-10.  Did the number go down?  If the number is still above a 4 then tap on the negative round until it comes down to below a 4.  This may take a couple of rounds.  When the number comes down below a 4 you’re ready move on to the positive cycle.  Have patience with yourself and be kind.

EB-”My body may not be perfect”

SE-”But I’m doing the best I can”

UE-”I know there’s room for improvement”

UN-”And I can take one step at a time”

CP-”I can make one small change for my health today”

CB-”I can give myself permission to love and accept where I am”

UN-”I can be kind to myself and from there change my habits”

TH-”I have the power to change my health for better when I come from a loving place”

Repeat this positive cycle 3 times, and listen to your heart, if anything comes up for you that is positive about your health state it here.  Then take 3 big deep breaths.

Woo!  You just did your first tapping round!  It’s easy and fun!  Now if anything major came up for you, if you had some emotional reactions to any of it I encourage you to explore them deeper while tapping.  I’ve had some amazing breakthroughs with my clients around body image and health.

The book The Tapping Solution is a fantastic book that will lay out everything from what tapping is, how it works, and how to go deeper.  The books goes over stress, anxiety, depression, finances, relationships, health, past childhood traumas, fears and phobias, addictions, physical pain in the body and more.  Tapping can be use on EVERYTHING and this book lays out the sequence, the verbiage, and questions to help you dig deeper.

For an exploratory one on one coaching session to help you tap into better health contact me info@BodyImageBuilder.com

Tap into better health today!

Jennie Carlson

If you loved this post check out some of my other posts:  5 Ways to Stop Stress Quick Workout that Boost Metabolism

5 ways to STOP stress came about because my friend, Ester Frescas, and I were asked to speak at SLCC during Stress Awareness week.  This was also the week prior to finals.  When we sat down to brain storm ways of getting the message across an acronym came to me.  I don’t know what it is about acronyms but they’re easy to remember and fun.

5 ways to stop stress.

S:  Stop and take a break every 90 minutes.  Taking a break gives you a chance to step away and refresh yourself.  When you return you’ll find that you’re more productive, more energized, and ready to take on the task at hand.  This works for studying, working on a big project, making phone calls, laundry.  Whatever the task at hand may be…set a timer for 90 minutes and when it goes off…walk away.  This break can be anywhere from three to thirty minutes.  However long you feel you need to rejuvenate yourself.  Just a 5 minute break can help stop stress.

T:  Turn in with Meditation.  Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting cross legged on top of a beautiful mountain top.  It can be done wherever you are.  Meditation is the increase in awareness or focus on what you are doing.  When your timer goes off maybe you decide to step outside and get some fresh air.  Bring awareness to your breath, your body, the sights and sounds.  This can be meditation.  Or sit or lie down, close your eyes and count your breath.  If you go grab a snack or a drink, notice the food and how it feels, the sensation of chewing, the saliva flooding the mouth, how it feels as you swallow.  This is a form of meditation and any form of meditation helps stop stress.

O:  Open your lungs and breathe.  Since focused breathing is a form of meditation you can kill two birds with one stone here.  Check out this post ‘Do You Breathe Right?’ and follow the breathing exercise and it can count as meditation AND opening your lungs.  Breathing helps stop stress by helping you be more present.  Stress is largely caused by living in the past or worrying about the future.  There is nothing more present than the breath.  You can’t breathe for the past and you can’t breathe for the future.  Breath only happens in the present moment.

P:  Physical Movement is so important in helping you stop stress.  Our bodies were made with a ‘fight or flight’ response to stress.  In the caveman days this was beneficial when faced with a saber tooth tiger and we had to fight the tiger or flee.  However, in todays society, our saber tooth tigers are piles of unpaid bills, an angry boss, an upset child, traffic jams, and other things that we can’t necessarily fight physically or flee from.  Sure you could punch your boss or your kids (though not recommended) or run away to the Bahamas and change your name, these aren’t acceptable and responsible solutions to the stressors.  Physically moving your body helps relieve that ‘fight or flight’ stress response in your body.  20-30 minutes a day of simply walking will help stop stress in a BIG way.

E (silent in this case):  Eat high energy food.  High energy foods that are alive will rejuvenate your body.  When your body feels alive and well your mind can focus more clearly on what is needed to maintain a stress free life.

There you have it…5 Ways to STOP(e) Stress!  Simple and effective!  Please tell me below how you’ve incorporated any of these steps in your day and how they’ve helped with your Stress!

Namaste!

Jennie Carlson

Other Stress Reducing Posts:  How Do I Love Me?  Let me Count the Ways!   Spring Clean Your Soul!

It’s almost swim suit season and the weather is warming up.  Are you comfortable showing your skin?  Still trying to shed your winter weight?  I can help!

The Rock Power Tumbling & Cheer and I have partnered up to offer you some awesome Yoga and Boot Camp Classes.

Free Boot Camp and Yoga Classes are

Bring your friends, accountability plays a huge factor in weight loss and weight maintenance.

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts you may like:  Fitness Tracker  Quick Workout that Boosts Metabolism  Spring Clean Your Soul

The best way to track your fitness goals and where you stand is to write them down.  Now don’t brush this off because you’ve heard it a million times, and it doesn’t seem like it could really help that much,  but this is a MAJOR part in attaining your fitness goals.  Multiple studies have shown that you’re more likely to achieve a goal when it’s written down and attached to a deadline.  If you don’t have it written down or a deadline it’s really not a goal it’s just a dream.

Make your goal becomes a reality with this EASY fitness tracker.

Write down your goal with the date you would like to accomplish it by.  Next write down your action steps you can take to accomplish your goal with the date you want them done by.  Take the action steps and celebrate when you accomplish your goal!  Repeat the process as many times as necessary for the results you want.

Here’s to your Success!

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts:  Quick Workout that Boosts Metabolism   Do You Breathe Right?  Defy Age with Inversion Poses

May 4th is the 10th Annual Live Green SLC Festival.  The Festival is FREE, downtown at Library Square and runs from 11am-5pm Saturday!  There’s games, workshops, prizes, fashion shows, live music , local food vendors, free face painting, hula hoops, and lots of information on how to live more green!  YAY!  I’ll be there teaching the ABC’s of Yoga for the whole family.  Some come and learn about yoga with your kids, do some crafts, dance to the music and be entertained for FREE!

Go to http://livegreenslc.com/ to learn more about all the awesome vendors that will be there and all the awesome events/workshops you can enjoy!  Make sure to stop by my booth and say ‘Hey Beautiful’!

Love yourself, love the earth,

Jennie Carlson

Everyone knows that exercise is important to their health.  Everyone knows that exercise will make them stronger.  Everyone knows that exercise will make them feel better.  If everyone knows these things then why is it the majority of people don’t exercise?

Time.  There’s just not enough time in the day to do all the things that need to be done.  Especially for us Moms.  There’s always a list of things that need to get done and never enough time to do them all.

My favorite remedy is the Tabata Timer.  Tabata timer is not a product you have to buy or figure out how to assemble and store under your bed.  It’s simply a formula for a quick and powerful workout that will boost your metabolism.  All you need is a timer, some knowledge of basic exercises, and a can do attitude!

4 Minutes is all it takes to complete!  Who doesn’t have 4 minutes?  Everyone can find 4 minutes in a day to workout!

Here’s how it works…

1. Set a timer for 20 seconds
2. Pick an exercise like push-ups or sit-ups and do it ALL OUT for 20 seconds
3. After 20 seconds rest for 10 seconds
4. Repeat #2-3 a for a total of 8 times
5. Towel off and smile that you just did a quick boost to your metabolism!

You can do more than just one at a time of course.  Finish your 8 cycles of one exercise then move onto another exercise.  2 rounds is 10 minute workout, 4 rounds is a 20 minute workout and 8 rounds is a good 30 minute workout (give or take a couple minutes transition and rest between rounds).  There is your quick workout that will boost your metabolism.

For optimal health you want to be working out 30 minutes a day.  For a lot of people it’s hard to find that 30 minutes in one chunk, especially if you count in drive time to a gym.  Breaking up that 30 minutes into 3 short 10 minute burst (like a round of Tabata) actually increases your metabolic burn by double to triple than for a single 30 minute session.

When you do 10 minutes of exercise your body systems have to work to warm up and get the blood to all the muscles so they can move, then they have to work to cool down and slowly return the blood back to the heart once the workout is over.  This increase and decrease in heart rate are big calorie burners.  If you workout only once for 30 minutes you only get that burn one time.  If you break up the 30 minutes and do 3 separate workouts lasting 10 minutes each, your body has to warm up and cool down three times hence the extra boost in your metabolism from a short time of exercise!  YAY!

Head over to my blog where I have 8 rounds of Tabata set up for you with pictures and instructions for each move.

Get your workout on!

Jennie Carlson

Other posts you may enjoy:  Boot Camp Elevated  Yoga in the Park  Do You Breathe Right?

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net (with my own personal additions)

This week only I’m offering my Boot Camp Elevated at a 25% discount!  Click here to sign up!  When you buy all 4 Months up front you get 50% off! Go here to get the great deal!  Click the image below to see what you get!

Kick off Dates:

9:30am Woodland Park Farmington

May 4

June 1

June 29

July 27

This is SO much more than a regular boot camp.  This is a lifestyle change.  Your outside world is simply a reflection of what’s going on inside.  You can keep trying to change the outside with diet and exercise alone and it may work for a while.  But those limiting beliefs eventually creep back up and you end up sabotaging yourself and going back to the same old.

This boot camp will help blast those limiting beliefs and work on the diet and exercise.  A combo that will have you changing your life for good!  No more yo-yo diets, no more starving yourself or spending hours in a gym just to ‘maintain’!  Boot Camp Elevated will help you learn to listen to your body, to feed it what it needs, when it needs it, along with when and how to move to be the healthy, beautiful, and vibrant you that you are.

Boot Camp Elevated Schedule (Woodland Park Farmington)

May:  May 1 Kick off 9:30am,  Workouts: Mon/Weds 9:30am, Tues/Thurs 8pm, Sat Yoga 8:30am

June:  June1 Kick off 9:30am,  Workouts: Mon/Weds 8:30am,  Tues/Thurs 6:30pm,  Sat Yoga 8:30am

July:  June 29 Kick off 9:30am, workouts: Mon/Weds 9:30am, Tues/Thurs 6:30pm, Sat Yoga 8:30am

Aug:  July 27 Kick off 9:30am,  Workouts: Mon/Weds 9:30am, Tues/Thurs 6:30pm, Sat Yoga 8:30am

Go here and sign up now.  Commit to yourself that this is your year that you will make a change for good!

Believe in yourself!

Jennie Carlson

Other Posts You May Like: How do I Love Me?  Spring Clean Your Soul  Yoga in the Park