Forward from the Heart Guest Post: Pilates Love

What is Pilates and why should you do it?

Pilates is an exercise that balances the development of the body through core strength, flexibility, joint health and awareness to promote efficient movement. As a student of Pilates you will learn how to carry your body correctly in order to get through your day with more strength and less aches and pains. Pilates strengthens and tones muscles without added bulk to give students a longer, leaner look. If you are looking to lose inches while gaining strength and flexibility, Pilates is it!

Why I love Pilates

Doing Pilates regularly has helped me to stand and sit correctly, giving me the best posture of my life. My abs are defined enough that I feel comfortable in form-fitting clothing and even a bikini! I have never liked my thighs and always avoided wearing shorts, but since doing Pilates my legs have become trim enough that I wear even short running shorts! The classical Pilates work follows a specific order and progression that helps me to stay focused and reach my goals.



Why I love teaching Pilates

Teaching the classical Pilates work on the mat and equipment gives me the ability to train every one from physically fit athletes to those rehabbing injuries to people in their 90’s. While it is very fun and rewarding to see my strongest clients do the advanced work, it is just as rewarding to see a student that has never been able to sit with proper alignment finally do so because we have worked to strengthen their core.
It makes my day when a student tells me that they are walking taller, experiencing an absence of chronic pain, or sleeping better thanks to the work we do together. The Pilates work can change your life and I love that I can teach people the proper way to do the exercises.



**Sally blogs about Pilates and other forms of fitness, as well as nutrition, wellness, family and fun at Forward from the Heart. She is a fitness studio manager and, in addition to teaching Pilates, teaches Yoga, Cross Training, and Piloxing. I met Sally through Instagram and now we just need to actually meet up in person. Taking a Pilates class from her is in my near future. I can't wait!**

Thanks Sally for sharing your love for Pilates on the blog today!
XOXO
Amber

At Home Gym Essentials

I am blogging over at Greetings from Nolandia about how easy it is to set up a small workout area in your home. Go check it out!!

**Thanks Alexandra for letting me do a guest post on your blog!!**

Greeting from Nolandia Guest Post: Yoga Love

Y O G A// L I F E S T Y L E




I have been practicing yoga for the past five years, but did not dedicate myself to making it part of my LIFEstyle until the last 6 months or so.
I always found yoga intimidating; all the poses, their common names and their correct “yoga” names, the inversions, the flexibility… ahhh. Too much. Especially growing up an awkward chubby kid, who was terrible at sports… yoga definitely seemed like a mystical, scary thing.
Then in January, I decided on a major life overhaul. The more I looked back into yoga, the more it became…simple. Yoga is about patience and breath, and pushing yourself through challenging postures (or challenging moments in life)… and then accepting yourself when you are at your limit.
To me, that sounded wonderful.
So, for me yoga is a work out, but it’s also about stretching my muscles, finding calm in moments of chaos, taking myself to the limit…and being patient with my progress.
Let me leave you with some yoga phrases from my previous yoga instructors that have brought me peace but also pushed me to dare try just a little bit harder than I normally would.
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you ever be polished?” – (that’s a Rumi quote, but I love hearing it in yoga class…I actually had it written on my yoga journal)
“In yoga, we begin where we are”- I love this because it always reminds me that we don’t have to have a certain expertise or skill level to benefit from practice.
“Everyone should be inverted at least once a day”- This saying strikes a chord with me. Sometimes we get so caught up with our perspective on our own lives… we just need to turn our worlds upside down and approach it all in a different way.
Yoga is much more than exercise; it is a path to a healthier, happier, calmer life.
Be well! xx (and wish me luck, because I am in the middle of yoga teacher training right now!)

**Alexandria is such an inspiration to me! She sets goals and goes after them with a full heart! I am so glad we have become fast friends over the past couple of months thanks to our love of a healthy lifestyle and Instagram. Be sure to stop by her blog and follow her and her hubby's adventures, healthy living, and exercise tips!**
XOXO,
Amber