Creative, functional workouts to sculpt, tone and give you a body that serves you well in life, because ultimately that's what we all need. It's not about how you look, it's about how you feel inside and out- full of confidence in your own skin. On my YouTube channel we celebrate all ages and levels of fitness with something for everyone. Every workout will teach you something new about your body and is rooted in over 50 years of experience in movement, dance and pilates. I am a Fully Certified Pilates Instructor with over 13 years of practice in many settings from Physiotherapy clinics specialising in Sports Injuries to Rehabilitation post knee, hip and shoulder replacement. I had my own boutique studio in London pre the pandemic and now I choose to share my teaching online for anyone in the world keen to learn more about their body and grow physically, emotionally and mentally through an intelligent, focused, movement practice.
February, the month of love, is not just reserved for showering affection on others. This Valentine's season, let's redirect some of that love inward and embark on a journey of self-love. Let's explore how taking care of yourself can be the ultimate act of love.
• Love Begins with Self-Care - In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to neglect the most important person – yourself. Just as Pilates can strengthen and rejuvenate the body, a self-care practice will nourish the soul. Take time for activities that bring you joy, whether it's a relaxing bath, a walk in nature, or reading a good book. Treat yourself with the same kindness and attention you would give to a friend.
5 Benefits of Pilates Breathing and 5 Health Conditions it can Help
1️⃣ Increases your lung capacity
2️⃣ Improves muscle activation and performance during exercise
3️⃣ Reduces anxiety and stress
4️⃣ The exhale activates the core muscles
5️⃣ Improves mental health by focusing your attention to the mind/ body connection
One Lung Breathing is an incredible tool for anyone as it focuses you on one lung and one side of your ribs at a time. I’ve found it very helpful for people new to Pilates in understanding HOW lateral breathing works.
I have exciting news for you. My first book on Pilates will be published this spring!
Last year I was asked by a publisher to write an easy to follow guidebook on Mat Pilates and I am thrilled to announce that it's now available for Pre-Order on Amazon UK and Amazon.com
I spent all last summer writing it and many a late night post YouTube broadcasts working on it to make it as easy to follow as possible. If you can I would love it if you could pre-order a copy on Amazon; pre-orders help push the promotion of books and I need the help to get it out there to everyone who needs it. It's very reasonably priced and a great little guide you can dip in and out of whenever you need to refer to an exercise or want to build your own little programme for home practice. It has all 34 of Joseph Pilates original exercises in with tips and cues to make the difficult exercises more accessible and the easier exercises more challenging- not that mat pilates isn’t challenging enough anyway 😊
Happy New year!
This year I plan to focus as much on keeping a healthy mind as well as a healthy body. It’s going to be an exciting year with lots of fun Pilates practice, new ideas to boost your mental and physical health and a deepening of our community connection.
Described as ‘the most antioxidant rich super food in the world’ Matcha is the ground leaves of the green tea plant. Favoured in Japanese tea houses for centuries, this little green powder packs a powerful punch in terms of goodness. It burns fat, fights cancer, increases your concentration and boosts your energy.
I have a confession to make....I absolutely love chocolate. Being a pilates teacher and eating copious amounts of the stuff aren't compatible so I'm always looking at ways I can satisfy my chocolate craving whilst keeping my sugar intake low and being as healthy as possible.
So here is my version of a healthy chocolate mousse - it has no cream and no sugar- just a few simple ingredients and if I say so myself it's not bad for a healthy treat!
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1 400ml can of coconut milk
2 tbsp Cocoa powder ( I use Green & Blacks Organic as it's very rich and chocolatey!)
Put into your blender the flesh of an avocado and the banana - you can just tear into chunks. Then add the coconut milk and cocoa powder. If you're using a hand blender, stir the cocoa in before you blend as the cocoa will go everywhere if you're not careful. Switch on and whizz for a good 5 minutes until it is thoroughly mixed, you need to make sure there aren't any stray pieces of avocado floating around as it'll spoil the flavour. Spoon the mixture into four ramekins and put in the fridge for three hours so the mixture firms up. Then it's ready to eat whilst smiling saintly knowing it's actually good for you!
If you're making it for a dinner party you could serve in vintage tea cups for an extra bit of glamour! Enjoy!
© Rachel Lawrence. All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
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