{"id":1134,"date":"2017-01-03T13:25:08","date_gmt":"2017-01-03T13:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/?p=1134"},"modified":"2017-01-03T13:25:08","modified_gmt":"2017-01-03T13:25:08","slug":"a-little-help-with-your-2017-new-year-resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/2017\/01\/03\/a-little-help-with-your-2017-new-year-resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"A little help with your 2017 New Year Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Happy New Year everyone!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I know it can be difficult to find motivation, to make time, especially with busy work and family schedules, but I truly hope you can find some inspiration to make your health a priority this New Year. I&#8217;ve kicked off with a New Year&#8217;s Day 5K run and blown away some cobwebs.<br \/>\nWe spend so much time and energy focused on other &#8220;things&#8221; that we tend to overlook the importance of our own physical well-being, which then causes more health-related problems and stress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake care of your body. It\u2019s the only place you have to live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t wait to get back to classes and get back into our routine of regular Pilates.\u00a0 I love the way Pilates has become the centrepiece of all my activities.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pilates compliments all my high impact exercise by providing a good strong core and posture to protect my back.<\/li>\n<li>Pilates lengthens and tones the muscles giving my body a leaner appearance<\/li>\n<li>Pilates helps me to be more mindful.\u00a0 The breathing techniques we learn during Pilates helps me to release tension and de-stress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keeping active comes easily to me and I truly enjoy participating in anything that gets me out of the house and burning calories but sometimes thinking about what to do and lingering over the decisions may mean that we sometimes take the &#8220;easy&#8221; option.\u00a0 It can take a little time to change your mindset.\u00a0 Exercise doesn&#8217;t have to be hard or unbearable.\u00a0 A workout should make you feel good, give you energy and helps to keep you focused.\u00a0 Be open minded and allow yourself to enjoy a new activity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>New Year Resolutions &#8211; a little help<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I know many of you will have some New Year resolutions about your health and fitness.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s a few tips on how to be successful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The first step is to be realistic about what is achievable so that you will reach your goal.<\/li>\n<li>A great tip is to break things down into smaller chunks, write the smaller goals down in your diary and reward yourself along the way.\u00a0 Setting dates against your smaller targets gives you a workable timeframe.<\/li>\n<li>Reward yourself but try not to choose food treats &#8211; get yourself some new gym gear or a new pair of trainers instead! \u00a0Knowing that you are going to treat yourself when you achieve is a wonderful incentive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What should my New Year Resolution be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whatever you want it to be!\u00a0 There are lots of ways you can make a small change to achieve results.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s my Top 10 ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Make a food switch &#8211; try having a healthier breakfast.\u00a0 Choose porridge with some fresh berries on top instead of that bowl of sugary cereal.<\/li>\n<li>Stop adding sugar to your tea \/ coffee.<\/li>\n<li>Make housework a fitness activity.\u00a0 Put some music on and get cracking!\u00a0 Dance like no-one is watching.\u00a0 Sing out loud.<\/li>\n<li>Read a good motivational book and be inspired.\u00a0 My recent read was Lessons I&#8217;ve Learned by Davina McCall &#8211; truly uplifting.<\/li>\n<li>Spend more time with people you love, don&#8217;t waste time worrying about people who don&#8217;t give back.\u00a0 Negative energy is very destructive &#8211; move away from it.<\/li>\n<li>Get more fresh air &#8211; get those trainers on and go for a good walk.<\/li>\n<li>Drink more water (Aim for 2-4 litres a day!!)<\/li>\n<li>Treat yourself to a new healthy cookbook and try out some new recipes.\u00a0 Eating more of the right stuff is an easier regime than &#8220;dieting&#8221;.\u00a0 Good food is so important for fuelling the body and having energy.\u00a0 I love the Lean in 15 series by Joe Wicks (The Body Coach).\u00a0 The recipes are very simple and are a great example of clean eating.<\/li>\n<li>Have a fitness buddy &#8211; encourage a friend to join you.\u00a0 Whether its a weekly walk\/jog\/run or you join the gym together you are far more likely to succeed together as you won&#8217;t want to let your partner down.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t forget your fitness buddy could be someone you haven&#8217;t met yet &#8211; try an exercise class to meet like minded people.<\/li>\n<li>Do PILATES!!!\u00a0 Try a Jen Benson Pilates class and see what Pilates can do for you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A great new year goal is to choose a regular exercise activity and challenge yourself to participate every week.\u00a0 Have a look at your diary and pick a slot that you feel confident are likely to attend.\u00a0 Make time for your fitness activities, make it your priority.<\/p>\n<p>Try not to be pulled away by some of those niggling excuses <em>&#8220;I&#8217;m too busy&#8221;, &#8220;I&#8217;ve nothing to wear&#8221;, &#8220;I&#8217;m tired&#8221;, &#8220;I&#8217;ll start tomorrow&#8221;<\/em>. You may well feel tired after a long day at work but it is proven that exercise will energise you and help you sleep better.\u00a0 You will be rewarded by the way exercise makes you feel AND you will soon start to see and feel your progression.\u00a0 If you attend every week for the first 6 weeks, treat yourself and then maybe set your next goal to 2 sessions of exercise per week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Take ownership &#8211; you can make a change, now is as good a time as any to start putting yourself first.\u00a0 Invest in your well being and enjoy a healthier you.\u00a0 The hardest part of a new regime is committing for the long haul but once you get going, new habits form and create momentum that will carry you forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No-one else is going to do this for you so grab a friend and take some time out for yourself at Pilates.<br \/>\nPilates has so many wonderful benefits, the main ones being:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increased flexibility and mobility of the muscles and joints<\/li>\n<li>Correct postural alignment<\/li>\n<li>Improved coordination, stability and balance<\/li>\n<li>Improved strength of the bones and muscles<\/li>\n<li>Improved strength and endurance of the core postural muscles<\/li>\n<li>Reduced stress and muscular tension<\/li>\n<li>Increased energy levels, confidence, self-esteem<\/li>\n<li>A sense of both physical and psychological well being<\/li>\n<li>As a group exercise, Pilates offers a motivational environment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Classes start back Tuesday 10th January 2017!<\/p>\n<p>First class free for new clients.<\/p>\n<p>6 Class Passes on sale \u00a330 giving you one class free.<\/p>\n<p>Have a happy and healthy new year! Here&#8217;s to 2017<\/p>\n<p>Jen xx<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25,42,21],"tags":[38,43],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1136,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1134\/revisions\/1136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jenbensonpilates.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}