Must have arms for your strapless dress!

Bride-to-Be Tip #3


Most wedding dresses will show off your arms. Here is a plan to get a rockin' upper body to go along with that gorgeous dress! And best of all, it will take you less than 5 minutes!


20-10-5 Reps
You are going to alternate between repetitions of push ups and triceps.

  

Drop and give me 20 push ups (yes, it can be off your knees)
Now, do 20 tricep dips
Then 10 push ups and 10 tricep dips
almost done...
5 push ups, 5 tricep dips ... you're done!


Do this every day and I promise you will thank me later :)
This WILL get easier, and when it does, bump it up to 30-20-10 Reps!

Yes, Pilates divas do Yoga too!

Yoga! 

Nothing else makes me feel more refreshed in my body while beaming with gratitude in my heart!

Read about the amazing health benefits here.

Soakin' it up!

Love. Love. LOVE my beauty ritual tonight! Aura Cacia Cinnamon & Ylang Ylang Foam Bath. I wish you could smell this! What's even better? It is free and sulfates and parabens! Get it at your local Whole Foods or Here.

Run your 1st or train for your fastest 10k

Get up and lets GO!
Check out this article: Fitness Magazine to get ready for the Manhattan Beach 10k Race on Saturday, Oct. 2nd.

Pilates for Dancers Best Exercise #2

Leg Circles on the Reformer!
The very best exercise for strengthening the inner and outer thighs, increasing range of motion in the hip joints, and stabilization of the core.
Place both feet in the straps of the reformer and start small with you circles. Quality over quantity! Make sure you can stabilize your neutral spine before you make your circles bigger. Complete 10-12 circles keeping your tail bone anchored when you feet come up to the ceiling. Then reverse the direction.

• Challenge your core work and stabilization by using the lightest resistance spring. (Peak Pilates Reformer= 1 blue spring, or on a Balanced Body Reformer= 1 yellow spring)
• Work your inner and outer thighs and increase the stretch in your hamstrings by using a really heavy spring. (Peak Pilates= 2 yellow springs & 1 blue, Balanced Body= 1 red spring, 1 blue spring)

Leg Circles on the Mat!

• Lie on your back on a yoga mat and pull your right leg into your chest. Leave your left leg lengthened down on the floor below you. Stretch your right leg and point your toe straight up the the ceiling. Your arms are by your side (more advanced) or out to the sides like a "T" (beginner).
• Imagine a marble is balancing in the center of your neutral pelvis and don't let your marble roll at all. You do this by stabilizing your torso by engaging your core.
• Take your toe across your body and circle it down, around, and up. Exhale during the hardes part of the circle (most likely when the toe is farthest from your center.) Complete 8 circles then reverse the direction and repeat the exercise on the other leg.
• Do NOT let your left hip move or lift off the mat at all. The point is to increase range of motion in your hips using the stabilization of the core. If your core is not stabilized you are not doing the exercise correctly and your core is not working.
• Stabilization Tip! Imagine your foot on the floor is being pulled out away from the crown of your head. You want to feel like a rubber band being stretched from head to toe. Keep this line of energy throughout the circles and you will have a better foundation for stabilization.

Tone while you walk

On my wishlist now! 

Walking shoes from New Balance... NewBalance

nothing inspires you to get out and move more than new shoes :)

Bride to Be Tip #2

Get Moving!

Grab your best bridesmaid and take a walk, go for a jog, just get outside and move! Think of it like a social event! A chance to bond and talk while you get fit together! Plan on meeting up 2 or 3 times a week, after work, on your lunch break, or early in the am. No excuses! You don't want her to bail on you, and you can't bail on her! 
Even just walking can make a difference in your body, your mood, and your friendship! 
Or... 
Boost your walks with bursts of energy and adding some small friendly competition: "I'll race you to the end of the block!" or "Let's sprint the rest of the way home!" 

Why do Pilates exercises use springs rather than weights for resistance?

Great question! Joseph Pilates was well ahead of his time when he chose to use springs for conditioning the body. Unlike a weight, the contraction and release of a spring works the same way your muscles do. The spring stretches and lengthens with you as you move. There is also a resistance created in the opposite direction as the spring moves back together. Springs encourage an eccentric contraction of your muscles and is easier on your joints than weights.

Pilates for Dancers Best Exercise #1

Footwork on the Pilates Reformer

1st Position (Pilates V), Parallel, 2nd Position (Inner and Outer Rotation) and Releves, (Calf Raises). 

All positions of footwork on the Pilates Reformer are excellent for building ankle strength and stabilization for Pointe. Foot work exercises can also reduce the risk of injuries occurring in the feet, ankles, knees, and hips.

Pilates for Dancers

White House Pilates has the 

Top 5 Best Pilates Exercises for Dancers 

Whether it helps rehab an injury or for just general maintenance, Pilates is essential for muscle conditioning for the every dancer. 

Veggie of the week

Kale is a superstar veggie!

Why? ...Check out all these amazing health benefits!

• Helps to Prevent Cancer: Sulforaphane, which is formed when cruciferous vegetables such as kale are chopped or chewed, triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals, inhibits chemically-induced breast cancers in animal studies, induces colon cancer cells to commit suicide.
• Optimize Your Cells' Detoxification / Cleansing Ability
• Great for your Eyes: Carotenoids that Lower Cataract Risk
• Pro-vitamin A: One cup of kale contains just 36.4 calories, but provides 192.4% of the daily value for vitamin A.
• Promotes Lung Health
• A Healthy Dose of Vitamin C for Antioxidant Protection and Immune Support: just one cup of this cooked vegetable supplies 88.8% of the daily value for vitamin C. Vitamin
• Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis
• A Very Good Source of Fiber
• Calcium-For A Lot Less Calories and Minus the Fat in Cow's Milk
• Vitamin E-rich Leafy Greens Slow Loss of Mental Function
• Cardiovascular Benefits

Meet our White House Pilates Instructors!

Kelsi Smith

Kelsi has been a Pilates instructor for the past 4 years. She is certified through the Orange Coast Colleges Pilates and dance instructor program. 
Kelsi has been dancing for the past 15 years with experience in jazz, tap, hip hop and modern. She has played basketball and softball for the past 13 years and volleyball for the past 15. Kelsi was apart of the Orange Coast College 2004 Volleyball Team, and has recently become a Krankcycle instructor under the Johnny G training system. Kelsi will hold a bachelors degree in Kinesiology through the California State University of Long Beach in May of 2011.

Inspired by her love of movement Kelsi brings a variety of training techniques to her workout program. Functional fitness is her main goal for all clients. Humans need to be able to move in day to day life and recover from the bumps and bruises along the way. Kelsi's clients range from beginner to advanced, from athletes to the elderly. Kelsi has a solid training background in private, group and corporate settings. Kelsi enjoys pushing her clients to their maximum potential and loves to keep her workouts new and exciting. 

Taylor Montgomery

After taking Pilates for years Taylor loved it so much she received her certification through the Physical Mind Institute, and has been teaching for 3 years. She has worked at numerous Physical Therapy clinics in the Los Angeles area which has given her the ability to work with various body types, injuries, and ages to create a specialized workout for each client. Her background in dance and choreography allows her to create innovative and fun exercises to her clients. Taylor has an overall passion for all forms of movement and enjoys sharing her love of centering the body and mind.




Caroline Londergan, Owner

Caroline was the first to introduce the amazing benefits of Pilates to The White House, the United States Secret Service, and the Washington D.C. SWAT Team. She is a Certified Pilates Instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute/The Method Pilates as well as a Certified Yoga Instructor with the Yoga Alliance. Caroline expanded her knowledge of Pilates by studying with Stott Pilates, Balanced Body University, and the Pilates Method Alliance. She graduated cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Education from Ohio University. Caroline discovered Pilates a decade ago when she rehabilitating an injury and training rigorously for her professional dance career. 
After eight years of touring and dancing professionally, she opened White House Pilates in Hermosa Beach, CA in 2009. Caroline is honored to pass on the incredible teachings of Joseph Pilates to her clients. She believes there is nothing more rewarding than seeing her clients achieve profound physical changes while grasping the miraculous mental connections of the mind and body working harmoniously. 

Caroline embodies a healthy and active lifestyle. She values learning and continues her Pilates education through the Pilates Method Alliance accredited workshops. Caroline is the Pilates expert contributor for the Los Angeles Examiner.

My momma always said...

"If you think you're hungry... but not really sure... and nothing really sounds good to eat... drink a glass of water....you're probably just thirsty."

Bride to Be Tip #1

x

Go get a Pilates Ring or Magic Circle!

You've got the bling now go get the ring! This is a great way to get fit at home. The Pilates Ring is available at places like Target or Walmart and it usually comes with an instructional video. You can use this circle for an intense full body workout. 

Here are just a few to mention:

• Inner Thigh Blaster: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart on the floor. Place the outside pads of the circle between and right above the knees. Pulse the circle 12 times and then hold and squeeze the ring for 12 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Then do the same thing all over again in a bridge. (To do a bridge: Step into your feet lifting your hips off the floor and balancing on your shoulder blades.) Once you get stronger, challenge yourself more by increasing your reps to 20 pulses and hold and squeeze the ring for 30 seconds.
• Outer Thigh Blaster: Same exercise as above just change the circle placement. Put your feet through the circle bring the inner pads up above the knees. Press out and engage your glutes (your butt) for the repetitions. Then press out and stay trying to break the circle apart rather than squeezing. Repeat again in the bridge position. This will work your hamstrings, and glutes even harder.
• Tone your upper body and arms: Stand with really good posture, your abs engaged and your glutes supporting you. Hold the circle on the outside pads out in front of you like a steering wheel, with just a slight bend in the elbows. Pulse the circle 20 times, and then squeeze for 20 seconds.Repeat 3 times. Move the circle overhead, but still slightly in front of your head on a diagonal. Pulse here for 20 repetitions and squeeze for 20 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Place the circle behind you and hold it on the outside pads and low with the bottom of the circle pointing down toward your heels. Pulse here 20 times and repeat 3 times. 
• Abdominal Crunches with Neck Support: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart on the floor. Put your head through the circle with one of the inner pads behind the nape of your neck. Your hands go on the opposite inner pad with your arms bent and relaxed. Look down at your knees, engage your abdominals (pull your navel to your spine) and curl up for an abdominal crunch. Keep your pelvis neutral, with your hip bones and pubic bone staying parallel to the ceiling. Try to maintain a little space below your waist. Once you get stronger, bring your legs up to table top. (Table top: lift your feet off the floor, with your legs in a 90 degree angle, your knees above your hips and your shins parallel with the ceiling) Or maybe even extend your legs out straight to a 45 degree angle. *This is fine as long as you don't feel anything in your back and can stabilize your torso with your abdominals.

Our Bride to Be

You're Engaged! 

He finally popped the question and you said YES! Now there are endless decisions to make: beautiful white dresses to try on, venue location choices, picking a date, crazy color schemes, flower arrangements, invitations, guest lists, bridesmaids, groomsmen, the list goes on... and on... Even with all this new stress you are still head over heels in love, ordering take-out, eating when he eats-even if you're not hungry, sleeping in to cuddle, rather than going for your early morning jog. Somewhere in the midst of it all you've forgotten to take care of YOU. 


What you need is to plan time for YOU! You should be savoring every moment of this time, basking in a glow of happiness and not worrying about small minor details (no one will really remember the center pieces at the reception anyway). 


Each week our Bride to Be will write about: 

• Amazing Fitness Workouts: look drop dead gorgeous in your dress
• Relaxation Ideas: feel like yourself again and not bridezilla (your bridesmaids will thank you)
• Nutrition Advice: maintain a healthy body for your big day and the honeymoon! :)
• Cooking for Two: easy recipes to impress your hunny, and maybe even yourself!
• Date Nights: gotta keep the spark alive, stay spontaneous, and remember why you are getting married in the first place!

YUM!

Yogurt Panna Cotta

So luxuriously creamy, your guests won’t believe it’s made from fat-free yogurt.

low-fat (1%) milk

1 cup

sugar

¼-½ cup

plain powdered gelatin

1 envelope

cold water

2 Tbs.

plain fat-free Greek yogurt

2 cups

pure vanilla extract

1 tsp.

(4 cups) berries

2 pints

Yogurt Panna Cotta

In a large saucepan, heat the milk with the sugar over low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the gelatin with the water and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk the gelatin into the warm milk and let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk in the milk. Pour ½ cup of the milk mixture into each of 8 serving glasses. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Top with the berries. Serves 8.

Bump, Set, Spike!

Cross-training is essential for your Pilates body. Today's x-training workout? Beach Volleyball! It's a great excuse to be on the beach and a fun way to squeeze in a Cardio workout. Get fit quick tip: Don't walk to shag the balls, RUN!  

Climbing the Mountain

Abdominal endurance workouts at the Peak! Learn more in our Reformer Classes at White House Pilates, Hermosa Beach, CA www.whitehousepilates.com (theabsdiet)

Lose weight while you sleep?

Researchers say that how much you sleep and quite possibility the quality of your sleep may silently orchestrate a symphony of hormonal activity tied to your appetite. (via WebMD) 

Coconut Oil

Amazing benefits from Coconut Oil: include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. www.organicfacts.net

Can't wait to try on...

Lucy Power Precision Tank available at Lucy.com

I Love Lucy!

Loving this Perfect Core Pant by Lucy.com

Three Pilates muscles that produce BIG results!

Pilates will strengthen your muscles from the inside out. This concept has long been known by dancers and elite athletes. Now it appeals to everyone because students are realizing that Pilates can be very effective for your everyday life. From something as simple as a the way a mother carries her child around all day to a static desk job that leaves you stiff, sore, and prone to carpal tunnel; Pilates can help your body function.

Most conventional workouts only focus on the large muscle groups, such as the Quadriceps femoris (thighs), Pectoralis Major (chest), and the Latissimus dorsi (back). If you are constantly focused only on the large muscle groups, then you are not working to your body’s full potential and could be more prone to injuries. With proper technique through Pilates, you can actually re-train your body to move both efficiently and effectively.

Pilates focuses on the smaller more intrinsic muscles; such as the Psoas, the Serratus anterior, and the deepest layer of the abdominals called the Transversus abdominis.These 3 muscles are important for: preventing injuries, improving posture, and alleviating muscle tension.

1. The Psoas muscle runs from the low back to the front of the pelvis and down the upper leg. It allows all movement in the lower body to occur. The Psoas facilitates the hips to rotate, abduct, and flex. The body will not be aligned in correct posture without the strength and flexibility of the Psoas.
2. The Serratus anterior is under the arm near the scapula and interlaces with the muscles of the core. Most people carry their stress in their neck and shoulders and tend to unknowingly overwork those muscles. Pilates will teach you to use the Serratus instead of the Trapezius to alleviate that pain.
3. The Transversus abdominis lies under your six pack abs and stabilizes the movement of your torso. This muscle is activated by drawing in the belly button to the spine. If this muscle is neglected then you are at a higher risk for injuring your back.

Pilates Reformer Class

Are you tired of your old ‘going to the gym’ routine? The same old weights, treadmill, and elliptical can get boring quickly because of the repetitive and mindless movement. Pilates will get you out of that monotonous cycle and jump start your mind to work with your body.

A Pilates Reformer class can offer many customized exercises to get you out of your rut and on to a better, more balanced body. Certified Pilates instructors are rigorously trained in over 500 different exercises so you will never get bored. Not only that, but just when you think you’ve got it mastered, we make it harder! In Pilates, you can change the smallest detail, such as inhaling instead of exhaling at the point of exertion, to make the exercise more effective, challenging, productive and fun.

A typical Pilates Reformer class is a full body workout that addresses more than just muscular toning. Each one hour session will include strength training, flexibility, abdominal conditioning, balance work, and spinal movement in all planes of direction. You can add a great cardiovascular workout by using the Jump Board at the foot of the Reformer.

Say goodbye to the uncomfortable short, tight and bulked up feeling you get from kettle bells, bar bells and dumb bells. Pilates incorporates springs for resistance rather than weights. The springs are more effective than weights because they mimic the natural contraction of your muscles. The result is improved balance, better postural alignment and a wonderful lengthening sensation.

Pilates can supplement your weight training more effectively, offer variety to help you cross train your activities, prevent injuries, and promote a healthier, more mindful approach to your workout. You can also supplement time on the elliptical or treadmill with a Jump Board session. Next time you grow tired of your same old trip to the gym, switch it up and seek out a Pilates Reformer class.

Welcome!

Welcome to the official White House Pilates Blog! Thank you for visiting our site. You can always learn more about our studio at www.whitehousepilates.com