Irene Pastore

A Pilates Primer

April 2, 2015

A PILATES PRIMER A must-have for Pilates teachers, and practitioners. The Millennium Edition, is the complete works of Joseph H. Pilates.

This edition includes two books: Return To Life Through Contrology, originally published in 1945, and Your Health, first published in 1934.

Return To Life includes black and white photographs of Joseph Pilates at sixty years old, performing his entire original set of 34 mat exercises.

This book makes available in one volume all of his early 20th Century philosophies, principles, and theories about health and fitness. Each exercise is fully described, with Pilates original instructions.

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883, and died in New York City in 1967. He invented, and promoted his method of physical fitness, which he called Contrology.

Essentially teaching the Contrology method to dancers in his studio in New York, his method is now taught and practised worldwide, and is known as Pilates. The Millennium Edition is available in Kindle at Amazon, and in paperback at Barnes & Noble.

Everyday Athletes

March 21, 2015

You’re not the athletic type. You never went out for high school sports, don’t carry a tennis racquet, or Yoga mat. You may be under 35, or over 50. Weight rooms are not your thing, nor trampolines, or swinging a baseball bat. But yet, you qualify for the title “Everyday Athlete”. How is that?

You may need to rush to a meeting in a snowstorm, or hop over urban puddles on your way to catch a taxi. You may be carrying a cord of wood to fire up your wood burning stove. The activities of daily living, we take for granted, require strength, agility, fortitude, and stamina. Congratulations, you’ve earned the title, “Everyday Athlete”.

THE PROFILE OF AN EVERYDAY ATHLETE

– Stays slim. Knows that gluttony isn’t cool.

– Climbs stairs at work, instead of taking the elevator.

– Abides by the less driving rule.

– Rides a bicycle, or walks to work.

– Grabs an umbrella, and strides through the rain.

– Unafraid to slog through snow.

– Stays strong through blustery winds.

– Tackles tire changing, and wiping down a snowy windshield.

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?

The Everyday Athlete knows the importance of strengthening the core muscles. That’s why they can fly over puddles, tackle snowstorms, zip up a flight of stairs, and never shrink from life’s difficult moments.

Copyright Irene Pastore and Tour de Core Personal Training

It Started With A Meatball

March 13, 2015

A Canine Adventure Story for For Animal Lovers

Team Peak Members and Arthur the Homeless Dog

A lonely, homeless, dog, followed a Swedish race team through water, rough terrain, and muck, after they took pity on him, and fed him Swedish meatballs, while on an endurance race in Ecuador.

The story received international attention, appearing in the Washington Post, NPR, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and the BBC, to name a few. The team named the dog Arthur, who is now a global celebrity.

The team traveled 430 miles in six days and six nights, using maps as their only guide. After two-thirds of their journey, they were adopted by Arthur.

Known as Team Peak Performance, they walked through Amazon rain forests, and kayaked through rivers. At first they hesitated about having the dog travel in a kayak, and decided to leave him. But the dog prevailed, after jumping into the water after them. They took him on board, where Arthur rode in one of the kayaks. The team came in 12th in the Adventure Racing World Championship.

Long story short. Happy ending. Arthur was adopted by one of the team members, Mikael Lindnord, and now lives in Sweden. Read more on the Team Peak Performance Facebook page, where there are plenty of photographs of the team, and their mascot, Arthur. A lucky dog.

Get Hired: Improve Your Posture

March 6, 2015

What does your posture say about you when you walk in to a job interview? Is your head jutting forward, and down? Are your shoulders rounded? Is your appearance slouched? If so, you’re not exactly portraying an air of confidence.

MOBILE DEVICES AND YOUR POSTURE

In today’s era of electronic devices, most working adults are in the habit of bending their neck forward, with the chin toward the chest.

As they slouch at their desk, use their cell phone, watch TV, videos, or surfing the web, their shoulders and upper back round forward, while the head juts forward and down.

Over time, looking down at your cell phone, removes the natural curve of your neck, puts strain on the muscles of your cervical spine, causing pinched nerves, and herniated discs. Doctors are seeing more patients with mobile technology-induced head, neck and back pain.

Chronic downward tilting of your head, is the result of lifestyle habits that encourage what chiropractors, and orthopedic doctors refer to as, forward head posture, and thoracic kyphosis, a rounding of the upper back.

Frequent cell phone texting is an example of a lifestyle habit that may result in poor spinal health.

Forward leaning of your head tightens chest muscles, and weakens the upper back. When your upper back weakens, it develops a rounded appearance, while your chest appears caved in, and your shoulders collapse forward.

On a job interview, you’ll want to look healthy and confident. Slumping forward with your head down conveys the opposite.

CORRECTIVE EXERCISE

Take heart, there is a solution to your problem. It’s called corrective exercise. Poor upper back, and neck posture can be reversed with strengthening exercises that target your upper back, stretching exercises that open the chest, and strengthening exercises for the back of your neck.

The Rider’s Pain-Free Back

February 27, 2015

The Rider’s Pain Free Back, by James Warson, M.D. published in 2007 by Trafalgar Square Books. Product Details

Dr. Warson gives a thorough explanation of the causes, prevention, and remedies of back pain, for riders of all disciplines.

Science-based explanations are written so that everyone can understand, and appreciate the congenital and mechanical reasons for developing lumbar pain.

Dr. Warson’s book provides practical information on the diagnosis, treatment, and pain management related to back problems in riders.

If you’re a rider who has given up, or is thinking of giving up riding because of a sore, or painful back, this book is a must read.

Dr. Warson, a lifelong horseman, and neurosurgeon is the founder of the Front Range Brain and Spine Surgery Center in northern Colorado.

The Rider’s Pain-Free Back is sold on Amazon, where it rates a 5 star review from readers.

Sugar Free Cookies

February 20, 2015

Susan’s Sugar Free Cookies is an American product, made by St. Armour, Inc.

Made without dairy, Susan’s Sugar Free Cookies, come in several flavors.: Almond, Ginger, Peanut, Chocolate, and Orange. They’re good for diabetics, vegans, and anyone who wants to avoid cane sugar, and animal products.

The cookies have a crunchy, sweet taste because they’re made with malted barley flour, and malitol, a natural sugar substitute, similar to xylitol.

Buy them at Whole Foods Market, Amazon, or order directly from the manufacturer, Susan’s Sugar Free Cookies.

Xylitol: A Healthy Sugar Substitute

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Author: Irene Pastore