Simply Fit By Delana

Pre-Term Pep-Talk

2010-08-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

I’m sure that you are feeling the effects of the long summer break and with the new term fast approaching I know some of you are concerned about starting back up again. First of all let me reassure everyone that the summer break takes its toll on all of us…..me included. I’ve had an eventful summer. Most of it has been good but there have been trials and for the first time in a long time I have neglected my regular fitness routine and let the lack of a normal weekly schedule interrupt my fitness goals. In just 5 short weeks of non-regular exercise and regular wining and dining I have noticed a very unwanted change in my figure. Now, most people think I’m a fitness fanatic…I AM NOT…I just happen to be trapped in a body that feels the need to store fat for ‘the on-coming famine’. The fact that ‘we’ have not had a famine in nearly 47 years does not seem to make a difference. Life is pretty straightforward for me. I know I have to eat sensibly and exercise hard or suffer the consequences. No one…I repeat, NO ONE can have the luxury of being fit without putting in the time and effort. So, what’s my point in this rant? Well I’m pretty realistic and I know that your ‘Pilates homework’ is not always going to be top of your list of daily things to do while on holiday so let’s not worry about what we haven’t done and focus on the weeks ahead. No guilt…no ‘I should of…could of…ought to have done…’ Start from now, from today.

Like the Nike advertisement says…‘JUST DO IT’

Set a start date and stick to it.

Decide on a weekly schedule….and stick to it.

Keep it short: 20 to 30 minutes 4 to 5 times a week is better than committing yourself to an hour you know you’ll never make time for.

Keep it simple: Try to stick to exercises you can do with confidence and leave complicated exercises for class.

Keep it fun: Do the exercises you like to do and, for now, forget about the ones that seem like a slog.

Adjust your attitude: Instead of thinking, ‘I’ve got to do my exercises.’ think, ‘Yea, time to nurture myself!’…’Time to invest in ME!’

I promise you that if you set a realistic goal and make a true effort you will benefit from it. For the next few weeks you don’t even have to do Pilates. (Yes, I said it!) If you are new to the classes and have no idea of what Pilates is don't worry. You know some form of exercise….walk, jog, ride a bike, stretch or, my personal favourite, put some music on and dance around the room. The list goes on……’JUST DO IT’

See you in a few weeks!

Delana

2010-07-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

More about these guys a bit further down......

WOW!!! It’s practically August already! I don’t know about you but this summer is just flying by! I have good news for those of you who are chomping at the bit to get back to your weekly Pilates training. My plan is to start the classes Monday 13 September. This will give some of you time to settle back into the normal routine, unpack, get the kids back in school and get through that ‘mountain’ of laundry before the classes start back up again so you won’t have any excuse to miss a single session of our first 2010-2011 term together ;-)

I hope you all have been having an active summer holiday. Hopefully you have had time for some ‘homework’ but if you haven’t please do not be concerned about starting back up again. I always break everyone in gently after long breaks so the first couple of sessions are really worth attending. (That’s a gentle hint by the way ;-D )

Ok….PUPPIES!! They are now almost 4 weeks old and are starting to develop their very own little personalities! I get regular updates and photos from the breeder and almost feel a part of the process although the only things I have been able to do so far is shop and mend the fence. Yesterday Erik and I went out and spent money on a kennel, toys, treats, a little collar and a lead. Today we have been digging up fence posts! This is the only ‘training’ I have done since our return from Norway and it really feels good to get out and use my ‘muscles’

We will bring our little ‘Amigo’ home 25 August! We have planned a family trip up and will stop for a couple of days in Windsor and London then spend a couple of days in Carmarthenshire Wales. Although we have neighbours looking after the house while we are gone I have booked our cat ‘Miss Marple’ a.k.a. Pookie in a five start cat hotel. I think it best we get Amigo home and let him settle in for a day before Pooks meets him. I know she will not be best pleased about our newest family member. She is calm after spending a few days in the cat hotel so I hope this will help her to have a more positive outlook on the whole puppy business. Keep your fingers crossed for me! See you in class!

Above is a photo of the puppies taken at around 3 weeks old and there are more photos available on my Flickr account.

Enjoy the rest of your summer break!

Puppy News!

2010-07-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news for those of you who have been following the puppy saga! The puppies arrived a day early on 2 July. Three boys and one girl were delivered by C-section. Mom and pups are doing well! Needless to say our family is very excited now and we just can’t wait until we can see our newest family member and finally bring him home! We hope to travel together to Wales to visit the breeder and meet mom and the puppies sometime in early August. We would like to combine this trip with a stop over in London to see the sights and have a small family holiday together. And, if we can make this early trip, we will choose one of the males then. Of course the breeder may have a puppy she suggests we take and if we can’t make it for an early visit we will trust her recommendation. Since most Finnish Spitz look alike the main consideration for us is temperament and all of these puppies should be of sound body and temperament since they come from very good stock. We have pretty much decided on the name. We will call him Amigo. And I am over the moon since this will be my companion and sidekick not to mention my in-studio mascot! We should be able to bring Amigo home the last weekend in August so…..

….if you’ve made it this far in this post I’ll say that it looks as though classes will resume Monday 13 September but I will confirm this in mid August by sending you all an email. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer holiday and that you are getting some time to do a few exercises.

Just incase you were interested I am enclosing a photo of mom and a link to the website with a photo of dad at http://www.kunniakas-finnish-spitz.co.uk/dogpage.php?dog_ID=1.
The link to the breeder is http://www.finnishspitzonline.com/

2010-06-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

As we head into the summer months I have decided to try out a blog for the fitness classes. I have also created a Facebook page for anyone who would like to join. This blog should be more relaxed and in some ways much more fun than my ‘Glass Designs’ blog.

First of all it is geared to a smaller audience so I won’t be so hung up about whether or not I get any followers. Secondly I know the people who are coming to the fitness sessions so I am directing my posts with more personal feeling. This is not to say that my other blog is not important or not fun or that I do not know some of the people reading it. It’s just that I have more contact with my Pilates clients than I do with a lot of my fellow glass artists who live all over the world.

So….my first post here is just mainly to let you know that I’m on line this way and to wish everyone a great summer.

Of course the Pilates instructor in me has got to have a word here…..You will reap great benefits by doing a 10 minute Pilates session each day. If you perform the exercises correctly (and if you’ve been coming to my class you DO know how to do the exercises) and if you are persistent then you will maintain your flexibility, tone your muscles and use your body more efficiently.

Try to do your homework but above everything else remember that life is to be enjoyed and for those of us with the kids still at home the most important thing right now is to take advantage of every moment with your family!

I’ll probably get a couple of chances to post over the summer and I will certainly let everyone know what is happening on ‘the puppy front’!!

Delana