TIS THE SEASON...

Tomato season to be exact!


Being an Italian, I am naturally tomato obsessed, and I feel like this obsession only gets stronger every year as tomato season rolls around. In fact, this year, Jay and I decided to grow our own! So far the venture has been mildly successful. We are still semi-patiently waiting for the abundance of lycopene deliciousness we fantasized about. However we were able to grab a handful of sun gold tomatoes off the vine......and were inspired to make our favorite tomato-centric recipe: Tomato Basil Bruschetta. We discovered this particular recipe from watching the movie Julie and Julia and basically drooling all over ourselves as she fries up (yes fries up- I know, I know) peasant bread and loads it with all different colors of our beloved tomatoes. Seriously drooling. I am drooling now as I write this... Get the recipe direct from the food stylist on the movie here.
Obviously our small handful was not going to do the trick, so we took a field trip that I have been DYING to take ever since seeing this Martha Stewart Episode. We headed out to the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Yes, you read the correctly ROOFTOP FARM! It is a real working farm up above it all with a killer view of the Empire State Building, and I have the pics to prove it.

Definitely more impressive than our "Patio Farm in Queens". Baby steps...


The farm has a store that is open every Sunday from 10am- 4pm where they sell whatever popped up that week. Lucky for us they had tomatoes. We stocked up and headed back (the farm is a good 2.5 mile walk from our place, so it makes me feel less guilty about the whole frying in olive oil thing... wink. wink.) to make our bruschetta!



With the farm tomatoes, our tomatoes and not to mention basil from our "garden" it was pure heaven!

WHY CAN'T I ROLL UP??

The roll up...

It's one of those exercises that people love to hate. Unfortunately for them it's a very integral part of the classic Pilates workout and is (or should be) found in every class. Since this question of "why can't I..." has come up a lot lately in my classes, I thought I would address it. First things first: Don't beat yourself up! This is not an easy exercise. In fact I find it to be one of the most challenging. There are many factors that contribute to difficulty with the roll up. The most common are 1) weak abdominals and 2) tightness in the hamstrings, lower backs and hips- yes, I am talking to all you desk sitters. So what do we do about it??
First of all, we make sure we are engaging the abdominals. Imagine you are wearing a tight corset around your middle that is pulling all those muscles in toward the center of your body- your belly button pulls in to your spine, your sides move in away from the walls around you, and even your back muscles hug up away from the mat. The truth of it is, you are wearing a corset- your TRANSVERSE ABDOMINALS. This band of muscle wraps around your waist from front to back. Yes, you have abs in your back! As you roll up, keep these muscles engaged and think of sliding your ribs toward your hips. I like to imagine I have springs on the sides of my body and they are shortening as I roll up off the mat.
Second, we MODIFY! Modifications have such an ugly stigma that I would love to get rid of. If you are tight and need to bend your knees... BEND YOUR KNEES, and if that's not enough bring your hands behind your hamstrings, and USE YOUR ARMS to help you roll up with control. You have to train the right muscles to fire in the right order, which will not happen if you give in to momentum, hurl yourself off the floor and let your feet fly up in the air. Speaking of feet flying up in the air... ENGAGE YOUR GLUTES AND LEGS! If your legs are straight, glue the legs together and down to the mat. If they are bent, press into all four corners of your feet and keep the knees tracking right along with the hips. Engaging the glutes and inner thighs will help keep the feet on the floor. A prop like a yoga block or ball between the thighs (above the knees) can also help keep the legs engaged. If these modifications are still not enough of you are dealing with serious medical issues, stick with the half roll back. For this, start sitting up tall and roll back half way (about the top of your pants) and stop and then roll back up and round over the legs as you would in the full roll up.
Lastly, I've said it before and I will say it again... Patience. One thing that most definitely will NOT help you is frustration. Be patient, and allow your body to get used to the idea of the roll up and it will come. I promise!

image1: bombshell bride.com
image2: easyvigor.com

BRAVO! BRAVO!

I am a big fan of clapping at the end of my classes. Why do you ask? Well, it's simple, who doesn't like a little round of applause?? I want my students to feel awesome about what they just accomplished for their bodies and minds. It feels good to clap and say "Great work!"
Now obviously, I would be lying if I said I didn't benefit from the applause as well... I feel like I have done a great job when I look out and see my students smiling and clapping their hands. It ends the class on a such positive note.
Not a clapper?? That's ok... it's not required, but next time you take a class, just try it. I bet you feel good. :)

SUMMER SUPER FRUIT...

Cherries!!

These little red gems are definitely on my list of top five favorite things about June. I decided to do a little research on my summertime snack of choice, and found that on top of their sweet yummy goodness they are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and anti-inflammatory properties, providing powerful pain relieving benefits. Score! Go to choosecherries.com to learn all the ways cherries can help you live a healthy life... not to mention make an awesome Cherry Chocolate Recovery Drink. Yes please!

SAN FRANCISCO...

A city I can get behind... and by that I mean: get a "ROCKIN" behind!


I recently took a trip there for the first time, and I was lovin' those hills! It can be hard to find the time to sqeeze in exercise on vacation, so it helps to go somewhere where the workout is built in...

LEAN BODY LIFE ESSENTIAL #8...

Patience!

I have been thinking about this a lot lately,and noticing a great lack of it in people- from waiting in line at Starbucks to getting on and off the subway... to weight loss. As much as would like to use this opportunity to vent and rant about the impatient woman at starbucks or the man who pushed me on the trian, I shall refrain (kind of). What I want to address is our impatience with our bodies. This is something I myself have been struggling with lately. Some of you readers know that I had abdominal surgery in November of last year. Before the surgery I was in the best shape of my life. Now am in good shape by any standard, but I can't help but wanting to rush the process of recovery and restrengthening, and get right back to where I was before. I finally had to remind myself that I didn't get into the best shape of my life overnight in the first place, so why should getting back into it be any different? I have been much happier and able to focus on my body as it is right now. I'm doing my best to take care of it and strengthen it and the rest will fall into place. If you are looking for a way to tone and strengthen your body for life, Pilates is definitely for you. If you are looking for a way to drop 10lbs in 2 days... I believe there is some sort of "cookie diet" you can try...

Riiiight.

I'M BACK...

on the BLOGwagon! I am slightly ashamed of the amount of time that has passed since my last post. Which I suppose added to it, because when I am embarrassed or feel bad about something, I tend to avoid it... not my best quality, I admit.

That being said I have a confession to make... In my quest for a healthy body, mind and overall life there is something that I have been neglecting- my teeth! I brush twice a day and floss- sometimes, but I have been avoiding the dentist like the plague, mostly out of fear and shame that I hadn't been in so long. I know. I know. Ridiculous! Yesterday this neglect came back to bite me in the you know what.

I was in so much pain that I was forced to swallow my shame, and fear and call a dentist (who had been recommended to me about a year ago, by the way). Long story short, he was super- absolutely not to be feared- and I had to have a root canal due to a broken filling. Not the best day of my life, and it could have TOTALLY been avoided had I just gotten routine check ups like a good girl.
It doesn't matter how much you work out or how well you eat, if you are not taking care of your teeth and gums, you can't have a completely healthy body. I recently read a quote from Sarah Silverman: "Death creeps in through your gums." I will remember this next time I am too tired to floss, or avoiding the dentist. A little maintenance goes a long way. It can save you a world of pain and stress, and not to mention, a lot of money. Plus... IT'S YOUR SMILE, why wouldn't you take care of it?

So I am out of my blog funk and done avoiding things. Expect to hear from me again soon...