Yoga vs. Pilates what's better for you???

What is the difference of Yoga and Pilates and which one is   better for you???

The word yoga itself means "union": of the individual consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. Though many people think of yoga only as physical exercises — the asanas or postures that have gained widespread popularity in recent decades — these are actually only the most superficial aspect of this profound science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul.


The mind-body practice is frequently touted for its ability to reduce stress and boost well-being, but it also offers wide-ranging physical health benefits that rival other forms of exercise.

Hatha: This type of yoga is slow-paced, gentle, and focused on breathing and meditation.  To introduce beginners to yoga with basic poses and relaxation techniques. Relieves stress, provides physical exercise, and improves breathing. Beginners and people wanting to learn the basics of yoga

Vinyasa: This variety of Hatha yoga emphasizes on the Sun Salutation, a series of 12 poses. To link the breath with movement and to build lean muscle mass throughout the body. Helps improve strength and flexibility, tones the abdominal muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Beginners and advanced yogis alike seeking to strengthen their bodies

Ashtanga: Considered a form of power yoga, Ashtanga is fast-paced and intense with lunges and push-ups. To help improve one’s spiritual self. Relieves stress, improves coordination, and helps with weight loss. Fit people looking to maintain strength and stamina, and those who want to get in touch with their spiritual side

Iyengar: Different props like straps, blankets, and blocks are used to assist in strengthening the body. Standing poses are emphasized, and are often held for long periods of time. To strengthen and bring the body into alignment. Helps improve balance, speeds up recovery from an injury, and builds up body strength. Beginners who want to learn the correct alignments in each pose and those with injuries, balance issues, and chronic medical conditions like arthritis

Bikram: Also known as hot yoga, Bikram is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room. It’s typically a series of 26 poses that allows for a loosening of tight muscles and sweating. To flush out toxins and to deeply stretch the muscles. Speeds up recovery from an injury, enhances flexibility, and cleanses the body. Beginners and advanced yogis alike who want to push themselves and those with physical injuries

PilatesThe focus of Pilates is physical. It’s a conditioning program that improves deep core strength, muscle control, flexibility, coordination, and body tone, while producing long, lean muscles. It has six principles, which have been modified since Joseph Pilates first created the method in the 1920’s:

Pilates can be completed on a mat, or on specialized equipment such as the Reformer, which utilizes pulleys, springs and weight resistance to build strength. The regimen involves calisthenics that isolate and work each muscle group without creating bulk. 

1. Centering (strengthening The Powerhouse—abdominal muscles, pelvis, buttocks and lower back)
2. Concentration (bringing full attention to each exercise)
3. Control (utilizing total muscle control)
4. Precision (every movement has a purpose)
5. Breath (exercises are coordinated with the breath)
6. Flow (movements are smooth and graceful)

Pilates 
on a Reformer  uses springs, pulleys, bars & straps to perform over 500 exercises in a variety of positions. The equipment was originally developed to offer movement & rehab to the injured, but today it offers a more                   challenging version of the matwork.

Pilates also enhances respiratory and circulatory function, both helpful in managing arthritic pain and reducing muscle and tendon soreness. And, through the development of a stronger core, and emphasis of neutral spinal alignment, Pilates helps prevent and allay back pain, and improve overall spine health.

Pilates is known to stretch, strengthen, gain flexibility and balance your body, while connecting the mind with the body.  Strengthening the ‘Powerhouse’ which includes the abdomen, lower back, hips and buttocks is the biggest benefit that you will get while practicing Pilates.

So after all this information, how do you choose..Simple what is it that your body needs? What are you looking for to achieve and what do you want your body to look like?
 In simple words...Yoga will give you a body that is muscular and strong. The poses are held for seconds and/or minutes..
Pilates will give you a long lean look, the poses are repetitive never really holding them. Lot's of repetitions. If you have back injuries I prefer Pilates. I have over 15 years of lifting weights and for me holding a yoga pose is very excruciating pain. Pilates are easier on my body. 

Thank you for taking a look at this week's blog

Stay healthy, strong, be fit and love life.

Angie Castillo

Life Style Coach

Getting your health and fit on...

Are you overstuffed from left-overs???

I know I have had plenty of leftovers, and feeling over-stuffed!!!

How in the world come Sunday evening and my children and I are still having turkey dinner. 

Now is it's time to get back in the game. Friday I had a morning walk with pull-ups and lunges. Saturday my baby and I went running up stairs. Whether it be running, walking, bleachers or weights, it's all good, just move your booty...

Sunday my girly and I did bleachers with burpees and jumping jacks. This was fun, having a friend join along always helps. We can always push each other when we are tired. So grab a friend, your tennis shoes and get your grove on'.

Adding step-ups adds great definition to your bootie. Doing three sets of 20 will be enough. Step it up...

  I love adding different exercises. Push-ups and pull-ups are great for upper body. Doing pull-ups and push-ups works your bicep and triceps,chest, shoulders and back.

Thank you for stopping by, as always stay fit and healthy, you never know if today will be your last day of life...

P.S. here is a detox water to help flush out the junk.. 

Ingredients: 1 cup of fresh coconut water, 1/2 cup fresh coconut meat, 1 cucumber sliced, 1/2 cup of raspberries, 1/2 cup of blueberries, pinch of Himalayan salt, 1 tbs. fresh lemon, 1 liter of water.

 Refrigerate 4-6 hours. Serve and enjoy!!

Angie Castillo

Intuitive Life Coach/ Lifestyle Coaching

www.accessyourdreamlife.com

It's time to chill with Magnesium...

Why is Magnesium called the Chill Pill???  

 It's a way to combat stress and  the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep.

              

              What really does Magnesium do for you?                                                   Well let's take a look. 

 Studies show that if you are lacking Magnesium it can create great stress on our bodies. Magnesium is a mineral that's crucial to the body's function. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady. Studies say that many people in the U.S. aren't eating enough foods with magnesium. Adults who consume less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have elevated inflammation markers. Inflammation, in turn, has been associated with major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.  

There's some evidence that eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people and so many more illnesses.  

Can you get magnesium naturally from foods? Yes, you can..

Some food sources of magnesium include:

• Green, leafy vegetables, like spinach
• Nuts,Beans, peas, and soybeans and
• Whole-grain cereals

Eating whole foods is always best. Magnesium can be lost during refinement and processing. Please ask a your doctor or nutritinist for the recommended dosage for you.

Feed Your Body Magnesium

 Limit coffee, colas, salt, sugar, and alcohol; learn how to practice meditation; check with your doctor if you need Magnesium.

                                         Eat Foods High in Magnesium their good for you

Include the following in your diet as often as you can:

Kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu, soy beans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley, dandelion greens, and garlic. 

Enjoy fresh foods instead of pills. I am a believer in the keeping it fresh mentality, Nuts go a long way, stock up and load up on yumminess...

                      BONUS Today, yippy!!!

Total body workout...

Dumbbell Front Squat, Target Body Part: Back, Butt/Hips, Legs - Thighs, Full Body/Integrated Equipment Needed: Dumbbells

Step 1.  Starting Position: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, turned slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell each hand by your sides, with your palms facing inward. Pull your shoulder blades down and back.

Step 2. Engage your core and abdominal muscles ("bracing") to stabilize your spine. Curl the dumbbells to a position where they rest on the front edge of your shoulders or just in front of your shoulders. Keep your chest up lifted and your chin parallel to the ground or slightly lifted. Shift your weight into your heels.

Step 3. Begin this phase by hinging at the hips, shifting them back and down. Your hips and knees bend simultaneously. As you lower your hips the knees bend and will start to shift forward slowly. Try to prevent your knees from traveling too far forward past the toes. Keep the abdominals/core muscles engaged and try to keep your back flat (do not tuck the tail or arch the low back).

Step 4. Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor. If your heels begin to lift off the floor or your torso begins to round, return to start position. Be aware of any movement that may occur at your feet, ankles and knees. Work to ensure that the feet do not move, the ankles do not collapse in or out and the knees remain lined up with the second toe.

Step 5. Lowered Position: Keep the knees aligned with the second toe and body weight evenly distributed between the balls and heels of both feet. If you can view this from the side, your shinbone should be parallel with your torso and the low back should appear flat or may be showing the beginning of some rounding.

Step 6. Upward Phase: While maintaining the position of your back, chest and head and with the abdominals engaged, exhale and return to start position by pushing your feet into the floor through your heels. The hips and torso should rise together. Keep the heels flat on the floor and knees aligned with the second toe.

Technique is very important in this lift. The tendency is to hold the shinbone too vertical which forces you to lean your torso too far forward. Using a mirror for feedback, shift your shinbones forward while keeping your heels on the floor, then bring your torso more upright, but do so from the hips and not through the low back. Squeeze your abdominals to help prevent excess arching in the back with this correction. This exercise was brought to you by. (www.acefitness.org)

Thank you for reading this weeks blog. I love sharing great ways to stay health and fit. To your health....

Angie Castillo Intuitive Life Coach/Lifestyle Coaching...www.acceessyourdreamlife.com

More goodness for your health...

Did you know Beets are good for you?

Did you know that beets have several health benefits???

Red beets are known by a whole host of names, including the garden beet, the table beet, and just the plain old beet. One of the most popularly encountered types of beet in all of the continent of North America as well as Britain, red beets are just one of the many cultivated types of beets. Most of the time, the roots of red beets are boiled and then consumed as a cooked vegetable or eaten cold as part of a salad, after you have cooked them and added vinegar and oil.

Beets have been proven to be a source rich in essential vitamins like vitamin C. Vitamin C is widely known as a potent combatant against the common cold, and while it has been shown to reduce the frequency with which people catch that illness, vitamin C.The juice from red beets, beetroot juice, has been actually shown to reduce high blood pressure, a godsend for people with hypertension and those looking to avoid cardiovascular dilemmas.

Don't Forget the Greens....

After beets are harvested, the leaves, or greens, are often removed because they pull moisture away from the beet. If you find fresh beets with the leaves still intact, cut them off when you get home and store the greens separately from the beet. Healthy leaves should be crisp, green and void of slime on the surface. Beet leaves are very perishable and won’t last more than a few days in the refrigerator. One cup of raw beet greens has 8 calories, 1.4 grams of fiber and 0.84 grams of protein. The same serving size of cooked beets has 39 calories, 4.2 grams of fiber and 3.7 grams of protein. Dark, leafy greens, including beet leaves, are the best sources of vitamin K. This vitamin is needed to make proteins that stop bleeding by clotting blood. These hearty leaves look very much like Swiss chard, and not surprisingly, they cook and taste like chard too. Better yet, they're incredibly nutritious. One cup of beets contains 220 percent of your daily allowance of vitamin A  and vitamin C.

Create a Beet smoothie

Ingredients

• handful of fresh spinach
• ¼ cup red beetroot, peeled
• 2 small apples (what’s in season), quartered
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 1 mandarin, peeled (make sure it has no pits)
• 1 cm piece of ginger
• juice of ½ big lemon (I used Meyer)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP chia seeds
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• Optional: more chia seeds to serve

Instructions

1. Put all to ingredients into blender until you get a creamy, smooth consistency. Serve in glass and enjoy!

Sweet Corn with Baby Beets and Basil

The vegetables in this side dish are simply tossed in olive oil, allowing the earthy-sweet summer flavors and bright colors to shine. SERVINGS:4..Martha Stewart Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• -Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• -2 ears of corn, husked and halved
• -8 baby beets (about 1 pound), trimmed and scrubbed
• -Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• -1 to 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
• Garnish: basil sprigs

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Cook corn until tender, about 4 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate.

2. STEP 2

   Add beets to water, and simmer, partially covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 35 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate. Let cool slightly. Peel, and cut beets into halves or quarters.

3. STEP 3

   Carefully cut kernels from corncobs using a sharp knife, and transfer to a large shallow bowl. Add beets, and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in torn basil. Garnish with basil sprigs.

I hope that the information I've shared helps you to include beets into your diet. As always Enjoy. To your health and happiness.

Angie Castillo....Intuitive Life Coach, Life Style Coaching....www.accessyourdreamlife.com

Why should I do squats??!

To squat or not to squat..

Front squats vs. Back Squats

Squats should be a staple in any lifter’s routine looking to build muscle and strength or just enhance quality of life.

What are the benefits of squatting:

Squat exercises are great for a total lower body workout. They work most of the major muscle groups of the butt, hips and thighs. Squats are also a versatile exercise. They can be done in almost any location.

Tones the Legs;  Squat exercises thoroughly engage the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles, which helps to tone and strengthen the legs. 

Lifts the Butt; Doing squats gives the glutes a powerful workout, helping to tighten and lift the butt. To increase this effect, give your glutes an extra squeeze when returning to a standing position.

Strengthens the Core; Squats engage the core muscles of the body. Abdominal and back muscles are needed to keep balance during the movement. The result is a tighter, flatter abdomen and a stronger lower back.  Make a conscious effort to hold in your abdominal muscles while squatting down to increase this effect.

Front squat vs. Back squat

Front squats put the bar in front of the body, while back squat puts the barbell on the upper back. Front squats put a greater emphasis on your quadriceps( front of the legs) while back squats require more from your glutes(butt). Because front squats force you to stand taller, they require more hip flexibility than back squats.

 

Back squats place more emphasis on the  glutes and hamstrings(back of the legs) Since the weight is loaded almost directly down the spine, they also place compressive forces on the vertebra meaning they force the core to do more work to protect the lower back.

How to Do a  Squat Exercise

-Stand with your feet hip width apart.

-Tighten and pull in your abdominal muscles.

-Lower your body as if you were going to sit in a chair. Keep the motion slow.

-Stop when your legs are parallel to the floor.

-Stay in this position for a few seconds.

-Now press down onto your heels and slowly rise back up to a standing position.

-Repeat the exercise for a total of 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

-Be sure to rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Hope this is helpful, I know as women we want the benefits of looking good and feeling good. Squats encompass the whole body and your mind pushing you beyond limits. You can get amazing results that can last years of benefit. I was a huge squatter in my day, I stopped squatting for two years and still reaping the benefits of toned legs and butt. Squats can be your best friend, Enjoy!!

To your happy and healthy bootie, squat away...

Angie Castillo

Life Style Coaching

Intuitive Life Coach

www.accessyourdreamlife.com

accessyourdreamlife@gmail.com

Why am I not loosing the weight??!

Why am I not loosing the weight?

The struggle of losing weight can become a nightmare, What's worse is not knowing how to.

We all think let's go on a diet, go to the gym, Zumba...Weight Watchers, detox, cleanse, eat lettuce, do the Cayenne liquid drink. EAT CHICKEN!!!
                                                                              Ahhhhhhh, nightmare right!
God, if I had a dollar for every time I heard a woman attempt to lose weight only to not succeed I would be a Millionaire right now.
 It saddens me to see this phenomenon of weight loss. So I am going to get brutally honest. Are you ready? Good, now I do have to tell you that I am not a Nutritionist and what I state is based only on what I have experienced in myself and clients. 
Now to begin, Adrenal Fatigue? Huh is right.! What is it? How does it affect loosing weight?
How does it affect cortisol levels? 

     In 2009 I was working as a Personal Trainer, the recession hit gyms first and I was down to a few clients holding on to the very few I had left. I was tired and stressed.  My father died late that year causing my stress to go through the roof. For the first time in my life I was starting to get Fat on my body. I had been a gym rat and previously skinny. So fat on my body was NO bueno...
Soon I left the gym to find better income, the stress was still high and became worse, as I struggled to find work, my body went into overload causing my adrenals to shoot sky high. I wasn't sleeping well, moody, emotional, a train wreck to say the least. I couldn't figure out what was going on..
On a sunny Summer day, a friend I had not heard of for a while calls me. As I shared what was happening with me, she mentions to be, "Sounds like your Adrenals are out of wack". Know what?
 I soon looked into getting myself some help. 
In the first month I dropped 10 pounds. After 2 years of not being able to figure out why I was not dropping weight.
In the first two weeks I began to notice  I felt better, sleeped better and had more energy. Yes I also added  multi vitamin. 
Exercise was a part of my life already. I'm grateful today for that phone call from my friend. 
Like I said I am not a Doctor, but if you are having trouble loosing weight look into having your Adrenalins checked .  





Here is some information on Adrenal Glands: 

The adrenal glands sit over the kidneys, where they play a significant role in the body, secreting more than 50 hormones necessary for life, including epinephrine (adrenaline), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone and testosterone. Since they produce so many essential hormones, the adrenal glands are responsible for many of the functions we need to stay alive and healthy, including:
         
   -Energy production -- carbohydrate, protein and fat conversion to blood glucose for energy
                                                      - Fluid and electrolyte balance
                                                                  -Fat storage

Unfortunately, the adrenal glands' are the "glands of stress," but are also the first glands to fail during prolonged or intense periods of stress. The problem with stressors is that they are "cumulative," in the sense that their impact tends to add up in the body over time until your adrenal glands (and probably your mental state) just can't take anymore.

Treating adrenal fatigue is as easy as:

Laughing

Exercising

Minimizing stress

Taking negative people out of your life

Eating regular meals

Doing something fun each day

Combining unrefined carbohydrates with protein and oils

Avoiding junk food

Eating five to six servings of vegetables each day

Taking calcium and magnesium supplements

Adding Sea Salt to your diet

Taking 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C each day

Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pentatonic acid

Adding licorice root extract to your dietary supplement regimen

I hope this helps, please feel free to email me for questions. 

Thank you, many blessings to your health and healing.

Angie Castillo

Life Style Coaching

www.accessyourdreamlife.com

accessyourdreamlife@gmail.com