Living Well Pilates--
Original Studio
Living Well Pilates--
Studio Harmonia
Platinum Award
We are proud to announce that Living Well Pilates is the Platinum winner in Oakville Today's Readers Choice Awards. Look for us in the special sections in the July 10th and July 17th editions listing all of the winners. Thank you all for your support.
Canada Day Wellness Fair 2008
LWP participated in the 2008 Wellness Fair that took place on Saturday June 28th, at the corner of Lakeshore and Kerr.
Pedometers @ Oakville Library
LWP was invited to attend the launching of the Pedometer Lending Program on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at Oakville Public Library (OPL) , Glen Abbey Branch. This initiative is a partnership between the Town of Oakville, OPL and the Halton Region Health Department. Community residents will now be able to borrow a pedometer from the library and begin counting their steps to better health. LWP had a chance to inform Lori Sims, CEO, Oakville Public Library, of our free walks encouraging individuals to join us.
Free Seminars @ LWP
LWP welcomes individuals/organizations offering free demonstrations and seminars on health and wellness related issues at the Studio. In July, the following seminars were offered :
1. On Friday July 18th Karen Lalonde, One on One HeartMath® Provider, gave a very insightful and interesting seminar on how to define stress, understand your triggers and find out an easy way to manage your emotions. Negative emotions alter heart rhythms, creating a chaotic pattern that affects you by increasing physical tension. By learning how to create a smooth heart rhythm in real time, you can quiet your mind, neutralize your bad feelings and relax body tension. HeartMath® tools and techniques are designed to help you change your heart to transform out of stress, at will. Many of Karen’s clients are golfers who are looking to improve their game by staying in the “Performance Zone” vs. the “Stress Zone”. LWP will be incorporating this technique in our new Body Changes class this Fall.
HeartMath® is a registered trademark of the Institute of HeartMath.
2. LWP welcomed therapeutic yoga instructor Raj Gupta. Raj has been a 22 year long student of B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga. He was visiting from India, and gave a free seminar at the studio on Friday July 25th, at 9:00 AM. All attendees found the seminar very enlightening.
I have been practicing Pilates for four years, and initially began my practice for the purpose of fitness; to become leaner and reduce stress in my life. Before I began Pilates, I practiced yoga, walked regularly, and tried the gym. Now, in addition to Pilates, I continue to walk and lift some weights.
At Living Well Pilates, I attend two group sessions per week, and have two private sessions with Mary German each season. What I have experienced as a result of Pilates is an overall strengthening of my muscles; I am leaner and much less stressed; my posture has improved; and I no longer have aches and pains in my neck, shoulders and feet. Recreationally, Pilates has provided additional strength and allows me to take much longer and steeper hikes than I would have been able to before.
I really enjoy the challenge of the group classes at Living Well Pilates, and I often surprise myself when I am able to do a difficult movement. Mary German is fantastic; no one comes close to her. She is extremely knowledgeable, and takes the time to ensure that you are getting the most of each class. I would recommend Living Well Pilates to anyone.
A.P.
Our tentative fall schedule is now available. This is our busiest session, so to get the classes you want make sure you register early.
Our new tank tops and t-shirts with LWP logo (Pilates for All Bodies®) are now available in grey, black and white. Stock is going out fast!
The Teacher Training Program at LWP has been very successful and well-received by many who are interested in getting a certified Body Harmonics Instructor Training. There are always new classes added to this program. For more information refer to our website and the poster in the studio.
Living Well Pilates HAS MORE STUDIO SPACE! Studio Harmonia, in Milton, is now a second location for our client’s Pilates practice and for LWP staff to work in their chosen profession and build their practice.
Darcel de Sylva’s beautifully designed Milton studio includes three exercise rooms. Studio A is the largest with a floating wood floor, a wall of windows, high ceilings, a deluxe sound system, and real plants. Our original floor space would fit inside this room!!! Studio B’s size is suitable for Equipment Connections Classes, Client Independent Equipment Practice, small mat classes, and privates. The Harmony Room is intimate for privates and also available for rental space by other health care professionals.
Living Well Pilates staff team is excited to take on these new opportunities and join the staff from Milton. The store name remains Studio Harmonia, and the Yoga, Nia and Zumba classes will continue for the continuity of services for Milton clients and access to Oakville clients.
Stay tuned for further details, and Witness the Evolution of Living Well Pilates--Oakville and Living Well Pilates--Milton.
Oakville clients are welcome at Milton--Milton clients are welcome at Oakville.
Blessings, mg
Based on your responses to our
questionnaire The following new additions will be included in the Fall session (Gym shoes may be worn if needed):
· BOSU (Both Sides Up) Pilates: it can be used as a rounded top/flat bottom or a flat top/rounded bottom. Both sides are challenging, interesting and lead to FUN. Cardio components will be incorporated in the classes, interspersed with Pilates-based exercises. As the class progresses, longer cardio components are added.
· Vertical Intensive (Advanced): brings your core to its fullest potential, strengthens and lifts your buttock, lengthens and strengthens the outer and inner thighs during the larger part of the class in standing position. The class will work towards 45 minutes of standing components. More strengthening of upper body exercises will be added during floor work. This is the next level after Core Dynamics.
· Step Pilates: takes the Reebok Step as a tool to add the cardio component interspersed with Pilates-based exercises. As the class progresses, longer cardio components are added.
·
Body Changes:
Body
Changes is Back! Because of the success our clients had with lifestyle changes
during our Body Changes program, we are bringing it back this fall. We have
added a de-stress component, along with the nutrition and fitness elements
within a networking session.
During stressful situations the body can be trained to stay neutral and not be
drawn into imbalance. Intelligence is distributed throughout the human system,
and the heart is an intelligent system that profoundly affects the brain
processing. Using the intelligent heart will lead to coherence.
We have all experienced incoherence and our actions produced outcomes that
were difficult, fearful, negative, and draining. We have all experienced “being
in coherence” where our actions produced outcomes that were productive,
efficient, easy and fulfilling.
Join us in Body Changes Monday at 10:30 AM or Saturday at 11:00 AM to Live Well.
Throughout June, LWP clients completed their Personal Goal Assessment Questionnaire, and the response was overwhelming with a total of 95 completed questionnaires! The goal is to provide LWP with the reasons motivating our clients to participate in Pilates, whether through group or private sessions, while also allowing each client to assess their personal goals and accomplishments in their practice to date, and for the future. At the end of each session, each client will have the opportunity to review their previous session's goals, and assign new goals for the next session. Thank you to all who participated, your input is invaluable to the growth of LWP.
The highlights from the questionnaire results are as follows:
· 45% of respondents said that fitness was their initial motivation for coming to Living Well Pilates
· 19% cited pain or injury as their motivation
· 14% said weight loss was their initial reason
The primary benefits of Pilates as noticed by the respondents are:
· Flexibility (23%)
· Strength (22%)
· Improved posture (21%)
· Reduced pain (14%)
The top three future goals mentioned by the respondents include:
· Improving strength/tone (25%)
· Improving flexibility (19%)
· Losing weight (12%).
The most popular areas of the body cited for specific focus include:
· Abdominals (17%)
· Upper legs/thighs (13%)
· Lower back (12%)
· Buttocks (12%)
75% of respondents are interested in incorporating a cardio component into their Pilates practice. Cardio Pilates had the highest level of interest at 50%, with Bosu not too far behind at 34%, and step at 16%.
Results were mixed regarding adding a lifestyle change and/or weight management program with 48% responding positively, 42% not interested, and 10% not sure.
See LWP’s new cardio and Body Changes programs in the Fall schedule!
Over the first two weekends of August we will be laying wood flooring in the studio and preparing for a beautiful start up in the Fall at the Oakville location. Please excuse any inconveniences you may experience.
A big thank you goes to the following clients for their referrals:
Leah, Laurie, Orla, Zophia, Leslie, Ian, Candice, Lisa M., Cassidy, Sonja, Katarina, Lisa W. and Diane.
LWP offers different prizes depending on the number of referrals: t-shirts, hats, fleecy jackets or tote bags. To help you win classes, privates and LWP merchandise, host a Living Well Pilates party in your home and we provide the Pilates for free. For more information inquire at the front desk.
LWP walks are still taking place as scheduled on Mondays at 11:00 am and Wednesdays at 8:30 am. With pedometers available for lending at the Oakville Public Library, we encourage you to get a pedometer, join us on these walks and start counting your steps.
Our last hiking trip on July 22 was actually a canoeing trip this time! Eight participants went canoeing on the Grand River in Paris, ON. The trip was organized by Lunatic Adventures Inc. who provided us with the necessary equipment, and a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. We canoed for 3 1/2 hours in beautiful weather with a water level higher than average for this time of the year. The trip ended with dinner at a local pub in St. George. A good time was had by all.
The Footsteps for Trees program at LWP has been really successful with approximately 3,100,000 steps logged in so far. This amounts to about 310 trees planted so far. Please join us, and help expand our “forest” even more.
Marinated courgette salad with pine nuts & parmesan
Grilled fish with new potato & spring onion crush
Enjoy and keep healthy!
Marinated courgette salad with pine nuts & parmesan
Ingredients
4
courgettes, cut into long ribbons with a potato peeler
4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
a handful basil leaves, shredded
a handful parmesan shavings to serve
Dressing
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Method
Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Toss the courgettes with the dressing and leave for 10 minutes.
Toss with, pine nuts and basil then scatter with parmesan.
Grilled fish with new potato & spring onion crush
Ingredients
50g butter
1 bunch sliced spring onions
450g baby new potatoes
4 fillets of firm white fish
garnish with watercress and serve with mayonnaise
Method
Cook the new potatoes in boiling salted water for 12 minutes until just tender and drain. Melt the butter in a pan and cook the sliced spring onions for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Lay the 4 fish fillets on a buttered tray, skin side up. Brush with melted butter and grill for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is tender.
Ingredients
150g raspberries, puréed
450g Greek-style yogurt, coconut flavour
4 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Purée raspberries in a food processor along with icing sugar. Sieve to remove the seeds.
Spoon Greek-style coconut yogurt into a bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of purée so it is stained pink.
Spoon into lolly moulds, add the rest of the purée then the rest of the yogurt. Push in lolly sticks and freeze until solid.
