From Greatist: See How Much the "Perfect" Female Body Has Changed in 100 Years (It's Crazy!)

Maria Hart in a Jan 15, 2015 posting on Greatist, provides an overview (by decade) starting in 1910 of the "perfect" female body. The shifts in "perfection" are huge and unrealistic for most women.

For example, 'The Supermodel' was the "perfect" female body when I was in high school and college and likely one of the reasons that to this day, I feel "short" at 5' 4", although studies show that is average height for most women.  

Scroll to the bottom of her article to see a slideshow of each of the "perfect" figures. And make note of Maria's final sentence:

"The media’s idea of beauty is subjective and changes, but confidence is always in style."

-- Maria Hart, Greatist.com, Jan 15, 2015

MUSC, Medical Research and "Pilates Power"

My good friends, internal medicine doctors at MUSC, forwarded an Email from MUSC's Safety Physician about an article in MUSC's publication "Safely Speaking," entitled Pilates Power:

The article discusses a recent study published on PubMed on the effect Pilates has on older adults and preventing falls. While more research is needed, there does seem to be a correlation between Pilates, improved balance, and reduced falls. 

As a reminder, the benefits of Pilates are: strength, stamina, stretch/flexibility, and stabilization -- this improves balance, but also evens the two sides of the body. Pilates is

all about controlling the body with the mind, while using all the muscles at once, in concert with breathing. Using body weight and spring tension, one can successfully complete a weight-bearing exercise program while seated or lying down (on sofa-height equipment). Individuals with vertigo or other balance issues, obese clients, older adults or anyone who has issues with getting up and down off the floor usually find this much safer and more appealing. 

At Any Body's Pilates, we believe Fitness is for ANY Body! We enjoy working with older adults, and those who have difficulty working out. Our equipment is sofa height (there are NO Yoga Mats on the floor), and we believe in personalized instruction, even in a Mat class environment. For more information, see our web site or contact us. 

Happy New Year's Resolutions!

Most people make resolutions, most fail by the end of the year. Some set unrealistic goals, some focus on the negative, some use improper measurements (or don't measure progress correctly), some try to do too much too fast -- and the result is discouragement and eventually abandoning the goal.

If your goal is focused on health and wellness, any progress is positive, so how you set and measure the goals really is key.

Here are a few tips for making achievable resolutions:

• Make realistic goals
• Focus on the positive
• Make small changes progressively (not all at once)
• Measure (and reward) your progress
• Don't be discouraged by setbacks 

Make sure the goal and the measurement accurately reflect what you're trying to achieve as your higher level goal. 

If you'd like help in setting realistic and achievable goals, developing a plan to achieve them, coaching and support, assistance with establishing proper measurements and measuring them over time, Any Body's Pilates can help. We offer Health Coaching, Personal Training, Health/Wellness Education Workshops, in addition to Pilates. 

Happy New Year and good luck with your 2015 Resolutions!