I reused the title of the blog I wrote for you all around this time last year. I reused it partially because I think it’s cute, but also to remind myself, as a girl who acceptingly EBBS & FLOWS along with the seasons, that January & February doesn’t have to be the beginning or the end of your capacity to set great habits. It can also be the middle…and it is the middle of winter. Nature is seemingly more at rest, trees shed their leaves, many animals hibernate, the birds migrate, even the grass is resting. So this season, I am keeping the flow, emptying my closets, and filling my cup.
Closet Clean Out
Getting rid of obstacles. This is my favorite January accomplishment. A clean and organized home and work space is necessary to make room for goals, intentions, and ideas to manifest. I find the best way to do this is not all at once, but by category which is I am listing the rules that work best for me and noting the ones which are also principles of the famous Marie Kondo or KonMarie Method, even if I did it before knowing it was her rule… I just feel like she owns this department and we should all divert to her when in doubt 🙂
- Organize by category rather than by room or closet. (KonMarie)This is helpful for the files I keep at home for the Pilates Studio vs the files I keep at the Pilates studio. Or the pens I have accumulated in my kitchen and my desk at home. It also helped me when I tackled my 20+ year old fitness wardrobe. Then there were sub categories: Pilates, dance, dance warmup, athleisure, Pilates teacher appropriate, BASI Pilates Teacher Training gear, and summer vs winter. Then there is the I don’t care what I look like it’s comfy category and the exercise clothes that double as normal people clothes category. So, I donated enough clothes to cover up a small country and it feels great.
- If you were moving for 2 years would you take it with you?
- Can you wear it 3 different ways or is it so fabulous that it doesn’t matter?
- Does it spark joy? (KonMarie) This really worked well when I took everything in a category out of my closet and onto my bed. I was actually talking to my clothes and telling them if they brought me joy or not, lol.
- Chip away one category at a time over a couple of weeks.
- Allow 2 bins of “not sure” stuff that you can keep for a random jungle theme party, Halloween, or disco night. I call mine my costume bins.
- Have donate, sell, and giveaway piles.
- Do easy stuff first and sentimental stuff last. (KonMarie) I started with paperwork, and I’m saving jewelry/sentimental stuff for last. I did find that organizing everyday spots gave me momentum and positive reinforcement, but I did the rest of paperwork after completing my clothes. The correct order is: clothing, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and lastly, sentimental items.
- Pilates studio files are stored away, my everyday paperwork is in pouches in my work bag which acts as a little traveling office since I change my “work” station all the time. Either at home or the Pilates studio- sometimes I am at my desk, or deep window sills, but often on a mat on the floor, the pouches help me not to accumulate papers and to stay on top of business owner tasks.
Nurture, Self Care, Beautify
Lots of self care for me in the winter. Some of my most favorite things are:
- Higher dose led face mask. It is warm and relaxing. Its anti-inflammatory benefits definitely help take the edge off my face from winter paleness, dry indoor heating, and being windblown from riding my bike. The red light is also very good for your eye health to counter all the blue light we get from technology. And can’t hurt, might help with self preservation.
LINK TO PURCHASE LED FACE MASK
- Take Pilates class! Treat yourself to some private lessons to help you set goals, and self correct in your other activities or sports. Incorporate the energy of others to carry you through movement.
- Restorative postures and release techniques. Releasing the neck, elongating the sacral area, foam rolling the thoracic spine are all extra important during the cold months when we tend to carry ourselves differently and may be less active.
See video demos below, many of the exercises shown can interchangeably use the roller or the ball.
- Book a massage. Unwind facia lines in the body, chip away at built up scar tissue that can accumulate in the body from even tiny injuries throughout your life. Taking a minute to yourself, focus on breath, realignment, and connectivity in your body has an effect that lasts far beyond the 30-90 minute session. Our massage therapists create long lasting effects. For example I did a series of massages that were full body but to focus on my hamstrings years ago and our team got rid of the restrictions and scar tissue I had in the muscle, and now I have moved onto other focus points.
Immunity Boost
In the Pilates studio we call your body the “machine” that uses the equipment or apparatus. Maybe if we actually hibernated during the flu/cold season we could avoid it, but getting sick to some degree is inevitable. Keeping a well tuned strong capable machine will certainly help your immune system. Since every vertebrae essentially forms the house which protects your nervous system; it correlates with a muscle, a skin patch, and an organ. Keeping the spine healthy and unobstructed will inevitably play its part in any recovery process. Additionally, I have what many of my friends refer to as my magic potions, or as I call them, “can’t hurt- might help.” Here is a list of my general favorites that are all easy to come across and I feel confident sharing. There is a whole other layer of stuff I take if I am fighting off a specific sickness and for that I will divert to our clinical nutritionist Michelle Miller.
- Vitamin A: a 100k ius per season was recommended to me since it is fat soluble. Since viruses deplete your vitamin A, a reserve in the body can help fight off a virus or make it less invasive should you catch it. I noted on government websites they say this is the treatment for even the measles…
- Pure daily immune.
- CF seasonal support. I swear by this for any cold symptoms. I always take it during or after a flight. It clears your sinuses and always either eliminates my cold or alleviates the symptoms and duration. I usually take 2 full droppers in a shot of water with oregano oil.
- Oregano oil basically kills everything yucky. It is a natural antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and known to have many other health benefits. We had a 95 year old patient at the clinic who said it was her secret. I usually take at the first signs of any cold symptoms mixed in with CF seasonal support.
- Elderberry extract is a known immune booster first told to me by a tiny health food store owner in the UES when I was in my 20s. I always got a 2 month cold and he told me that this would solve all my problems. Since then I have never had a lingering cold for more than a week. I take various forms of this, liquid, pill or dropper form. It is also sold in all regular pharmacies.
- I can’t say enough about this stuff called Boiron Oscillococcinum. Any sign of flu symptoms, aches, shakiness, I always feel this work. My husband and daughter also take it now since they feel the benefit. When I had covid, it always eased my symptoms.
- This was my newest discovery a few weeks ago when I thought I was getting the stomach flu, Boiron Nausea Calm. I could feel the relief and while I was “off” for 2 days, I never actually was sick.
PRE-SKI WARM UP EXERCISES
Cat Cow
(Spinal Flexion – Extension)
Hip Extension w/ Flat Back
Calf Raise w/ Squat
Cervical Extension w/ Shoulder Reach + Cervical Rotation
Chest Lift
aka Thoracic Extension + Thoracic Foam Rolling
Spine Twist Supine + Hip Openers
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