Go-To Moves

Hello Strong & Beautifuls,

I hope this finds you well and warm, whether you're working like crazy here in NYC or already off to your holiday destinations making cookies and relaxing (or something like that). This week's newsletter is just to wish you the best of winter holidays, and offer three of my favorite go-anywhere do-anytime exercises to help keep you in touch with your barre bod if you can't make it to a class.

go-to moves

For me, exercise is about more than fitness. My workouts are as much about maintaining my sense of balance, confidence, calm and connection as they are about getting my heart rate up and getting sweaty, and I know it can be tough to maintain an exercise schedule during busy holiday times, especially when traveling or hosting. But a few minutes to yourself, or at least for yourself, every day will have far-reaching benefits, even if they don't put you at a calorie deficit in the face of egg nog and sugar cookies. Use these three favorite moves to stay strong and connected to your body this holiday, which in turn will stave off the effects of stress and excess:

1) The Hundred
Devised by Joseph Pilates, we do this warm-up exercise almost every single class. It's not only a genius breathing exercise (cardio lying down, woo-hoo!), it strengthens and tones your abs and warms up your whole body. Use it to wake up in the morning or warm up any time of day. If you're feeling extra diesel, try repeating it to complete a two-or-three-hundred:
Lay on your back with knees bent at ninety degrees, thighs together. Lengthen through your pelvis, maintaining but not exaggerating the natural curve of your lumbar spine, and curl head, neck, and shoulders to the tips of the blades up off your mat with arms long by your sides. Begin to rapidly pump your straight arms up and down about 6 inches and breathe deeply, inhaling for 5 pumps and exhaling for 5 pumps. Extend your legs as soon as your feel ready and as low as you can maintain a flat stomach (NOT puffed up to the ceiling) and long pelvis. Breathe 10 breaths.

2) Forearm Plank
I love a forearm plank because from this position, you can challenge so many aspects of your core strength while practicing perfect alignment and staying long, which help you make lean muscles rather than bunchy, stiff ones. Placing forearms on the ground, tuck your toes and extend to straight legs with chest in between elbows and head and hips in line with the rib cage. Hold here for 1-3 minutes, mix in with a few rounds of the Hundred, or play with some variations:

1) Bend one or both knees, keeping hips steady and stable
2) Twist one hip down to the mat at a time, switching up speeds
3) Shift whole body forward and back, maintaining alignment
4) Play with your hand position - clasp hands, turn palms up to ceiling, flat on ground or hands facing each other

3) Second Position Pliés
The go-to for strong and toned dancer legs, a burn for inner as well as outer thighs, and even a little heart rate boost if you go for it. This is also my shortcut to a daily booty lift and it keeps the leggings looking righteous & firm, that's for sure. Set up proper:
Stand with feet turned out to the corners of your mat (aka 10 and 2 o'clock) and separated wider than your hips. Ideally, when you arrive at your deepest bend, your knees should be in line with your ankles (not beyond your toes) so your shins are exactly perpendicular to the ground. Keep hips in line with rib cage throughout - no booty sticking out, no chest dipping forward (clue: use your abs!) - and bend until hips are line with knees. Press down through your feet as you stretch back up from the inner thighs. Try some variations:
1) Pulse for 30 seconds, then slow it down for 30 seconds and repeat.
2) Stretch arms by ears and tip torso forward as you bend or pulse for 30 sec, then back to upright for 30 sec.
3) Lift one or both heels at a time, resisting any temptation to roll your ankles or wing them out.

And you can do all of the above in 10 minutes. If you have extra time, put on some tunes and have a dance party with yourself. Or your boo. Or some children. Or your aunties.

To close, babes, my greatest holiday wish for you, whether you're trimming a tree, lighting candles or dancing around a solstice bonfire, is that you enjoy your body. You have all shown yourselves such respect and care this fall, and I hope you can recognize and love the awesome results you've achieved, visible and otherwise.

Be Rad,
Annie