Tag Archives: sport

Kim Kardashian goes Pilates shopping

Kardashian Pilates BarcelonaKim Kardashian goes Pilates shopping

It’s been a good week. In London it’s been cold and snowy but I’ve got a lot of work done, and in Barcelona it has been warm and sunny with a lot of training sessions and fitness/sport holidays. But now it is Friday so time to relax with my blog and look at the lighter side of Pilates.

I changed my career from a desk-bound job in the City of London many years ago to teach Pilates and wellness because I wanted to get more satisfaction from my work, and because I wanted to help people.  Having educated hundreds of Pilates teachers all over the world, I know for a fact that many of us are motivated by the desire to help other people. But who would have guessed that we would be helping Kim Kardashian?

But Kim needs our help! In Twitter this week she posted the message:

“Does anyone do Pilates? What’s the best machine? I am going to get one for my gym anad I want the best one”

So, what is your opinion for Kim and why? My initial reaction was that she should not worry so much about buying her own equipment or the type of quality of machine, she should start by worrying about the type and quality of a teacher who will teach her. But I am sure we can still give her the wealth of our knowledge and experience, and I am sure that many of you will have differing opinions that you want to share, be they serious or with a touch of Friday Celebrity humour…

Chris Hunt is an international Pilates and functional training presenter and educator based in London and Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength. He also created Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. He organises Pilates events, retreats, fitness holidays and sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza. For more information about training with Chris in Barcelona, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris Hunt, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris Hunt pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.
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New Year Resolutions failing again? Let’s Talk….

Chris Hunt Wellness Chris Hunt Pilates

www.barcelonabienestar.com

On January 1st, millions of people began the annual ritual of New Year’s Resolutions. Memberships at health clubs and diet programs soar, whilst sales of chocolate and alcohol decline. People take a long, hard look at their spending habits as they sort through the January bills.

Here in Barcelona and Ibiza, the number of people booking onto my wellness and detox retreats rocket, as do bookings for my fitness and sport holidays. Also, people are signing up to my online training and weight-loss programs with excited enthusiasm.

Now we a few weeks into the New Year and despite all this good intention, most people (not my clients of course!)  will fail at their resolutions. Come February, most New Year’s resolutions will be a dim memory. How can such apparently strong determination fizzle out so quickly? What can we do to increase the likelihood that our desire for change will translate into permanent positive change?

Let’s first examine the psychology of the New Year’s Resolution. During the month of December people tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Rather than moderate these behaviours, we promise ourselves that after the holiday season is over, we will definitely take control. In the meantime, we give ourselves permission to overindulge without guilt. Our resolve is at its peak when we feel full, drunk, or broke. It’s easy to think about going on a diet as we groan from a bloating holiday meal. It’s no problem to plan to quit smoking when we’ve just had a cigarette and replenished our nicotine level. At this point we feel confident about our New Year’s resolutions because we have not yet confronted any prolonged physical deprivation or discomfort.

Chocolate_4

In early January, we are often so sick of rich food and drinks, and feeling so sluggish from lack of vigorous physical activity that it’s not difficult to abstain from overindulgence. In fact, some people look forward to more structure and discipline in their lives. However, a few weeks into the new discipline, our appetites have returned, and we start to feel deprived. It is at this point that we are most at risk for reverting back to old behaviours.

Soon we start rationalizing that this is not a good time of year, what with cold weather and our numerous obligations. When spring comes, we’ll really get into shape. Thus, we make another promise to ourselves, and, now free of guilt, put off habit change for another few months. Chances are that when spring arrives, we will have another temporary surge of motivation, only to abandon it within a few weeks.

time_to_exercise

So why do people abandon their resolutions? One reason is that we become discouraged when results don’t come quickly enough, or when we find that we are not necessarily happier because of them. Behavioural change requires sustained effort and commitment. It is also typically accompanied by physical discomfort. For example, reducing food, alcohol or nicotine intake from a level to which you have become accustomed, results in cravings. Forcing yourself to get off your cosy chair to exercise is often difficult when you’re tired. And of course, it’s easy to procrastinate until tomorrow, so that you can rationalise not disciplining yourself today.

Therefore, if you are going to try to keep your New Year’s resolutions this year, be sure you are ready for the challenge. My experience has shown me time and time again that it possible if you know how. Here are some tips to maximize your success that I use at my retreats in Barcelona and Ibiza and also in my online training for clients. My experience is that they really work:

1. Examine your motivation for change
Are you just feeling full and bloated at this moment? Do you have a hangover from last night? Did your last cigarette give you have a hacking cough? Or is there a more enduring reason for your desire to change? If you can’t think of a better reason than the fact that you’re uncomfortable at this moment, then you’re better off not making promises to yourself that you probably won’t keep. However, if you are realistic and accept the responsibility of discipline required for change, your motivation will be sustained long after the discomfort from over-indulgence has passed.

2. Set realistic goals
Habits and behaviours that are changed gradually have a greater chance of success.

3. Focus on the behavioural change more than on the goal
For example, if you decide to control your eating, your goal for the day is not to lose a specific number of pounds, but to stick to your program. Such focus on your behaviour will help you feel in control of your life. You will gain satisfaction from making sensible choices several times throughout the day.

4. Learn to redefine physical sensations of discomfort
Whenever we restrict ourselves, we have both physical and mental reactions. For example, a smoker feels bodily sensations when his nicotine level drops. However, he has a choice as to how he interprets these symptoms. He can define them as extremely unpleasant, or alternatively he can interpret them as his body cleansing itself of the drug.

5. Make tasks non-negotiable
People who are most successful at implementing such changes are those who make their tasks non-negotiable. For example, if you debate with yourself at 5:30 a.m. whether you feel like getting up to exercise, you will probably opt for staying in bed for another half hour. But if getting up for exercise is no more negotiable than getting up for work, then you’ll do it regardless of how you feel about it. The same goes for organising your closet or taking charge of your finances. One can almost always find an excuse not to do these things. However, if you make a non-negotiable decision that’s based on a sound logical reason rather than on how you feel at the moment, you will be successful.

6. Allow for imperfection.
No one is exactly on target all the time. In fact you should expect to falter every now and then. If you give in to temptation, do not use this as an excuse to abandon the whole program. Learn from your mistake and move on.

7. Do it now.
If you’re waiting for a more convenient time to begin behavioural change, it won’t happen. It’s almost never convenient to change ingrained habits. Now is just as convenient as any time.

So I could say good luck, but we all know that it has very little to do with luck. It has everything to do with commitment and planning. If you want some help with that then contact me about online support and training, and also my retreats in Barcelona and Ibiza.

Chris Hunt is an international Pilates and functional training presenter and educator based in London and Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength. He also created Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. He organises Pilates events, retreats, fitness holidays and sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza. For more information about training with Chris in Barcelona, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris Hunt, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris Hunt pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.
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Guilt-free fitness and sport holidays and retreats in Barcelona and Ibiza 2015

Barcelona SUP fitness sport holidays

www.barcelonabienestar.com

Guilt-free fitness and sport holidays and retreats in Barcelona and Ibiza 2015

It’s the time for New Year Resolutions, many of which will be about health, weight-loss, fitness and happiness. If we pray or ask the Universe for happiness, the Universe will not give us happiness, it will give us the opportunity to find happiness. If we ask for health, we are not given health, we are given the opportunity to get healthy. I’m sure you get the principle.

With this in mind, I want to ask you what will you be doing on your holiday this year? Have you ever had a “guilt-free” holiday? In the past, many people saw their holiday as not only a time to relax and get away from the stress and strains of everyday life, but also a time to forget fitness and health regimes, and eat, drink and then eat some more.

The popularity of the “all-inclusive” holiday has only made things worse. If the food and drink is free, then why not make a pig of yourself? Besides, you are on holiday so there are no rules!

I have never understood the mentality of some people that when they are on holiday think it’s OK to forget all common sense about diet and behaviour, and see those few weeks every year as a time to “live a little”, cut loose and try to justify all this out-of-character behaviour by saying “it’s OK, I’m on holiday!”

The notion that overeating and drinking is “living a little” or even “treating” yourself makes absolutely no sense at all. So this year instead of spending the winter and spring months dieting and working-out in order to look good on holiday, then pig-out for a couple of weeks whilst away, and then start losing weight again ready for the annual Christmas binge, I have a suggestion. Why not have a holiday where you do not undo all the hard work you do for the rest of the year? Why not have a holiday where you do not have to feel guilty everyday and even more so when you get home? Why not have a holiday where you go home fitter, stronger, more relaxed and proud about having achieved some new experiences?

You do not have to pray for this, it is all possible, and with Barcelona Bienestar together we can make it happen. Bienestar is Spanish for “wellness”, and my business offers fitness holidays, sports holidays and many retreats to Barcelona and Ibiza. We offer 17 different sports (including hiking, cycling, golf, surfing, stand up paddling, mountain biking, scuba diving, tennis, horse riding etc), all of which can be done by anyone, from experts who want to improve to first-timers who want to learn. We offer dozens of fitness activities and techniques (including Pilates, TRX, HIIT, boxing, group training, personal training, circuit training, boot camp, tabata etc), and these again are suitable for beginners and more experienced exercisers. Lastly we offer several different retreats (such as wellness, detox, weight loss, meditation, yoga, team-building and corporate). We also offer family activity holidays.

The beauty of our holidays are that as well as offering packages that we have built for you, we also offer you the chance to totally build your own holiday from scratch. You can choose any of the sports and any of the fitness activities in any combination. We can arrange your accommodation for you (from beautiful farmhouses with private pools to apartments in the city), transfers and help you with any other aspects of your holiday.

Do not misunderstand me. As the pictures on my social network sites show, I love to enjoy myself in the best bars and clubs in Barcelona and Ibiza. I love the wonderful food here. Play hard is all part of a balanced life. But to do these and not feel guilty, to do these things knowing they are part of a healthy lifestyle, is truly having fun. With this in mind, we can also organise excursions to the wonderful local attractions, and nights out for you and your group. And of course there is always time to relax on the beach and have one of our relaxing massages. You can do as much or as little as you want to.

Interested? Well it gets better. If you bring with you a group of 8 people, then as organiser you get your accommodation and all activities for free! We can even pay for your flight (or at least contribute towards this dependant on the total cost). So for a little bit of organising, you can have a free holiday, or share this discount with the rest of your group. You will be surprised as to the cost of our holidays, as they are typically much cheaper than you might think.

There is lots more information on our website, www.barcelonabienestar.com and you can ask as many questions as you wish.

In your photo album, or on your Facebook and Instagram account this year, as well as the typical images of you on a sunbed and drinking an exotic cocktail, wouldn’t you prefer to post extra pictures to all your friends of you surfing? Or rock-climbing? Or swimming, cycling, hiking, SUP, playing tennis, volleyball, snorkelling? Well, as we like to say in Spain, “Todo Es Posible!”

Chris Hunt is an international Pilates and functional training presenter and educator based in London and Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength.  He also created Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. He organises retreats, fitness holidays and sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza. For more information about training with Chris in Barcelona and Ibiza, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris Hunt, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris Hunt pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.

 

Manchester United Footballer turns to Pilates

Barcelona Bienestar Man Utd

Manchester United Footballer turns to Pilates

I love writing about Pilates, but I especially love writing about Pilates and men. I have done it many times before, and I hope that I will do it many times again.

To read my previous articles you can click on:

http://www.chrishuntblog.com/2014/03/20/men-do-pilates-ask-dwayne-allen/

http://www.chrishuntblog.com/2014/06/17/you-do-pilates-are-you-gay-pilates-for-men-landon-donovan-and-moscow-time/

http://www.chrishuntblog.com/2014/11/03/pilates-for-men-ex-england-football-captain-steven-gerrard-says-yes/

The reason I love it so much is that we all know just how much benefit men get from doing Pilates, so it is a crying shame that more don’t do it. We all know the facts; that Joseph Pilates was a man, and that he trained other men many years before Pilates become synonymous in many people’s minds with dancers and women.

Here in Barcelona, I have lots of men who come on my Barcelona Bienestar  fitness and sport holidays where Pilates forms an integral part of the training.

I hope that Phil Jones’ story might encourage a few more men to venture into a local Pilates studio or join a class.

Manchester United defender Phil Jones is the latest Premier League footballer that has turned Pilates in a bid to overcome the injury problems that have blighted his early years at Old Trafford.
The England international made his latest comeback for Louis van Gaal’s team in the recent 3-0 Barclays Premier League win over rivals Liverpool.

Jones was rushed back ahead of schedule but came through unscathed and afterwards he revealed he has turned to some of the game’s more modern conditioning methods as he bids to maintain fitness.

‘I started the pre-season and played every single game and every single training session,’ he said. ‘Then, on international duty, I pulled my hamstring and I have never had a muscle injury so it was disappointing. When I was coming back I then had shin splints. It has been unfortunate. I have been doing a lot of work in the gym and hopefully that will stand me in good stead for the rest of the season. It is strength work, yoga and Pilates and loads of stuff. I will do anything I can to improve myself. My aim right now is to stay fit and stay focused and get a run of games under my belt.’

I hope that Phil Jones’ story might inspire more men to take up Pilates.

Chris Hunt is an international Pilates and functional training presenter and educator based in London and Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength.  He also created Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. He organises retreats, fitness holidays and sports holidays in Barcelona. For more information about training with Chris in Barcelona, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris Hunt, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris Hunt pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.

Team building and corporate holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza


Team Building in Barcelona and Ibiza

www.barcelonabienestar.com

Team building and corporate holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza

Barcelona Bienestar do not only offer sport and fitness holidays to Barcelona and Ibiza. We also offer team building and corporate holidays and retreats. Can you think of better place to improve your team?

What is team building?
Team building has changed over the years, and so has the places it is done. If your company still goes paintballing, then you need to read on.

Team building has four main components:

1) Goal setting: aligning around goals
2) Interpersonal-relationship management: building effective working relationships
3) Role clarification: reducing ambiguity
4) Problem solving: finding solutions to team problems

Team building has been proved to have positive effects on cognitive, affective, process and performance team outcomes. In fact, team building has the strongest effect on affective and process outcomes, and the largest effect on financial measures of organisational performance. Recent meta-analyses show team building improves both a team’s objective performance and supervisory subjective rating on performance.

Team building aims to enhance social relations and clarify team member’s roles as well as solving task and interpersonal problems that affect team functioning. Team building has always been about a group process intervention aimed at improving interpersonal relations and social interactions. But we at Barcelona Bienestar have developed it into much more, including achieving results, meeting goals and accomplishing tasks. It’s not about target-based competencies, and it’s not usually formal or systematic in nature.

Why choose Barcelona Bienestar for your team building experience?
We offer activities that encourage teams to engage and change its context, composition and team competencies to improve performance. Team building is not the same as training. It is not usually done in the settings that are not the actual environment where the team usually works, and there can be few settings that are as inspiring and motivating as Barcelona and Ibiza.

So which type of teams are our clients? Whilst the theory and practise of organisational development makes it perfect for office or shop-floor based industries, it can also be successfully applied to many other groups from sports teams to school groups.

Your team building experience should be all about your organisation and its needs. It should never be a “one size fits all” package. It must be tailor-made to fit you. This is where Barcelona Bienestar offers something very special. We do not start with a standard program. We start with a blank piece of paper. We have all the ideas, but it your choice as to how and what we do to achieve your specific goals. Because we are the experts in sport and fitness holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza, we can also integrate events such as SUP (stand up paddle), rock climbing, hiking and many other activities that will test your staff both mentally and physically, individually and as part of a team.

If you are thinking that all this sounds great, but it will come at a price that is too expensive for your budget, then think again. The cost of one of our team building experiences in Barcelona and Ibiza is comparable to inferior events in your own country.
We have a wide range of accommodation from farmhouses to hotels, so the facilities, range of accommodation and the weather really does make Barcelona and Ibiza first class venues for your next team building or corporate event. We also arrange excursions, nights out and shows if you want to add more life to your stay. Barcelona Bienestar can make your event come to life.

To organise your event, please contact our corporate team who will be delighted to assist you.

 

 

Free Retreats, Fitness and Sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza!

Barcelona Ibiza Free Holiday

www.barcelonabienestar.com

Free Retreats, Fitness and Sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza!

Free Retreats, fitness and sports holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza? Really? Surely in this day and age nothing comes for free, afterall, there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Maybe, but here is a wonderful opportunity that for just a little effort, you can get yourself a free fitness or sport holiday in Barcelona or Ibiza.

Who are Barcelona Bienestar?
First things first, who are Barcelona Bienestar and what does bienestar mean? It’s Spanish for “wellness”, and it’s what we offer to people from all over the world. Barcelona Bienestar are the experts in retreats, fitness and sports holidays to Barcelona and Ibiza. We offer a VIP tailor-made service to clients from all over the world. Our clients have visited us from places including Russia, the USA, China, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Latvia, Australia and Thailand. Why? Because everyone loves Barcelona and Ibiza! They are on most people’s wish-lists for a vacation, so what better than a dream holiday that includes health, fitness and sport?

So what do we offer our multi-national clients? Simple answer is anything they want. We have no barriers, no limitations. We have never failed to deliver exactly what our clients ask for. From fitness, sports, restaurants, secluded farmhouses, night-club entry to privates cruises on a beautiful yacht. We teach in English, Spanish and Russian. Todo es posible as we like to say in Spain.

Sports
We offer an amazing range of sports because in and around Barcelona and Ibiza there are so many possibilities. Sports we specialise in include surfing, SUP, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, kite surfing, rock climbing, hiking, golf, football, scuba diving and tennis. Our holidays will give you the chance to have specialist training for the sports of your choice, and also the chance to take part in that sport, everyday of your holiday if you wish. So if you want to learn a new sport, or get better at a sport you already love, then we can help.

Fitness
We help our clients to achieve many different fitness goals including cardio fitness, muscle gain, weight loss, and we love to teach people new techniques. We use many different methods including personal training, group training, Pilates, yoga, HIIT, TRX, body weight training, boxing, kettlebells, tabata, weighted vests, circuit training and many more. We can train you inside, or even better outside. We use quiet secluded places, and we use the beach, parks and the mountains.

Retreats
We offer a wide range of retreats including:
1) Leadership
2) Teambuilding
3) Corporate
4) Detox
5) Meditation
6) Wellness
7) Weightloss
8) NLP
9) Life coaching

We work with many businesses to orgainse leadership and teambuilding events that are always very popular. You are free to choose one or many of these activities to make your retreat perfect.

Our Packages
We can help organise as much or as little of your holiday as you wish. You only have a to organise your flights and we can do all the rest. We can arrange accommodation to suit your budget and your needs, from private farmhouses to beautiful hotels. We can give you a special diet or detox. Even after your daily program of sport and fitness, there will still be plenty of time to explore, enjoy and relax. We will help you hire a car or even better a bike. We will tell you the best beaches in around Barcelona and Ibiza, and the best restaurants. We can usually get you a reduced or free entry into the best discos, bars and places to dance all night. We know how to train hard, but we also know how to play hard as well.

We also offer a personal photographer to capture some of the special moments of your holiday.

We can also organise excursions to the famous landmarks in and around Barcelona and Ibiza. We can book you treatments including sport massage, relaxation massage, physiotherapy and chiropractic. Remember, todo es posible.

Even after your sport or fitness holiday or retreat to Barcelona or Ibiza is over, our service does not stop there. We offer online programs to keep up the good habits you started on holiday with us. We will also keep you updated about sport and events and when you come back for another holiday (over 75% of our clients come back) then you get a special loyalty discount.

Free holidays
So, enough talk you are thinking, how do I get a free holiday? It’s simple, and here’s how.

First, please like and share our FACEBOOK page.  We will be checking! 🙂

If you are a trainer or club owner, then bring a group of your clients (minimum number of 8), then you get your holiday for free! You can either enjoy receiving fitness sessions for a nice change, or if you love what you do so much that you just can’t stop teaching, and you are a certified and qualified trainer, then we can incorporate some of your own training sessions into the holiday. If we like what you do, we might invite you back to Barcelona or Ibiza as one of our trainers.

If you are not a trainer but just love keeping fit or playing sport, why not get a group of your friends or sports club together and enjoy a fitness or sport holiday in sunny Barcelona or Ibiza. Again, all you need to do is bring 8 or more friends and you will get you holiday for free.

We only have a limited number of weeks available next year for this special offer, so please contact us as soon as you can so we can discuss your requirements, and start planning your dream holiday.

You will have a holiday in Barcelona or Ibiza that you will never forget. Remember, when you chose Barcelona Bienestar, todo es posible!

Chris is an international Pilates and functional training presenter and educator based in London and Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength.  He also created Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. He organises retreats, fitness holidays and sports holidays in Barcelona. For more information about training with Chris in Barcelona, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.

 

 

Naked cycling kit

Naked cycling kit Chris Hunt Wellness www.chrishuntwellness.com

As someone who trains all types of sportsmen and women including cyclists (see www.sportcorestrength.com for more) in Barcelona, I love a good sports story on a Monday, and this one is breaking today.

So here it is! The “naked” Bogota Humana cycling kit that a Columbian team wore for the Tour of Tuscany race in Italy. It has been branded “unacceptable” by the International Cycling Union.

What do you think? I think i know your answer…

Chris is an international Pilates presenter and educator based in Barcelona, Spain. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength.  He also organises Pilates Carnival and Fitness Carnival, conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. For more information about Pilates with Chris in Barcelona, please click on Barcelona Bienestar. To learn more about Chris, please read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? You can also subscribe by completing the form on the this BLOG to receive articles and special offers straight to your inbox.

Chris pays all profits made from this BLOG to his charity partners. More details can be found by clicking on www.chrishuntwellness.com and selecting the “charity partners” tab.

Sugar Ray and Pilates for the over 50’s

Sugar Ray Leonard

www.chrishuntwellness.com

Anyone who reads my blogs regularly will know that there is nothing I love more than a good Pilates story about men doing Pilates. One of my aims in life is to get more men doing Pilates, to convince more men of the benefits of Pilates, and to dispel the myth that still perpetuates that Pilates is only for girls.

So what better example than one of the most famous boxers alive today?

Sugar Ray Leonard, the five-world champion, is now 57, but he needs to exercise and eat like a champ. He still describes himself as “vain” and still a “disciplined athlete,” which is a combination that inspires him to exercise and practice moderation in all things. Health and fitness after 50 he says is about attitude, fortitude and being realistic about what your body can do. His advice? “Check your ego at the door” and “use what you can.” This is an excellent attitude for the over 50’s. It’s about balance. Sugar Ray again speaks wisdom when he says “People say ‘Oh God, I can’t do anything, also, they try to maintain what they were doing when they were 20 or 30”.

As a professional boxer, Leonard’s typical workout consisted of a 5-mile run, hundreds of sit-ups and push-ups and hours pounding bags at the gym. Today, he recommends an age-appropriate variation on that intense training: a half-hour on an elliptical machine because it’s easier on the knees, combined with bicep curls and 10 to 20 squats, sit-ups and push-ups.  But back trouble, arthritic knees and a torn rotator cuff signal the wear and tear of aging. Two years ago, he experienced pain and tingling in his back, arm and chest. He was told that he had an issue with his back because of all the punching he did.

To address this, he started Pilates. Did he find it hard? “(Bleep) yeah! I said, ‘I can’t do this’ — because I turned 50, and I hadn’t used those kind of muscles. I’d been a fighter like this for 40 years. So, now I look in the mirror and straighten it up … and I incorporate all those (exercises) into my training.”

So like many people, Sugar Ray came to Pilates because of an issue with his body. It’s a shame he didn’t know about Pilates all those years ago because it would’ve no doubt helped to improve his performance and condition. I work with many athletes via my business www.sportcorestrength.com and the improvements that even an Olympic athlete can make are nothing short of astounding.

But the moral of my story is that it is never too late. In his own words “It’s all about dreaming. If you don’t dream, you get old. You have to dream.”

If you want more information about Pilates for sport, rehabilitation or anything else, then please contact me via my website, Facebook or the form below.

Chris is an international Pilates presenter and educator. He is the creator of Pilates EVO©, bodyFUNC©, and CEO of Pilates Rehab Limited and Sport Core Strength.  He also organises Pilates Carnivals, Pilates conventions where all profits go to local children’s charities. Read Just who is Chris Hunt anyway? for more.

 

Men do Pilates, ask Dwayne Allen…

Dwayne Allen

www.chrishuntwellness.com

Pilates is for girls right?

Are there really still people out there that believe this? Apart from the fact that Joseph Pilates was a man and worked with men himself, and the fact that I am a man (oh yes), the old view in some quarters of Pilates being only for women was never correct and today is utter nonsense.

If you have any lingering doubts, then as Dwayne Allen. They don’t come more manly than Dwain. The tight end Colt’s player suffered a season-ending injury but he is now back to full fitness.

Colt’s General Manager Ryan Grigson indicated last month that he was optimistic that Dwayne would be ready to go in time for training camp this summer. For Allen, that’s even more time than he says he needs. He is doing pilates three days a week as part of his overall rehab schedule and says that he feels totally back after the October hip surgery that brought his season to a premature end.

“I’m great. I’m actually back to 100%” Allen said, via the team’s website.

I think it’s very important that stories such as Dwain’s get as much coverage as possible, because Pilates can be a wonderful system for men to use, whether they are rehabilitating from injury or if they are “fit” but want to get stronger, more flexible, and understand their body more.

So people, Pilates is for men. And if you still don’t believe me, I will give Dwain your number… 🙂

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