Tag Archives: wellness

Health and fitness

Music key to mental health in old age

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Maintaining our mental health with music

As a qualified musician, as well as writing this blog about mental health, I was very interested to read recently about a Scottish study that suggests playing a musical instrument can have lifelong mental health benefits — including staving off dementia.

Researchers at Heriot-Watt University compared the mental agility of musicians and non-musicians aged between 60 and 88 in memory and spatial reasoning tests. Those who played an instrument completed tasks up to 25% more quickly.

Professor Alan Gow, who led the study, published in scientific journal Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, said it “highlighted that learning and playing a musical instrument may be associated with cognitive differences in older age, and supports musical activity as a potentially cognitively protective lifestyle factor”.

I have written many times about the simple things that we can do that can have a lasting impact on our mental health, and learning or playing an instrument can also bring a lot of joy. But maybe talk to your neighbours before you start playing the drums…
Chris Hunt ACII is qualified in rehabilitation, Pilates, meditation, personal training, NLP, and Thai Massage. Contact Chris here or for more information about simple and free wellness advice click on www.pilatesevo.com
Health and fitness

Where does fat go?

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www.pilatesevo.com

My question for you today is simply; when we lose fat, where does fat go? Please write down your answer now, and no peaking at your colleagues answer.

The fact is that most people have no idea. Even the 150 doctors, dieticians and personal trainers in a recent survey shared this surprising gap in their health literacy.

The most common misconception by far is that fat is converted to energy. The problem with this theory is that it violates the law of conservation of matter, which all chemical reactions obey.

Some people thought fat turns into muscle, which is of course impossible, and others assumed it escapes via the colon. Only three of the 150 health professional gave the right answer, which means 98% of them could not explain how weight loss works.

So if not energy, muscles or the loo, where does fat go?

The correct answer is that fat is converted to carbon dioxide and water. You exhale the carbon dioxide and the water mixes into your circulation until it’s lost as urine or sweat. If you lose 10 pounds of fat, precisely 8.4 pounds comes out through your lungs and the remaining 1.6 pounds turns into water. In other words, nearly all the weight we lose is exhaled.

Does this surprise you? It surprises just about everyone, but actually, almost everything we eat comes back out via the lungs. Every carbohydrate you digest and nearly all the fats are converted to carbon dioxide and water. The same goes for alcohol. Protein shares the same fate, except for the small part that turns into urea and other solids, which you excrete as urine.

The only thing in food that makes it to your colon undigested and intact is dietary fibre (think corn). Everything else you swallow is absorbed into your bloodstream and organs and, after that, it’s not going anywhere until you’ve vaporised it.

So if fat turns into carbon dioxide, could simply breathing more make you lose weight? Unfortunately not. Huffing and puffing more than you need to is called hyperventilation and will only make you dizzy, or possibly faint. The only way you can consciously increase the amount of carbon dioxide your body is producing is by moving your muscles.

But here’s some more good news. Simply standing up and getting dressed more than doubles your metabolic rate. More realistically, going for a walk triples your metabolic rate, and so will cooking, vacuuming and sweeping.

Knowing where fat goes might not be the most important thing you learn today. But it might just help you and your clients understand the process of weight loss.

Health and fitness, Pilates, Travel

What is a detox?

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What is a detox

What is a Detox?

So what is a detox, and why it is incredibly important to your body?

The word Detox is just short for detoxification. DETOXification is the body’s natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. If so, what are toxins? Toxins are anything that can potentially harm body tissue, including waste products that result from normal cell activity, such as ammonia, lactic acid and homocysteine, and human-made toxins that we are exposed to in our environment, food, and water. Normally, our bodies are designed to be able to get rid of these toxins naturally. The body itself performs detoxification daily via the liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, skin, blood and lymphatic system. All these systems work together to ensure that toxins are transformed chemically to less harmful compounds and excreted from the body. The lungs excrete toxic gases from the blood and gets fresh oxygen from the air. Heavy metals are excreted via sweat and urine while solid waste and other toxins are eliminated via the faeces.

But our bodies can become just overloaded.

If you are not living under a glass dome where all the microbes are killed, where you breathe pure pine-forest-like-oxygen and eat only organically grown raw vegetables and fruits and drink only spring water, then most likely that your body is full of all kinds of toxins. So that will be all of us then! Simply because many of the chemicals we ingest daily through food, water, and air can become deposited in fat cells in our bodies. Toxins include pesticides, antibiotics and hormones in food, chemicals from food packaging, household cleaners, detergents, food additives, heavy metals, pollution, drugs, and cigarette smoke. We are getting these toxins into our bodies on an everyday basis, and some of those things on this list we cannot easily avoid.

Our lives become very hectic at times and it is hard to lead a healthy way of life on an everyday basis. Diets that are high in saturated fat can lead to fat build up in the arteries. Cholesterol, Xenobiotics and inorganic chemicals can build up on the internal organs, affecting their ability to detoxify. After several years of exposure to chemicals, the body can no longer efficiently eliminate these toxic substances inside the body and toxins get re-circulated into the bloodstream which causes more damage in the body. The gastrointestinal tract can have ulcerations, imbalance in the acidity, growth of tumours and polyps. We choose the easier ways and grab a hamburger or sandwich when we would better make a salad. As a result of normal metabolic function our bodies produce and accumulate more waste products.

The only way to help ourselves and reduce accumulation of external toxins in our bodies is to get rid of toxins at least once a year. It is definitely better than nothing. Of cause, you may do body detox a couple of times a year for better result, but even if you go through a purification program once a year, you will feel a difference for months to come and most likely that you will try keep to continue your healthy life style.

Detox diets can take many different forms. Though methods vary but many of them are performed for short durations only. One type involves reducing the amount of chemicals consumed and consuming organic food instead. Others ingest antioxidant-rich foods that supply the body vitamins and nutrients that are required for getting rid of toxins from the system. Some take in foods high in fibre that help remove toxins by increasing bowel movements.
But mainly Detox diets are divided into two categories. The first one is aimed on natural body detox thus it requires an all-natural detox diet from fruits and vegetables. The second type of detox diet involves the use of synthetic chemicals which increases the rate of body detoxification. However, it is important to note that synthetic chemicals used in a body detox could also generate waste products that could become toxins! Therefore, it is always better to use first type of detox when you going through natural detox and also creating a new healthy life habits.

There are many methods recommend to help you detox. Of course, a big part of most detox plans is making dietary changes, but also with detox diet in combination working well saunas, different types of massages and body brushing, special breathing techniques to help your systems get rich of oxygen and get rid of toxins. If your gastrointestinal system feels slower than usual or if you feel weak, you may benefit from a detox.

Check out our next detox retreat in Barcelona. A detox of physical, emotional and spiritual aspects.

https://www.facebook.com/events/434444700080846/
Your greatest New Year resolution!

www.barcelonabienestar.com

Chris Hunt is a Business Consultant and Pilates/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, mind and body 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.

Current Affairs, Health and fitness

Processed Meat Causes Cancer

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Processed meat causes cancer

Processed Meat Causes Cancer

www.barcelonabienestar.com

So the news is out. The grapevine has been full of rumours that appear to be based in truth: that The World Health Organisation is reportedly planning to declare that bacon, sausages and other processed meat cause cancer. Red meat is also expected to be listed as being “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Carcinogenic means “having the potential to cause cancer”.

Another health scare story? One would hope not as it is coming from the WHO. This announcement is expected to be made today which will put processed meat in the same category as cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos. Yes, you read that right.

It was suggested to me by a contact at the WHO that this classification in the highest risk group doesn’t necessarily mean that processed meat is as dangerous as smoking or asbestos, but it does mean that there is as strong scientific proof that it can cause cancer.

The UK NHS Choices website says that “evidence shows that there is probably a link between eating red and processed meat and the risk of bowel cancer. People who eat a lot of these meats are at higher risk of bowel cancer than those who eat small amounts.”

However, it also says that beef, lamb and pork “can form part of a healthy diet” and that red meat is “a good source of protein and provides vitamins and minerals, such as iron and zinc”.

The World Cancer Research Fund says: “There is strong evidence that eating a lot of these foods [red and processed meat] increases your risk of bowel cancer.”

So the consensus of opinion is that processed meat causes cancer.

Naturally farmers and the meat industry have expressed concern about the impact on sales if the WHO lists processed meat as a carcinogen. Betsy Booren, of the North American Meat Institute, said recently: “If they determine that red and processed meat causes cancer – and I think they will – that moniker will stick … It could take decades and billions of dollars to change that.” Don’t worry Betsy, the sugar industry can testify that spending billions buys scientists and people in high places.

The UK Government previously warned the public in 2011 about the dangers of excessive amounts of red meat, and over the past week it is coming under increasing pressure to release the findings or a report that it is suggested recommends a Sugar Tax.

So once again what we eat is making the front pages of newspapers, but does it really come as any surprise to us that processed meat is not good for us? Surely not.

Chris Hunt is a 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, mind and body 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.

Health and fitness, Travel

Health Retreats Barcelona are in fashion

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health retreats barcelona

Health Retreats Barcelona are in fashion

Recent surveys show that more and more people are choosing a healthy holiday

The Great British Public are, finally, changing their holiday habits. New research we are studying at Barcelona Bienestar, a health, fitness and sport holiday business based in Catalunya, shows that the number of British people planning a fitness holiday has doubled in the past year, with around one in two people considering an activity-based break as opposed to the traditional ‘fly and flop’ vacation.

The survey found that one in the three people wanted to ‘tone up’ whilst on holiday and a quarter of people surveyed said they would like to lose weight. In contrast, only one out of twenty people said they would want to go on a group drinking holiday. Separate research by a travel company found that staying active while on vacation is now important for 82 percent of people.

Most popular activiites included Pilates, yoga, boot camp, walking and cycling.

More and more people are saying no thanks to over indulging on holiday, and instead they are choosing much healthier pursuits. It’s way too early to think that this could be the demise of the boozy Brits abroad stereotype, but it is a very positive step in the right direction.

health retreats barcelona

At Barcelona Bienestar fitness, sport and wellbeing holidays in Barcelona and Ibiza, we give people the chance to get away from their normal life with all the associated stresses and strains on a health retreat Barcelona, and spend quality time in beautiful locations whilst also refreshing their body and mind. We have a wide range of holidays. On our detox, yoga and meditation retreats, clients immerse themselves into programs designed to make mind and body healthier. Our fitness holidays feature many different activities in both personal training and group training, such as boot camp, Pilates, boxing, HIIT and TRX. These are designed for all levels of fitness, and we work closely with you to achieve all your goals. We also offer sport holidays where you can try new sports such as SUP, surfing, snowboarding, beach volleyball, cycling, hiking, golf, kite surfing and many more.

All of our fitness professionals you will meet on Health Retreat Barcelona are fully qualified in everything they teach. Most countries are not as regulated as the UK when it comes to fitness and health instruction, so be careful when abroad. You can trust Health Retreat Barcelona with you health and fitness.

Health Retreats Barcelona can be designed to meet all requirements, so for example you can have a mixture of fitness sessions and trying different sports. Also do not forget that you are on holiday in beautiful locations, so the full holiday experience can also include day trips, city tours, time to relax on beautiful beaches, and also entry to the best restaurants and clubs.

The attitude that a holiday should be over-indulging and going over the top are long gone. We know that you can return from a holiday feeling refreshed, fitter, healthier and having tried and learnt new training techniques and sports. You can also have a personally designed health and fitness plan to continue to follow.

Current Affairs, Health and fitness

PilatesEVO: Revolutionary wellness system comes to London

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PilatesEVO London Educations May

PilatesEVO© FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 30th March 2015
Chris Hunt Pilates
Carrer dels Carders
08003, Barcelona
pilatesevo@chrishuntpilates.com

REVOLUTIONARY WELLNESS SYSTEM FUSING OLD AND NEW FINALLY COMES HOME TO LONDON
PilatesEVO© returns to its birthplace to show the UK what it has been missing

London, UK:
Pilates EVO©, the revolutionary fitness system has today announced it first educations in the UK on 28th, 29th and 30th of May 2015 at Fitness For Less in New Malden, Surrey. Already popular throughout Europe and Russia, Pilates EVO©is finally coming home to the UK. This unique ever-evolving system is totally different to the many commercially orientated systems on the market that tell teachers and participants exactly what to do and when to do it, because they do not trust them to think for themselves. One of the most important unique features of PilatesEVO© is that it is the only system that allows its teachers to create their own movement combinations, that if approved might then be introduced to the system worldwide. PilatesEVO© actively encourages teachers and participants to create their own Universe. Welcome to a breath of fresh air; welcome to the world of PilatesEVO©.

“Life is always moving forward, always changing, always evolving. When we awaken to the fact that we cannot stop or control change, that we should embrace change, then we are able to move forward as well. From this philosophy I created Pilates EVO©. We should never forget our past. It built the foundation that our present so depends. But the past is not an excuse to stay still and not plan for a different future. Just as Pilates works the body from the inside out, the proactive approach to life is to change from the inside out: to be different, and by being different to effect positive change in yourself and the world.”
Chris Hunt, creator of PilatesEVO©.

About PilatesEVO©
Pilates EVO©(EVO is an abbreviation of “evolution”) is like no other fitness experience. Developed by Chris Hunt Pilates in London, it takes wellness in a new and exciting direction by incorporating functional training methods and movement patterns, whilst staying true to traditional Pilates principles. It expands the mind and body element of exercise by incorporating modern Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and ancient Mindfulness Meditation techniques to maximise psychological and physical benefits, improving concentration and making clients emotionally, mentally and spiritually fitter. It improves motor fitness such as agility, balance, speed, co-ordination, reaction time and power. Pilates EVO© also draws on the thousands of years of teachings from Kundalini yoga and meridian stretches to enhance the overall experience.

It has flow and movement with sequences of moves created using the sacred numbers 3, 7 and 21. It uses uplifting soundtracks mixed in London by DJ Shameless to enable clients to really connect with their body, giving a far deeper and rewarding experience. It is appropriate for all ages and abilities as the movements have different levels progressing muscular fitness using repetitions, range of motion, rate and resistance. This creates a total system that will remain challenging to a wide range of training goals from elite athletes to people seeking everyday fitness.

Pilates EVO© is a total wellness system and a way of life. A way to maximise potential physically, mentally and emotionally.

www.pilatesevo.com

About Chris Hunt
A former Claims Manager in the financial markets of the City of London, Chris had a mid-life enlightenment (as opposed to a mid-life crisis….) and left behind the rat-race and fighting for a seat on the daily commute to dedicate his life to his true calling, health, wellness and helping people. Chris is a fully qualified Pilates teacher (OCR in England) and now travels the world teaching teachers about Pilates, functional training and wellness. Chris spent time in Bangkok and is qualified in Thai Massage (meridian lines) and meditation. Chris lives and works in London and Barcelona where he enjoys meditating, surfing, snowboarding, rock climbing, and making music. He organises unique health conventions around the world, where all profits go to local children’s charities. You can read more about Chris by clicking on http://www.chrishuntblog.com/about/

Current Affairs, Health and fitness

Pilates EVO Training Week Barcelona May 2015

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Chris Hunt Pilates EVO Barcelona www.chrishuntpilates.com

Pilates EVO Training Week Barcelona May 2015

“Life is always moving forward, always changing, always evolving. When we awaken to the fact that we cannot stop or control change, that we should embrace change, then we are able to move forward as well. From this philosophy I created Pilates EVO. We should never forget our past. It built the foundation that our present so depends. But the past is not an excuse to stay still and not plan for a different future. I hope that you enjoy the journey you are about to start. Every journey begins with an intention and a small step. You have taken your first step.”
Chris Hunt, creator of PilatesEVO.

PilatesEVO©: The history
Since its birth around 100 years ago, the Pilates method has been modified and arguably made more effective by some distinguished presenters, but diluted and the basic principles largely ignored by less scrupulous teachers.

Pilates EVO©(EVO is an abbreviation of evolution) is like no other Pilates system you have ever known. Developed by Chris Hunt Pilates in London, it takes Pilates in a new and exciting direction incorporating more functional training methods and movement patterns, whilst staying true to traditional Pilates principles.

Pilates EVO© expands the mind and body element of Pilates by incorporating Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Mindfulness Meditation techniques to maximise the psychological and physical benefits, improving concentration and making clients emotionally, mentally and spiritually fitter. It improves motor fitness such as agility, balance, speed, co-ordination, reaction time and power. Pilates EVO© also draws on the thousands of years of teachings from Kundalini yoga and meridian stretches to impact energy flow and enhance the overall experience.

It has more flow and movement with sequences of moves made up from the sacred numbers 3, 7 and 21, and it uses unique, uplifting soundtracks mixed in London by DJ Shameless to enable clients to really connect with how their body is moving and working, giving a far deeper and rewarding experience. Most moves have different levels progressing muscular fitness using repetitions, range of motion, rate and resistance. This creates a system that will remain challenging to a wide range of training goals from elite athletes, people seeking everyday fitness, to clients rehabilitating following accident or injury.

This system increases muscular strength and endurance as well as flexibility, and helps prevent injury and improve performance with movements that are applicable to life and sport.

Pilates EVO© is more than an exercise system, it is a way of life. A way to maximise your potential physically, mentally and emotionally.

PilatesEVO© Barcelona Training Week May 2015
You can experience PilatesEVO© in Barcelona in May 2015. This event is organised by Barcelona Bienestar (www.barcelonabienestar.com), who organise fitness and sport holidays and wellness retreats all year in Barcelona and Ibiza, and personal training.

Chris Hunt will be running 5 days of masterclasses and workshops from Monday 4th to Friday 8th May. You do not have to be a PilatesEVO© qualified teacher to attend, as all the information and training can be used by any Pilates or functional training teacher in standard Pilates sessions or in any type of functional training sessions.

The program of courses is as follows:

Monday May 4th PilatesEVO© Introduction update
If you are an existing PilatesEVO© teacher you will learn new PilatesEVO© combinations. If you are new to the PilatesEVO© concept then you will gain a basic understanding of the system and ideas and moves you can use in your own Pilates sessions.

Tuesday May 5th PilatesEVO© Tactility© Module
This is the most popular PilatesEVO© course which is useful for any Pilates teacher. It gives invaluable information about how to correctly touch and guide people during a Pilates class, ensuring that your positioning, corrections and hands-on guidance give your clients the best possible learning experience.

Wednesday May 6th PilatesEVO© Pregnancy Module
This module will teach you how to modify your Pilates exercises and sessions for all stages of pregnancy.

Thursday May 7th PilatesEVO© Rehabilitation Module
This module will give you information on how you deal with some of the most common conditions that some of your clients will present with and how you can best help them to rehabilitate.

Friday May 8th PilatesEVO© Advanced Module
Not all clients come to Pilates for rehabilitation. This exciting module gives you advanced movements for advanced clients.

Cost of training
You can attend as many of the training days as you wish. The more days you attend, the less you pay:

Cost for 1 Day: 59€
Cost for 2 Days: 118€
Cost for 3 Days: 164€
Cost for 4 Days: 199€
Cost for 5 Days: 225€

All qualified PilatesEVO© teachers (who have a minimum of the PilatesEVO© Foundation Course qualification) receive a discount of 20% on the above prices.

Pilates & Functional Training Convention
Immediately following the training week, you can attend Pilates and Functional Training Carnival on the 9th and 10th May. This event is truly unique in the fitness industry as all profits are given to a local Children’s Charity, Fundació Pere Tarrés. There is a full weekend of classes from International Presenters and the only charge is a donation of 50€. This is not a typical convention full of egos and reputations. This is the people’s convention and it is a breath of fresh air.

If you attend all 5 days of the PilatesEVO© training week then you get FREE entry to Pilates and Functional Training Carnival (Chris Hunt will donate your 50€)! All qualified PilatesEVO© teachers also receive free entry to the Carnival.

For more information on PilatesEVO© Barcelona 2015 training week and on Pilates & Functional Training Convention 2015, please contact chris@chrishuntpilates.com.

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.
www.facebook.com/chrishuntofficial

Health and fitness, Travel

Pilates, cowboys and horse riding: Perfect partners or a load of bull?

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Barcelona Pilates Holidays

Pilates, cowboys and horse riding: Perfect partners or a load of bull?

www.chrishuntpilates.com

It’s been a chilly week in Barcelona and London, although I know it’s all relative as some of you will be experiencing much colder temperatures. There were even some snow flurries today in Barcelona, which is probably contrary to what most people expect.

Contrary thoughts and expectations are the theme of my blog today, along with of course Pilates.

I was reading an interesting article this week. Let me tell you the story…

Two hours before he was scheduled to do battle with a 1,900-pound bull named Blurred, Matt Dunsmore was searching for bliss. A professional bull rider from Elk River, Minn., Duns¬more was competing in the World’s Toughest Rodeo tour stop over the weekend at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. He found a quiet corner tucked underneath the stands, and there, amid the solitude, he went through his yoga routine. The yoga was a must, he explained later, because he had missed his Pilates class.

Not the typical view of a rodeo rider perhaps. Not what we would expect of a cowboy? Dunsmore explained “We take this seriously as a sport. We’re athletes. I don’t smoke, I watch what I eat, and I work out every day. The yoga is for stretching my muscles and helping me focus. The Pilates builds core strength and hones my balance.”

We all know that Pilates can help strengthen the core muscles that riders use, and it will restore the body’s balance. Whilst Pilates helps with many sports and everyday life, the fact that its benefits include improved posture and muscle tone as well as increased stability for the pelvis and shoulders, makes it essential for the rider.

Improved core stability will mean less work for the rider’s back and improved independent movement of limbs without unbalancing the torso. The rider’s I have worked with in the UK and in Barcelona and Ibiza on our Barcelona Bienestar horse-riding holidays learn to concentrate and to breathe more deeply which can help control their heart-rate, and their flexibility will also increase. They achieve better harmony with their horse, removing imbalances that are commonly transferred between the horse and rider. Their balance improves helping with jumping, as does their coordination and stamina.

Pilates is also an excellent way to avoid common associated injuries such as shoulder and back pain, and groin strains, or to recover from injury more quickly. Most commons injuries are caused by falls or during stable duties. About 80% of injuries occur while riding, and these respond very well to Pilates as it improves balance and postural awareness which help to reduce the risk of falling. Pilates can also help to improve spatial awareness which means that the rider can react more quickly when faced with the unpredictability of their horse.

I want to give Dunsmore the final word today, after only lasting 2 seconds on his bull : “I’ll go home and lick my wounds and come back tomorrow,” he vowed. “My philosophy is that if I’m not chasing something, I’m not living.”

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.
www.facebook.com/chrishuntofficial

 

 

Celebrity Pilates, Health and fitness

Jacqueline Fernandez loves Pilates in 2015

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jacqueline fernandez pilates

Jacqueline Fernandez loves Pilates in 2015!

I have explained before that I am not obsessed with celebrity. I have never bought Hello Magazine. What I am obsessed with is Pilates. And whilst not every one agrees, it’s my opinion that if someone starts Pilates because their friend, neighbour, sporting hero or favourite celebrity does Pilates, then why not?

I’ve had comments about glamorising Pilates, about how privileged celebrities are, about creating false hope, even about living on a different planet… But I am sure that I live on planet Earth (most of the time) and so whilst I always respect everyone’s opinion, it is my humble opinion that these people are missing the point of my posts and they are taking everything a little too seriously. All I am doing is raising the awareness of Pilates. If you do not or can not understand that, then I am sorry for wasting your time and please do not read my blog today! 🙂

The actress posted pictures of herself saying that she is starting her 2015 with Pilates. I think this is a very good idea of course! On Monday I will post my diet plan for you to get fit and healthy in 2015. We can achieve anything we want to. Together we are stronger.

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.

Current Affairs, Health and fitness

VAT on Pilates: Tax judges refuse to bend rules

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Pilates Rehab Road to Recovery Image

VAT on Pilates in the UK

www.pilatesrehab.co.uk

As a provider of Pilates services in the UK and in Barcelona, Spain, it is essential for me to stay up-to-date with rulings about taxation.

The industry has been waiting for a ruling, and this week that ruling was delivered.

The ruling this week by Tax Judges in the UK means that Pilates will contain to not qualify for VAT exemption.

You must register for VAT if you go over, or you know that you will go over the threshold of £81,000 in a 12-month period.

Some services in the UK are exempt from VAT, but Pilates is not.

If you’re a VAT registered business then you are essentially an unpaid tax collector. You have to add VAT at the appropriate rate to everything you sell (usually at 20%). This additional income isn’t yours – you’re collecting it on behalf of HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs). Every 3 months you need to pay over the VAT you’ve collected to HMRC. There are pros and cons about being registered for VAT. As the Pilates industry mainly deals with clients who are not VAT registered themselves, there are not as many benefits as other business may get.

If your PIlates business is based outside of the UK then VAT will not apply.

You can read more about the ruling by clicking on the link below. The Times is a subscription website.  I will post more details of the ruling as soon as I can.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/money/tax/article4278607.ece

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.