♥

For those of you who don’t know, Body Balance is a light-medium intensity workout that combines yoga, pilates & tai-chi style movements.

In my personal experience, Body Balance (BB) is more of a workout than a standard yoga or pilates class. All the movements are done in quick succession and there is less time to rest between poses, or ‘tracks’ as they are called in BB, due to each sequence of moves being performed to music.

I’d previously read that BB is pretty easy, however as I was quite unfit I found myself huffing, puffing and generally being very worn out after my first session! It is definitely suitable for beginners, but you’re not going to just breeze through it and even as your fitness and flexibility develop, you can work harder in the poses, so it’s still challenging.

The lovely Beth usually takes the Tuesday evening (6.30pm) & Saturday afternoon (3.00pm) classes that I frequent, she is very approachable and encouraging, which is exactly what you want in a fitness instructor.

There are various ‘releases’ throughout the year, meaning that the sequence and music of the class changes, which keeps things fresh and new!

Classes generally run a little like this:

♥ A tai-chi style track to warm up
♥ Core strengthening work
♥ A track to work on balance
♥ A track to improve flexibility
♥ Some floor work that targets abs, legs & back
♥ Another tai-chi style track to settle down
♥ Meditation (MY FAVOURITE PART!)

All up the class goes for an hour and I have seen benefits from going such as a tighter tummy, more defined calves, a great feeling of relaxation for the rest of the day and consistently being in a super-cheery mood the day after I attend!

The only negative would be that because the classes have so many attendees and only one teacher, there is no time for personal attention to make sure that you are performing the poses correctly. This leaves room for the possibility of injuries, unlike most yoga classes where the teachers come around and correct you if they notice you’re not aligning yourself right.

If you have any known injuries, you can let the teacher know and they will give you alternative options.

Body Balance @ Riverton Leisureplex costs $10 for an hour and is a worthwhile addition to my exercise routine!

Riverton Leisureplex

Address: Corner of Riley and High Roads, Riverton

Fax: 9231 0910

Email: leisureplex@canning.wa.gov.au

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥ Yoga Doggy! ♥

Today my friend and I had a Body Balance date all lined up and ready to go. When we arrived, the disinterested receptionists informed us that there was in fact no class due to it being Easter weekend, surely we need exercise more at this time than any other?! Alas, it was not to be.

But my friend is an inspirational little bunny and suggested we head over to the park and do our own workout, something that I probably wouldn’t have thought of.

So we went to a nearby oval and created our own yoga / body balance / light strength training workout for about 20-30 minutes and I have to say that the sun, pups, breeze, birds and grass, along with the light exercise, did me a world of good.

We could have easily gone home and given up, but we DIDN’T! It’s really inspired me to do spontaneous / proactive things like this more often and I hope that the next time you don’t get to your workout class for whatever reason, you consider making up your own – after all, you probably know most of the moves already! I promise you’ll love it 🙂

Be well,

xoxo

♥

According to the flyer, the health studio “Bikram Yoga” (or heated yoga) provides a certain type of yoga that is conducted in a room heated to 38 degrees celcius, so that the muscles are warmed and a deeper workout can occur!

To put it simply: you’re gonna sweat.

Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute program of 26 pre-determined poses & postures, plus 2 breathing exercises. The benefits of Bikram include:

♥ Stretching and strengthening muscles, joints & more.
♥ Increased mental clarity & stress reduction.
♥ Stimulation of the organs to cleanse & provide fresh oxygenated blood to the body. This helps restore all systems to optimal working order for total health.

At this stage, the concept sounded so unappealing, what with all the talk about mass sweating.

As I entered the zenly decorated reception area of Bikram Yoga (complete with small fountains), already I could feel a slight rise in humidity. The instructors were extremely friendly as they explained to me the concept and goals of their company and they were extremely open as they answered any questions I had.

Set with a yoga mat, a beach towel and two bottles of water, I stepped into a room that was similar to a sauna minus the steam. During the briefing, the instructor urged us to try our hardest to stay in the room for the whole class, even if it was just lying down on the mat if we felt like we weren’t handling the environment well. The point of this class was to focus solely on yourself without worrying about what other classmates are doing and, contrary to regular yoga, the eyes must be open the whole time.

The class started well enough with some of the typical yoga positions such as the half moon pose. At this stage I was thinking, this isn’t so bad I can totally do this for 90 minutes! However about 30-45 minutes into the class, the room was 10 degrees hotter than when we first started and that’s when the sweating really began.

I was also thanking my mum in my mind as she convinced me to bring a beach towel instead of a tiny face towel. Around this time I started to feel a little light-headed and so I decided to sit the next few poses out, trying to gain some energy back and convincing myself not to step out of the class. A few people decided to rest around this time too, reassuring me that I wasn’t the only one struggling.

After a few minutes of resting I joined the class again, keeping up surprisingly comfortably. Going against the rules, I looked around at the class, and everyone, including myself, was sweating insane amounts! Towards the end of the class the temperature cooled mildly and before I knew it the class was finished.

The poses performed in a Bikram Yoga class.

It may seem that I didn’t enjoy myself in this class but in reality, I loved it! I felt rejuvenated and fresh walking out of the studio and I could breathe easier too. Another benefit was that my skin felt softer (after a good shower).

Overall it was a very intense 90 minutes, very very challenging but incredibly worth it as there are plenty of benefits for your body (as above).

My advice is that you have to listen to your body and take it easy if you’re doing it the first time, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while. The yoga experience combined with the friendly and welcoming instructors has definitely convinced me to come back for more!

They have a special offer for newcomers who are local to Perth, $20 for unlimited Bikram Yoga over 10 days! Unbeatable value and a fantastic way to find out if it suits your lifestyle 🙂

Bikram Yoga – http://www.perthbikramyoga.com.au

Location

NOR

158a Vincent Street, NORTH PERTH
On the corner of Vincent and Fitzgerald Streets

SOR

248 Leach Highway MYAREE
(beneath REBEL Sports)

To find out more, contact Jenny Sterpini, certified Bikram Yoga Instructor on 0403 496 422.

Article by Hanna Baradja

Have you tried Bikram Yoga? Too scared? Want to know more? Leave a comment! xx

On a scale of one to ten how typical is it to be inspired to take up dancing again when watching SYTYCD on late night television?!

Regardless of the answer to this question, inspiration has taken hold & me + 1 gorgeous friend are going to be shimmying, floor routine-ing, chair dancing & doing tear drops till our calves fall off! YAY!

Show girl shape up, here we come!

Check out: Sugar Blue Burlesque for more details!

The other great thing to happen Tonight was a salad of EPIC PROPORTIONS!! I’ve recently started getting pretty full-on into delicious salads and am definitely feeling the benefits of it.

Tonights number included such hits as…

♥ Handfuls of baby spinach
♥ Light fetta (with non-animal rennet of course)
♥ Vine ripened tomatoes
♥ Sweetened dried cranberries
♥ Chickpeas
♥ Sesame seeds

Honestly, it sounds so simple but tastes so amazing!

My friend & I have regular “salad dates” once a week, so much healthier than the coffee & cake that most of us go for! Maybe you can try having a salad date too?

It’s fun to go shopping for the ingredients, prepare it together & then sit down in front of a bowl of amazing vitamins & flavour while watching other people exercise! Alternatively you can watch coming-of-age teen comedies which we seem to alternate between.

Please make sure to enter the Safire Competition if you haven’t already and want the chance of winning some sweet goodies!

Be well,

xoxo

Miss Liv @ Disco Cantito!

The new year has well and truly started, the first weeks have flown by already!

I’m sure you’ve made a few resolutions about getting and keeping fit in the new year. It’s one of the best resolutions, helping not only with our appearance, but health, mind and body as well. Unfortunately, life gets busy and the idea of getting hot and sweaty, running nowhere on a treadmill with countless others is hardly a motivational one.

Staying interested is the key to keeping up the new regime and sticking to that new year’s resolution. So this year, why don’t you try something new to keep you feeling good about you?

Disco Cantito, run by Isobel Lyall in North Perth and Victoria Park has a very different approach to staying in shape.

They’re a non-profit organisation that work mainly with children to teach them through playing. While most classes are for children, the hidden gem is in their adult classes.

Run during the day on Wednesdays in Victoria Park and on Saturdays in North Perth, there are classes in hula hooping, aerials and acrobatics. You continuously improve on the previous weeks progress as your muscles and confidence develop. The great thing is, you don’t realise the magnitude of your work out until the next day, and the day after that…(!)

If you’re looking to increase your upper body strength, the aerials class is the perfect work out, it works on all the muscles that support the back and shoulders. It’s also a great option for people who find they slouch, or who slave over a computer during the week. Being a 9 to 5, Monday to Friday desk jockey, my posture was terrible and even after three classes there was a very noticeable difference. It’s easy to put aside the time when you see the kinds of tricks you can do on the trapeze. Learning to climb up and down the silks like P!nk did in her latest tour is another bonus. It’s worth going down to check out the classes, even just for a look. Casual rates are available for courses, but I’m sure once you’ve tried it you’ll be hooked (like me) on Disco Cantito!

DATE: Term 1 Commences February 9

TIME: 10.00am – 4.30pm

LOCATION: North Perth Classes @ The Chapel Space, 117 Angove St North Perth
Vic Park Classes @ Leisure Life Centre, Kent St, East Victoria Park

COST: Varies depending on the course

BOOKING: Call Isobel on 0408 626 941.

WHAT TO WEAR: Comfortable clothes, bring a water bottle.

MORE INFORMATION: Check out Disco Cantito on Facebook or email disco.cantito@gmail.com

Review by Liv Bambola ♥