SNOW!
Here in Upstate New York, we are finally experiencing just a little snow! Even as a "snow hater" I have to admit that its nice to have some snow up in here, it is winter after all. However pretty it may be, I can't help but feel a bit impatient and trapped in the house. It just feels like I've been doing nothing for days on end!

For everyone else with cabin fever, here is a fun list of how many calories are burned just by doing normal things around the house. These are estimates for 45 minutes per activity and a 150lb woman.

Activity and Calories BurnedReading: 54
Talking on phone: 54
Cooking: 135
Housework: 148
Sex: 216
Mopping: 229
Sleeping: 47
Playing board games: 81
Ironing: 114
Playing Piano: 141
Playing guitar: 162
Carrying an Infant: 189
Showering: 216
Rearranging Furniture: 337
Calories Burned while Watching You Tube (see below): 50

Here's some caloric estimates for a mini-workout you could do at home while snowed in:

Hatha yoga: 141
Table tennis: 202
Stretching: 202
Jumping jacks: 229
Situps / crunches: 229
Pushups: 256
Ashtanga yoga: 263
Pilates Intermediate: 263
Power yoga: 263
Dancing: 303
Walking up stairs 411
Vinyasa yoga 445

And here's some caloric estimates for all kinds of fun you can have in the snow:
Shovel Snow: 310
Sledding: 351
Pushing a snow blower: 223
Snow shoeing: 396
Snow boarding: 297
Snow mobiling: 148
Building a Snowman: 255
Having a Snowball Fight: 300
Making Snow Angels: 200
Skiing: 300
Cross-Country Skiing 436
Ice Skating: 370
Ice Hockey 500
Winter Hiking 380
Shoveling Snow 300

Remember, these are just estimates. If you weigh more or less than 150 you adjust the calories burned accordingly. These are also estimates for 45 minutes per activity, some activities may take more or less time to complete in actuality.

Bored like me? Kill time with this selection of You Tubes!

Nothing like a little John Denver to get us in the spirit of winter:



Here's an old clip from Sesame Street, I was probably the same age as these kids when this was on!




A winter moment in NYC:



Here's a video of two dudes riding their bikes in the snow, in my old 'hood! In fact, I used to take that exact same trek over the Williamsburg bridge with my bike. In the truest New York spirit, they do it in the middle of a snow storm.



Finally, why not just get the hell out of town and get a tan in Florida? Sounds like a great idea to me.


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Exercise of the Month- Neutral Pelvis and the Abdominal Connection

This February, the exercise of the month is the abdominal connection and neutral pelvis that is used in pilates. Both of these are key aspects to doing pilates safely and effectively.

At the studio, we'll practice different warm up exercises that help us find neutal pelvis and different ways of finding the abdominal connection, in particular that oh-so-elusive low abdominal connection. Throughout class, we'll continue to focus on these two things during each exercise, finding the challenge of keeping a neutral pelvis and abdominals connected inward during exercises like leg springs, the stomach series, and exercises on the reformer.

When the pelvis is in neutral and abdominals are connected in, almost any pilates exercise is possible. When either of these is done improperly, the results could be low back pain, weak movements, and slow advancement in pilates.

Both of these aspects also help us in daily life in ways such as....

-sitting at a computer for long hours

-standing, travelling, and driving for long hours

-horseback riding

-low back pain and hip pain

-jogging, cycling, and walking more effectively

Here are some older posts I wrote:
Neutral Pelvis-
http://headsuponyourbody.blogspot.com/2008/03/neutral-pelvis.html

Abdominals and the concept of the "core"-
http://headsuponyourbody.blogspot.com/2008/02/where-is-your-core.html

How they work together-
http://headsuponyourbody.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-does-pilates-lengthen-your-body.html Read more!