Freebie Friday - Karve Studio

I am so excited for this week's Freebie Friday because it is sponsored by a business very near and dear to my heart - Karve Studio!  Karve has been a part of my life for 3 years now, and in January I started training to become a teacher.  I am almost done with my training and am so thrilled to be able to share my love for this method!

Here is a description of Karve, straight from their website: "An evolved exercise method stemming from Callanetics and the Lotte Berk Method, the Karve exercise technique creates a lean, firm, sculpted body by reshaping and elongating the major muscles. Karve is the fastest, most effective and SAFEST way to change your body from the inside out. In one hour, this technique will create a high lifted seat, lean, shapely thighs, beautiful shoulders and triceps, and a trim waist. Originally created by a dancer in the 1950's, this method involves no jumping, jarring or damaging movements while efficiently burning fat and increasing stamina.

Karve fuses highly focused and controlled movements through ballet barre work, core strengthening, yoga, Pilates and orthopedic stretching techniques. Using high repetition, small range of motion, accuracy, and focus, each muscle group is worked thoroughly and completely, then stretched to create long lean lines. The entire body is challenged throughout the class, which quickly improves posture and body alignment, and creates a body equal in strength, beauty, balance, and youthful vitality."

Photos are courtesy of Karve Studio.

I take at least 4-5 Karve classes per week, and I am always challenged and sore afterwards.  That's the great thing about Karve - it's a safe, low impact workout for beginners and those with injuries, yet it can be really challenging for people of all levels, even those who have been taking the method for years.  The more I take it and learn the method, the more difficult it becomes because I know how to work my muscles deeper every time.  Plus, it's high energy, fun, and never boring!  Unlike some other barre classes, Karve changes every time.  The order of exercises is pretty standard each class, but the positions and variations always change so that your muscles never get used to the method.  It has really helped with my overall strength and flexibility, plus once weak knees are strong and stable again! 

 

The best thing about Karve, in my opinion, is that it's enjoyable.  The music is current and motivating, and the teachers really love what they do.  Karve is a time to enjoy our bodies, whatever the size or shape, move our muscles, and really challenge ourselves while clearing our heads and devoting an hour to our own well-being.

Karve has locations in Mesa and Old Town Scottsdale (Scottsdale Southbridge), as well as in Lindon, Utah.  A Gilbert, Arizona location is opening soon, and the North Scottsdale location will be opening this summer.  I will be mainly teaching the North Scottsdale location - it will be located off of Princess Drive and Pima, just off the 101.

The Scottsdale Southbridge studio will be moving mid-May from its 2nd floor location within The Mix on Stetson Drive to a 1st floor spot within the same building.  The future new owners Alyssa and Debbie are planning some awesome surprises and fun offers to celebrate the big move downstairs.  To keep in touch with Karve happenings, make sure to like them on Facebook!  North Scottsdale, Scottsdale Southbridge, Mesa, Gilbert, and Lindon, Utah all have their own Facebook pages.

Today's Freebie Friday is brought to you by Alyssa and Debbie and is a WHOLE WEEK of FREE Karve at the Southbrige studio in Old Town Scottsdale!  To enter to win, leave a comment below, telling me your favorite type of exercise or movement.  You can enter one time until midnight Pacific time today (April 20, 2012).  The winner will be drawn and announced Saturday morning.

Karve your body!

*M*

New Year, Big Changes

Image courtesy of Karve Studio

Sometimes you can "just tell" what's ahead of you, and I can "just tell" that 2012 will be the year of big changes. The first change starts tomorrow night: I'm going to start Karve teacher training! I have been working with Karve studio as their dietitian for almost three years and now take a class 4-6 days per week. I absolutely adore Karve's safe and extremely effective method that uses a ballet barre and integrates pilates, dance, and basic gym moves. Each class leaves me sore and stretched out, and even though I have been doing it for quite a while, I never get bored (or hit a plateau). It seems like teaching is the next logical step, and with the opening of the new North Scottsdale studio - less than a mile from my office - there is a great need for new instructors. I feel so blessed to be included in this class of training teachers and can't wait to meet new friends and learn how to share the method I love so much with others.

This is me during my most recent nutrition seminar at Karve Scottsdale:


With this new change comes another. Since I will be training every Monday and Wednesday night for 12+ weeks, I will be experimenting less in the kitchen and might not be blogging as often. However, if there's a topic or recipe you're really interested in seeing, please let me know! Adding Karve teacher training to an already full schedule (day job, nutrition consulting business, workout schedule, family and social life) means that something has to give - and God willing it won't be my sanity or free time.

It's important to do what you love and make time for things that are important to you. I believe more each day that happiness and fulfillment are above all else when it comes to my work life. May 2012 bring you clarity, satisfaction, and positive change.

*M*

Healthy Traveling

Traveling, whether for business or pleasure, can be a fun opportunity to see a new part of the world, enjoy new cultures, and have a break from our normal routine. Unfortunately, a lot of my clients become anxious when they have to travel because they worry about eating healthfully or fear they will get sick while on their trip. I've had to travel a lot for work recently, so I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for healthy traveling.

When it comes to eating while traveling, here are the major guidelines that come from the intuitive eating philosophy (HINT: they still apply while you're in your hometown!):

1. Eat when you're truly hungry. Don't wait too long to eat for fear that you "shouldn't be hungry" or "shouldn't eat." Hunger is your body's internal mechanism that signals that your metabolism is humming and that you need fuel. Most people naturally get hungry every 3-4 hours, but for some people it's more or less time. This is why it's so important to bring snacks on trips!

2. Stop eating when you're comfortably full. It's true, I probably won't have many opportunities to eat Maryland crab cakes, but it doesn't mean I have to gorge myself on them when I have the chance. Fullness is our body's way of saying it has had enough. How else would we know when to stop, right? If you're eating slowly and mindfully and you choose foods you really enjoy (see below), eating until comfortable fullness is usually not difficult, though it does take practice if it's not what you're used to. And those crab cakes? I can usually take them to go and have them at my next meal if I want to. It's not worth the resultant stomach ache and heartburn...I want to enjoy myself, after all!

3. Choose foods you truly enjoy that satisfy you. Does this mean that you'll eat cookies and cake all day long? You could, but you would probably not feel well. Becoming an intuitive eater means listening to your taste buds AND your body, trying to pay close attention to how food satisfies you. Most people cannot thrive on "junk" food alone, but it doesn't mean that on the flip side we have to eat all "healthy" food to be truly healthy. It's all about balancing what our body needs and what our tastes buds crave. In general, aim for healthful foods most of the time and "play" foods some of the time.

4. Eat slowly and mindfully, paying attention to each bite. This is probably the hardest guideline of intuitive or mindful eating, but it might be the most important. The more attention we give to food as we eat it, the more satisfying, tasty, and filling it is. Think about it - have you ever found yourself at the bottom of a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream wondering who ate it all...and it was you? When our minds are not engaged in the eating process, we don't sense hunger or satisfaction very well. When we are truly in tune with how food is tasting and feeling on our bodies, we tend to eat less, enjoy each bite more, and even crave healthier foods.

With all this said, while traveling it's extremely important to be prepared and take care of yourself. You don't want to succumb to an illness brought on by a germ-filled plane and ruin your trip. Additionally, trying to sneak in healthful foods, along with the fun, new foods of your travel destination, helps you feel great while enjoying your trip. Exercise is always important too, but don't get too hard on yourself if you struggle to fit it in. Simply try to walk more, use the stairs, and enjoy your new scenery as much as possible!

Since I have been traveling a lot for work, I have developed somewhat of a system. The hotel that I have been staying in has a full kitchen and laundry machines in each room, plus a gym on the property. During this last trip I traveled alone and didn't want to leave at night for dinner, so I ended up buying supplies for my little kitchen and eating everything from there. This is an unusual circumstance, I know, but I wanted to show you that it can be done!

Here are some things that I have been doing during my travels. Hopefully you can glean some helpful information from my experiences. Of course, you might find that you have lots of business dinners or special meals while on your trips. If this is the case, remember to eat mindfully and enjoy every bite!

Be prepared! Bring snacks on the plane in case you don't get a chance to eat (or if you fly an airline that doesn't serve food, which is almost all of them these days). I like to pack fruit, nuts, Lara bars, and Skinny Crisps, which are gluten-free nut-based crackers. Don't forget some Emergen-C for the plane!

Don't forget the water! Southwest gives water in cans on their planes. Even though I buy water in advance, I usually go through more than a bottle on a five hour flight. When they serve beverages, I order two cans of water and drink straight from the can or in a cup without ice. Air travel can be extremely dehydrating, so drink up...and sit in an aisle seat for bathroom breaks!

Build up your immune system! Traveling often requires early mornings, late nights, stress, and germ-filled, cramped environments. Give your system a boost with vitamin C, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, and other immune enhancing herbs. I like Emergen-C packs for traveling. I keep Starbucks cups (after finishing my tea) to get my C boost without having to flavor my entire water bottle.

Grab healthy meals when you can! Since most business trips or vacations involve fancy or rich meals, try to add some balance with soup and salad or a sandwich. This was from Whole Foods.

Shop for your hotel! Again, I was eating all of my meals at my hotel and had a big refrigerator, so I was able to buy a week's worth of groceries. Even if you can't store a lot of foods, at least you can pick up some fruit, water, or snacks so at least you have options and don't have to resort to vending machine food.

Fit in exercise where and when you can! Whether it's at the hotel gym...

...your hotel room...

(I take P90X and Insanity DVDs to do in my room):

(watching from my laptop):

("yoga mat"):

...or you take the stairs!

Happy, healthy travels!

*M*

Karve It Out

I'm sore. It's a good sore, but it's still sore. I've been the dietitian for Karve Studio as a consultant for almost a year now, and even though I do it three times a week almost every week, it still keeps challenging my muscles every time. Karve is based on the Lotte Berk Method and is similar to the Dailey Method or the Bar Method (though I've taken both of them and think Karve is much better!).

In a Karve class, which lasts an hour, you work every single muscle group using basic gym moves, pilates-inspired exercises, and stretching and strengthening at the ballet bar. Grippy socks are a must; no shoes are worn. The Karve "style" includes Lululemon Athetica apparel, which they also sell. The studio is carpeted, so at first you feel like you're going to be really comfortable...until you feel like your arms (or butt or legs or abs or...) are going to fall off. The weird thing about it is that it's addicting. You don't want to stop going because you are almost competing with yourself. The instructors are super fun and sweet, and even though they push you they're not scary or intimidating. You can always go at your own pace, and it can be done by any fitness level, including beginners. The owner, Kendra Jordan, is absolutely amazing and supportive of nutrition...which is why I love working with them!

I encourage you to give it a try if you want to have a great workout that truly changes your body. They have two studios - Scottsdale and Mesa. The Scottsdale studio is celebrating its first anniversary on March 20th, and they have a free class at 12:30 if you want to check it out. I'm giving a "Sugar" seminar on Saturday, March 27th at 12:15 at the Scottsdale location. Check it out if you want to be sore every day...like me.

For more info, visit their website here.