Thursday, June 18, 2009

Menopause- Ladies do we really have to gain weight?

This is for all of you ladies out there who are experiencing the peri-menopausal weight gain. Some of you are feeling “off your game” with a poor night’s sleep, being more tired than usual, moody, and somewhat depressed and watching the numbers on the scale slowly creeping upwards.

I fall into this category with I am sure many of you. In general I watch what I eat, exercise regularly with isometric exercise and full range of movement, get in some relaxation, but the numbers are still creeping upward on the scale.



I did have blood work and saliva work done. My numbers are not where they should be so specific vitamins were recommended to hopefully get me back on track. I do try (depending on my schedule) to get in aerobic activity 4-5 times a week for at least 30-60 minutes.(again depending on my schedule) I do perform a multitasking morning routine when I do not have time for my regular workouts ( my book soon to be released) but the weight is still creeping upward.

With that said I also do try to swim every afternoon just to do something extra. I have put on my pedometer again just to make sure that I am getting in my movement every day. I park as far away from the door of where ever I am going and add in those extra steps.

I do practice what I preach and I am going to fight this weight gain tooth and nail. It is now recommended by my doctor that I get off all white foods, alcohol, caffeine, and other varied items. I am hoping that in three months time I will be able to take the weight off and feel more energized. By adding in magnesium (calm) in the evenings before bed I am getting a better night’s sleep. I do recommend that you do seek out an individual that believes in the natural path versus hormones so you can be tested to see where you stand so the proper vitamins can be recommended to you.

I know that any of us can do something for three months. I would like to challenge everyone out there going through this to answer this blog and let’s see how we can help each other out. Sometimes we all need that little extra encouragement so let me hear from you.

Ellen is a certified Fitness Practitioner and Personal Trainer and has been teaching obtainable lifestyle changes for over 20 years. Ellen writes and produces fitness DVD’s of the IsoBreathing program. The DVD’s are now being sold through the IsoBreathing website world wide. She has been awarded Innovator of the Year 2006 by City Business and 2008 Best Of Mandeville in Exercise Programs by USLBA. www.isobreathing.com and she can be reached at Ellen@isobreathing.com

Coming soon Stretches for those who Knit and Crochet in booklet form

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Always looking to help

I have received many emails with individuals looking for help. That is what I am here for. I want to help individuals lead a healthier lifestye. I want to see a reduction in obesity not just with children but with adults. It does start at home and children do copy their parents.

I want to be able to continue to get the IsoBreathing program to as many individuals as I can. I have helped so many but yet there are still so many out there that need my help. If you happen to know anyone that is in need of weight loss please send them my way.

There are snippets on youtube of the IsoBreathing program and segments that are not on the videos. I have written many articles that you can get to from my website. I try to give out useful information to all. Of course this program is not for everybody. I have found that it is mostly teenagers and the individuals in their teens and twentys that reject this program. The music is not hip hop or rock. It is classical to make sure that you are performing the program slowly.

I have written this plenty of times and it is on the website that this program at this time does not contain aerobic exercise nor is the breathing aerobic. It is not meant to be. There are no suppliments that you need to take or diet pills. This is a learning program to teach you how to breathe slow, deep and diaphramatic with a twist and to learn proper body positioning when you work out so that you can obtain results.

I hope that this helps some of you get a better understanding of what isobreathing is all about.

Burn Calories While You Knit

Most individuals are trying many different exercise programs and diet programs without success. The bottom line is to reduce your caloric intake and increase your caloric output. When you are just sitting without movement your body burns very few calories. Watch a thin person sitting. They are always moving something such as a foot or leg. They are burning those few extra calories constantly. Those calories add up by the end of the day. When you knit both hands are moving so you are burning calories. If both hands are busy then you cannot be eating at the same time.
Most individuals tend to eat when they are bored or not busy or are stressed. By knitting you are doing double time by not eating and you are moving. To burn even more calories while knitting work your abdominal muscles. Sit tall and place both feet on the floor. Make sure that your lower back is supported by extra pillows behind you if it is needed. Tighten your abdominals and hold them in as tightly as you can for as long as you can. As you hold your abdominal muscles in that is considered an isometric exercise. The longer you hold the contraction the more intensely you work your abdominal muscles. By performing isometric contraction you are burning additional calories. Don’t forget to breathe. Never hold your breath or you will become light headed.
You can practice your new isometric exercise throughout your busy days. You can perform this simple task while sitting in traffic, or a car pick up line or waiting for the microwave to go off. You can perform an abdominal isometric exercise anywhere any time.
Knitting will help you with boredom, it is also a great stress reliever and if you donate your knitted items even better for your sole and giving back to others. When you are finished with your knitting for the day or evening don’t forget to stretch your tired achy muscles. “Stretches for Knitters and Crocheters “ contain many stretches for a variety of tired muscles.
Ellen is a certified Fitness Practitioner and Personal Trainer and has been teaching obtainable lifestyle changes for over 20 years.
Ellen writes and produces fitness DVD’s of the IsoBreathing program. The DVD’s are now being sold through the IsoBreathing website world wide.
Ellen writes for her monthly newsletter, North shore counseling and wellness and New Orleans Wedding Magazine. She has been awarded Innovator of the Year 2006 by City Business and 2008 Best Of Mandeville in Exercise Programs by USLBA. www.isobreathing.com and she can be reached at Ellen@isobreathing.com


Tighten Your Tummy While Knitting

Did you realize that you can work your abdominal muscles while you are knitting? I have gone to many knitting groups to speak and have seen lots of slumping bodies in chairs and couches. I have heard lots of complaints of lower back discomfort and shoulder and neck discomfort. I am going to help you get rid of your lower back discomfort and help you work your abdominals at the same time you are knitting.
First thing is posture. Plant both of feet flat on the ground. If your back is not touching the back of your chair then you can use a small step stool to prop your feet up and sit all the way back or place pillows behind your lower back so that your body is moved forward and your feet are touching the ground. With weaker lower back muscles you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles.
Sit tall and elevate your ribcage. Some of you may feel a pulling in your abdominal muscles. This is normal and means that your abdominal muscles are tight. While you are sitting tall pull in your abdominal muscles as tightly as you can. Keep on breathing. See how long you can hold in your tummy and breathe at the same time. Can you get threw a whole row of knitting? (I usually knit king sized blankets.)
What will end up occurring is a mental awareness of better posture (keeping your ribcage elevated) and keeping your abdominal muscles tight. The more you tighten your tummy and hold (isometric exercise) the better your abdominal results will be. (tighter muscles that help support your lower back) The longer you can hold your isometric exercise the more intensely you will be working your abdominal muscles. With this simple isometric exercise of holding in your abdominal muscles and you can start seeing results in a few weeks. (a tighter flatter tummy)
So knit away and have fun but remember to sit tall and tighten your tummy. As time goes on this will become easier and easier for you to accomplish. When you start out you may not be able to hold this contraction for long. Time will pass and you will be able to hold the contraction of your abdominal muscles longer and even tighter which will work your abdominal muscles even more intensely.
Don’t forget to stretch after you finish knitting. “Stretches for knitters and crocheters” contain a number of different stretches to help you reduce your tight achy muscles from hours of knitting.
Ellen is a certified Fitness Practitioner and Personal Trainer and has been teaching obtainable lifestyle changes for over 20 years.
Ellen writes and produces fitness DVD’s of the IsoBreathing program. The DVD’s are now being sold through the IsoBreathing website world wide.
Ellen writes for her monthly newsletter, North shore counseling and wellness and New Orleans Wedding Magazine. She has been awarded Innovator of the Year 2006 by City Business and 2008 Best Of Mandeville in Exercise Programs by USLBA. www.isobreathing.com and she can be reached at Ellen@isobreathing.com


Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Time Flys

It has been awhile since my last writing. Since then I finished my semesters oil painting class and learned what I needed to learn. I went to Virginia to watch Michelle in the Mrs Virginia pageant. By the way she came in second runner up and received an award for Community Service. I also started a welding class so that I can make a sculpture for my back yard.

That was my fun stuff. As far as www.IsoBreathing.com I have written a few more articles and answered hundreds of questions that are asked of me daily. I finished my booklet Stretches for Gardener's in paper format not just an e-book. I am finishing up my Stretches for Knitters and Crocheters booklet. Not everyone wants it in DVD format. I am also working on two more booklets. One is for balance and the other one will deal with multitasking.
Being that these booklets will be written on paper I decided to support Trees for the Future at www.plant-trees.org. It is a great organization that helps to replant trees that all of us use on a daily basis.

I have gone to a number of gardening facilities and gardening groups and asked if I could perform a demonstration of the stretches that are included in the booklet and got turned down at most of them. It is mostly related to lawyers and insurance. I then preceded to ask if they would keep the booklet next to the cash register for those individuals who would like to purchase them and even give the companies a percentage of the booklets that they sell. (No monies out of their pockets to keep them at the register) So far it has been a big no. I have not given up. I am writing to a number of companies that have sites on line. You never know who may want to sell these.

I am going to do the same with the other booklets. If any of you have any ideas of how to get the booklets distributed I would love to hear from you. So far it is just the website or at a speaking engagement which I am always looking forward to the next one. I can be reached at ellen@isobreathing.com and let me know if it relates to this article. Otherwise I may end up deleting it. I get lots of spam. Thanks for your help. Till next time.
Ellen

Monday, April 13, 2009

Why do you I need to be a size 0?

I do play around on the Internet and came to this forum section. Of course I was curious and ended up looking up IsoBreathing. I love to see what individual have to say about the program. Well the comment that struck me was- How can you believe this program when she is overweight. I believe that each individual is entitled to have their own opinion. When it comes to me I actually laughed at the comment. Why do individuals feel that to be a personal trainer you have to look like a bodybuilder or be a size 0 to encourage individuals to become healthier and fit. I am 5'2 and a size 6. I am happy, healthy and strong.? Why should I diet and become a size 0 or work out for hours a day to look like a bodybuilder? I find that too many individuals have a very odd perception on what healthy really is. If I was a size 12 and was still fit would that mean that I didn't have the same knowledge to help others become healthier and fit?

I think that individuals forget that the IsoBreathing program is not geared toward bodybuilders. It is geared to get individuals motivated and feeling good about themselves with a kindergarten approach with exercise. Remember that exercise should not hurt to work. That is why I designed this program to get back to basics and start with isometric exercise. This program is not for everybody and that is understandable. But if you know someone that is looking for a starting point this is the program for them.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

interesting comments

I was playing around on the computer looking up all different things that are associated with IsoBreathing. I came across a sight where individuals were rating the IsoBreathing program. I really did appreciate all of the comments mentioned. www.dietblogtalk.com/isobreathing

Some were positive and some negative. What I was amused at were the negatives and I truly understood their comments. This program is not for everyone. It is a learning process without the hip hop music and fast "booty" movements.
I designed the IsoBreathing program to teach individuals that exercise does not have to hurt to work. IsoBreathing is the Kindergarten of exercise. You need to start someplace and this program is your starting place. It teaches proper body positioning with a number of exercises so once you learn body positioning you need to move forward and increase intensity and perform different exercises. There are alot of great programs out there but I have found when watching individuals perform different exercises their body positioning was off.

The biggest complaint that I received from new clients that belonged to gyms was that they were not obtaining results. I worked with them for one week and changed their body positioning and they felt their muscles working where they did not feel them work before. For some I had to change their eating habits and for others they needed to include aerobic activity. This program is not aerobic. It is for strength training.
I hope that this will help others that are considering the IsoBreathing program. I have helped thousands get on the right path to a healthier lifestyle and I want to help you.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

IsoBreathing a household word

I was given a challenge by my husband the other night. My goal is to have IsoBreathing become a household word. In 2008 my goal was to help one million individuals with the IsoBreathing program. I did come up short but I still have a smile on my face because I have helped many individual change their lifestyles to become healthier. (not everyone needs to be a size 2) I was short in 2008 but I love a challenge so my goal for 2009 is to help ten million individuals change their lifestyles to become healthier, stronger and lead a more productive life.

I placed a snippet on www.youtube.com/isobreathing because of this new challenge that I was given. I was told that it would take thousands and thousands if not millions of dollars to make IsoBreathing a household word.I am a small business owner and do not have that kind of funds. SO…..

The question now is why would you want to help me. My answer to that is I am not doing this to make money. If you check out my website at www.isobreathing.com I actually do donate a good portion of my proceeds to a few charities. Cancer Crusaders which is based in New Orleans where 100% of its proceeds go to cancer research. (it is a volunteer organization that I was part of for many years)

I also donate funds to Fontainebleu High School in Mandeville Louisiana to their media program. The reason being when Katrina hit New Orleans I was just celebrating 10 years in Mandeville. I am stubborn and would not allow my business to fold. My son Josh went to his media instructor and asked if he could take on a project. The instructor was delighted, I became a mentor for the program, and I was able to revamp my program and place it all on DVD’s. (I did hire a company for volume one and I am telling you that the kids did a better job with filming and editing)

With all the new sales I want to donate funds to feed America, and still contribute to the other two charities. This day with so many out of work and difficult times there is still no reason that individuals and children should go without food.

As you can see I am passionate about what I do and I love to teach and I do that through speaking engagements and writing articles. I write for The New Orleans Wedding Magazine, my newsletter and Northshore Counciling and Wellness. I am asking all of you to check out yourtube and to go on to the isobreathing website. If this program is not for you maybe it is for someone that you know.

The IsoBreathing program is different than any other program out there because this is geared specifically toward those individuals that do not workout on a regular basis. I have been called the kindergarten of exercise because I start with isometric exercises. Everyone needs to learn what muscles they want to work and make sure that it is the group of muscle being targeted and not a different muscle group. ( if you are working the bicep you do not want to feel it in your lower back) Body positioning is everything if you want to obtain results.

Others that benefit from this program are the obese, those with physicial limitaitons and the elderly. This program is performed mostly in a chair. As you go on to level 4 there is some standing and floor work. But look at all the other levels you need to go throught to get to level 4.

I truly believe that you need to stay in a comfort zone but still challenge yourself. This is not The Biggest Loser but The Biggest Winner. (I love to keep things upbeat and positive) Everyone wins even if you only use the breathing technique. You will help yourself reduce your stress.

I also like to think outside of the box and have developed stretching programs for those that knit and crochet and my newest e-book stretches for gardeners. I also have a program for those that sit behind a desk all day and a CD that is for stress reduction.

Besides having great testimonials on my website I also have a number of them on linkedin on my home page. www.lindedin.com under IsoBreathing Ellen Miller.

So I am now asking you if you would kindly contact all individuals that you know and send them to youtube or my website so that I can help those individuals that want to be helped with my fitness expertise.

I wish all of you a wonderful day. Remember dont just Breathe IsoBreathe.

Ellen Miller is a Fitness Practitioner/personal trainer and the originator of the IsoBreathing program. She has been teaching lifestyle changes for almost 30 years. Sign up for her newsletter at www.isobreathing.com. Her email address is Ellen@isobreathing.com and she does answer all emails herself.


Friday, March 20, 2009

Forgot how to log in

If you are like me you have a few sights that you have to keep a list of what site you are on and what passwords to use.

Enough excuses it is time to move on and take control. Spring time is here and most of us start to put a smile on our faces when the sun is shining. I was out jogging this morning and it is amazing how individuals will not even look at you or even acknowledge that you are even present. I am used to smiling at people and trying to get them to smile back. It just makes for such a pleasant day when someone smiles back at you. I encourage you to just try it. Just try to be nice to someone. If you are in your car allow an individual to go ahead of you. If you are walking by and someone needs help give them a helping hand. Open the door for someone or give up your seat on the bus or train for someone elderly. It is amazing what just a little niceness will do not just for the other individual but for yourself. You will feel good about yourself and that alone will place a smile on your face.
I wish you all a wonderful day.
Ellen

Friday, January 9, 2009

Getting Started

I received an email from a gentleman who states that he is obese. He has tried many times to start a fitness program and diet program but always fails. Help!!

My first question to him is are you ready to change. We all hear individuals state that they are "going to start." If you are going to start you will always be going and never accomplish what you want. You must state "As of today I am eating healthier choices and I am exercising and I am feeling fantastic"

You must keep it positive and in the present.

When you are mentally ready to start a life style change then you need to take it one step at a time. With the new year here and many resolutions made- many will be broken before the end of January.

This is what I recommend for you to stay on track:
1. do not go out and purchase lots of fruits and vegetables- we all have good intentions but end up throwing out most of what was purchased. Only purchase enough fruit and veggies for 3 days at a time. Most likely it will last you the week.
2. Listen to your body no matter what exercise program you start. Your body will let you know if the weights are too heavy (your body will start to swing to get the heavy weights lifted), you are moving too fast(you will feel your body positioning getting out of wack), and if you are not in proper alignment you will start with little aches and pains ( if you are working biceps and you are feeling it in your lower back something is off).
3. Your aerobic activity will burn calories. Start out slow. Walking is the best but if you have bad knees - I placed on youtube under isobreathing a snip - it on chair aerobics. Just another way to burn calories.

I can not tell you how many times I hear from individuals that want to lose like they do on the biggest loser. Well I tell them work out for 8 hours a day, be strict with your food intake and you will need a massage therapist because you will not be able to get out of bed the next day.

Personally I perform strength training 15-20 minutes and will get in aerobic activity 30-40 minutes 3-5 days a week. that is for maintainability of weight. To lose weight you must get in aerobic activity 5-6 days a week but it can be broken up into 10 minute segments- 3 times a day. Strength training is a must to build muscle fibers. The more fibers you have the more calories you will burn.

We all have good intentions when working out and most of the time over do it and the next morning you can barely get out of bed.

You all need to understand that I have been there and have done all of that over the years. I prefer the IsoBreathing program myself. I vary the isometric exercises with full range of motion exercises and continue with the breathing technique. Proper body positioning is everything. No matter what program you choose add variety, listen to your body and make sure that you are having fun. If you are not having fun then you will not stick with your life style change.

Ellen

Sunday, January 4, 2009

New Year

With the New Year comes new things. This section is going to be changed to Ask Ellen. I want to be able to help as many individuals as I can. Each of you have different questions and areas of your body that you want to strengthen and reduce. I love interaction so instead of just blogging I wanted a little more. Most individuals were just emailing me at ellen@isobreathing.com and asking questions. Yes I do answer all questions myself and wanted to share some of the questions that are being asked. I also do receive questions from my snippits on youtube. I will transfer those questions here so you can also benefit from those individuals questions also.


The first questions asked was is there a way to avoid the exercise and lose weight. My response was it can be done but.. to lose weight efficiently you will need to incorporate healthier portion sizing with food, some form of aerobic activity to burn calories and some form of strength training to gain more muscle fibers that burn more calories.

What I did not add in is yes in order to lose weight without exercise you will have to cut your calories way down. What then occurs to your body is a slower metabolism, you will become tired, sluggish, and cranky. Not my choice of weight loss.

I have found over the years is those individuals following the isobreathing program which is a way to introduce exercise to someone - they will continue to follow a portion of the program.
Some follow body positioning, others just the breathing, and for some they follow the isometric program and then will go into full range of motion for more variety.

I am here to help you out so please just ask.
You are welcome to tell your friends about this site and if they are not sure tell them to go to youtube and look up isobreathing.

Till next question- I wish you all a very Happy Healthy and Safe New Year.