Scissors to Sculpt

One of my favourite pilates moves is the Scissors.

In the one move you

• strengthen the abdominal muscles
• strengthen the butt
• lengthen and challenge the hamstrings and quadriceps

Remember to

• keep your whole spine extended along the mat (this is not the raised version!)
• tuck your chin a little to extend through back of the neck
• inhale on the leg change, exhale as you catch each leg in turn

While this woman does say "Go ahead and..." a LOT, she gives a fantastic guide to getting from single leg stretch to scissors. Do it.

Once you've mastered Scissors, you can also try the Corkscrew. Here's a great instructional vid from Catherine and Kimberly at Pilates on Fifth. Remember: NO ROTATION! You're trying to sculpt your abs, not break your spine.

Osteoarthritis and Dancing, Being a Yogi and a Fitness Instructor

I'm finding that a lot of professionals are giving me material, both written and via phone, that is clearly designed for older patients! "Don't bend over 90 degrees for the first few days when you're putting your slippers on!" MY SLIPPERS?

I'm going to be able to dance and hold tree pose, leap, run and hip swivel in a few months. That's exciting. I want to speak to people who appreciate what that means to me.

If you know someone, or you ARE someone with osteoarthritis and you are also an athlete (or a weekend warrior), a dancer, a fitness instructor or just very active, please get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

I think we need to organise a site that is dedicated to encouraging people - sharing lifestyle stories that can benefit. For me, strength training (wisely!) consistently has been a major reason I don't get much pain at all.

Make It Work: Where You Workout

I made no apologies for loving the gym. There's a whole treasure chest of machines, tools and open space, bars and cords and ropes that most of us don't have access to without shelling out for membership to the local recreation centre.
There are definitely some heavy downsides though - the likelihood that as soon as a woman steps into the weights area, the grunting will increase 200%. Some people, men and women, are unfamiliar with deodorant, and some gym staff get a little chilly while standing around and switch all the fans off.
However, since you're going to be the one who walks out with amazing triceps and pain-blitzing adrenalin rush 45 minutes later, this isn't so horrible.

In my class environment though, I love it to be light, clean, well-ventilated and designed to look and feel welcoming. To that end, I can't paint floral patterns or big geometric shapes all over the walls of the studios I teach in, but I can give them a little spritz of room spray and encourage mat cleaning! It's a small gesture. But it counts. I am LOVING Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Room Spray while I'm going from place to place. At home, I use the diffuser because it looks gorgeous. Find a store in Victoria or New South Wales.

I tote around Dr.Bronner's organic hand sanitizer spray. Gorgeous lavender scent and it's ideal for both gym AND outside the gym! It beats gloopy sanitizing ointment because you can spray surfaces, including the gym mats hundreds have used before you!

Yes Indeed to Perfect Skin

My name is Cat and I'm a Skincare Junkie. It has to be amazing and effective (FAST) or I'll move on. Same deal with makeup. If it's a colour mismatch or it makes my skin dry out or break out, the relationship is over.

After a recommendation from beauty vlogger extraordinaire, Jessica Ann (Taken By Surprise), I have been using indeed laboratories' range of skincare. Totally recommend you get your hands on this if you are 20s to 60s. It's available at Priceline as of recently!

I have raved about retinol before because it is VITAL for skin renewal. As a spotty teenager, I depended on it to clear my skin and now, I rely on it to soften and plump any wrinkle-prone areas. Every third night, I've been using retinol reface. Considering some retinol products are over the $100 mark, this is a total bargain and I've noticed the difference. For around $35, you only need a tiny amount so it should last you a couple of months at least.

Jessica Ann claimed the Hydraluron moisturising jelly worked like a charm for dry skin that needs a bit more than just the usual cream formula. It can also be worn under makeup (or BB/CC cream as I am addicted to!) Press a button to release a controlled amount - so high tech! This one will be at Priceline soon. In case you like a serve of science with my recommendation, here's the lowdown from indeed labs:   Clinical trials with hyaluronic acid, applied twice a day for 8 weeks showed an increase of skin's elasticity by 27% and a reduction of skin roughness by 10%.

My beauty loves for August are pictured here. Included are L'Oreal Glam Bronze Mono in Blonde Sun (light for paler skin tone!), the OPI Nordic Collection (hello Suzy Has A Swede Tooth and How Great Is Your Dane?), abeeco Bee Venom Lip Plumper (love the tingly feeling - it must be working) and ModelCo Lip Couture in Emily. Built in mirror with your lipstick? Genius.

Meet Grace McClure, Ironwoman, Mum and Ballet Sculpter

I meet lots of amazing people through teaching Ballet Sculpt and last week I was very fortunate to have Grace McClure in on of my Ballet Sculpt classes. Grace has had to modify her training due to a shoulder injury so she is foraying into the world of pilates, yoga and core-strength based workouts.
As an IronMan triathlete and ambassador for Liv Giant and Can Too, Grace is super busy and extraordinarily fit. I mean this in both the physical and mental sense as endurance sports are just as mentally challenging as they are physical. Hours upon hours of training, whatever the weather, takes a level of determination and desire that appeals only to a minority of athletes.

Grace has worked in modelling and television presenting, both of which have strict expectations of a lean and 'made to sell product' physique. Endurance sports also favour an extraordinarily lean physique. Both of these factors made me very hesitant in promoting Grace as an inspiration to my blog readers, but to her endless credit, Grace and I discussed my concerns and she was very honest in having dealt with body image concerns in the past. She is also very aware of balancing her training to ensure adequate recovery and allowing her motivational speaking and ambassadorial work to take priority along with her athletic achievements.

A genuinely loving, generous and conscientious woman, I am already a big fan and look forward to following Grace's blog and all her achievements, whether in Ironman or as a mother and author. Please check out her website and follow her on Twitter. She is also Director of Rural Organics, a business that consults and provides accreditation for organic products and education in organic and bio dynamic farming techniques.

Methodology X

Nothing beats reading health and fitness magazines while on the elliptical trainer. This is how I discovered Dan Roberts, master trainer and founder of Methodology X

"sculpt your model body in a healthy, athletic, and holistic way. All you need is a gym ball and a base level of fitness." - Dan Roberts

Even though Dan works with many models, this is not a magic-pill style workout promising to make you look like Gisele Bundchen. This is a brilliant workout system for building core strength, balance and including a whole range of really different moves.

Dan understands the benefits of training with body weight resistance and awareness of intensity and length of training sessions. What I love is that he keeps the workouts short, progressively more challenging, and very much about strength and body awareness.

You download the book and as you progress through the chapters, you can watch video guides for each workout. It's easy to follow and at any point, I can go back and revisit earlier workouts when I need to dial back the difficulty level.

My favourite moves are the Spiralizer and Diamond Push-Ups. Do it, and share your progress with the MethodologyX crew on Twitter and Facebook!

Other lovers of Methodology X?

@turnitupcarta

@Janapeartist

@nourishabetteru

Diana Vishneva & Discipline

Diana Vishneva, the Russian born ballerina, is internationally acknowledged as a star of contemporary and classical dance. With a glossy, dark mane that is enviably thick and lustrous, she is the perfect ambassador for Kerastase’s new Discipline range.
As part of the campaign for the range, which promises to tame unruly and unmanageable hair, Vishneva is captured on film in a piece choreographed by Carolyn Carlson. 

We all know my devotion to Kerastase to save my poor hair from constant dyeing and straightening! Here's where you can find it: http://www.kerastase.com/en/discipline?area=www
In addition, keep these tips in mind to avoid damage:

• Use Microfibre towels. They cause less tension and frizz when drying hair – this is especially noticeable with thinning and easily-breakable hair

• Avoid sulfates. They are damaging to hair that has been chemically treated, dyed, straightened or curled on a regular basis

• Wash your hair with lukewarm water rather than hot – just like the skin, extreme temperatures are damaging and so easily avoidable!

• Eat and sleep well. There’s no great mystery about this one – the better your health in general, the more radiant, strong and healthy your skin, hair and nails.  You’ll also find you have the energy to dance