Tips for Office Workers

Last weekend Kim and I taught a great workshop at Reebok. Geared towards tired office workers and computer users, the information was very much appreciated and we look forward to doing it again! We realize that more people need this information, so we've decided to post the tip sheet we handed out. Definitely email us if you have questions, or leave a comment. Also, if you love what you're reading think of how much better it would be if Kim and I came to your office and gave the workshop there! Contact us also if you'd like to book us for corporate classes and workshops.

melgutierrez13@gmail.com or kim@kimlienyoga.com

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Tips for Office workers to avoid work related body stresses

The most important thing to do is to move, staying in a static position for long periods of time does damage to the body. But how can you move at a desk job? Here are some tips:

On the way to work:

• Wear sneakers or comfortable shoes while walking to the office and change into your work shoes there. It might look funny, but your feet and back will be glad you did it!
• Do some hip, hamstring and back stretching when you wake up. It only takes 3-5 minutes!
• If you carry a purse, handbag or shoulderbag, switch which side bears the burden each day, even if it feels really weird. Carrying even a 10 lb bag on the same shoulder every day for years can lead to a functional scoliosis!

At work:

• Drink LOTS of water! Invest in a metal 1L bottle and drink 2-3 each work day. Not only will you meet your hydration needs for the day, it will keep you getting up frequently for the bathroom so you can move. By the way coffee, tea, and juice do NOT count as water, ONLY water is water...
• Do a twist in your chair - ask for a demonstration
• You can do a seated cat/cow - ask for a demonstration
• Switch up your sitting patterns. If you usually sit at your desk with crossed legs or ankle over knee, switch whichever one is on top or in front. It might feel strange, but your hips will thank you.

Take a look at your desk and make sure that when you’re seated that:

• Your hips are higher than your knees. If not, sit on a folded towel or blanket.
• Make sure that when you type your wrists are at the same level or slightly below your elbows to avoid wrist problems. You may have to put your keyboard in your lap.
• Try to keep your shoulders from riding up your neck when you are stressed. Remember that shoulders should ride passively on your ribs while you breathe. If you feel tension take a breath, hold it, and then feel the shoulders release and lower as you exhale.

Back Pain, SI Joint pain, and Hip pain can be treated using trigger point massage techniques at home:

• Use a tennis ball to roll out your hamstrings, glutes, and fleshier hip areas. Start by sitting and putting whatever weight you’re comfortable with on the tennis ball. Try not to glaze over the tender areas.
• Do some sternocleidomastoid massage. These are the 2 large bands of muscles on either side of the front of your neck. Start low at the collarbone and grasp the muscular band. Massage your way up till you reach your jaw, no higher. Again, be gentle, and try not to skip the tender areas. This work will help you loosen face and jaw muscles, will help improve breathing, avoid tension headaches, and TMJ.
• Try to be barefoot as much as possible! When walking at home, be barefoot. If you have a lawn walk barefoot in the grass or go to a park. The point is to use all the muscles and joints in your feet that have been cramped by shoes. If you can at work, be barefoot under your desk and roll your feel on massage ball with a racket ball, massage ball or golf ball.

Mind Over Matter? –How a Positive Attitude Can Protect You from Depression and Illness

Having a positive attitude, or being as optimistic as possible, is something that many self-help gurus like Tony Robbins and Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) have been talking about for decades. People have varying opinions on the efficacy of a “positive attitude”. Some people even go so far as to say that it’s all a bunch of new-agey hocus-pocus! But it would seem that Covey and Robbins, among many others are right. And you don’t have to look in a mirror every morning and repeat “I am GREAT!”—well, unless you want too!

It’s now official—it has been scientifically proven that having a positive attitude can affect your wellbeing in amazing ways! In a recent article featured in US News Magazine, researchers in Australia have discovered that teenagers who maintain an optimistic attitude have a significantly lower risk for depression. The journalist reporting on the findings explained that:

“What makes optimism work? An optimist believes the good things that happen in life will keep happening, and that they happen because she or he made them happen. Optimists also figure that bad things happen occasionally, and by chance, not because of one's own mistakes; and they believe those bad things are unlikely to happen again.”

So you may be thinking that some people are just born on the bright side—that they naturally are happier people who just seem to be genetically wired to see things in a more optimistic light. But that is only half true—yes, some people are born with certain “happier” dispositions. But also it has scientifically been found that cultivating an optimistic attitude towards life can be a skill that can be learned by just about anybody. Psychologist Martin Seligman from the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, among others, has done numerous studies on the the subject and has found that learning to be optimistic is very possible, even for the most pessimistic person.

Having an Optimistic Attitude not only significantly decreases your chances of getting depressed, but it also has so many other benefits—people who are Optimistic have better marriages and romantic relationships, have more meaningful friendships, are more successful in their careers and also live longer and suffer from less health problems! It has been proven by numerous scientific studies.

This is because having a negative attitude creates more stress than having a positive attitude. A prolonged period of stress causes all kinds of problems, according to the Mayo Clinic, including “health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. So having an optimistic attitude can do so much for you!

So how can you “learn” how to be more optimistic? Well Yoga and Meditation are great practices to start! The benefits of Yoga and Meditation are also scientifically proven, and they can reduce your stress levels and increase feelings of wellbeing that can help you achieve a more optimistic attitude! Also, when a bad situation happens, make sure you question your assumptions about it being “negative” or “bad”. Try to see the situation in a different light. Remember the old saying that if you have been given lemons, make lemonade! Pretty much any situation can be turned around and made positive. You just have to first start by thinking to yourself, “This can be turned around. This can be made okay.” Every problem has a solution, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to figure it out. If you are in a negative mindset, then it will be so much harder to see the solutions to whatever problems life throws at you! So cultivating a positive attitude can do so much to help you not just in terms of your health but also in all areas of your life! So try and see things from a more optimistic perspective! The results will amaze you!

Reebok Workshop: Yoga for Office Workers and Computer Users

Tired of feeling tired? Chronic fatigue is a common complaint of many computer users. Office workers are subjected to 8 or more hours of consistent computer use each day of the week. The demand of keeping the body held in this unnatural and static position can lead to a myriad of complaints, such as:

Back Pain

Shoulder and Neck Pain

Headaches and Migraines

Eye Strain

Painful Hands and Wrists

Teeth Clenching/Grinding

Sciatica

Don't miss out on the opportunity to fix this! On Sunday, May 22nd Kim-Lien Kendall will teach a workshop assisted by Melissa Gutierrez. From 3:30 - 5:00 pm you will learn how to alleviate your symptoms and reverse the negative affects of sitting and typing all day. Amongst the techniques used will be somatic movement, yoga, breath therapy, and trigger point therapy.

You will leave feeling better and will have learned how to prevent your pain with tips you can use while at work. Location: Reebok Sports Club, 67th and Columbus. Cost for Members: $20, Non-Members: $35 Registration is necessary, please do so by Friday, May 20th.

Contact Anne-Sophie Rodriguez, Group Exercise Coordinator, at asrodriguez@reeboksportsclubny.com or call 212.501.1419.

Fun At Sweat NYC for Japan

Here are a few pictures of the good times had at our benefit. Provided to us by a down chick known as Original Bgirlsmiles, Renee Collazo. Look at that form!


Here's Adayana de la Torre looking too cute. I don't like being shown up stylistically. Watch yourself, girl! Check out the beautiful Ogilvy theatre space behind her. What a great place to have classes!



















Zeel.com, one of our sponsors was awesome enough to spend the whole day with us and take part in all the classes.













Kim plays M.C. and Momma with Mya strapped to her back.







Here I am (Melissa) taking care of people as they check in. I did good!

Actress, Mika Okano, performs spoken word to commemorate the event. She looks like a beautiful spring Cherry Blossom.

Pilates teacher, Mimosa Gordon, takes a well-deserved rest after her class.








And the real star of the show...Mya! This is Kim's daughter and honestly, she's the reason people came out to the event. They all wanted to drool over this ridiculously cute baby. Thanks, Mya, for lending us your star power!

A Successful Day for Sweat NYC for Japan

This last Saturday we held our our fundraiser for Japan. We had such a great time getting in shape, dancing, giving out prizes and most importantly raising money. We ended the day with a total of $2,300! This is very exciting and we thank everyone who had a hand in getting this together and donating. The website will be up for another 2 weeks to help us reach our final goal of $5,000. People are still donating, so please keep it going:

http://dri.convio.net/goto/sweatnyc

A special thank you to our sponsors:

• AK47 Division
• Howard Sloan Koller
• Jack Rabbit
• Ogilvy
• Zeel.com

We express deep gratitude to those who helped volunteer and gave merchandise to our silent auction:

• Andrea Roberts- Emotional Management Therapist with the Paradox Process
• BohemianBeatnikBeaders.com
• Christiane Tibbs - Massage Therapist
• Expertessays4u.com
• Karin Fantus - Pilates Teacher
• Kula Yoga Project
• P and T Interiors
• Snapshot- Personal Training
• Soon Salon - Hair Salon

Kim and I want to thank the teachers who made the event worth coming to:

Adyana de la Torre - Personal Trainer

Mimosa Gordon - Pilates Teacher

The Hip Hop Dance Conservatory

Tweetie - Alvin Ailey Hip Hop Dance Teacher

We'll be posting photos of the event soon, so check back!

Announcing Sweat NYC, a benefit for Japan's tsunami survivors

Kim and I have been extremely moved and inspired by the strength the Japanese people have shown in the face of the recent tsunami. We know that international aid has been pouring in, but there’s so much more help that’s needed. People’s entire homes, communities, and lives have been completely destroyed. The disaster seems overwhelming, but despite our distance we can help.

We have decided to team up with Direct Relief and organize a fun way to inspire New Yorkers and help out the people in need. It’s a day-long fitness event called Sweat NYC. Many of our fitness and dance friends have come together in support of making this day as successful as possible. Here are the details:

What: Sweat NYC for Japan: An all day fun-filled fitness event for people of all ages and skill levels encompassing 6 different classes taught by accomplished instructors, an auction for fitness gear and private sessions, and a raffle. Classes include: Morning Total Body Conditioning with Adyana de la Torre, Vinyasa Flow yoga with Kim-Lien Kendall, Pilates, the Blade Dance Technique with the Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory, Gentle Yoga with Melissa Gutierrez and Hip-Hop with Tweetie. We are hoping to raise over $5,000 for Tsunami victims in Japan through Direct Relief, a charity esteemed in international news for their efforts in Japan. You can help us to meet our goal with your donations.

When: Saturday, April 9th 2011, from 9 am to 7 pm.

Where: 636 11th Ave, New York, NY. Space has been generously donated to us by Ogilvy, worldwide marketing firm.

You have a variety of great classes to choose from for a minimum donation of $15 - $25. Or spend the entire day with us for a $60 day pass, which also gets you a ticket to our raffle where you may win a prize. We hope to see you there, not only to donate, but to take care of yourself and connect with this awesome community!

True Health through Movement: Three Secrets that Maybe You DIDN'T Know

There has been A LOT of talk in the media about “Good Health” and how to achieve it. In fact, in America it seems to be a national pastime! Shows like “Dr. Phil” and “Dr. Oz” as well as “The Doctors” are extremely popular daytime mega-hits. Health and Diet books are also huge best-sellers, from “The Atkins' Diet” all the way to “The South Beach Diet”. So if we Americans are so obsessed with the concept of “Good Health”, then why is it that the youngest generation, aged 0-25, looks to be the first generation that will live shorter and less healthier lives than their own parents? America is ailing, even though as a nation we spend the most money of any country IN THE WORLD on healthcare. America is also one of the most overweight nations on Earth. Even First Lady Michelle Obama has taken note and tried very bravely to enact a national campaign to get children and families to be healthier. So why are all these efforts seeming to fail? There can certainly be some concrete conclusions that can be drawn: throwing money at the problem won't help, and it looks like most of the “quick fixes” like crash dieting, diet pills, and other techniques don't work either. So it looks like there are some key things that most people just DON'T KNOW, or perhaps won't acknowledge! As expert health practitioners, our team has over many years, discovered three key things that it takes to develop true and lasting health. We like to call it, “TRUE HEALTH”.

#1 - Achieving True Health takes commitment.

Commitment is key when it comes to ridding one's body of health problems and achieving a true sense of wellness. There are a lot of quick fixes out there, from dieting pills and other fads, to strange exercise equipment that is sold at 2am on a strange infomercial! Of course, sadly, NONE of these fads work. There is really no “overnight” solution. Achieving True Health first takes an acknowledgment of the particular problem or set of problems, and then committing to really fixing it. It sounds scary, but really it is the best thing that you can do! Commit to change, and commit to achieving True Health for yourself!

#2 - How to Achieve True Health is not always what is touted in the News and Media!

There always seems to be a new “miracle” like an exotic fruit extract or some other product that will magically melt the weight off, tone the stomach, or instantly cure other ailments. But these miracles don't work for everyone and most of the time they do not yield long-lasting results. An approach to long-lasting health should be specific for each individual in order for it to work.

#3 - Achieving True Health requires a holistic and complete approach.

When it comes to achieving true health, a holistic and complete approach is needed. One that really works and gets real results. This includes both what one eats (think natural, lots of fruit and veggies, little to no processed foods!), as well as how one exercises, moves and breathes, whether that's yoga, pilates, weight training, sports, or meditation.

No matter what your health goals may be, whether it's loosing weight, dealing with chronic pain, healing from surgery or injury, or just simply seeking to have a more fit, stronger, and healthier body and mind, our team at the True Health Through Movement Associates can help!

This blog and our practice is dedicated to helping you achieve true health and freedom whether you suffer from daily stress, every day aches and pains or other ailments and chronic conditions.

We take a unique approach with our clients, and with our many years of combined experience, we have helped people from all walks of life with a variety of complaints--from chronic pain and injuries that won't seem to heal, to terrible migraines, weight problems, depression, anxiety and everything in between. We don't promise an overnight solution, but what we DO promise is that we will work with you, understand your needs, and develop a personalized and holistic plan to help you heal and achieve a healthy body and mind that you truly deserve.

Thank you for reading, check back often, and feel free to contact us!