Spring has Sprung!

So spring is finally here! Not to be outdone by the blossoming city outside, Fluid Fitness continues to create a buzz of activity at the studio. We maintain regular teacher trainings led by top GYROTONIC and health professionals - improving the skills of our staff and local GYROTONIC instructors. Those professionals also train and practice at the studio.

Earlier this year, Justine Bernard, a Master Trainer with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, presented a workshop at the studio on GYROTONIC Exercise and Osteoporosis. This month Goetz Lehle, MD returns from Italy and is available to our clients. His work in osteopathy, kinesiology, postural/movement analysis and orthomolecular medicine make him an incredibly insightful practitioner.

We are always doing our best to bring you the best. Don't forget your regular workouts as your agenda fills with spring responsibilities. You'll be glad you took a moment to exhale your scheduling worries. When you return to the cacophony outside you'll be relaxed and rejuvenated enough to really stop and smell all those roses.

Stand up Straight!

Those of you who are regular GYROTONIC practitioners know how you feel after a workout: longer, lighter, more relaxed, more awake, like a new person. Our instructors are a talented bunch, but what you are feeling isn't magic. The simultaneous strengthening and stretching exercises you perform in the GYROTONIC Expansion System result in a more aligned skeletal framework. In simplest terms, you improve your posture. Aside from looking taller and thinner and feeling longer and lighter, looks like Mom was right and good posture is important for your overall health.

Proper alignment allows muscles to work more efficiently, which means better endurance, strength, flexibility and decreased chance of injury. Good posture is also important for a healthy spine and nervous system. The nervous system controls most of the body's vital functions; keeping it free of impingement is paramount for overall health and function. Posture even impacts your breathing. Better ability to take full breaths means more oxygen to your heart and brain - allowing you to relax and think more clearly.

We do our best to set you straight while you're at the studio, but it's up to you to maintain the alignment lessons as you go about your day. Think about reaching through the crown of the head while you're sitting at your desk or carrying the groceries. Ever tried gentle narrowing of the pelvis while climbing the stairs? Are you breathing fully while writing that proposal? Do you keep a long spine and engaged core when lifting a heavy item off the floor? It only takes a little effort to maintain the postural alignment we help you find in your sessions. We want the best for our clients so at the risk of sounding like Mom...well, you get the idea.

Spotlight on Staff at Fluid Fitness

We often reference how hard the staff at Fluid Fitness works to help clients reach their goals. Today we have the pleasure of turning the spotlight directly on two of our instructors who were interviewed for the March issue of Dance-Teacher Magazine.

Hilary Cartwright, one of our Gryotonic Master Trainers, developed and teaches Yoga for Dancers. The article focuses on how this method challenges movers to find strength and control with little tension. A two-page step-by-step shows Hilary and Maiko, one of our regular clients, demonstrating some exercises for readers to try at home.

This issue also has great tips from Clarice Marshall on how instructors, who take such great care of their clients, can make sure they stay in tip-top shape.

The staff here is full of knowledge and expertise. Have some goals you'd like to reach? Come in and let our instructors get you in shape and ready to make news!

Our young clients have been making big strides!

We've had the pleasure of sharing Alison Stroming's successes in previous blogs. Last month she performed with ABT II at The Kennedy Center! We wish her many great performances as she tours as a guest with the company this year.

Daphne Fernberger recently shot a music video and appeared on a well-known televion series. It's little wonder that Spiegel Culture Online Magazine interviewed and filmed her for a January post. The article gives a glimpse of her life as a Juilliard student.

Gyrotonic sessions are an important part of the these ladies' rigorous schedules. They know firsthand the benefits of a regular Gyrotonic practice whether alone or in conjunction with another training program. We work individually with our clients to find the best way to help you reach your goals. Come on in, we'll be sharing your successes in no time!

Our Clients are En Pointe!

The new year is barely underway and already our clients are soaring successes. In these pages we have shared with you Skylar Brandt's steps on her road to a dance career. Today we'd like to announce her grande jete into a professional career as one of the newest members of American Ballet Theater! ABT is an internationally recognized ambassador of some of the best in American ballet. They travel the world and all 50 states showcasing a repertoire that includes works by choreographic heavy hitters as well as shining new talents.

We invite you to join us as we congratulate Skylar on this exciting new venture. Life as a professional dancer will provide a wonder of opportunities and challenges; and the staff at Fluid Fitness will be here to cheer her on and keep her instrument in tip top shape.

Need some fine-tuning yourself? Whether you are looking to fly across the stage or just complete an extra flight of stairs, we're here to help you. Come on in!

Drop and Give Me 20...

How many push-ups can you do?

We don't often use conventional fitness exercises at Fluid Fitness the way you perform them in a gym, but we do encourage any activity that helps you stay strong and fit. So we sat up and noticed when a New York Times article reported that, "[b]ased on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push-ups and a man the same age should be able to do 27."

Why is the push-up considered an important marker of physical fitness? The idea is that although we naturally lose muscle strength as we age, continuing to strengthen muscles helps us fend off that decline. Developing upper body strength helps us carry those shoulder and spine-crunching bags we love to tote and that strength helps us brace ourselves in case of falls that may require long recovery time.

Challenge yourself to see if you are up to snuff:

• 1. Find a secure plank position: toes on the walk, heels reaching away from the calves, inner thighs kissing, tailbone reaching toward the heels, abdomen engaged, scapulae hugging the ribs, neck long and eyes gazing down at splayed palms that are angled slightly toward each other and directly under your chest. Of course, you can find the same strong, long position with the knees bent. Either way, you should be in one long line like, well... a plank - with no sags or bumps.


• 2. Lower yourself down by bending the elbows up to 90 degrees.


• 3. Exhale as you straighten the arms, returning to that secure plank position. You could even utter "1" as you exhale.


• 4. Continue with steps 1-3, counting as you go.

How many can you do without losing the integrity of your starting position?
How many can you do with varying arm positions?

• elbows out and palms angled toward each other under the chest


• elbows out and palms angled toward each other under the shoulders


• elbows out with palms close enough so that thumbs and first fingers form a triangle


• elbows hugging the ribs with palms under the shoulders, palms parallel to each other

Feel how the different positions affect your muscles? Maybe you want to try them on a stair, chair, counter or wall. Test your strength and stamina. Test the integrity of your form. The important thing is to try them; test yourself.

Want help? Not sure about form? You can always ask a trainer here at Fluid Fitness. There are lots of exercises you can do at the studio to improve your upper-body fitness, including the trusty ol' push-up.

Don't worry - we're not suggesting you give Jack Palance a run for his money, our interest is a strong healthy you - however you express it. And if you have the opportunity to show-off with an acceptance speech for all your hard work - we'll cheer you on!

New Year Changes at Fluid Fitness

The new year is a time of renewal and reassessment, an opportunity to make changes that will get you closer to your goals.

Starting January 1, Fluid Fitness will implement some changes of our own. GYROTONIC prices will increase slightly and Private Power Plate sessions will be greatly reduced. We've also created some new packages for our clients: there will be a special rate for students, seniors and union members, new combination packages, and a yearly plan that involves all the services we offer with the convenience of a once-yearly payment.

We know it can be difficult to keep a regular workout schedule during the hectic holiday season; and though I am sure all our students are faithfully practicing the homework series when they can't take a session..., the month of January will present a great opportunity to dive back with a new attitude.

Want to step up your game or try a different approach? While you're ringing in the New Year, think how every opportunity to do something nice for your body is to be celebrated. Our well and continually-trained staff is always ready to help you. Let us help craft the new you you've imagined for the new year. Besides, you know how much we love to celebrate our clients!

Happy New Year!