fithiphealthy

EAT, TRACK & BE HAPPY!

You can balance your checkbook and your calories! Remember that weight loss boils down to a simple input/output formula! You need to burn more calories throughout the day than you consume.  A food journal is the best way to stay motivated and keep you honest and aware of what you're actually consuming! 

A recent study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine revealed that people who track their food intake lose significantly more weight than those who do not.

Check out this Pico Pad food journal for $3.99--it's the size of a cell phone and it fits into any wallet.  It helps you track veggies, fruit, water and exercise with a column for calories in and calories out and you can tally it up at the end of the day!

NOT AGAIN!?!

Why do we do this super important exercise in every class? Superman (or woman) is so important for a healthy back! It stabilizes our shoulder girdle while it strengthens our abs, lower back, along with the hip, and lateral trunk muscles while decompressing and stretching the spine.  Strengthening these muscles helps our entire lower half function more efficiently, and it greatly reduces your risk of lower-back injury.

LOVE. WITHOUT THE HANDLES.

These delicious, crispy chips are really tasty, and at 120 calories per single serving bag, they really satisfy your crunchy carb craving without the guilt!  Some chip-makers attempt to go low-fat by baking, but this is not the case here--Pop Chips are made by applying heat and pressure (no oil), which is really interesting.  It's almost like popcorn!

ACCOLADES!

 

Here's an email that made my day.  So many people compare Lithe to other fitness methods (Pilates, physique 57, Bar Method, Dailey Method).  We are unique and proud!

Hey Lauren,  

I'm back in San Francisco for a couple of months because my husband's job is based here.  I've tried two Dailey Method classes and two Bar Method classes and they don't even compare to Lithe.  I already gave up.  

I left feeling like I needed to hit the treadmill, rather than feeling like I had worked out for the day. I'm guessing girls who already hit the gym use this as a supplement to their usual workout.  If you only have an hour (like me!) these classes aren't adequate.  I'm sure you know this already!  

I love that Lithe is the full package.  I miss it.  I thought I would be able to find something similar, but I was wrong. Just wanted to let you know that you've created something exceptional.  THANK YOU!

Sarah

LITHE "10"

Inches be gone!  The next Lithe "10" begins on Wednesday, February 11th at 6:45 PM!  Please inquire for more details!

"10" Schedule:

Wed, Feb 11 at 6:45 PM

Fri, Feb 13 at 6:45 PM

Sunday, Feb 15 at 12 noon

Wed, Feb 18 at 6:45 PM

Fri, Feb 20 at 6:45 PM

Sunday, Feb 22 at 12 noon

Wed, Feb 25 at 6:45 PM

Fri, Feb 27 at 6:45 PM

Wed, March 4th at 6:45 PM

Fri March 6th at 6:45 PM

50'S WEIGHT-FREE.

Hey ladies, Rapper 50-Cent states that his toned physique is the result of a "girly", weight-free fitness routines. He said:  "It's intense, and there are no weights involved.  And some of it's like girly stuff, like just kicking your leg, but it's muscles you don't really ever work at.  Men don't usually go to the gym and say, "I'm going to develop my ass."  Sounds lithe-esque to me!  I love when a man has the guts to work out of the box!

DO I NEED MORE?

"Jen Cardio" wants to know:

Hey Lauren,
I have been meaning to ask you this question, if I stick with Lithe 3 - 4 times religiously a week, can I see results without going to the gym or doing other cardio as well?  I want to cancel my gym membership b/c I just love taking the classes rather than the gym (which I see no results).  Let me know.

Great question.  You can save your money!  You don't really need to gym if you're lithing regularly.  Personally, I am not a huge fan of the ultra boring, mindless treadmill/elliptical hamster- wheel workouts but many people are!  BUT...I'm not dogging those who treadmill/gym-go!  Do what you do, and if it's getting you moving that's great! Outdoor running/walking is so much better for you and the environment. Those machines burn a huge amount of electricity especially when we're looking to reduce our carbon footprint.  I digress. 

I developed the method so that you work everything in one hour.  We work every system in the body from cardiovascular, muscular, digestive, immune, nervous and skeletal! The Lithe Method shapes and elongates every major muscle group, burns away the fat around the muscles through cardiovascular and strengthening exersizes.  The result is a clearly visible change in body shape. Muscles look longer and more defined, the body becomes leaner and posture becomes absoluetly perfect. 

Our classes are equivalent to interval training, and when you get through with your abs you are working at the cardiovascular workload of a slow jog.  When you get through with the push-ups/upper body sequence, our heart-rate is anywhere between 145-165 bpm.  When you get to the barre, you should be maxed out at 160-175+bpm (a good and tough running pace without the stress on the joints). You're in your max zone and most likely working harder than you will on the treadmill/eliptical. You'll always hear Tif and I telling you guys our heart rates and we are teaching so ours are usually lower than yours!

Although our lithe exercises look way different from those of conventional aerobics, running and weight training, we challenge the body's overall strength and endurance by multitasking and deliver a high level of overall fitness to every part of the body while adding muscle density and an increased metabolic rate. 

THE LITHE BOOTY.

 

So, Erin asked a great question. The reason that we don't use heavy weights to achieve the Lithe Booty and large muscle groups is because with Lithe, we use isometrics, repetitions and our own body weight during our trademarked sequences to shape the body. Our large muscle groups work as our fat burners!

We work the glutes in three special pelvic positions and then we use them as stabilizers (that's all I can divulge). It's all about anatomy. You all can feel the way we work up the leg and around the body at the barre. EVERYTHING is always working.  To simply lift heavy weights to lift and tone the butt is just too simple to hit everything and get that desired lithe booty. 

Check out the diagram above. See how everything is connected and the glutes run into the IT Band and down the length of the leg laterally? When we work the glutes, hamstring and IT-Band, we work them long and work them from many directions and then attack the gluteal-hamstring connection and pull in the smaller muscle groups to get a lifted, tight and
narrow lower bootie look rather than the higher and wider bulky upper-glute effect that

many weightlifters and stair-climbers have. 

I have more to say about this.  Stay tuned!

WHAT WE DO.

"Tight-end Erin" asks:

Hi, Lauren, I'm having a bit of a debate with my running, heavy-lifting boyfriend. He is insistent that in order to really lift and tone the booty, you have to lift heavy, that 3 and 5 pounders aren't going to do it. However, I've SEEN your tush and that of other Lithers, however, in Googling, I have seen where it is suggested that in order to gain muscle, especially with large muscle groups, it is best to go heavy with fewer reps than light with more reps. Could you explain how (without giving away trade secrets!) the Method is so effective in reshaping the body even though large weights aren't used?

Ooh, I love when someone asks me this question and I will answer it in a few posts without getting all anatomical on you or giving away Lithe's trademarked muscle sequencing secrets!  

If we had you guys lifting heavy at the barre and on the mat you would DEFINITELY injure yourselves and you wouldn't be able to maintain perfect posture let alone complete the workout due to the sheer intensity of it. The weights are only a part of Lithe.  They boost our metabolism, add resistance to the core and small muscle groups of the arms and upper body.    

Many men (and trainers) still have that caveman mentality of "lift and lift heavy."  They are correct...You WILL build muscle mass that way, but the end result will be completely different than what we're going for at Lithe.  We would look like thick, football players instead of long, lean, lithe defined cheerleader/dancers types.  

If we lifted and lifted heavy, I would have a bunch of stocky, compact women walking around the studios with thick legs and bulky upper booties. I know for a fact that waist-lines and calves would be bigger too! I would then call it the bulky method or the thick method or (truthfully) the muscularly imbalanced method : ) Remember that your body is a direct result of the workout that you do!  More posts to come!

6.5 INCHES IN 6 CLASSES!

 

Meet Dawn (please excuse the image quality, I took this pic with my phone).  Dawn is a brand new lither and kettle-bell instructor with a rotator cuff injury.  Dawn talked me into allowing her to take the "10" prior to taking the immersion and regular classes.  Well, six classes into our January "10", I had to take her measurements because she looked so dramatically different.  Lo and behold, she has lost 6.5 inches off of her already fit bod in 6 classes!  Congrats Dawn, you look amazing!

Dawn writes: I don't even know where to begin. To merely say "thank you" is overwhelmingly insufficient, considering what Lithe has given me. I've been an athlete my entire life, been involved in fitness in varying degrees,  and never have I experienced such results in such a short amount of time. I've taken 6 of the 10 classes and lost 6 inches over my body. That's insane! I had a feeling similar to hitting the lottery. :)