I am away till Sept 7th. Important news for Fall.....

I will be back to teaching and adding some classes in the Fall. I will be adding wed am classes. Back to back cycle and Liquid Strength® @ 74th and 2nd.

We MAY be changing my schedule at Tribeca a bit. The Wed class will remain exactly the same but the Friday may be changing. I will keep you posted as soon as I know. I hope you are all doing great. I miss all of you.

Love,

Story

Big Children

It is amazing watching kids as they navigate the social and "political" maze that is "the playground". This is the forum in which they learn all about interaction with their peers. The insecurities and bits of ego are already there but are not yet "steering" their behavior. The whole point of the activity is to have "fun".

As adults, the goals are more complicated. We need to be successful and earn money. We also want to earn respect and esteem from our peers. The years have allowed those bits of insecurity and ego to carve some pretty deep writing on the pages of our lives and have a lot more control over our behavior.

Many times, the more frightened or vulnerable we feel, the more "cocky" and critical we become. We communicate the exact opposite of what we intend. Most prejudice and bias is deeply rooted in fear and insecurity of the unknown and "uncontrollable". It is a lifetime journey to pry our minds open when we want to "control and protect" the most.

If all of us could work on this, there would be a lot less meanness in the world. One of the hardest things in life is to stare down behavior that pushes all of our buttons, makes us cringe and makes us ashamed and embarrassed. The grace of forgiveness for ourselves and from others is a miraculous thing. The potential for growth and understanding from our worst mistakes is something that can be awe inspiring if we allow it to be. If we can face, forgive, learn and love ourselves, others can too.

Story von Holzhausen

Moving outside the box

Imagine if you could watch on a split screen t.v. a boxer boxing vs. a boxing class or a basket ball game vs. an interval class doing "jump shots". What would be the differences between the two images?

The movements of the "real" sport would be constantly changing. The basketball player would be running, avoiding other players and getting to the basket at different,angles, heights and directions each time would be need a varying amount of force to "make" the basket. The boxer would be ducking and weaving and trying to land a punch differently every time. The people who were doing a simulated "class" would likely be standing with their feet facing a mirror and going at the same angle or at most changing sides with feet unmoving and repeating the same angle and body position repeatedly. The "real sports" would require changing momentum (using the core and muscles to quickly overpower the direction the body is moving and propel into another direction), shifting balance and a great deal of explosive force with each shot/punch to actually succeed in making the basket or delivering a powerful punch.

We can make our workouts more effective and constantly challenge our bodies if we begin to move "outside the box". If we are doing timed intervals of one exercise or choreography based exercise, we can be creative and explore the many different ways of doing a movement. Our workouts can be creative and exploratory if we stay present in our movements and make it a goal to make each one "real" and authentic. Not only could we reduce repetitive movement injuries but we could develop the strength in our muscles and ligaments to support our daily movements in 3D not just in a linear fashion.

Too often, our workouts don't really train our bodies to move in the real world. When do you ever stand straight (legs shoulder distant apart) ,directly in front of your cabinets, to lift groceries in a straight line ? We don't. Our lives require us to be able to reach, twist, push, pull and move at constantly changing angles.

Why don't we start to make our workouts more effective by thinking and moving "outside the box".

"The Posture Guru" test

Having worked in the fitness and modeling field for many years, It amazes me is how little people think about how they HOLD their bodies (no matter what those bodies look like). Our posture broadcasts for the whole world to see, just what we think of ourselves. If you stand tall, proud and strong, you appear that way (even if you are 4'8" tall). The most amazing body in the world won't look good if you slouch. Bad posture can cause back, hip and neck pain, profoundly age your body, steal your height and bone health. Posture is a "rent to own" arrangement and we get to choose our own. How do you reverse lifelong bad habits and turn things around? Having great posture takes awareness and practice but you can make changes instantly, transform yourself and don't have to wait to see results. Do this simple check to see how you are doing:

1) Facing the mirror, are your shoulders rolled back,dropped down as you lift your chest upward (there should be no crease at chest level)? We call this "Joyous Chest" in Liquid Strength and that is exactly how it makes you look and feel.

2) Are you as long as you can be from your hips to your neck (keeping #1 unchanged !) ?

3) Turning sideways to the mirror, is the back of your head in alignment with the the back of your shoulder blades (are your head and chin forward)?

4) Is your tailbone raised a little until your pelvis is slightly rotated forward with a slight arch in your back (not slouched under) ?

Holding your body correctly, you feel the muscles you must strengthen to improve your posture. The visual difference and how good it makes you feel is huge. If you look at people who work in the public eye vs. photos of ordinary people, you will see a big difference. celebrities and models have honed the skill and strength to hold good posture. It makes them look better in pictures and on film/television and their livelihoods depend on that. Not everyone can be rich, famous and beautiful but they can look and feel just as regal and sexy as anyone on the red carpet. It is never too late to start. Here is a super easy exercise to help you turn back years of bad habits:

1) Stand with your heels almost touching a wall. Roll your shoulder blades back and drop them down until they touch the wall, slightly lower your chin and pull the base of your head against the wall (lengthening the BACK of your neck). Hold this position for 15 seconds, breathe, rest and repeat. If you cannot touch the wall than your goal is to work up to it slowly.

Story von Holzhasuen

www.liquidstrength.com (website, blog and video promo)

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vacation

As you can see from my blog schedule, I have been subbing a lot the first two weeks of August. I have my twins the last two weeks of August so I will ONLY be teaching (I am driving in from Greenwich) on Wed the 18th @ 12:30 and thursday the 19th @12:20. I will be away from then on until Sept 8th. I have secured wonderful subs so please come and work hard while I am away.

This week I teach an extra Liquid Strength at NIGHT on wed night @7:15 at 54th and 2nd

Please make sure you watch my promo on Youtube and pass the link onto all your friends !!!

Story von Holzhausen

liquidstrength

inner "fitness"

I am taking a break from the "terms of fitness" list to strike a balance between the mind and body. I have been writing a lot of articles lately about posture and more scientifically based topics but it is vital for me (and you) to keep our eyes turned inward and our awareness of "self" always present.

When I was pregnant with my twins, the one thing I wished for them was to be "curious". The GIFT of curiosity, the love of learning and of growing spiritually and emotionally is a precious one. Without it, we cease to evolve and live lives with as much depth and meaning as we could. We stagnate and are not content with our "selves" or our lives.

Take the time to ensure you are being "fed" on every level, every day of your life. Seek out new friendships, paths and challenges that scare you a little and challenge you to re-evaluate your comfort zone and what you "know".

Try "The Lever" (a Liquid Strength movement cycle)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMxCAyK_2Hg

my subbing schedule as of yet

Tues August 3rd-

6:00 pm spin @ 74th and 2nd

7:00 spin @ 74th and 2nd

Wed. 4th:

6:30 am spin @ CC

12:30 Liquid Strength@ Tribeca

5:30 Liquid Strength interval drills (Tabata) @ Wall st

6:30 Spin @ Wall

Thurs 5th:

6:30 cycle@ Tribeca

7:30 Interval Liquid Strength (Tabata)

12:20 spin @ CC

Mon 9th:

6:30 am spin@CC

6:15pm cycle @74th and 2nd

7:15 cyle @ 74th and 2nd

Wed 11th:

6:30 am cycle@CC

12:30 Liquid Strength@ Tribeca

6:15 Cycle @ 54th st

7:15 Liquid Strength@ 54th

Thurs 12th:

12:30 cycle @CC