Glancing back on the past 8 months of my whirlwind existence I can’t say much was consistent beyond my love for good quality whole foods. As I dabbled in nomad living in Australia and tested my own definition of lifestyle design I continued to tinker with my diet and discover what works for my body. As I floated through various locations I continually had to reevaluate what I was putting in my mouth and be honest with how much exercise I was doing to stay in shape.

Chi- chi- chi chia! At some point in life you probably ended up with a ceramic head, cow, or bunny and a pack of chia seeds. Oh the lovable Chia Pet. Usually intended as a quick gag gift that might sprout once in it’s brief home on your kitchen counter, the nostalgic earthen wear surprisingly harbors an Aztec worshiped super food!

Forget about the grass. The tiny black Chia seed is oozing with Omega-3’s and fiber. Even higher levels than flaxseeds. This Mexican and Central American native was the main component of the Aztec and Mayan diets and were the basic survival ration of Aztec warriors.

A few days ago I introduced you all to the first three fundamental Pilates principles and how you can utilize them in all your various workouts and activities. We learned how breath work, centering and focusing the mind on the body’s precise actions will build awareness and depth to any movement. Emphasizing quality versus quantity is the key to all mind/body work. Below are the last three final principles and how you can easily use them to feel the burn today!

When was the last time you felt yourself breath? The automatic flow of rich oxygen in and out of the lungs hardly registers in our consciousness as we dash between tasks everyday. Only when we get super stressed and anxiety ridden do we notice that our tickers are pumping hard and our breath is quick and shallow.

A damn shame since the brain utilizes 80% of the oxygen we suck down. No wonder we get headaches, can’t concentrate and feel the need to jolt ourselves awake with 5 hour energy shots. We are without a doubt an oxygen deprived society. Try this quick nostral breathing technique to help build neural pathways between the left and right brain, and calm and re-energize your concentration.

Have you noticed how many more people are out and about jogging, cycling and simply being active? As I power walked along the Marina here in San Francisco over the weekend I couldn’t help but notice the thick enthusiasm in the air. Whether it’s an outdoor romp or a sweat session in your gym’s hip hop class, the message is settling in…. we must move!

Something most people don’t think about this time of year is the importance of the quality of our movement. They sign up with a personal trainer at a random gym, demand to be killed during their sessions and then quit a few weeks later. Burnt out, sore and back on the couch. Over doing it can and usually causes more harm then good. Not only psychically, but mentally. Our true challenge is to make exercise a life long habit and hone our self discipline for ultimate longevity. Enter the mind-body super power of Pilates…