One of my all time favourite songs… Maxwell – This Woman’s Work

As a tribute to Cancer Prevention and Awareness, this routine was dedicated to a gorgeous and amazing choreographer Michelle Larkin from Minnesota who has been fighting cancer since late ’09. Our thoughts and blessings go out to her.

We don’t get  a second chance once we’re dead and gone but it’s better late than never while we’re still breathing and if your reading this you have the desire to make a change so let’s go ahead and point out 10 things we can do to begin replenishing it!

1. Sit and Squeeze. Don’t neglect your bum. For every dot point you read squeeze and hold those glute muscles! Go, SQuEeZe NoW!
2. Think of something funny and ROFL! I’m a strong believer of happiness being good for the heart, a fond memory and a lil chuckle (or burst) behind ur collar is giving you something to smile about when your day job doesn’t!
3. Have a green or nutty snack! Go to the fridge and eat the healthiest thing in there. A healthy snack will never fail you. Snacking between meals is a great boost for your metabolism so long as they are energy and nutrient rich nibbles! anything natural, green or nutty is a good way to start! High in proteins, fibre and iron.
4. De-stress and sing out loud! ‘worryworts gain more weight than cucumbers’ – oxygenmag.com.au
5. Grab some sugar and handwash and reveal your younger layer… after patting dry and moisturising you won’t able to stop touching yourself. Soft, silky and seduction keeps stress at bay. Stress and excess skin build up invites early skin degeneration and wrinkles. Anything to keep our skin looking plump and youthful! (note: this should be your fifth bum squeeze!)
6. Stand up and Stretch. Reach for the sky, reach for your toes reach to the walls in your room! Standing up out of your desk chair every 20mins breaks the habit, gets the blood flowing, increasing circulation and boosting your energy!
7. Add a strut and power through your walk! Walk like you going somewhere, imagine your last chance to catch the love of your life before they get on that plane! Or if it helps to know, according to a study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention;  100 steps per minute is the minimum requirement needed to reach ‘moderate intensity’ guidelines.
8. Water ya’ll!….. Even I have to set my egg timer to drink a glass of water every hour. Water is my cure for everything, when deprived of it the hydration feels amazing!
9. Don’t have time to get to the gym? Ask for a house call and get a Personal Trainer to come to you!
10. If your a smoker, make new friends. Buddy’s who are ex-smokers can help you quit!

Got anymore things we can do right now?! comment below and give them a go!

Every decision begins with a decision to try. – Unkown

Ahhh…. once again I am in awe and inspired! As Nigel says the only thing that exceeded the choreography by Travis Wall was the dancers who danced it….

The passion is obviously genuine and I  enjoyed watching the tension build and maintains it’s strength with the final connection meeting with a kiss……. call me boogy eyed but that was LoVe! ^^

Contemporary dance to me is so powerful. We can convey a message with simple dynamics of movement, moving through the music and clever detail in every move. Every step breathes into another and combining Jeanine and Jason’s level of technique and ability to bound and control at any given moment leaves me begging for more. Travis did an amazing job but as complex as the choreography was, Jeanine and Jason made it appear effortless and light.

When you improvise and choreograph movement you put on a piece of music and you allow your body to ‘just move’. Use momentum and shifting of weight to dictate where the body goes but don’t force change in levels. Allow your body to rise and fall while your body becomes familiar with the music.

A way to replicate this fluidity is to allow the body to melt into the floor. Use your plie and maintain contact with the floor while you let one body part follow after another.

Jeanine has an obvious gift in her ability to maximise her extensions and lines…. they go on forever, never stopping before whipping back into circular movements and jumping turns with extended limbs, creating a whirlwind effect.

The whirlwind of love?

And Jason! She killin herself to be with him….. well what special lady wouldn’t?? He is a dream to watch. So strong and his gaze was intent on finding his way to her. Technique, BAM. Passion, BAM. Commitment, BAM. The quality of his allegro is BAM! He is a dancer with a natural ballon (spring). Brilliantly showcased in this SYTYCD masterpiece.

At the beginning of the show Debbie Allen spoke of how america should vote, not for the best dancer but for their favourite dancer, the one who is still on your mind long after they leave the stage…… Jason and Jeanine….. just beautiful.

Kayla gives me goose bumps! Her body awareness through space is phenomenal. She has this commitment to each movement, purpose in each run and as a great contemporary dancer does… seals the connecting steps, seamless transitions that the choreography begs for. I’m in love with this piece. A true representation of a strong supporting man, a no bull female athlete and choreography that tells the story like you were there living it………….. bliss.

The elements:

• Stressing the expression of emotional intensity and contemporary subject
• Fall and Recovery (Doris Humphrey)
• Tumbling
• Chemistry
• Storyboard – Struggle, Breathe, Wide-Open, Addiction, Dependence, Vulnerability, Compulsion, Abuse
• Lyrical
• Light and Shade
• Dynamics in movement (bold and spirited)
• Athleticism
• Iron butterfly

So it’s clear that the reward for rolling up our sleeves and giving blood is to help others and the thought of this when blood bank supplies are low is the best reason to do it….. or is it? They say giving is better than receiving but new research suggests that giving blood could be just as rewarding for us and can save our lives!

Jerome Sullivan of the University of Florida believes that ‘each time you give blood you remove some of the iron it contains’. High Blood levels can increase the risk of disease because it has been shown to catalyse the oxidation of cholesterol, a process thought to increase the damage to arteries which ultimately leads to cardiovascular disease’.

According to Sullivan blood iron levels help explain why men are more susceptible to heart disease at an earlier age than women because women lose blood, and lower their iron levels during  menstruation.

It is considered that estrogen is the main reason women are protected from heart disease until they reach menopause but several recent studies support that iron levels play a role. 

CNN, Michael Alvear reports that:

According to Victor Herbert, M.D., a hematologist at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, there are normally about 1,000 milligrams of iron “stored” in the average adult man’s body but only about 300 milligrams in a premenopausal woman’s. Once women stop menstruating, however, their iron levels — and their heart disease risk — begin to climb, eventually matching that of men.

Following the idea that if women lose blood and decrease their iron levels therefore reducing cholesterol oxidisation brings us to the point that people who give blood regularly reap the same benefits.

So although we like to see donating blood as an altruistic practice any reason to be charitable and public-spirited is good for me…. 

In the past Sullivan says people would be paid to give blood and the donators who were in it for self gain were likely to be those with hepatitis and other diseases, luckily today the with screening for blood-borne diseases there is no risk in giving blood and saving lives, theirs and your own.

This video makes my hair stand on end! The joy in the dancers is so inspiring, dancing for Michael…. wat a dream come true.

Every time you move, your body depends on certain “core” muscles to hold you steady while other muscles actually move your body. These core muscles lie deep within the “trunk” of the body and generally attach to the spine, pelvis and muscles that support the scapula. Core muscles stabilise those areas to create a firm foundation for coordinated movement of the legs and arms.

If your core muscles are strong and they contract when they should:

• Your posture is better.
• Your body is balanced.
• Your movement is more efficient and balanced.
• You are less likely to be injured.

Core stability is essential to good health for everyone: from young to old, from athlete to couch potato. Core stabilisation exercises should be part of every person’s health regimen.

What is Core Stabilisation?

Think of the spine as a stack of separate bones with fluid-filled discs between the bones as a cushion. That doesn’t sound very stable, does it? It’s a good thing that layers of soft tissue such as cartilage and ligaments connect to the spine to make it more stable.

Your spine is also stabilized by a group of muscles attached to the spine at critical areas. If these muscles are strong and working properly, your body will have a solid base for movement and will be able to absorb the impact and vibrations created by moving around on a solid surface‚ like the ground we all walk on.

Inner Core Muscles

The main muscles involved in core stabilisation are not always obvious because they are buried beneath other muscles. Your transverse abdominus, for example, is hidden underneath your rectus abdominus (or “six-pack”) and encases the area beneath your belly button. The multifidus muscle lies along your spine and connects the vertebrae (bones) together. The pelvic floor muscles also aid in stabilising your spine but are usually only noticed when contracted to prevent urination.

Outer Core Muscles

Other muscles that are closer to the surface, and somewhat more noticeable, also help with core stabilisation. The muscles in your back and buttocks, around your pelvis and hips, and your sides are all “outer-core” muscles that assist stabilisation and help your body move.

Why is Core Stabilisation Important?

(Outer core muscles: latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, oblique abdominals, hip adductors, hip abductors)

Core stabilisation muscles work together to keep your trunk stable while your limbs are active. Strong core muscles hold your body upright, improve your balance and enable you to put more effort into arm and leg movements. If the core muscles are weak, your body doesn’t work as effectively, and other muscles have to pick up the slack.

This can result in injuries such as a twisted knee, a pulled shoulder or the common “bad back”. A weak core can make you old before your time.

With core stabilisation, you may be old in years, but you won’t walk old. If you’re young or active in sports, core stabilization will help your body movement and improve your performance. For exercise at any level, core stabilisation is essential for injury prevention and maximum fitness results.

All Images and Original Article…… cenkchiro.com