You have probably heard about Pilates, or possibly know someone who talks of “reformers, chairs, straps, pulleys” (and other contraptions), and silently wonder, “what the heck is Pilates anyway?”

The Pilates Method (or simply Pilates) was developed in Germany in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. The core-strengthening and posture-improving benefits of regular practice have helped the Pilates Method develop a loyal following of faithful participants in recent years. The aesthetic benefits of regular practice can be seen on the physiques of famous devotees, such as Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. As of 2005, there were 11 million people who practiced Pilates regularly and more than 14,000 instructors in the United States.

Like many fitness disciplines, certification is not required to teach (although, any reputable gym or studio will only hire certified teachers). If you can fog a mirror, you can label yourself a “Pilates instructor.” For your safety, and also to maximize your learning experience, it is important to know the differences between a reputable instructor and a kook before you make a long-term commitment to this popular mind-body discipline.

Before you sign up for just any ole Pilates class, follow these tips:

• Check the instructor’s credentials. Most websites post each instructor’s bio, so you can easily look up their teaching credentials and experience.
• Look for PMA-certified instructors. The Pilates Method Alliance is a not-for-profit organization devoted to upholding the highest standards in the Pilates method. PMA initiated the very first, industry-wide certification exam in the United States. Their performance parameters guide the practice of all PMA-certified instructors.
• A good instructor will have experience using all pieces of exercise apparatus used to teach Pilates.
• Top instructors typically have a minimum of 300 hours in a PMA-approved program, sound knowledge of anatomy, injury prevention, and sound teaching techniques.

Before you get all excited and think I just gave you permission to toss back a dozen Krispy Kremes for breakfast (are they even still in business?), I did not. I didn’t even give you permission to eat just one (not that you need my permission, of course.) A healthy breakfast – one that you will actually prepare and eat – is a great goal to shoot for.

I bring this up because I hear on a fairly regular basis the following: “I don’t have time for breakfast,” “I’m not hungry in the morning,” and “I don’t like eggs.” Um, did he know there are other foods besides eggs? More to the point…breakfast is super important!

1.) Breakfast brings your metabolism out of slow-mo. When you go to sleep at night, your body’s metabolism goes into resting mode too. One of the best ways to wake it up and say, “hey, metabolism, start your engines and burn some calories!” is to eat a healthy breakfast.

2) Breakfast clears the brain fog. Yes, caffeine works too, but try food with your coffee – you’ll be even MORE awake.

3) Breakfast, especially when it is low-glycemic, has the ability to stabilize your blood sugar levels, and keep them level all day (provided you don’t eat sugary snacks between meals). You know that after-lunch sleepy feeling you get? Breakfast can help with that.

4) Breakfast will let your body know that you aren’t trying to starve it to death. If you typically eat a big dinner because you skipped breakfast, didn’t have time for lunch, and were too busy to snack, the message you’re sending your body is, “I might feed you, or I might not.” In response to this sketchy feeding plan, your body will cling to any calorie you give it, just in case you “forget” to eat for another 24 hours. Feed your body every 2-4 hours, and it will reward you with a consistently good metabolism. You will likely find it easier to lose weight when you eat regularly too. Bonus!

So, what to eat? I have my favorites, but there are lots of options.

If you are super busy in the morning and tend to grab food when and where you can, Cooking Light’s list of the healthiest “fast food” breakfasts is worth checking out. From Starbucks to Subway, there are enough options that you should be able to scrounge up something healthy to eat.

Real Simple magazine has a list of easy breakfast ideas to make at home.The peanut butter, whole grain waffle and also the breakfast pizza look delicious. All of the ideas are simple.

And if neither of those options suits you, try Fitness Magazine’s “No more excuses breakfast recipes for every morning. I like the “no more excuses part.”

I peeked at the calendar and realized summer is one month away. Eeeek! I’m not ready to bare all in my bathing suit! Are you? Luckily, I found some super good deals this week to, um, shall we say, help us me “prepare” for hotter weather and, inevitably, wearing fewer clothes. Yikes!

Deal #1: If you don’t already own a stability ball (also called a resistance ball, or Swiss ball), never was there a better time to own one than now. Stability balls are my #1 tool/toy (see: 5 Low-Cost Items Every Home Gym Needs). They are great for core work and a myriad other exercises. SPRI is offering a pink (yeah!) Xercise Ball and Xertube for only $24.98 (reg. $39.98). The kit also includes a pump for the ball and exercise instructions for both the stability ball and resistance tube.

Deal #2:Shipping is still FREE until May 31st on all fitness products from Perform Better. Seriously, stock…up….now! Shipping for a 10lb medicine ball, for example, would normally run you $12 to $20! Think of all the other stuff you can buy (tubes, mats, dumbbells) with the money you save on shipping.

Deal #3:$1.00 Coupon for Pamela’s Baking Mixes. Pamela’s baking mixes are spectacular. Of the assortment, I have tried the pancake mixes (delicious) and the Chocolate Chunk (notice, no “chip” here, but CHUNK) Cookie mix. The pancakes are great. The Choc. Chunk Cookies – OMG! The best I’ve ever had. And – they are gluten free, GMO free, and organic. Whoopie! Visit Mambo Sprouts to print a $1.00 coupon ($1.00 off of two Pamela’s Baking Mixes)

Free: Recipes from EatingWell! This week, EatingWell posted “light” versions of your picnic standby’s (potato and pasta salad, deviled eggs, summer cocktails…even cookies and brownies), so that you can still throw or attend a party, and stay on track with healthy eating.

I really like core training. I feel like I’m taller, and more pulled together when I spend focused time strengthening my abs, obliques, back, and hips. Core training has improved my running speed, and reduced a lot of the stress on my joints (literally, I can feel the difference with each pounding step.) Except I did get that stupid injury two weeks ago. Arghh. So like I said last week, I’m using the down time opportunity to test out some workout DVDs. On Sunday I did Burn (Power Core) – (YouTube video here) led by Todd Durkin, and burn, I did!

The workout fired up my entire core, and worked my legs and hips as well. I didn’t find the intervals as grueling as Mindy’s BURST (cardio) workout, but I didn’t expect a core workout to elicit a wickedly high heart rate either. I did find that my core is much stronger than I’ve given it credit for. :0) Still, the workout is not easy.

What to expect:

1. Three progressions are demonstrated, so each exercise is easily modified depending on your fitness level.

2. Moves that challenge your balance.

3. Moves that challenge your agility.

You will need two BOSU balance trainers for part of this workout. I had to modify that particular interval because I only have one, but two would have been ideal, and exercises would have been much harder with two BOSUs. A Ballast Ball (a weighted stability ball) was used as well, but a stability ball would work fine.

Next up, Keli Roberts’ FUSE segment, which focuses on “balanced endurance,” and knowing Keli, this is likely a nice way of saying, “an a#$ kicking workout with an innocent name.”  Look for this review later this week!

I hope this won’t spark a debate about whether snacking is good or bad, or about good carbs versus bad carbs…I just know that we’re all human beings, and darn it, humans are hungry people – hungry people who might want a snack. With that in mind (and because I like to snack too!), I decided that once each week I would highlight a “healthy” snack that I have personally taste tested, and approved (i.e, I’ll only highlight snackies that I liked, and that are also healthy).

Corazonas Tortilla Chips

First up…Corazonas tortillas. A couple of years ago, a big box full of Corazonas products arrived on my doorstep, unsolicited, but welcome none-the-less   I was coaching local teams for Moms in Motion at the time, and the company sent us a bunch of tortillas and chips to sample. As luck would have it, our family was head to the Outerbanks for a week of fun, and I thought it would be nice to share them with the other relatives vacationing with us. By day 2, the stuff was gone. Eaten. Devoured. Yet, the overwhelming comment was, “they were really good.  Different, but good.” And that’s the thing – you can grab any tortilla chip, and most of them will taste the same, and most of them are full of trans fats, sodium, processed gobbledy-gook, and Lord knows what else. I shudder to think. But Corazonas tortillas are different, in both taste and the way they are manufactured. They are healthier.

First, the tortillas are gluten free (Celiac sufferers…rejoice!). Second, these chips have plant sterols that help lower cholesterol. They use healthy oils, such as safflower oil and sunflower oil, and are lower in sodium than competing brands who shall remain nameless (but it starts with Tost…). Each serving has 18g of whole grains, 3g of fiber, no sugar, and 40% less fat than regular tortillas. Yes, these still have fat – 7g per serving, but 5g of that are monounsaturated, and 1.5g are polyunsaturated – so, “healthy fats” (and no, this doesn’t mean you can eat the whole bag in one sitting.) Finally, the chips truly are very tasty. And, they taste different – especially the black bean and cheese, but yummy different, not gross different.

So, IF you’re tempted to grab a snack, or you’re headed to a party and are looking for a healthy snack to bring, Corazonas probably won’t kill your diet in one serving – just practice control and eat them in moderation (they are very addicting – trust me!) Grab some organic salsa to go with too.

Where to buy:
Target, Safeway, Costco, Winn Dixie, a bunch of other retail grocers (check here online), and they are also available from Amazon.

(Disclaimer: I am not a Registered Dietitian, but I do try to eat well as often as possible, and avoid like the plague foods that contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils regardless of how they are worded (partially-, fully-, whatever, it is all bad), salt, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, chemicals and other GMOs – in other words, I’m a fan of whole foods, healthy carbs, fruits, veggies, fish, organic varieties of nearly everything, and you get the picture. But I am not a dietitian, and I can’t tell you what to eat. But, I can tell you what I like. Just don’t sue me if it makes you sick.