January Wellness Plans for 2023

As the post-COVID world continues to re-emerge in 2023, January wellness plans can be an essential part of helping individuals and communities to move forward. A January wellness plan provides a structured way to help achieve balance and manage stress, as well as increase resilience. It involves setting goals for physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing on a monthly basis. In addition to setting and recognizing a need for these goals, it is very important to show yourself kindness in implementing your plans. We don’t take our vehicles from 0 to 100 right away, we can’t expect our bodies and minds to do the same.

We are incredibly lucky to be in the business of helping folks with their wellness goals at Endurance! During this holiday week, please reach out to join us at the studio and online for classes and for assistance setting your upcoming goals and managing your expectations. We would love to be your best cheerleaders!

It can be beneficial to set realistic January wellness goals that help to form a more holistic picture of health and wellbeing, rather than focusing on one area alone. For example, physical January wellness goals could include regular exercise and eating healthy food; mental January wellness goals might involve meditation or journaling; spiritual January wellness goals could involve prayer or reading spiritual texts; and emotional January wellness goals might include spending more time with friends and family, or learning how to better deal with difficult emotions. 

Creating January wellness plans can also be a powerful tool for self-motivation and accountability. By writing down January wellness goals, it helps to keep them at the forefront of your mind, and also to review progress made and obstacles encountered. Writing January wellness goals down in a journal or on a calendar can be especially helpful for staying on track with whatever plan is put in place. 

Ultimately January wellness plans are all about taking control of your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health to achieve balance in a post-COVID world. By setting January wellness goals, folks can create a more optimistic outlook for the coming year. 

January wellness plans may differ from person to person, but the overall focus is on creating long-term sustainability in order to increase wellbeing and resilience in 2023. 

By taking proactive steps to create January wellness plans, individuals and communities can work towards a healthier, happier future. 

Good luck on your January wellness plans, and we wish you a healthy 2023!

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December at Endurance!

Welcome to the last month of 2022! Ready to commit to a new workout program? START NOW! Get in and form your habits right now! We make changes in our bodies via our everyday habits, the little, sometimes mundane, things that we do everyday like:

1. Reading ingredients labels
2. Cutting out chemicals, fillers, gums and preservatives- a must, I guarantee, you will change your body! Check your almond milk, those fillers and preservatives, they swell the intestine and force your body to expel water. Most are not easy digested by folks with a normal digestive system, let alone people with sensitive or tough to manage stomachs.
3. Eat foods in their natural form. Less jars, boxes and bags, more skins and peels.
4. Moving your body as much as possible. Walking when possible. Taking the stairs, standing up- get off of the chair during the Zoom meetings.
5. Find a workout that you enjoy, of course and try to try and do a little bit every single day!

Le’s plan to add these small steps in! Planning a large and invasive change in December , or even possibly January, may be a little too much, too soon. Changes are made via the small but mighty habits that folks integrate into their lifestyles.

At Endurance, we would love to help you with your health and wellness journey! Let us guide you throughout therest of 2022 and into 2023. Hope to see you in studio soon!

The Final Stretch

Whether you’re a novice runner or a multi-marathon veteran, you’ve heard the importance of a post-run stretch, but do you know what to lengthen and what needs to stay strong?  Pilates is a specialized regimen that properly stretches the muscles of the body with the strength and control necessary to help joints maintain a proper range of motion. Without specialized stretching and the opposing strength to hold the newly found range of motions, muscles can become tight and leave you susceptible to pain or injury. 

So, what muscles need stretching? Any physical activity utilizes a whole range of different muscles, but targeting the ones that are being used the most during your runs will be most effective and help you improve in the long run. 

1. The Quadriceps

Your Quadriceps, or “Quads” are comprised of four separate muscles on the front of your thigh. This area can be overused during running and may be one of the first areas you feel soreness in, especially in a marathon like Boston that starts off downhill!   If not lengthened out properly, tight quads can cause a misalignment in the leg joints.

2. The Calves

Courtesy of lumen learning

Made up of two separate muscles on the back of your lower leg, the calves are an often overlooked, but essential piece of your running anatomy. If weakened or tightened, the calves can affect the movement at both the knee and the ankle joint.

3. The Hamstrings 

You might not know exactly what or where your hamstrings are, but chances are you’ve felt them. The hamstring is a grouping of three muscles that run the length of the back of your upper leg. Although the hamstring is important for knee and hip movements, runners often forget or neglect to stretch them out. The hamstrings are important hip mobilizers and they also help to stabilize the pelvis.  Maintaining the right flexibility for a runner can help with muscle fatigue, overuse, and even lower back pain!

4. The Iliotibial (IT) Band

While the Iliotibial band is not a muscle it plays a vital role in your body’s mechanics for running. The IT Band is a fascial band that spans the outer knee and thigh. It is part of a system that contributes to hip movement and knee stabilization and is used constantly during a run. The IT band is meant to be tight in order to control the position of the leg, yet becomes overly tight and overused when the glutes and inner thighs are weak.

5. The Gluteal Muscles

Did you know that your Gluteus Maximus (aka your backside) is the largest and heaviest muscle in your body? It is also one of the laziest!  Your glutes are made up of three main muscles and several smaller ones that make many of your lower body movements possible. Sitting all day and general inactivity leads to these muscles becoming underutilized and weak, so it’s important to give them the attention they deserve. On the flip side, overuse of the Gluteal muscles can affect hip flexibility and overall pelvic stability.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of which muscles need stretching, you still need to know HOW to stretch them! Endurance is excited to announce two FREE upcoming seminars for runners of all skill levels: 

Runners Relax and Renew

Tuesday, April 16th at 10 AM: 

For our friends running the Boston Marathon, we are hosting a 45-minute post-run stretch and meditation session to help rejuvenate the muscles and embrace your amazing accomplishment!

Sign up HERE.

Saturday, April 20th at 1 PM: 

Inspired by your friends running the marathon? If you’re interested in running next year or just looking to jump head first into the sport, join us for an Intro to Running class where we’ll cover injury prevention, scheduling, nutrition, and cross-training. Learn how to run with the Endurance Method, the safest way to run with your butt and gut! 

Sign up HERE.