Pilates & Yoga Mexico Retreat!

As the holidays come to an end you may be thinking to yourself, I need a vacation.

Our annual retreat to Mexico may be just what you're looking for!

Come and enjoy a week in Puerto Vallarta, where the weather is warm, the skies are bright blue, and the water is crystal clear.

During your stay you will also enjoy:

-A perfect balance of Yoga and Pilates twice a day for ninety minutes.

-Complimentary cocktail reception upon arrival.

-Complimentary hot breakfast served daily

-Complimentary admittance to the hotel gym and spa.

-Complimentary wifi usage

The Following Prices EXCLUDE airfare:

Single room occupancy 7 days/6 nights $1,654.00 (per person)

Single room occupancy 5 days/4 nights $1,192.00 (per person)

Double room occupancy 7 days/6 nights $982.00

Double room occupancy 5 days/4 nights $744.00

If this sounds like the prefect getaway for you, please contact Joanne or Dan at info@studiobluepdx.com, or just give us a all at 503.224.5073!

*Check our more photos as well as a visual tour of where we are staying at http://www.premiereonline.com.mx/photo-gallery

Come Say Hello!

We know just what you’re thinking, finding the right Pilates studio can be harder than finding love. Well folks, no need to stress! We know it’s important to be in a comfortable environment when you’re connecting with your body, and with our modern yet relaxed space, we promise all your worries will melt away once you walk in our door!

Still not convinced? Well guess what, we offer a week of complimentary mat classes that will be sure to win you over! Check out our website for a class that fits your schedule, we offer beginning, intermediate and all level classes so that you can find your perfect fit.

Getting started is easy, just give us a call and we will set you up for your first free week of class-it’s really that simple!

So what are you waiting for? Come join the Studio Blue family today!

A Method For All Ages

“Pilates is the only exercise program that has changed my body and made me feel great.”

– Jamie Lee Curtis, age 58

While Pilates is a great method for keeping those young hot bodies in shape, it is also a wonderful form of exercise for older adults. As the body ages, muscle joints can become stiff and sometimes even painful, Pilates offers a broad range in motion that adds fluidity to those aching joints. Pilates also provides a gentle work out that strengthens the core while engaging the entire body, this allows for comfort regardless of one’s fitness level.

At Studio Blue we also offer classes that help people who have been through surgery or suffer from chronic pain. Our Pilates Rehab class, on Mondays and Fridays at 1:00 p.m, is a perfect place for those seeking a workout regiment that moves at a slower pace.

Don’t let your age or physical ailments hold you down, take the first step and stop in, your body will thank you for it!

Give the gift of wellness! Gift cards now available!

Everyone desires to be more physically and mentally healthy, but often times they need a friend to give them a push in the right direction. Well guess what? This holiday season you can be that friend! At Studio Blue we are offering gift cards as the perfect present. You will not only be helping you friends and family members get one step closer to strengthening their core, you will be gaining a buddy to take classes with!

So put those fruitcakes down and give someone a gift they will really benefit from-give the gift of Pilates!

Do you have back pain?

The holiday time is finally upon us! But have you noticed how the cold weather can make pain in your hips and lower back worsen?

Did you know that Pilates is one of the most recommended forms of exercise for lower back and hip pain? One of the most prevalent ways it does this is by improving posture and strengthening muscle in the abdominals. Pilates understands that these core muscles do much more than we give them credit for. For example, the lower abdominal muscles play a heavy role in hip pain. Your lower abdominal muscle, serves as more than just a way to hold in your bathroom needs, it’s also the one that supports your hips. The stronger the muscle in this area, the less pain is inflicted upon your hips. The same can be said for lower back pain. Engaging in Pilates helps strengthen those muscles that are constantly working to support your lower back. Aside from working out your core, Pilates improves posture as well. The attention that is paid to postural adjustment takes the stress off the spine and helping lower back pain disappear. It is imperative for the spine to be corrected and properly supported if any back pain is to be alleviated. It is hard to believe that focusing on just a few areas can produce such positive outcomes, but Pilates proves that this is the case.

In short, Pilates helps to understand and become aware of the core muscles that help maintain the strength and pain free body we all strive to have.

Make Your Feet, Happy Feet!

Ever stop to think about how important our feet really are? They are constantly supporting us and transporting us to where we need to go, but it seems like we never take a moment and say “Hey, thank you for everything feet, I really appreciate it”. Well folks, now you can! Here at Studio Blue we offer an exclusive class that is made just for expressing gratitude to our feet! Studies have shown that most pain found in the lower back, hips and knees can be alleviated by concentrating on foot pain, and our class is based around this idea.

So if your feeling like it may be time to give your feet a treat, join Dan on Tuesdays for our Happy Feet class at 12pm!

Benefits of Fitness Balls

Did You Know...

Fitness balls help achieve better posture as well as alleviate lower back pain? They are designed to engage your core muscles, which leave you feeling more balanced, toned and not to mention flexible. Fitness balls are great for beginners as well as those who are more advanced, and we offer classes weekly for all levels!

Come try our next fitness ball class:

Mondays at 4:30 with Wendi or Fridays at 12:00 with Ishbel

(These classes ARE included in our mat class packages and are available to drop-ins as well!)

Why Men are Loving Pilates.

David Beckham Does Pilates

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, one of the world’s most physically fit men (not to mention one of the hottest) has taken up pilates as a means to keep his body in shape as he gets older, and it’s working. Beckham has said that he is in the best shape of his life due to his hour-long daily pilates routine.

His lovely wife Victoria Beckham has also taken up pilates with her husband, the two have enrolled in classes together at a local Los Angeles gym. There’s no doubt about it folks- whether it’s a way to bond with family or friends, pilates is a fabulous way to keep your body in shape!

Friday night Reformer Workshop

We have 2 spaces open in our Friday 5:30pm Reformer Workshop. The series last 4 weeks and is taught by Angelina, one of Studio Blue's senior instructors. These spaces will fill quickly so call or email us today!

Cheers,
Studio Blue

The Importance of Weight Training For Women

What's the best and quickest way for a woman to gain control again over her body and start turning it into the firm, lean and toned physique that you desire?

Think it's cardio? Then think again.

Sure, adding cardio to your fitness regimen will help you burn a few more calories, but JUST doing cardio will never give you the kind of lean muscle definition that looks so good in summer tank tops, short shorts and bathing suits. The "cardio-only" mindset may serve to only burn calories (and possibly even lean muscle mass), but cardio-only RARELY tones and tightens. You need to have a balance of sensible nutrition, regular cardio and effective weight training that challenges your body in order to affect your basal metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories).

Simply put, lean muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does. So by changing your body composition through losing body fat and gaining lean muscle, you'll burn more calories even when you sleep!

Many women are afraid of weight training because you may think that you'll just "bulk up". However weight training for women done right, will result in better muscle tone, strength and endurance -- not necessarily in size. The high levels of estrogen in a woman's body make it difficult to produce the kind of bulky bulging muscles you see on male athletes.

Combining pilates with light weights is an ideal combination for women. In our Sculpt classes, you will typically engage and work a specific muscle group, and then stretch it out to lengthen it. This combination of "strengthening and lengthening" is ideal to firm and tone, without running the risk of developing those Incredible Hulk type muscles. You need to stretch that muscle in order to give it the flexibility it needs to contract when you are working it again. If you'd like to read a brief article about the benefits of adding stretching and "lengthening" to your exercise routine, click here.

As women age, the need for focused resistance, weight-based exercise increases. Changes in the muscle tissues as we age are accelerated by disuse. When a woman incorporates weight training in to her routine, she will see improvements in circulation, coordination, balance, and bone and ligament strength -- all of which are especially important for improving bone density and avoiding osteoporosis. The Reformer is an excellent choice for women who are looking for more of this type of resistance-based exercise.

Remember, however that is is possible to overtrain. Your body needs at least one rest day per week to give your muscles and cardiovascular system a chance to recover, repair and rebuild. Overtraining can not only cause injury and/or exhaustion, but can also cause of fluctuations in appetite, abnormal sleep patterns and can compromise your immune system.

You'll find another brief article which discusses several of the "myths" out there regarding women and weight training here.

So if you're a woman who is looking for that toned, long sleek muscular look, come check out a few of our Sculpt classes and/or some Reformer classes! Here's when they are offered:

• Pilates Sculpt with Dan Mondays at 630pm and Wednesdays at 9am

• Pilates Sculpt with Ishbel Thursdays at 12noon

• Pilates Sculpt with Tami Thursdays at 1pm

• Pilates Sculpt with Wendi Thursdays at 630pm

• Yoga/Pilates Sculpt with Rebecca Mondays and Wednesdays at 530pm

• All-Level Reformer with Ishbel Mondays at 12noon

• All Level Reformer with Angelina Wednesdays at 530pm

• Advanced Reformer with Ishbel Fridays at 1pm

• All Level Reformer with Tami Saturdays at 8am and 10am

• New 4-Week Reformer Workshop with Angelina starts this Friday, March 12th at 530pm. Only one space left!

Call us at 503-224-5073 or email usto reserve!

March News From Studio Blue

Yippee for Spring! Time to shed those winter duds and get to work on your swimsuit six-pack! We have lots of options for you this month if you're ready to get to work on your summer beach body!

• Booty Camps: We're running 3 boot camps per week now, and plan to add more. Let us know if you'd like to join the next 6-week session of butt-kicking cardio combined with equipment and weight work. A 6-week session is just $75, and we guarantee you'll see amazing results! The next Sunday sessions start April 4th and the Thursday evening session starts April 8th.
  

• Last Chance for Half Price Privates with Rebecca: She'll be getting fully certified soon, and once she does, her special half price Apprentice rate for privates will be gone forever. Jump start your spring fitness plan by doing a few private sessions with Rebecca on our pilates equipment, and start feeling those abs!

• Special Workshop - Power Breathing with Rebecca: This new workshop will be held on Saturday, March 13 from 12 noon - 2pm. Learn how to intensify your workout and improve your results just by making a few simple changes to the way you breathe during your practice. Call us to reserve space or sign up now on our web site.

• Early Morning and Sunday Classes: Would adding weekday 7am and/or Sunday classes fit your schedule? If so, then let us know! We want to make sure that we are meeting your needs, so if this is something you really want and can commit to, then tell us!

• More Forrest Yoga with Angelina: Our Forrest Yoga workshop scheduled for March 20 is full, however we plan to add second workshop on Saturday, April 17 from 230-5pm, so let us know if you'd like to attend.

• And if you've been thinking of joining us in Mexico for our Pilates & Yoga Retreat April 28 - May 2, then let's reserve a space for you now! Flights to PVR from PDX are still around $400 and you do NOT need to have a current membership or package with us to attend. We welcome you to bring your family or friends!

Let us know what else we can do this spring to meet your needs. We are here for you!

Dan, Jo and the rest of the Studio Blue Family

P.S. Join us in celebrating the 1980's on Monday and Tuesday, March 29-30...more info below!