stretching | CANDIED VIOLETS

Always on the move

Posted on May 21, 2017May 21, 2017 by babettebrown

Hello – and thank you so very much for stopping by,

I know I have not been posting a lot in the last few weeks. I definitely had a lot going on but the main reason was that I took some time for myself to develop a new skill. I bought myself a really beautiful Photo Camera and started to learn how to take pictures. I must say I am having a blast! I have definitely a long way to go but I am very excited with my progress and I am loving it.

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Last night I went to the gym for the first time in very long. I have a spine injury and I have been battling it for a long time and I guess I got worn down a lot by pain so I decided to just relax for a while and just see that I get better. But I personally like to be healthy and fit, and I need my body as a professional dancer, even so I am retired from competing professionally, so after this break it felt good to get started again nice and easy and to take care of myself.

Here are a few tips on how to get started with exercising and being more active after you had a break:

1 Love your body in every state – you did not work out in a while – so this was your decision. Own up to it and be OK with it. You loved these couch cushions? That’s Ok! Getting started with a positive approach towards yourself is most important. If you do not appreciate yourself now, you will not after you reached your fitness goals.

2 Baby steps! Do not go right away to your absolute maximum – this feels more like punishing yourself rather than developing yourself and taking care of yourself. Start with something light and fun, even if you just go for 15 minutes. An active lifestyle is a habit, give yourself time to establish it and to enjoy it. Start small and create a habit.

3 Increase intensity step by step – one little change at the time. It is again all about changing your own behavior and that usually never works if you have too high ambitions right away (I’ll start my diet on monday….yeah…lol – never works) – start NOW but one little thing at the time.

4 Write down every success you had – every little thing counts! Written words are powerful and after a while you have lots of things to read back and be proud of. Little Victories need to be celebrated – they will add up over time and become big victories!

5 Expect setbacks! Like in everything in life, you will have bad days or will get temporarily distracted by life when it gets a little crazy. Make sure you find motivation in these times, for me a new gym outfit goes a long way, but you can try some different classes, new exercises and mix things up a little bit. If times get a little tough – keep going and get past it. It is like in life – get unstuck – move past it – and know that it will all be OK in the end.

I hope those tips help you to get back to it in a positive way. For me – setting a date never worked, if I want to make a change, I change now. But very little, it’s like driving and starting to gently stir into a new direction. If you drive to fast – you will crash.

I would love to hear your tips and stories,

xo BB

Some easy stretches with Stella..

Posted on February 9, 2017April 2, 2017 by babettebrown

Let’s stop for a minute…. breathe… it’s time for ME TIME – yay!

For all of you who think they are too busy to fit some self care and fitness into their day, I have great news – It doesn’t have to take much time to do something for yourself!

I would like to share with you a few very simple stretching exercises I love to do. You will see, afterwards your body feels better, little aches and twitches will disappear, tensions will calm down and you feel great and continue your day.

And Stella wanted to be there too of course, she loves it when I exercise, she has to participate…

Here is what you will need:

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A Yoga Mat:Forever Pink Yoga Mat (3mm), Gaiam Sol Dry-Grip Yoga Mat (5mm)

Sit on your yoga mat, put your feet together and let your knees fall apart. Grasp your feet with your hands. Make sure you are sitting on the front part of your sitting bone and keep your back straight. Keep breathing and gently bend from your hips forward, and let your upper body relax. Keep breathing and let your own body weight gently extend your position.

2) Lay on your back and stretch your legs out. Bend one knee and grasp it with your hands. Gently pull it towards your chest. At the same time watch out that your other leg stays on the floor and your knee stays straight. Hold for a count of ten and then pull your knee across your body. Make sure your other leg and shoulder stays on the floor. Be gentle, let the body weight do the job, keep breathing and count to ten. Repeat with your other leg.

3) Sit up with your legs straight and make sure you are sitting on the front of your sitting bone with a straight back. Breathe in and gently bend forwards from your hips. Try to grab your toes with your hands, if it is not so easy, just simply place your hands on your legs as far forward as you can. Keep breathing and let your body weight pull you down. Make sure your knees are straight and your legs stay flat on the floor.

4) Sit up, bend one knee and place your foot across the other leg. Take your opposite arm and place your elbow across your knee. Make sure you are sitting upright on the front of your sitting bone. Take a deep breath and gently twist your shoulders and upper body towards your knee. Repeat to the other side.

Thanks for stretching with Stella and I, we enjoyed it very much, I hope you too. Contact me for tips and pointers,

xoxo BB 🙂

8:30AM is early….

Posted on February 5, 2017April 2, 2017 by babettebrown

Hi! This is my first Blog Post – I am excited about all the things we will get to share and do! Well… right now it is evening here – nighttime to be exact, it is past midnight already – and – yes – I am still at it as you guys can see…. but that’s OK, I am having a good time with this so I am wide awake.

My morning started at 8:30 – well – most of you will get up earlier than me – but 8:30 is actually early for me. I usually wake up because of one of my pets wants attention – well – not really one of them, Saults, the cat in particular.

He waits all night to see if somebody is moving – at the slightest sign he starts to be excited and meows “woohooo your up – let’s play or give me food or maybe I’m just bored”. The first thing is to go for a little walk with the doggies Coco and Stella and then it’s food time for everybody.

By now I really need my Coffee as soon as possible, to get me started. I rarely skip breakfast, today I indulged with Waffels and Strawberries – Yum!! Soo good!

I finally managed to squeeze a Nail appointment in – I was at least 2 weeks overdue. It was a great start to the day, a little bit of me time is definitely a luxury and much needed – especially during the week.

It was a beautiful, sunny day and I started to get in the mood for spring, so I decided for a soft, nude beige color for my fingers and a fresh turquoise for my toes – a little out of character for me because usually I am not into the blue tones when it comes to nails but today it felt great.

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So I decided it would be fun to show them off and chose a pair of peep toe heels to go through the day.

Now it was time to get ready and to drive to the studio, but not before I made a couple of home made sandwiches to take with us for lunch. I personally like to cook, and I like to eat my own food and it is usually healthier than just grabbing a bite somewhere.

The next – 9 hours – from 12 to 9 – we spent at the studio. Lots to do, so no time to sit around – it’s business time – and we do take it very serious, but it is what we love. I love to dance and to work with dancers and people of all ways of life. Even so it is busy time, I always make sure I find time to recharge and to stop for a minute and make sure I am OK. Today I found time to stretch – much needed – and it felt soo good to just breathe and to get in touch with my body.

So… fast forward to 9PM – we have 2 hungry dogs, cats and a husband to feed…. I usually shop on the weekend so no detour to the store.

After feeding the hungry “zoo” – they are adorable – I played Martha Steward and cooked dinner, when we finish it is usually already around 11PM. OK – Now you understand why 8:30 is early. At least for me…