Yoga Is Coming To Dancing Moon

Yoga is coming! We are pleased to announce the addition of Cait Klein to our staff. Cait currently teaches at Davidson College and Gotta Yoga, so you may have seen her around town. Classes will start January 28th and will be offered Monday nights at 7:15 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm. 

Our new class schedules are coming soon so stay tuned for some other additions as well as class changes. Our goal is to offer a variety of class types to fit everyone's needs and schedules.

Have a great weekend and we hope to see you at the studio soon!

FItness Thursday, Weight Training Injuries in Women

I read a recent article from Women's Health about how weight-training injuries have increased 63 percent for women in recent years.

There are many reasons why, such as improper form, not warming up, lack of direction and guidance from a qualified professional...the list is long. What the article talked about was how to prevent injuries from happening. Here are a few:

1. Make sure you warm up the muscles before starting to go too deep into the workout. "Working cold, stiff muscles can lead to sprains and tears," says Morey Kolber, Ph.D., a professor of physical therapy at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. "Warming up increases circulation and improves range of motion, which preps your muscles and joints for action."

2. Experts agree that proper form is the single most important factor in injury prevention. Standing straight, core muscles tight, and knees in line with your second toe, will all help to keep you in the proper form. Work with someone that has been trained professionally to help you understand how to create that posture and help you "feel" where you truly should be in space.

3. Watch your shoulders,  make sure they are not taking the brunt of the weight. Keeping the shoulders loose and letting other muscle groups take over is key to a healthy shoulder.

4. Do not neglect opposing muscle groups. Many women have imbalances from day to day living

which can make them more prone to injury, So if you work the chest or front of the body be sure to work the back as well, if you work the bicep make sure you also work the tricep, etc.

5. Above all slow down, take time to set up the proper form and really feel the internal muscle groups working hard. Don't do too much too soon, which can stress out the joint, ligaments, muscles, etc. Also remember if it does not 'feel right' for your body do not do it, even if you are being told to do it. Talk with your teacher, trainer, etc and let them know what's going on in your body.

Wednesday DIY from the House of 34 blog

I found this Pottery Barn knock off DIY on my friend Laurie's blog. It just shows you can have some fun with the left over wood you may accumulate from other projects!

Pottery Barn Knock-Off Wall Art

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Laurie

I love Pottery Barn.  I don’t always love the prices.  While flipping through the recent catalog I saw this rustic wood wall art.  A whooping $399.00!  Knowing I have a pile of scrap wood in the garage, I just about did the happy dance at the project I knew I was going to tackle.  I love power tools.  I love wood!

I bought a 2x 4 foot piece of plywood, a few extra pieces of wood, a couple of sample size paint jars, and some tacks.  It only cost around $40.00!  Everything else I had… a lot of wood pieces, glue and leftover paint.  Most of the wood I used is considered “craft” wood.  It comes in short lengths and is thinner than regular wood.  I did combine it with “regular” wood though.  It gives the piece some dimension.

My Pottery Barn Knock-off version.

Pottery Barn $399.00.   Laurie $40.00!

The design was not planned.  I cut each piece as I went along.  HINT:  When you have the layout you want, take a picture of it.  Just in case you mess up the design later on while you are painting the wood pieces.  You don’t want to spend HOURS and HOURS trying to put the thing back together, only to remember you DO have a picture you could have looked at.  By that point, bad words may have been said, drinks may have been drunk, and your family may be afraid to be in the same room as you.  Just saying it could happen.  

The next step was paint.

I applied the paint with a cut up old t-shirt.  That way I could rub the paint on like a stain allowing the wood grain to show through.

Each piece was glued down to a 2 x 4 sheet of plywood board with Tite Bond Wood Glue.  Blue tape is always handy for extra support.

The Vodka is for weight, not for drinking. At least not in that moment anyway. After all the pieces were glued down, I distressed each piece with sand paper to lighten the paint colors and to give it a worn out look.

I found these tacks at Lowes.

I lightly sanded the tack heads so they looked distress as well.

I’m not sure where I’m going to hang it yet.  I may add some trim around the edges.  This was a FUN project.  Although I used a power saw to cut the pieces, it can be done with a simple miter box.

This Pottery Barn knock-off project was a great way to use up most of the scrap pieces of wood I had accumulated.  And my garage is a little bit cleaner now! :)

 

http://odetomyabode.com/2012/07/24/pottery-barn-knock-off-wall-art/ 

Welcome To Let's Get Cooking Tuesday!

Since it is winter (even though it's going to be 70 degrees this weekend) I thought a soup recipe would be a good one to start with. Growing up one of my favorite comfort foods  was always a Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tomato Soup. As an adult I still love the meal but prefer a more "grown up" version of the soup. This delicious recipe requires a slow cooker. Enjoy! 

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup in the  Slow Cooker

Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed 
 (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large 
slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and 
add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
 
4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

New Year, New Goals

Welcome to 2013! 

Like everyone else I have thought long and hard about what I would like to do differently this year. One of my 'goals' is to make this blog useful and entertaining for our clients as well as anyone else that passes through our site. My friend Laurie has inspired me in many ways, so I dedicate this post to her!

Starting this week I will be posting different things everyday. 
The line up will look like this:

Happy Monday's
Let's Get Cooking Tuesday's
DIY Wednesday's
Fun N' Fit Thursday's
What's Happening Friday's

So look for humor, inspiration, fitness tips, and new's/events coming your way every week. Please let me know what you think, good or bad! And above all else keep finding your inspiration and complete your goals for the year!

Piloxing Is Coming Soon!

Check out Piloxing on the Steve Harvey show. We are adding this to our line up of classes in October. Free introductory class coming in the next few weeks!

United Family Services Needs Your Support!

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Don't forget to buy your tickets for the Cruise for Change for United Family Services. This event needs your support. The date is this Friday, October 6th and they still have a lot of tickets to sell. Even if you can't make the event you can purchase raffle tickets to win a new iPad. Check out the event on Facebook or go to http://www.unitedfamilyservices.org/ for more information!!