Tag: Blog – Lindywell

I’m so excited to announce that our official Lindywell Pilates Powerhouse Mat is here!

After more than a decade of teaching Pilates and struggling to find a mat that checked all the boxes I was looking for, and hearing from YOU about your struggle too, I took matters into my own hands and set out to create the best Pilates mat for every exercise and every body. 

While my criteria was simple, it turns out it’s not easy to create a mat that is not only high-quality, but also sustainable, eco-friendly and free of toxins like PVC, phthalates, and chloride. 

You’ve been hearing me say this for years, but there is a big difference between Pilates mats and yoga mats, and for good reason. Pilates mats need to be thicker in order to provide adequate cushion for your spine and joints during rolling exercises (ie: Rolling Like a Ball, Open Leg Rocker, the Roll Over) and for your bony landmarks during exercises like Side Leg Lifts (think hip bones) or Swimming (think pubic bone). Whereas in yoga, it’s important to be as connected to the earth as much as possible, therefore yoga mats are very thin with very little padding. 

Many of you have been asking me for mat recommendations for years and I’ve never fully found the perfect mat to recommend. So, with the help of my amazing team here at Lindywell we created the best Pilates mat on the market for you.

My top 5 criteria for a premium, high-quality Pilates mat:

1. Non-toxic and eco-friendly
2. Supportive enough for rolling exercises, yet stable enough for balancing exercise
3. Easy to clean 
4. Beautiful and something you WANT to keep rolled up in the corner of your room
5. Lightweight and easy to carry

This was no easy feat my friends. I can see why companies cut corners. We had to work HARD to find a partner that would work with us to create a mat that meets all of these criteria, especially since certain materials are hard to come by right now.  

We sorted through sample after sample and referenced multiple consumer reviews, testimonials, case studies and reports to find the best feel and balance of support and stability that we could find. 

We went through numerous rounds of revisions to make sure the quality and beauty was up to our standards. 

I had you and your needs in mind every step of the way. I now know why there is such variation in the price and quality of mats in the marketplace (and understand what that means behind-the-scenes). In order to produce products that are responsible, high-quality and eco-friendly, the cost to produce and the hurdles to jump are higher. We’ve done our absolute best to make sure that our pricing is competitive to other premium mats on the market and we truly want this to be a product that supports you (pun intended) for years to come. (And Lindywell members –  you’ll receive a 20% discount!)

I can’t wait to reveal the mat to you very soon. In the meantime, here’s a quick behind-the-scenes video that gives a peek into the journey of bringing this mat to life.

We are starting with a limited quantity of these mats, so click here to get yours before they sell out!

I can’t wait to see you on your (new) mat very soon! 

xo,

Robin

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You may have heard about the benefits of having a family meal time, but the reality of living in the modern world can make it a challenge to create that space. 

Mealtimes are not only for nourishing our bodies, but they are also times to cultivate connection with family and friends. On this episode of The Balanced Life, Christine Bailey joins me to discuss tips to help you slow down periodically to create a special time to enjoy family and friends around the table.

Christine Bailey is a writer, social entrepreneur, and produce farmer who has been cultivating a life of nourishment and community and inspiring others to do the same. Listen to our conversation as we chat about her journey to farming life, building connections around meals, and the transformation that takes place when people consciously slow down to eat together.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Christine’s journey from the music industry to the farm table [1:22]
• How Christine is involved with Lindywell [7:53]
• Creating meaningful family meal times [13:00]
• The communal experience of Kindred dinners [22:08]
• How people transform when they slow down to eat together [24:39]
• Fun rapid-fire questions [34:48]

Christine’s journey to farming life

Christine Bailey didn’t grow up as a farmer; she grew up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey. Watching the Food, Inc. documentary inspired her and her husband to learn more about local agriculture which led her to seek out small farms in her community. After getting to know the farmers and their offerings, she decided to put together a local food co-op starting with 17 families. That little co-op quickly blossomed into 2300 families. 

Christine’s social entrepreneurship didn’t stop there. She and her husband became so inspired by the farmers they worked with that they began their own urban backyard farm in Dallas, Texas. After having her two daughters Christine and her husband decided to fully immerse themselves in farm life, so they sold their businesses and moved across the country to Tennessee to try their hand at organic farming. Listen in to hear her story.

The benefits of gathering around the table

There is something that grounds us when we sit around the table face to face to enjoy a meal. This magical time is a way to truly connect with those around you. Pausing to gather at the table creates space to slow down to the speed of listening. No matter who you are you have to eat, so the act of gathering for a meal brings everyone down to the same level. 

Creating meaningful family meal times

Growing up in a large Italian-American family, Christine learned to value shared meals around the table with extended family. This atmosphere taught her how easily and deeply that community is built over food. While food is fuel for the body, it is best enjoyed with others. Gathering around food brings a connection that is hard to form in other ways. 

With the busy schedules of modern life, many of us struggle to maintain a consistent family meal time. Christine has a few ideas that could help you make this a part of your family’s routine.

She emphasizes that family mealtimes don’t have to happen every day. Instead, she recommends creating a rhythm that you can follow to set the intention to eat together a few times a week. 

If you have young children in the house there is the added drama of the complaints and the mess involved in mealtimes. Just like with Pilates, Christine recommends starting where you are. Don’t strive for perfection and don’t be afraid of the mess. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Food, Inc. documentary
• Shawna Niequist

Connect with Christine Bailey

• The Kindred Farm
• BOOK – The Kindred Life by Christine Marie Bailey
• Kindred Life Podcast
• @thekindredfarm The Kindred Farm on Instagram

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Sign up for 14 free days!

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Many people choose the month of November to reflect on all that they are thankful for, but practicing gratitude doesn’t have to be limited to one month per year. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how evidence shows that a regular gratitude practice has an impact on your brain, health, and well-being. And make sure to listen until the end to hear easy ways to develop a daily gratitude practice.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• What happened when I decided to focus on gratitude every day for 30 days [2:12]
• What studies on gratitude reveal [3:25]
• Joining me for 30 days of intentional gratitude [7:35]

30 days of gratitude changed my life

As I approached a milestone birthday, I was feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. Deep in the trenches of postpartum feelings, I struggled to find ways to celebrate myself. That’s when I decided to flip the narrative by finding something each day to be grateful for for the entire month leading up to my birthday. 

Every day over the course of that month I posted something that I was grateful for in my life. At first, practicing gratitude felt a bit forced and unnatural, but over time it became easier. I discovered that the more I focused on what I was grateful for the more good I noticed in my life. Even on the hardest days, I could always find something I was thankful for. 

This simple act created a tangible shift in my thought patterns and my outlook, but what’s more, it changed my brain.

Research shows that regular gratitude practice changes the brain

Research shows that practicing gratitude calms the deep limbic areas of the brain and enhances other judgment centers of the brain.

When we think about something frequently we create stronger neural pathways in our brains.

Brain scans have shown a radical difference in the cerebellum and temporal lobes of those who focus on negative emotions as opposed to those who focus on gratitude. 

Other studies show that people who express gratitude regularly are healthier, more optimistic, make better progress toward their goals, have a greater sense of well-being, and are more helpful to others.

Cultivating gratitude is an easy way to improve your wellbeing

Practicing gratitude is one of the easiest ways to improve your well-being–it certainly beats running miles on the treadmill!

I used to fixate on the challenges in my life, but after training my brain for 30 days I literally rewired the way I was thinking. My neural connections on gratitude became stronger than those built on negativity or fears. I rewired my brain and with some practice, you can too. 

Cultivating a gratitude practice doesn’t mean that you’ll become overly optimistic or lose touch with reality, rather, it means that you take time to focus on what is going well in your life. And practicing gratitude simply means pausing for a moment to focus on what is going well in your life in the midst of the hard things.

Oprah sums this up beautifully by stating, “being grateful all the time isn’t easy, but it’s when you least feel thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you–perspective.”

The more you choose to focus on the good, the more your brain will strengthen that neural pathway and you will spend less time ruminating on your worries and fears. You may discover that your anxiety decreases and that you create a more positive outlook on your life.

Create your own regular gratitude practice

I encourage you to join me for 30 days of gratitude. Over the next 30 days, take a few minutes each day to pause and focus on the positive things in your life among all the challenges.

Download this free gratitude worksheet that you can print out to help you create your own gratitude practice over the next 30 days. 
If you are a Lindywell member, your 30 day gratitude practice will be even easier since we are infusing a gratitude practice into your new monthly Pilates workout. And if you aren’t a member yet, now is a fantastic time to join. Click this link to give Lindwell a try!

Resources & People Mentioned

• Amen Clinics article – 7 Ways to Remain Grateful All Year Long
• Episode 65 – Self Love Guided Meditation

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Sign up for 14 free days!

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Have you ever felt hangry? Do you notice when your moods fluctuate throughout the day? Food might have something to do with it. There is often a connection between food and our moods and this episode of The Balanced Life podcast will help you improve that connection.

Registered dietician (RD), Micah Siva, joins me today to discuss how food can help you boost your mood. Micah is one of the primary dieticians who works to create the RD approved recipes found in the Lindywell membership. Micah helps us nourish our bodies in realistic, practical, delicious ways. 

In this episode we’ll discuss what led her to start her career in nutrition, how foods affect our moods, the best foods for brain health, and which foods can improve inflammation. Make sure to stick around until the end to hear which kitchen tools Micah thinks are the best to have for the at home cook. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• What led Micah to become a registered dietician and chef [2:42]
• How her experience impacted the way she sees food [10:31]
• Micah’s process for creating nutritious and delicious recipes [15:25]
• The necessities of a healthy meal [21:02]
• Tips to have food support your mood and mental health [24:14]
• Reducing inflammation [36:35]
• Foods for brain health [49:12]
• The top 3 tools that Micah uses in her kitchen [56:10]

How Micah became a registered dietitian

Micah has always had a love for food. She grew up cooking with her family and even relished creating lavish meals for her friends as a teen. Even though she loved cooking, she didn’t decide to become a registered dietitian until she had a negative experience with food. 

After a trip abroad, Micah came back with an undiagnosed parasite and suffered for a year before a registered dietitian really listened to her and was able to diagnose and solve her problem. This positive experience taught her that dietitians do much more than create diets. Registered dietitians have a holistic approach to health that involves food and communication.

How Micah creates delicious and nutritious recipes that everyone enjoys

Many of us grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s and experienced the yo-yo diet culture of that time. At Lindywell, we aim to redefine the relationships with our body, image, and with food. 

Food is the fuel we use to power our bodies and our minds. Micah helps us do this by providing simple, delicious, and nutritious recipes. She tries to ensure there will be something for everyone in the family to enjoy and that her recipes can be created in under an hour with accessible ingredients. 

Micah creates recipes based on the seasons that use fresh ingredients flavored with herbs and spices. To maximize daily nutrition, she incorporates plenty of leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats.

Tips to use food to support mental health 

Moods are affected by so many different factors: stress, sleep (or lack thereof), environment, genetics, and food. What and when you choose to fuel your body has a large impact on your mental state. 

It is important to eat regularly to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. People often say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but actually, all meals are important. Spacing out your meals and incorporating regular snacks can help you balance your blood sugar which in turn stabilizes your mood. Skipping meals can lead to overeating during the next meal and then a crash as your body tries to process the extra fuel. To prevent this, nourish your body regularly.

Another way to improve your mood is to be mindful of what you are eating. Understand how certain foods impact your body and pay attention to what you eat. If some foods will give you a short burst of energy, make sure that you do some activity afterward.  

Listen in to hear how you can use food to reduce inflammation and improve brain health.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Episode 71 – The Hidden Hormone Epidemic: A conversation with Dr. Aviva Romm
• Episode 40 – How I Overcame Paralyzing Anxiety

Connect with Micah Siva, R.D.

• Nosh with Micah
• Micah on Instagram
• Micah on LinkedIn

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Sign up for 14 free days!

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Whether we acknowledge it or not, routines hold power over many aspects of our life. If you are not a fan of routines you may feel tempted to skip this episode, but I encourage you to listen. If you enjoy creating and optimizing your routines, then you’re probably already listening.

This episode is designed to help you take a closer look at your routines, both intentional and unintentional. By the end, you’ll understand why what you do each day matters. Your routines affect how you feel, your relationships, your health, and even how successful you are. Press play now to hear how routines can change your life.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Building habits to support the life that you want to live [1:52]
• Understanding how routines can change in the seasons of life [4:03]
• My morning routine [8:40]
• Routines from the Lindywell team [13:03]
• Practical resources to get you started on a routine of your own [15:50]

My routines help make me the person I want to be

If you are not a big routine person, you may think that you don’t have a routine. But you do! Whatever you do every day is already your routine, setting a routine is just making it intentional.

My routines help me build the habits I need to support the kind of life I want to lead and help make me the type of person I want to be. Without the intentionality that comes with my routines, I wouldn’t do either of these things on my own. Bad habits and routines that don’t serve me have a way of creeping in if I don’t rely on the positive routines that I have built in my life.

Routines change with the seasons of life

Many transitions that we experience come with preconceived ideas on what the outcome or transition may look like. Rather than going into a transition with these preconceived notions, try to set them aside to make room for what may actually happen. 

If you are wading through a difficult transition, take some time to create space to question your thoughts. How are you thinking about this transition? Are your thoughts holding you back? Can you reframe your thinking? 

Consider the ways that you could change your thought pattern to bring about a more positive result. Journaling is a great way to work through this process and give yourself a sense of agency and empowerment. 

Our thoughts affect our feelings which affect our behaviors, so if we can change our thoughts we can end up changing our behaviors and create different outcomes.

Lindywell can help you create routines to keep you grounded through life’s transitions

I haven’t always had the same routines in my life: they have changed with the seasons of life. It is important to pause and reflect periodically to see if your routines continue to serve you. If not, it may be time for an adjustment. Consider the routines that you have now. Which ones best serve the type of life you want to live and help you become the person that you want to be? 

Morning and evening are ideal times to implement routines. Remember, routines don’t have to be etched in stone. Just like your Pilates workouts, your routines can be flexible and they may change a bit from day to day. Having a plan but keeping it flexible is the key to success with routines.

Lindywell can help you create routines to keep you grounded through life’s transitions

Routines help me instill habits and keep me on track with what matters most. My morning and evening routines give me the space that I need to focus on myself.

My morning routine allows me to start my morning with intention which means that I go into the day on a proactive note instead of a reactive note. In addition to boosting my energy, improving my focus, and entering a proactive state of mind, my routines have improved my relationships with my husband and kids and allowed me time for exercise, education, and reflection. 

Are you ready to start your own routine? Listen in to hear what I do for my morning and evening routines, you’ll also get some ideas from more of the Lindywell team. Start your routine by joining the Lindywell 14-Day Mind-Body Reset!

Resources & People Mentioned

• Episode 57 – Are your habits providing relief or restoration?
• Episode 74 – Are your habits helping or hurting you? with Sandra Chuma
• Episode 73 – The power of routines + creating a healthy home with Clean Mama

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Join the 14-Day Mind-Body Reset!

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Strengthening your wrists stabilizes your arms and shoulders which not only helps you to sustain postures longer during your workout, it also helps you in your day-to-day life, such as reducing injury associated with repetitive movements like typing and playing sports. At Lindywell, we’re dedicated to helping you feel your best with ways to target those areas while reducing stress, relieving tension, and building strength.

Watch this 2-minute quick clip of Robin Long, Pilates Instructor and founder of Lindywell, to get extra modifications and stretches to strengthen your wrists.

Click here to enjoy a 14-day free trial to access a full library of Pilates workouts, recipes, and resources!

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Using your breath can be a powerful wellness tool whose benefits have been backed by scientific research. This free, easily accessible tool can be used by anyone at any time to help regulate emotion and bring a sense of well-being to your life. Breath is at the core of Pilates and can be used for wellness both on the mat and off.

My guest today is breathwork coach, Kiesha Yokers of the Green and Well blog. Kiesha is passionate about breathwork and education and is striving to bring the gift of breathwork as a path to wellness to as many people as she can. 

Check out this episode to hear all the ways you can benefit from using breathwork as a wellness tool. Make sure to listen until the end to hear a few breathing techniques that you (and your kids) can use right now to help you relax and enter rest and digest mode. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Who Kiesha Yokers is [3:32]
• What led Kiesha to explore breathwork [5:40]
• Connecting with the many types of breathwork [14:05]
• Where you hold your emotions [18:36]
• Tips to empower kids to use their breath [21:52]
• How breathing regulates your nervous system [27:40]
• Simple ways to get started with breathwork [32:49]

Kiesha explored breathwork as a way to heal from her own trauma

In episode 78, Robin shared her personal journey with breathwork, but in this episode she wanted to dive in and explore this vital topic in more depth with Kiesha Yokers – an entrepreneur, mom, and Navy wife who has a passion for nontoxic living. She has spent the past several years researching wellness and the effect of toxins on the body while developing her blog. 

Even though Kiesha was a healthy living blogger, she didn’t know anything about breathwork. After the traumatic events of 2020 and especially the vision of George Floyd struggling to breathe his last breath, Kiesha began exploring the topic of breath as a way to heal from trauma. 

This led her to take a few breathwork classes. Immediately, she understood the value of this simple tool. Since she is a natural teacher, she knew right away that she wanted to teach breathwork to others. Breathwork has helped her address her trauma, get rid of brain fog, and reduce stress. 

The advantages of the many types of breathing

We don’t often think about our breath unless something is wrong, but breathing is the first and last action of our lives. There are many ways that people can work on using their breath to reduce stress, reduce blood pressure, improve lung function, increase cognitive performance, and even improve sleep quality.

There are breathwork exercises that can stimulate you and get you ready to compete, and others that can calm you down from a heightened state. Circular breathing, the Wim Hof method, yogic breathing, and conscious connected breathing all have their own techniques and advantages. Listen in to hear Kiesha explain how different types of breathing could help you improve separate areas of your health.

Tips to empower kids to use their breath

As adults, we often have a hard time explaining and processing our own emotions, so imagine what it is like for kids! 

Parents can model breathwork to help kids learn to work through their emotions. Talking through your emotions and describing the tools you are using to calm yourself can show your kids how breathing exercises help you. By watching you model these techniques, kids can start to take this tool into their own survival toolbox. 

It is also a great idea to explicitly teach ways to use their breath to calm themselves when they are worked up, however, it is important to teach kids when they are in a calm state. No one can learn anything when they are in the midst of a meltdown. When you teach them something while they are calm they can use it as a tool to help them come back from the brink. 

Listen in to learn a few breathing techniques that you can use right now to destress and return your body to a parasympathetic state.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Wim Hof

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Try 14 days free

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Do you understand the importance and power of your breath? In Pilates, we focus on breathing intentionally, but do you know how important proper breathing is in your everyday life? 

You may be surprised to discover that something as simple as breathing can be used as a tool to impact both your physical and mental health. 

In this episode of The Balanced Life, you’ll learn just how important the breath is and how proper breathing can change your body and life. If you are interested in a simple, free way to impact your health you won’t want to miss this episode.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

• Learning correct breathing [3:22]
• How many times you hold your breath each day [8:22]
• How Robin use breath in her daily life and even with her kids [11:35]
• How to use breath in a preventative way [20:30]

Resources & People Mentioned

• BOOK – Breath by James Nestor
• BOOK – Raising Worry-Free Girls in an Anxious World by Sissy Goff
• Wim Hof
• Episode 40 – How I overcame paralyzing anxiety

Follow Lindywell

• On Facebook
• On Instagram

Join Lindywell

• Try 14 days free

Subscribe to The Balanced Life

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Where do you hold stress in your body?

For many of us, we hold it in our shoulders, head, neck, and jaw.

Try these 3 tips to help you relieve tension in your neck and shoulders:

#1. Be mindful of your posture

Make sure you are strengthening your postural muscles regularly, bringing your head back over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips – keeping a long, tall spine and engaged core.

#2. Practice roll-downs

The rolling motion helps stretch and lengthen your spine to take pressure off your joints. You can do them throughout the day and before and after your workouts to help soften the muscles that get tired after a long day.

#3. Include rotational exercises in your workouts

So many of us get stuck in a forward movement pattern. Rotation helps ease tightness in the body and increase blood flow to maintain the range of motion in our joints and release tension in the areas you might be holding stress.

Here’s a quick video of Robin Long, Pilates Instructor and founder of Lindywell, walking through how to incorporate these tips into your daily life:

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