fitness trends or stick to tradition?

The fitness industry is an ever-moving and evolving industry. There is always a newer and faster way to workout. I follow the industry closely and always find interesting trends. I am very supportive of any tool that gets people to move their bodies. The key is to always stay open-minded.

I also studied many modalities that have worked and helped many people for many years, even centuries. The Pilates and Ashtanga yoga system are systems that have proven to work and change people’s lives. Any classical system that has sustained over the years needs to be honored as an essential and available tool. The systems and modalities lay the foundation for my work. Through experiencing with them and testing new trends, I have come to pick what may work for one client versus the other. The key to any successful exercise or movement regime is to keep it interesting, challenging and fun.

the ultimate goal: focus on community

I want my clients to feel good about themselves and the choices they make. I wish for my clients to be at ease with their bodies and comfortable with who they are and what they stand for. Movement is so essential to a person’s well being. By moving our bodies, we free ourselves of emotions that we may have repressed. By connecting our body to our mind, we can become more aware human beings and be more in tune with our physical wellness.

I strive for people to become more community-oriented. Yoga is really not a primary tool to lose weight, it is rather a tool to become one with oneself, others and our surroundings. Yoga is also a way to observe self and question self. It’s a mean to work out all the negativity in our lives and create and spread more positivity. It is a personal journey, an inward voyage that allows us to blossom to our highest potential.

What puts a smile on my face. is not seeing physical results in a client right away; it is seeing my clients play with neighborhood kids at the park or letting the person in front of them skip the line at the supermarket. My ultimate goal is to contribute not just to the wellness of individuals, but to the wellness of a community.

my workouts with clients

With my regular clients, I specialize mostly in yoga and pilates, so in exercises that facilitate movement and freedom of such. I derive my programs from pilates and yoga to give my clients the full benefits of finding freedom and flexibility, increasing their range of motion, as well as developing strength. I add a little bit of functional training to my programs. In a short period of time, clients notice the impact and ease they find in their daily activities.

When I first start with a client, I analyze their movement patterns and will then have a good idea which yoga poses might help their bodies open up. Every client will have different needs. With my extensive movement background, I have many resources and pilates exercises, yoga poses or functional exercises to chose from and find what will help my client move towards his or her desired outcome.

I recommend to mix workouts up and always try new things as far as functional movement is concerned. I swear by my pilates and yoga routines. A regular and dedicated yoga practice brings more than just a change in a person’s body. Clients do not just get in better physical shape, but also experience the effects of detoxification. By stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the organs, yoga ensures optimum blood supply to the entire body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins and leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, more energy and vitality. My clients admit to an overall feeling of happiness and wellness through moving their bodies.

my fitness path

Since the age of 3, there has hardly been a day without fitness. I am a retired professional tennis player and have always led a very active and athletic life. Conditioning for sport-specific purposes used to be my focus when I was still playing, until I experienced the improvement that a pilates program could bring to my game. I started incorporating pilates and then yoga in my training routines and these two modalities helped me get through a couple of shoulder dislocations and even surgery.I became certified in pilates, then gyrotonic® and gyrokinesis® and different yoga styles and am utilizing these modalities now not just to keep myself physically and mentally fit, but more notably to get my clients in shape and feeling well. I have been part of the Crunch team in South Florida and have been featured multiple times on Deco Drive, the Juice on Plum TV, CBS and Univision Miami News Segments, been a featured instructor for Self Magazine's Workout in the Park and led the Crunch Yogapalooza for 3 years. I have created numerous successful classes for Crunch Fitness including Rack it up, Jock yoga and Body Band yoga. I have been working with clients for almost ten years and have run my own company, Accentuate Fitness, since 2005.

Pilates for everyone!!!!

The Pilates method of body conditioning is a unique system of stretching and strengthening exercises developed over 90 years ago by Joseph H. Pilates. Originally called "contrology" by its founder the Pilates discipline strengthens and tones muscles, improves posture, provides flexibility and balance, unites body and mind, and creates a more streamlined shape. In a time when the fitness industry is constantly searching to create new and innovative programs, Pilates based exercises have prevailed as a formula for success. Whereas many exercise regimes are based on isolating muscles and exercising each area of the body individually rather than treating the body as the integrated whole that it is, Pilates based matwork principles prove that the body is the finest and only tool necessary for achieving physical fitness. Pilates based exercises are focused on giving the body muscular and flexibility balance, improved circulation, reduced stress and improved endurance.

As a retired athlete and fitness consultant, I have put my body through many different workout formulas. I really got into pilates after a shoulder surgery. Floorwork was the only thing I could do, as there was no high impact, bouncing or abrupt moves. I remember the first class I took and how I was astonished and excited all at once that I felt my entire body burning and working. I liked it right away as I felt challenged and knew my body was on the road to recovery. As I became stronger and healthier, my body started changing. People on the street started asking me if I was a dancer. I loved it.

Eventually I became so passionate and fascinated with pilates, that I decided to be a teacher. I started teaching classes, made house calls and even taught kids how to do the hundreds. In the last 10 years, I have worked with all kinds of people. What I discovered on my journey, is that pilates can truly help anyone. Since I experienced first hand how Pilates transcends the disciplines of general fitness, athletic conditioning and rehabilitation, I am certain that anyone could use pilates as a tool to rediscover life from a new angle. The Pilates philosophy focuses on training the body and mind to work together towards the goal of overall fitness. The ability to connect the mind to the physical self allows to blend the power of our minds with the movement of our bodies in a way that is both extremely efficient and enjoyable.

Who is behind Accentuate Fitness

An athlete all her life, Carole Steinhauser presents a dynamic synthesis of attributes from many movement systems. From professional and collegiate tennis to competitive swimming and martial arts, Carole has a well-rounded athletic background. Carole holds a MS in sport management and MBA, and has studied alignment and therapeutics extensively. Carole is certified in different yoga styles, pilates, gyrotonic (including jumping stretchboard and gyrotoner), gyrokinesis. From creating classes to being an ever-evolving human being and teacher, Carole is devoted to help her clients elevate their body, mind and spirit. Carole ' s workouts are fun, explore movement in space and always present a challenge to aspire for higher. Movement is life - change is a constant, and Carole is compassionate about sharing that philosophy with the world.

With this blog, Carole hopes to give the world a taste of how she eases her movement through life by being physically active and always looking for a challenge. And also hopes to inspire her readers by sharing some of her clients experiences.