MC Health & Fitness

Hi All, Please search for the "Ballineen Pilates & Fitness Studio" page for the latest schedule of all Pilates & Fitness classes taking place in both the Pilates Studio and Gort Mhuire Hall, Ballineen.

Hi guys, I am beginning to get organised for the Autumn class schedule of BodyPump, Aerobics and Pilates. "Finally" you say! I know, I have received your queries and while I have been slow to opt out of holiday mode, I am looking forward to making you sweat again very soon!! However I have decided to merge this FB page with my Ballineen Pilates and Fitness Studio page so that I update only 1 page in future. So if you wouldn't mind using the Search button then please look for "Ballineen Pilates and Fitness Studio" page and pressing both the Like and Follow buttons at the top of the page and that way you will receive all updates re class times and start dates. Please text me on 087 7417663 or FB message me from the Pilates page regarding all class queries. I will post the new schedule of classes next Wed 26th so be sure to Like the Pilates page to get these posts.

Great article explaining why I made you do all those Star Jumps, Box Jumps and more plyometrics before we finished for the hols - no better way to build muscle and become toned, leaner, stronger and healthier.

Plyometric Workouts | Benefits and Exercises Plyometric Workouts can change your physique, performance and boost your confidence! What are the benefits and how do plyometrics work?...

Plyometric BodyPump, bring it on!! I didn't realise we could work THAT hard girls!!! So proud of you all tonight. Amazing how strong our bodies have become over the last year. Well done and have a super weekend, you definitely deserve it

Exercise for those aged 55+ is even more important than for those who are younger. My 55+ class takes place on Tuesdays at 9.30am in Gort Mhuire so why not tell your friends/parents/grandparents to give it a go and see how much fun we have ☺

Elderly Who Exercise 30 Minutes A Day Live Up To 5 Years Longer Regular exercise packs as great a punch as quitting smoking when it comes to life expectancy, according to researchers in Norway.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, ca

I've recently had the pleasure of fitness training the St. Mary's Under 12s Camogie Team. It was a great experience to work with such a lovely bunch who were enthusiastic and so hard-working. I learned a lot about the game, loved watching your skills practise and wish you all the very best for the Championship. With 4 wins out of 4 so far, I am sure you have a great club future ahead 😊

6 Negative Side Effects of Juice Diets Juice Diets may seem like a quick fix... but do you know how they can affect your body? Find out the easy way...

10 Tips For A Successful Summer Slim-Down Increase your energy with our Summer Slim Down tips... A blueprint to cutting effectively for bikini season!

Final Term for KettleBell Circuit Trainining starting now!!
Hey everyone, there are only 8 weeks left until I don my sombrero and head to the hills (or somewhere closer to the sea)!! This is the last term for classes until September and so if you would like to avail of the last term of Kettlebell Circuit Training to build a stronger, leaner, toned body from head to toe, then let me know asap. Call or Text 087 7417663. Mary Cooper x

Would you like a toned, smaller bum, thighs and waistline for the summer? Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will give you this as fast as SQUATTING daily (or 5 times a week). So give this challenge a go....takes 90 seconds to do 50 squats. Just do them properly....like I taught you ;-) Follow the challenge - the Beginners or Intermed - Advanced version and you will see the results for certain in 30 days. Trousers will fit better and you will improve your cardio fitness, strength and hip flexibility all at once. Just ensure you keep your knees in line with your ankles, or at least behind your toes and core strong with head up.
Try varying your legs & bum workout by doing 10+ of each of the following exercsies: 1) Feet Together Squat, 2) Plié Squat (feet wide apart and turned out), 3) Squat 'n Rotational Punch, 4) Forward Lunge and 5) Backward Lunch.

An interesting read...

Exercise, Not Diet, Has Most Impact On Weight As We Age It won't shock anyone to know that Americans tend to gain weight as they get older. But it is a little surprising that as Americans age and put on more body fat, the quality of their diets generally improves. In other words, Americans do try to co...

Happy Easter guys!! Well done to everyone for their super efforts in all classes since January. We've worked super hard and you should all be feeling proud of your performance and feeling the benefits of your increased cardio performance and muscular strength and endurance. Enjoy the 2 week Easter break and I'll see you back from Monday April 13th. And remember that portion size matters ;-)

Shopping for Easter Eggs this week….

It's a little wet out there eh?! But that won't stop us...

Here are the Spring Time Class Schedules: One showing Gort Mhuire & BEDA Hall Community Classes and the other showing the Pilates Studio Classes. While most classes are fully subscribed already, I am taking names for next term :-)

Term 2 courses for 2015 start this week! Here's a little Monday Motivation. Come on, let's get moving!!

Happy Friday! This is well worth a lunchtime read for those who love running....

Why Runners Need Strength Training (And How to Get Started) You’ll be able to run more, experience fewer overuse injuries, and race faster. And who doesn’t want that?

It's Day 14 of our Plank Challenge: Are we all doing 1 minute 45 secs (Intermediate) or 45 secs Beginners???? Well we'll find out this week won't we ;-)

As I was falling into bed last night I remembered my Plank Challenge. So there on the floor by the bed I did it....the hubby said my breathing sounded like I was giving birth as I pushed myself to the limit. And boy did it work! Felt super afterwards. Hope you too are still putting in the few minutes you need to achieve a fab core?? :-)

Dunmanway Operation Transformation

Don't forget about my Operation Transformation class tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6pm in the Dunmanway Sports Hall. Open to everyone and free :-)

Don't forget - we have two fab free sessions tomorrow:
12 - 12.45 - Aqua-aerobics in the Dunmanway Pool
6 - 7pm - Kettlebells with Mary Cooper in the Dunmanway Community Sports Hall
See you there :)

Plank Challenge completed by myself, Will and Lucy. Have you done yours today? If your kids are joining you, make sure they are doing it correctly on knees or toes with Belly Buttons pulled into towards spines to protect their spinal columns. Watch and record their times. Then get them to record yours. That way you are not distracted watching them perform a bad plank! Keep me posted ;-)

Here is the Plank Challenge! Pick either the Beginners level or the Intermediate - Advanced level image and print them out. Then perform your plank for the stated number of seconds 3 times, with a 30 - 60 second break (in child's pose) between each plank. Try and hit the required number of seconds but if you don't reach the target write down your own number on the chart and see if you can beat that number the next time. This is based on doing each plank on toes and forearms but beginners can choose to do it on their knees until they build up to 60 secs. Good luck and let me know how you are doing!! Blue chart = Advanced, Black chart = Beginners

Can you plank for 90 seconds? Or 3 minutes?? Well you will after this challenge! Tomorrow I will post the 30 day Plank challenge - one for Beginners and one for Intermediate - Advanced exercisers. So get ready and check out this page again over the weekend. Challenge commencing on Monday Feb 9th!!