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Meet our newest Ambassador, Boston-based Yoga and Pilates Teacher Antonio Aniello!

You teach Yoga and Pilates in Boston and are known for giving a hard core workout! What are your best tips for staying trim through the Holiday Season and into the New Year?

If you want to get stronger and more fit, I believe that it really all comes down to technique. Without it, you end up wasting energy and the exercises aren't nearly as effective.

During the Holiday Season especially, I also try to make sure I'm expending as many calories as I'm ingesting. The key word is try - no one is perfect and it's okay to indulge a little here and there, as long as you're working it off!

In the long run, it's all about finding a routine that fits your schedule that you can stick to in order to make progress. 

We know you love your Plank Yoga Mat because it makes you work extra hard during your Yoga Practice. What has your experience with your PYM been like thus far and what benefits do you think it offers you and your students?

Not to sound like a broken record, but once again, it all comes back to technique. MyPlank Yoga Mat has intensified my practice lately mainly because it makes me realign myself using the right muscles and therefore connect more deeply to the mat and within my practice.

Almost immediately after starting to use my Plank Mat, every plank, down dog, and up dog became deeper. There's definitely a deeper connection of the hands, up the arms, and into the shoulders that really fires up my forearms. For a few days, my forearms felt like they were maxed out. Shortly after that subsided, I began to notice a deeper practice overall. 

What's your favorite Pilates Exercise right now and why?

I recently suffered a wrist injury that has taken plank out of my #1 ranked Pilates exercise, so I had to find something new. Crisscross with the ring (see above photo) is currently my favorite thing because it's quick to burn and the rotation gets the obliques as well as the low abs involved!

What projects, trainings, etc. are you working on or are excited about for next year?

Continuing to learn is probably the coolest thing about teaching Pilates and Yoga! Next year, I'm hoping to get some formal training in barre style Pilates and also looking to take some inversion workshops on the yoga side.

Make sure to visit Antonio's Facebook Page: Body Tone Yoga and Pilates and give it a like! You can check out his amazing classes at South Boston Yoga, Exhale Spa, Equinox and Karma Yoga.