Pilates Inspiration – Janee

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Janee Anderson

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I decided to begin Pilates in 2008 because I wanted something to do to help me manage stress.  I also knew I had to work on my posturing and get my body in better physical shape.

Why do you do Pilates and what are the benefits in your life?

I do Pilates because I feel it helps me manage my health.  Because I drive for a living, my back and neck are often sore.  Pilates has helped me to understand how to do a better job in managing the toll that my work takes on my body.  I have learned to use breathing to work through my exercises.  This in turn has helped me in so many other areas of my life.  Good breathing and understanding how to posture myself helps me ALL the time-not just when I exercise!

How has Pilates changed your life?

Pilates has made me more aware ALL the time of how I stand, drive my car and how I can manage day to day activity in everything I do.  The benefits are so overall in everything I do now.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment(or both)?

I actually like all the pieces of equipment but find that doing an intermediate/advanced mat class is the most challenging to me personally. It is a total workout for me where I am doing all of it myself. One of my favorite exercises would have to be the teaser. That exercise is challenging on the mat or any piece of equipment.  I love it!

What would you say to someone thinking about starting Pilates?

When I speak to anyone who is thinking about starting Pilates I tell them,”Do it!  It is something that will change your life and your body if you are truly committed to it.  It works the mind and the body.  For breathing, posturing and overall core strength, it is awesome no matter what your body shape or your age.”

 

If you enjoyed reading Janee’s Pilates story click like and share with your friends!

 

3 MUST KNOW Tips to Make Your Roll Down on the Cadillac MORE Effective!

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The Roll Down on the Cadillac is a great exercise for gaining more mobility in the spine as well as strengthening the core and shoulder stabilizers.

This video will highlight the basics of the exercise including how to set up and breathing. It will also give you some fine-tuning tips so that you can get more out of each exercise.

If you liked our tips, be sure to click like above and share the Pilates wisdom with your friends!

 

Celebrating Success!!

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Originally posted on February 27, 2013:

Today’s blog is one of celebration! As a Pilates instructor there is nothing that I LOVE more than celebrating the success of my clients. I’m hoping that by sharing this wonderful, inspirational story someone will be given the hope and inspiration to believe in themselves and continue pursuing their own health journey!

Today we are celebrating Su, one of our faithful Rivercity Pilates clients, being able to do the Swan using the push through bar on the Cadillac. This exercise is a challenging, advanced Pilates exercise that is not accessible to many people, for a variety of reasons. It requires a flexible spine, strong abdominal muscles, open hips, and shoulders with a fairly large range of flexibility and movement.

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Su(Center)

Two years ago, when I first met Su, she couldn’t even move her left arm above her head to place her hands onto the push through bar. Su is surviving stage 3 Melanoma and has been cancer-free since October 5, 2010. She underwent surgery that removed the melanoma and lymph nodes in her left arm, much like the surgery done when someone has breast cancer that spreads into the lymph nodes.

It was clear from the first time that I met Su that she was inspired to not let this health problem get the best of her! Although she had limitations in her left arm and shoulder, we were able to modify exercises and continue to work towards regaining Su’s strength and flexibility.

I was looking back at her chart and saw that on September 15, 2011 I had noted with an exclamation point that Su was able to not only get her hands on the bar, but could perform an exercise we call Baby Bird Wings. We often use Baby Bird Wings and a straight-arm version of Swan to strengthen the body and work on flexibility as a preparation for the full Swan. It was clear that Su’s dedication to her twice weekly Pilates sessions was really making a difference in her recovery.

Looking at Su today, you might never guess what she’s been through and you probably wouldn’t even notice a big difference in her strength and mobility of her left arm and shoulder. As an instructor though, I remember where she started and am always in awe of the amazing strides she has made.

I always try to keep challenging clients and take them to the next level and Su is a shining example of continuing to progress through the Pilates work. Su’s strong, flexible core muscles and balanced musculature have allowed her to continually increase her range of motion on many exercises and she continues to advance to more challenging exercises and movements.

Which brings us to the Swan on the Cadillac. This week during a private session I introduced Su to the full Swan, suggesting she just start to try it and see how it feels (stopping if there was any pain or restriction). Before I knew it she was flowing through the exercise and it was beautiful!

What a huge milestone to go from not being able to lift your arm over your head to performing an advanced exercise that requires fluid, controlled movement of both arms overhead! Su is a true example of Empowering Your Body!

I know that being part of her journey has inspired my life and I hope it will do the same for you!

Read more about Su’s story in her Inspiration of the Month interview.

If Su’s story inspired you, be sure to share the inspiration and click like to let Su know!

Pilates Inspiration – Su

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Originally posted on October 2012:

This month’s Inspiration is a true testimony to the power of movement and the power of the human spirit.  It has been an honor to have Su as one of our treasured clients and to be part of her journey!

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Su( Doing her teaser in NYC for our summer photo contest!)

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I started Pilates about 4 years ago. A good friend asked me if I would like to join her and another friend in a reformer pilates class. My good friend and I have been taking classes ever since.

Can you tell us about your experience with  cancer. As a  cancer survivor, how did Pilates help you recover physically and emotionally?

I am surviving Stage III melanoma. I was diagnosed two years ago this past August and have been cancer free since October 5, 2010. When my cancer was removed, I was told that the edges were clean, which was good news, but (and there is always a ‘but’ with cancer), I needed to go see the dermotologist at the University of Iowa.

My dermotologist told me that the edges of the cancer site had to 5 cm clean on all sides to increase my chances that the cancer would not reoccur at that site. Also she suggested that I have sentinal lymph node biopsy to find out if the cancer had spread. These two surgeries had to be done at the same time. So I went into my first surgery two days later.

Everything looked good until the biopsy came back which indicated that there was .002 cm. of cancer in the sentinal lymph node so back into surgery a week later to take the lymph nodes under my left arm which is what they would do if someone had breast cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes.

There is no ‘successful’ treatment for melanoma except for checking your body so I see my oncologist and surgeon every 3 months and the dermotologist yearly. I also have a PET scan two times a year along with an ultra sound on my neck to see if there is any cancer developing in my lymph nodes there.

I couldn’t have gotten through this without Pilates! My surgeon informed my husband after each surgery that they went better than expected because my body provided such a road map to the infected areas. The nerve areas were never compromised or in the way so the expected trauma to this area would be minimal. The chances for swelling of my left arm would be minimal. I atttribute it all the Pilates and how defined my body was.

Pilates provided me with a outlet to ‘get my body back’ which was my ultimate goal as a cancer survivor.

As my oncologist told me, “We will control the cancer and not let it control you!’ and that was how I empowered myself and my body.

I was pretty hard on myself about getting back to where I was in Pilates before the surgery. With encouragement and support from Carey, my good friend and Pilates partner, Peg and my former Pilates instructor, Shannon, I was able to make a recovery quicker than expected. I remember the exercises that I had to do in bed right after the surgery were similar to those I had done in Pilates. When I was able to do Baby Bird wings I knew that I had made a full recovery!

Why do you do Pilates and what are the benefits in your life?

I do Pilates to keep my body toned and to remember to take time for myself. We only have one body and we need to take care of it. I always feel better physically and mentally after taking a class.

How has Pilates empowered your body?

Cancer has made me think about how special a body is. Pilates has helped in keeping a commitment to my body to take care of it and never take it for granted again. When a surgeon comments about how easy it was to navigate under your arm because it was so fit and strong, you want to maintain that!

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

I LOVE the tower! The shoulder bridge is my favorite exercise. I want to take this time to dispel the rumor that the plank is my favorite exercise.

What has Pilates inspired you to do in your life?

Pilates has inspired me to be in better shape in my 50’s/60’s than I was in my 30’s/40’s. It has also inspired me to incorporate Pilates in healing my body when I have an ache or pain.

What would you say to someone thinking of starting Pilates?

DO IT and you will never be sorry! Your body will be exhilerated and your mind will be clearer. It is something that you can do for yourself no matter age or shape and your body will thank you tenfold!

If you enjoyed Su’s story, be sure to click like and share it!   A little shared inspiration could change someone’s life!

 

 

 

Practice your Pilates Breathing!

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Joseph Pilates stated, “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.”

Proper breathing is the cornerstone of the Pilates method of exercise.

The Pilates breathing technique promotes learning how to use the full capacity of our breath by emphasizing a complete inhale and a complete exhale. There is also a focus on maintaining the engagement of the abdominal muscles throughout both the inhale and exhale which allows the body to strengthen the core muscles and create movement from the center of the body.

It is not an easy task to focus on proper breathing technique while executing the Pilates exercises and still keeping a whole body awareness of our alignment and form. Just remember that Pilates is a movement practice and every time you practice it will get easier and easier, and your body will naturally start to incorporate the breath and movements!

Today’s video will give you some reminders of how to execute the Pilates breath and give you some tips to practice. When learning or fine tuning this breath it may help you to just practice the breathing by itself without the added coordination of trying to perform specific exercises while breathing.

If you enjoyed the video be sure to click like and share it with your friends!

 

Can Pilates help me gain flexibility?

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“True flexibility can be achieved only when all muscles are uniformly developed.” – Joseph Pilates

The Pilates Method focuses on balancing out your muscles around each joint in the body (we refer to it as uniform development). By creating balance we naturally become more flexible, stronger, and our bodies move with ease, just like when we were kids. It is truly a combination of stretching and strengthening various muscle groups that allows the body to create this balance.

Pilates instructors are trained to look at individual bodies and movements and fine tune each individual’s movements to create balance in each body. If you have ever wondered why there are so many variations and modifications to Pilates exercises – this is why! Every body is unique and its needs change from day to day.

As instructors it’s our job to help clients tune in to their bodies and learn how to adjust their movements in Pilates, fitness, and life.

Learn more about the Pilates Method of exercise by exploring our website!