Pilates and Pregnancy: Be Patient, Celebrate, and Move Forward

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Welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog! This is going to be my last installment for this pregnancy. It’s been so much fun sharing my journey from 13 weeks pregnant to 7 weeks postpartum with you. I hope that this blog has been helpful and motivational whether you are currently pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant, or just interested in health and movement during pregnancy. Pilates helped me so much both mentally and physically during my pregnancy and in these first weeks of recovery. I cannot wait to continue using Pilates to rebuild my strength and maintain my mental health.

For our last session, Carey taught me on the Reformer. Reformer is probably my favorite piece of equipment. I love that there is a classical sequence of exercisesCassie and Finn that become more challenging the longer you practice. At seven weeks postpartum, we started with Footwork and fine-tuning my form. Carey had me come up into an upper ab curl for my Hundreds, which was a good challenge. When we did Short Spine (where your legs come up over your head) I loved feeling the stretch through my back. I wasn’t able to do Short Spine during the latter months of my pregnancy because my belly was in the way.

When it was time for Teaser, Carey had me lie the long way on the long box with my legs at table top. Traditionally, you would hold onto the handles as you curled up into your Teaser, but Carey let me try it without the handles to start. I took a deep inhale and then tried to curl into my Teaser but couldn’t do it! Don’t get me wrong, Teaser is a challenging exercise, but I was able to do it well pre-pregnancy and in my mind’s eye I could see myself performing the movement with grace and ease. After taking a moment to chastise myself mentally, Carey helped me refocus. I had carried a baby for 39 weeks, my muscles had stretched to accommodate him, I delivered him via C-Section, and was only 7 weeks postpartum. More importantly, I would be able to rebuild the strength but it would take patience and respect for where my body is at currently. Carey modified the exercise my allowing me to hold on to the back of my legs and rock up into Teaser. At the top of Teaser, she had me let go of my legs and reach my arms away as I curled back down.

The Teaser mishap taught me a valuable lesson – whether you are rebuilding muscle after a pregnancy or coming back to Pilates after some time away, be patient with your body, celebrate your body’s ability to move as it can today, and challenge yourself as you move forward.

If you live in the North Liberty/Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor, be sure to visit Rivercity Pilates and start challenging yourself today.

Thanks again for sharing this journey with me and Finnegan,

Love,

Cassie

 

Pilates and Pregnancy: No More Mr. Nice Carey

Hello and welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog. At six weeks postpartum I had another private lesson with Carey. I had been cleared by my doctor for exercise and Carey knew it! I titled this blog “No More Mr. Nice Carey” because all of the breaks and modifications she made for me while I was pregnant were gone! Instead, Carey fine-tuned my movements and gave me a real workout.

We started on the Cadillac. I noticed right away with exercises like roll down that I still had a long way to go in building back the abdominal strength I had lost.Cassie and Finn Rather than a slow, smooth, and controlled rolling back motion with my abs engaged, there was a point in rolling back where I couldn’t maintain the engagement and slid back quickly. We moved to Hundreds and Carey had me hold my legs at table top with my head down on the mat. Without realizing it, my knees drifted apart. When I was pregnant, it was impossible to hug my legs all the way together and so Carey let me keep them slightly apart. Not anymore! She cued me to hug my legs together and man could I feel it by the end of my Hundreds!

We used the push-through bar for Teaser and Shoulder Bridge next. On both exercises I noticed how different the moves felt from being pregnant but also from before pregnancy. One of the greatest benefits of Pilates is increased body awareness. I was aware of how my body changed during pregnancy but it’s even more clear now because I can compare my pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum bodies. Each version brought its own challenges and rewards. I am excited to use Pilates to achieve a strong and healthy postpartum body.

We ended our session with Monkey. Monkey is a traditional Cadillac exercise using the spring from below and a safety chain from above. You have to curl yourself into a tiny little ball and bring your feet and hands next to one another on the push-through bar. Traditionally, you would then push the bar up with your feet bringing your body into a “U” shape with your feet and hands at the tops of the “U”. Monkey can be challenging for a number of reasons. For me, it was especially challenging six weeks postpartum because I still had quite a bit of baby weight and wasn’t able to reach the bar with both hands. Instead of traditional Monkey, we did one-legged Monkey, which enabled me to hold the bar with both hands and one foot while the other leg stretched out toward the mat.

The stretches felt great and I was sore for a few days afterward. I can’t wait to see what Carey has in store for me next!

-Cassie

How to perfect your Downward Dog

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In this video, yoga instructor Meghann Foster breaks down the traditional yoga pose Downward Facing Dog. Meghann explains what yoga instructors look for in the pose and offers several modifications to make the pose comfortable for different bodies.

Not ready to try a Yoga class yet or maybe looking to try Yoga out in a one-on-one situation before joining a class?  Rivercity Pilates offers private and semi-private Yoga instruction that allows you to create an individualized Yoga practice at your own pace.   Try a complimentary session today!

Pilates Inspiration of the Month – Becky Monroe

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Empower your Body-Inspire your Life!
Inspiration of the Month
Becky Monroe

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

I started Pilates the last week in March. The past 2 years have been challenging for me.  I’m an only child and in the past 18 months, my then 84yo mom had a stroke, broke her hip, and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  She passed away 5 months and 2 weeks after her cancer diagnosis in my home.  My 90 year old father has moved in with me and it’s been 18 months of making sure my parents had everything they needed. I had let my fitness slide before they moved in with me and I continued down a non-healthy path and gained more weight.  I finally embraced the advice that to be a good caregiver, you also need to take care of yourself, but still I was scared. It’s hard being out of shape and overweight.

The one thing that actually got me to make the commitment to try Pilates was the complimentary session offered by Rivercity Pilates.  I felt like I could make sure I was comfortable there and try it out before  I actually signed up for sessions.  When Carey explained that Joseph Pilates invented these exercises because he was sickly, the practice of Pilates made much more sense to me.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?

I have been trying to go to Pilates 4-6 times per week to improve my health.  I started with one-on-one training sessions and made sure I was comfortable doing some of the exercises, (I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t look like an idiot), before I joined a group session.  My favorite phrase in Pilates is, “your working level”, although the instructors are terrific at letting me know how to challenge, “my working level”, so I can see improvement.  I am much more comfortable in the equipment classes than I am on the mat, but I am trying to attend a variety of classes to keep challenging myself.

 

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates?

I can see myself improving on some of the exercises now that I couldn’t do, (or could barely do), 2 months ago. What I love about Pilates is that you can see improvement if you commit to improvement. I think it’s the same challenge people get from playing golf. You are concentrating on yourself, so you really notice improvement.

I have more energy, I am not feeling as creaky (and old) as I was two months ago. But most importantly, one of my best friends was here this weekend and she said that I looked healthier. That’s all I needed to confirm that Pilates is helping me become healthy again.

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

Mostly I have least favorite exercises because I am still gaining the strength to do them completely. I like all the equipment classes because I find the ingenuity to create the machines to assist with the exercises amazing!  I’m a technology geek, but this equipment was developed before the depression.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?

Before I started I was trying to balance the cost of classes against the benefits as well as the insecurities. It was easy to say that Pilates was too expensive and continue to be a couch potato.  However, just 7 weeks after starting Pilates I feel better, and my closest friends can see that. In the words of Nike, “Just Do It”.  Check out the website and sign up for the complimentary session.

Thank you for the amazing memories!

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A few days ago I said goodbye to Rivercity Pilates. As emotional as it was to have my last private lesson and walk out the front door, the studio has always been so much more than a building to me. If you’ll allow me to stroll down memory lane, I’ll do my best to explain what the past five years have meant to me.

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I met Carey when she was at her first studio. The space was small (think large walk-in closet). Carey’s “office” was in the corner and all of her bookkeeping was done by hand. She had three Chairs, the Cadillac, and a Reformer. We did a lot of mat classes and I fell in love with the Chair. I was welcomed right away by the studio’s clients and distinctly remember how much the side leg kick series killed!

I started Pilates to help with the stress of studying for the bar exam and to get in shape for my upcoming wedding. It was a fantastic stress reliever and I found myself looking forward to class. I was nervous when I was the only student in class but Carey put me at ease and told me all the good progress I was making. Soon I found myself craving Pilates and wanting to learn all I could about it. When Carey set out fliers for her teacher training program, I decided to take the plunge.

My plan was to learn the Pilates method as best I could for myself – with no intention of teaching. I continued school (a Master’s in Political Science) while pursuing my Pilates certification. After nine years of higher education, I did some serious soul searching and decided to teach Pilates with Carey. It was absolutely the right decision. I learned so much while I was at the studio. I learned about the importance of movement and deep breathing. I learned to trust my body and to teach others how to use theirs. And I learned that a community of friends like those I found at Rivercity Pilates is invaluable in this life.

I met amazing, creative, strong, brilliant, hilarious, and kind women and men while working at Rivercity Pilates. They invited me into their lives and trusted me with their stories. I celebrated births of grandchildren, successful dance recitals, job promotions, and engagements. I listened to and hugged clients who lost parents, were stressed about the holidays, or missed their children that were away at college. Being a part of my clients’ lives was my favorite part of the job. In turn, they supported me. They asked about my life, celebrated the birth of my son, and took me out for dinner to say goodbye.

So thank you. Thank you Carey for your vision to bring Pilates to Eastern Iowa. Thank you for being a wonderful boss, mentor, and friend. Thank you to each and every Rivercity Pilates client for making my days brighter simply by walking through the door. I will miss each of you. You’ve shaped me in ways you cannot imagine.

Keep doing your Pilates and please stay in touch.   

All the best,

Cassie

 

Pilates and Pregnancy: 5 Weeks After Baby and Ready to Work Out

Cassie and FinnHello and welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog. I am five weeks postpartum and feeling ready for some movement! At my doctor’s appointment next week my physician will hopefully clear me for all forms of exercise. For now, Carey prepared a safe session to ease me back into Pilates.

We started with a few Pilates fundamentals: arm circles, knee folds, and knee sways. Then Carey had me do Hundreds. I hadn’t done Hundreds since some time during the second trimester! To start with, I held my legs at table top (which was a lot of work) and pumped my arms with my head down instead of in an upper ab curl. The upper ab curl is great, but I need to work on tightening my abdominal muscles safely. To do that, Carey had me focus on three things: wrapping my abdominal muscles up and in, engaging my pelvic floor muscles, and mentally picturing my stomach muscles reconnecting.

Next, we used the Tower to do Chest Expansion. Chest Expansion is one of my favorite exercises, but I didn’t realize how much it works your abs! Carey had to remind me that I wasn’t competing with my pre-pregnancy self, but instead was trying to regain that strength in as safe and healthy a way as possible. We continued our ab work with single leg and double leg stretches with my head down. Not only was it challenging to engage my abdominal muscles, but my legs felt weak too. Still, it felt good to move.

At the end of our session, Carey gave me homework. Each day, I am to lie on my foam roller and breathe, do arm circles, and knee folds. I have done the homework for a few days now and it’s amazing how difficult it is to find five minutes to myself with a newborn (that aren’t used for brushing my teeth or performing other tasks that require two hands!). I have always been a good student, however, and so I do my best to find the time. The arm circles help to stretch the front of my chest, which gets tight from breastfeeding and holding Finn. The knee folds work my abdominal muscles. The breathing is the best part: for a minute I just lay on the roller and take deep breaths, letting the rest of the day go as my body relaxes around the roller.

Now it’s your turn. Try the homework for yourself. It takes less than 5 minutes and I bet you’ll be feeling better for taking the time to breathe and move.

See you next week,

Cassie