Practice What You Teach: Pilates Detective Work

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One of the things I love most about teaching Pilates is the “figuring it out” part of the work.  I’ve learned over the years that by using movement to create balance in your muscles and your body often times you can get rid of pesky aches and pains throughout your body and you can just plain feel better in your body.  So when a client has something going on(whether its a tight low back, foot pain, or whatever) I love being a detective who looks for clues as to what might be imbalanced in the body and then figuring out what we can do from a movement perspective to create more balance.

This type of detective work is not always a quick process as often times the solution is not an easy answer…like we need to strengthen your bicep muscle.  Many times the solutions come over detectivetime as clients learn to pay attention to their bodies and notice their own alignment and movement patterns.  By regularly moving in alignment the whole body starts to realign and become more balanced. My goal is to give people a toolbox of skills so they can learn to use movement to work toward a more balanced body.

As an instructor I find myself not just cuing clients and helping them with this process in their session but often times I spend my own movement time playing with ideas and movements I’m teaching them so that I can better help them.  Which leads me to my movement practice this week.  All week long I have been playing with movements related to the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus.  During some “client detective work time” I started thinking that my client wasn’t activating these muscles properly and/or there was an imbalance and so I started playing around with the best cues and movements to encourage proper engagement and strengthen those muscles.

So I’ve been playing with movement specific to these muscles in my own body and also just thinking about how I use these muscles in everything I do so I can better relate that to my client.  The result….a sore butt( in a good way) and some awareness in my own body that I have some imbalances in my own gluteus muscles.  I know this as I have really been working on awareness and firing both sides together and my left butt has been much more sore than my right!!  #awarenessiskey #jobperk #PilatesInstructor  #PilatesNerd

 

 

 

Pilates Inspiration of the Month – Lindsey Gorzelanny

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Inspiration of the Month
May 2016
Lindsey Gorzelanny 
When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
I started Pilates about 6 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child to counterbalance the additional weight, prepare for his birth, and stretch, strengthen, and tone my body.  It changed my life.  Since then, I have tried to sneak in at least one weekly session in whatever city I am in.
What benefits have you seen by committing to a regular Pilates practice?   
I can ALWAYS tell when I have missed a weekly session. My body feels tight and it hurts.  For me, Pilates is better than massage. Due to gravity, computer and phone use, and carrying a toddler my body is often out of alignment and Pilates allows me to pinpoint those weak areas and stretch and strengthen them. I haven’t found any other exercise that enables me to do that.  It helps with other areas of fitness as well; breathing, proper alignment, mind, body awareness, and core stabilization. Seeing the benefits of my Pilates practice, my professional athlete husband started incorporating Pilates into his training.  We have been enjoying  “Pilates dates” together in the off-season!
What were the benefits of staying active with Pilates during and after pregnancy?
I credit Pilates for allowing me to feel great during both of my pregnancies. I practiced Pilates on my due date with both boys (I delivered 2 days later with both). I tend to have long natural labors and my Pilates practice gave me the strength and endurance to power through the marathon of labor.  It also helped me recover quickly from pregnancy and the labor. I was not only able to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape fairly quickly, but I was also able to heal properly.   When you are feeding a newborn every 2 hours, carrying an insanely heavy diaper bag and car seat, not sleeping, and your core strength is non-existent, Pilates will save your life.  Pilates is the perfect low impact exercise for during and after pregnancy.  It is Physical Therapy and massage combined. For instance, when my core is weak due to pregnancy my lower back begins to hurt, so Pilates allows me to strengthen my core and stretch my back at the same time.
 
You are a busy mom, how do you make time to take care of yourself?
When I had a toddler and a newborn, a 50 minute Pilates session was the only time I took for myself. It helped me both physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I definitely struggle with taking time for myself, so I would sneak away when the baby was napping and my husband was home.  Now my oldest is in kindergarten and my youngest goes to preschool, so I can go to the grocery store, Target, Starbucks, and Pilates kid-less, and  it is the most amazing thing!
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

I actually like all the equipment for different reasons and it depends on the day and what my body is feeling.  Sometimes I want a quick, effective, toning workout, so I prefer the Mat exercises and/or the Chair. But other days, after I have been traveling and my body is aching, I prefer the Cadillac and Reformer.  After all these years, each exercise and equipment still is challenging to me and I am constantly making adjustments.
What would you say to other busy moms who are thinking about doing Pilates?

It will be the best decision you make for both your mind and body.  You will feel great and enjoy doing it!

Don’t wait until you’re out of pain to start Pilates….

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I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say, “I really want to try Pilates or get back to it, but I’ve been dealing with this chronic low back pain (or insert any other pain…) that I want to go away first.”  As a Pilates instructor I want to shake them and say, “That pain is exactly why you should start Pilates now!!” Of course you will want to make sure you get your physician’s approval and make sure you find an experienced instructor who knows how to adjust exercises for your body.

IMG_7102Individualized Pilates sessions are designed to work with your body where ever it is and more often than not the precise, balanced movement we do in Pilates can create balance in your body that lessens or eliminates pain!   Please note that I did say individualized Pilates sessions.

If you have pain in your body and you are new to the Pilates method I wouldn’t suggesting taking a large group class at the gym or following along with a video.  The best way to learn the Pilates method of exercise is with an experienced instructor and if you have pain you’ll want to start off with some private sessions to make sure you understand how to move safely and effectively before trying a small group class.

At Rivercity Pilates we offer a complimentary private session designed to help you experience Pilates safely in your body, learn about the possibilities and let you discuss how Pilates sessions and classes might be able to help you in your health care plan.  Schedule a session today!

 

Practice What You Teach: Getting outside my Pilates comfort zone…

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One of my goals in my own practice is to pick one new to me Pilates Anytime video and do it each week.  And I made a deal with myself that once I picked one and started it…I would finish it.  You see many times I find myself picking something to watch and workout with and if I don’t like it ( ie it’s not what I expected, it’s more challenging than I wanted that day, or it’s a style of teaching I don’t love) I just stop the video and do something else or maybe even call it good for the day.

I decided that there are so many reasons I shouldn’t do this like:

  • Getting outside of your comfort zone is good( as a teacher it’s a good reminder that this is what a new student feels like in my class…)
  •  The stuff we don’t like is often what we need most( following my own advice…)
  • There is always a takeaway, a lesson, something positive in any situation ( again…following my own advice)

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This week I happen to be scrolling through Facebook and saw Pilates Anytime had posted a new little clip of Portia Page doing Single Leg Stretch with a big ball promoting her latest class.  I thought….” I need to sneak a workout in and I do love a little Pilates Mat and Big Ball”.  So I opened up my Pilates Anytime app to check it out.   It was a 30 minute workout which was perfect for my schedule so I started it up on my phone.

Right away as the video started I knew it was not what I expected it to be.   We started with some standing squat like movements and Portia was talking about getting your cardio in, music and having to coordinate to the music(ahhhh…coordinating with music is not normally my thing!) I really wanted to stop the video and try something else. This was definitely not the style of class I was thinking it was going to be, but I could stand to get some cardio in and I had made myself that promise, so I stuck with it.

2 minutes later….This was not your traditional Pilates workout, and I clearly was not doing everything exactly right or getting all of the choreography(I’m a little bit20160519_112434 of a perfectionist so this drives me a crazy!!) but I was getting a workout!  My heart rate was up and once I just let myself not worry about being perfect…it was fun!  Portia is a great instructor and as I was doing the workout I was thinking that there were definitely some things we were doing that would be fun to add into my TGIF Mat class where we often played on the big ball.  I really loved her positive attitude and just plain enthusiasm to move and have fun!  The unexpected cardio and Pilates based movements ended up being a perfect workout to start my day.  Lessons learned and noted!

 

Our Muscles Obey our Mind…

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I was teaching footwork to a client this morning on the reformer.  I asked her to stop for a second and just pay attention to how her body and her backside felt on the reformer carriage.  I then requested she put weight into her left hip, and left rib cage and just notice the balance between the two sides.  She did what I asked, found a balanced place and then we started the footwork sequence again. Her movement was much more balanced and I could tell she was working more efficiently, with more ease and ultimately having to “work” a little more to find that balance.

joequote22After our session she was talking about what an amazing difference that made and how she could really start to feel that balance in her body.  She was amazed at how just thinking and “commanding” her body worked to help her create balance and work her muscles more efficiently.

This to me is a great example of how simply effective and powerful we are in creating change in our bodies by changing how we think.  It’s one of the things that I love about the Pilates work. By practicing Pilates you a learning a skill that will help you move better and feel better in everything you do in life, not just when you are on your Pilates Mat.  I also love that you don’t have to be at any certain fitness level to learn this skill and start implementing it into your life.  I’m not asking you to run a marathon or lift an absurd amount of weight….I’m asking you to check in with your body, think about how you are moving and maybe change how you are thinking….

IMG_0887In Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states,” Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be dominated by reflex actions of our muscles. Contrology begins with mind control over muscles.”  Well said Joe!

[tweetthis]”Contrology begins with mind control over muscles.” ~ #JoesphPilates #ReturntoLife [/tweetthis]

 

Pilates Around the Clock Exercise – the Commando Exercise!

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Taken from an exercise instruction sheet that Joseph H. Pilates used to sell for $1.00 in 1943, here’s your instructions for Around the Clock from Joe himself:

Are you game to try a Commando Exercise? It looks simple – but it’s rather straining until you have had lots of practice doing it. This exercise develops muscles and tissues that the usual physical drills and even swimming and hiking do not call into play. This “Around the Clock” stunt is especially effective in correcting bad posture, double chin, flabby & weak abdominal muscles, fat thighs, bulging hips, constipation, poor blood circulation and other similar physical imperfections. Below is the explanation how – in one minute morning and evening – you can go “Round the Clock”. It will do you no good whatever just to read about this simple exercise. It must be performed twice daily, day after day, without let up. Be a Commando and command yourself to do this one thing each day. You’ll be surprised at the result!

Directions: Lie on your back with arms pressed tightly against your thighs, as shown on diagram at 12 o’clock. Bend head forward until chin touches chest – with straight legs lift feet about three inches off floor and inhale deeply. Next, exhale fully and double up your legs against chest, thus helping to expel your breath. Now raise the lower part of the spine slightly off floor and with a pivot-like motion, twist the body around to the right to position shown at one o’clock on diagram. Again raise spine slightly and give another twist into position shown at 2 o’clock and stretch out flat as at the beginning. When you have moved from 12 to 2 o’clock, you have completed a cycle of these combination exercises. You then repeat this process, going to 3 & 4, then 5 & 6, until you again reach 12 o’clock. When you are proficient in going round the clock as a clock hand does, you can reverse the process and do it in reverse order.