10 reasons I WILL go to Pilates today!

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top10I have had some issues to deal with lately, and I really have trouble getting motivated to go out the door and to Pilates!  I have two jobs, I’m dealing with grief and stress, and well, I have a zillion excuses about how much work I have to do.      So this top 10 list, is helping me focus for 1 hour a day on ME!

1.  I always feel better when I’m finished!

2. My health is important and Pilates is part of my health care plan.

3. Stress relief.  When life is crazy and stressful it’s easy to skip the things we need most…all the more reason to make it to the studio.

4. Me Time. No time to think about those emails, your spouse, your kids or what’s going on in the world….Carving out time to just focus on yourself makes you a better person, puts life into perspective and leaves you ready to tackle the world.

5. Time to Breathe.  Mindful breath work can make amazing changes in how your body feels, can relieve stress and can give you a sense of connectedness to yourself.

6. I already signed up….( Let’s face it…that 24 hour cancellation policy is a godsent when you are looking for an excuse….nothing worse than losing $$)

7. Setting an example for my loved ones.  Whether it’s your kids, your spouse or your friends…you know they are watching.  When you make a commitment to your own health they are much more likely to do the same!

8. I like my Pilates instructor and do enjoy the sessions once I get there!  It’s important to have a teacher who you connect with, who inspires you, and knows how to make you laugh and have fun while you’re moving.  When you have that connection makes it easier to convince yourself to get to the studio, even on those days when you really don’t feel like it!

9. Working Level…..One of the things I love about Pilates is my ability to do it on my own level on any given day.  Having instructors who encourage you to work at the appropriate level allows me to feel safe that even on days I’m not feeling like I can give 110%.   I can still get a safe, effective workout in without feeling like I’m a failure!

10.  “Patience and Persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor.” ~ Joseph H. Pilates   ( You can’t argue with Joe….showing up on a regular basis is an important part of maintaining a healthy, balanced life)

If you’re like me and sometimes need a little extra motivation or reminder of why not to listen to my excuses I hope this list helps!  Feel free to print it and put it on your refrigerator or your bathroom mirror!!            ~Becky

Practice What You Teach: Picking up Nerf bullets with my toes!

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One of the many bonuses of being a Pilates teacher and working with bodies day in and day out is that you become very aware of your own body, it’s alignment and how it functions.  Over the years one of the areas of the body that really stands out to me as so important (but often neglected) is our feet.  The function of our toes, feet, and ankles are so important to how the rest of the body moves yet we often don’t even think about them unless they hurt or have lost some of their function.

Lately I’ve been noticing in my own feet how my pinky toes are often collapsed in and how I just don’t have the strength, flexibility and movement in them as I do my other toes.  So I’ve made a conscious effort to use movement to change that!  Joseph Pilates created a couple of pieces of equipment, specifically the Toe Gizmo and the Foot Corrector that are really great for working on adding strength, flexibility and functionality back to the feet and toes.  But I know myself and honestly it’s too easy for me to forget to get these little pieces of equipment out and use them as regular as I would like, so I’ve been doing a few simple things( that require no equipment) and have been trying to incorporate them into my life.

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See how the pinky toe doesn’t move as much!

1. The first one I’m just calling: Spread your Toes. Just like it sounds I have been challenging myself to periodically throughout my day spread all of my toes( especially my pinky toes) and then relax them and repeat at least 5 times.   I’m trying to make it a point to do this whenever I sit down.  As a Pilates instructor I honestly don’t sit for very often, but I do drink a lot of water throughout my days and take plenty of bathroom breaks where I of course sit…so most of my Toe Spreading time happens during these breaks! (Just what you wanted to know right?)

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Max is snoozing away as I work to pick up that Nerf bullet (not that easy!)

2. I try to pick things up with my toes(and specifically my pinky toes).  This most often happens when I’m running around at home picking up after my kids and pets.  Luckily we seem to have an abundance of things to pick up like Nerf bullets, dirty socks, hair ties and random dog toys laying in the middle of the hallway that are perfect for challenging me.

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The Original Foot Alignment Socks (or Happy Feet Socks!)

3.  I’ve been trying to wear my Happy Feet Original Foot Alignment socks around the house more and even to bed to help stretch and realign my feet and toes.  I’ve tried a lot of different toe spreading socks and equipment over the years and these are my favorite because the are comfortable enough for me to wear around the house or to bed that I actually use them on a regular basis and hence can feel and see a difference in my toes and feet!

4.  I am also trying to just be aware of how my whole foot and all my toes are working and moving during all of my Pilates workouts.  It’s kind of fascinating to me(#pilatesnerd) how many times I was catching myself not using my pinky toe and outer foot and how much that awareness can change the work of an exercise or movement.

Do you have any favorite foot, ankle or toes exercises that you incorporate into your life?  I would love to hear about them in the comments!

 

 

Pilates in the Garden

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It’s summer and if you are like us you have been getting outside more than ever to plant your garden, pull weeds  (can I hear some groans…), mow the lawn and water those beautiful flowers!  In this month’s client inspired video we give you some tips on how you can incorporate your Pilates practice into your outdoor time. Everyone likes to multi task right?

How do I get certified to teach Pilates??

google2Like many fitness fads, if you google Pilates teacher training you’ll find hundreds of options.  You can find online courses, 2 hour courses and programs that take a year or more!!  If you are considering wanting to teach Pilates you might wonder what the difference is and how do you find a program right for you?  P.S. – Many of these programs claim to “certify” you but don’t be fooled!  Here’s a few facts about Pilates teacher training you should know:

There aren’t a lot of “rules” in the fitness industry as far as certifications.  Pretty much anyone can take a 3 hour course, print off a certification and can claim to teach Pilates. I can tell you from having experience in the gym and fitness world that most people hiring Pilates instructors at the gym don’t have a clue what the Pilates Method is or if you have legitimate training as a teacher.  This is great news for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money, simply want to be able to say they are a Pilates teacher and have no desire to actually have a Pilates practice and teach the method to others.  Unfortunately it’s often these teachers who give Pilates a bad name and turn off clients because they get injured or simply can’t do it because it’s too hard (ie the teacher doesn’t know how to teach it to their body!)

I’m assuming you are not one of the above people and you are one of the people who wants to have an in depth learning experience about how to use the Pilates Method and movement itself to help others empower their body.  This is why you should consider training with a PMA certified instructor in a training program that is approved by the PMA and allows you to work toward PMA certification.  The PMA Pilates Certification Program offers the only third party certification in the Pilates field and is truly the gold standard of Pilates teacher training.  To learn more about PMA approved programs and the importance of getting certified check out the Pilates Method Alliance website.  To learn more about Body Precision Pilates teacher training programs offered at Rivercity Pilates contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation time to learn more!!

 

 

Practice What You Teach: Chair, Chair, Chair

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This weekend I’ll be teaching the Body Precision Instructor Training Chair Module, which means I’ve been prepping for the workshops all week long( and last week too…).  My favorite way to prep for teaching is to start by re-reading through the training IMG_6953manual and then doing each exercise along the way.  At this same time I always dig out my original notes from when I went through the training program and read through them as well.  And for Chair one of my favorite reference pieces is the Chair book from the Pilates Center that features pictures of Joe doing all the exercises himself.  My manuals and notebooks are covered with notes and nuggets of wisdom that I’ve learned over the years.

This process of prepping for the workshops is almost as much fun as teaching the workshops for me.  And it never fails I always learn something  and re-remember somethings I haven’t taught or used in awhile.  I also rediscover exercises in my personal practice that I really should be doing on a more regular basis and start adding them in!!  I find myself taking notes as I go through the exercises for clients( things like this would be good for this client, great for balance work, try this with client so and so this week..).    If you are a client of mine and we’ve been doing a little more chair than normal this week….this might be why!!

The act of preparing to teach this material to other students of the Pilates method really re-lights my passion for what the Chair can help someone do in their body as well as my own.  It reminds me of my love of not only the Pilates method, but of teaching movement in general.  I’m pretty thankful that my work time and my Pilates practice time this week included playing on the Chair!!

Rivercity Pilates might not be a good fit for you if….

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I was studying up on some business marketing the other day ago and one of the ideas that was presented was to make sure to not only let people know who would be a good fit for your business but also to let people know who is not a good fit for your business so that you are not wasting their time.  This got me thinking about who might not be a good fit for Rivercity Pilates and I came up with my top 5 reasons why Rivercity Pilates might not be a good fit for you:


IMG_65911. If the only reason you exercise is to lose weight or shred inches off your waist.  At Rivercity Pilates we know that exercise and movement are an important part of maintaining a healthy body, but we’re not so concerned about a number on a scale or a dress size.  We believe an exercise program should be fun, help you relieve stress, be safe and give you results like feeling better in your body, gaining strength and flexibility, and allowing you to do anything and everything you want to do with your body.

2. If your workout clothes are just as important as your workout.  Don’t get us wrong…we love to feel good in our workout clothes and love them as much as the next person but we know that more important than over priced Yoga pants is you feeling comfortable in what you are moving in.  You’ll find our clients wearing a wide variety of comfortable active wear and you’ll never feel like you don’t fit in because of what you’re wearing.

3. You only want to “feel the burn” when you workout!  There is definitely nothing wrong with feeling your workout but our instructors know that you don’t need to be miserable to get a great effective workout.  We give lots of variations for different body types and encourage clients to work at an appropriate level for their body.  Often times clients find that by slowing down, paying attention to their body and focusing on using the correct muscles they get a much better workout than if they had just muscled through the workout pushing as hard as they could!

4.  You are not looking for an instructor to learn from.  Some people just want to workout and are truly not interested in learning more about how their body moves and how they could do a movement better to get the most benefit in their body.  Our instructors are passionate about not only helping you get in a good workout but educating our clients so they can continue to progress safely and get the most out of their workouts.  They love to get to know each client and nothing makes them happier than to help you fine tune your movement through individual tips and cuing.

IMG_14415.  You don’t want to talk with anyone before or after your workout.  Not everyone enjoys being social or “having everyone know your name” like Cheers and if this is the case Rivercity Pilates might not be the place for you.  From our front desk staff to our instructors, our staff members love to connect with our clients so that we can better serve you.  Our clients seem to really enjoy this casual friendly atmosphere and also enjoy getting to know each other.

If you read through our list and still think Rivercity Pilates might be a good fit for you I encourage you to schedule a complimentary session with one of our instructors so you can get to know us more!