Knee Replacement – How soon can you do Pilates?

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Whether you are contemplating knee replacement surgery or have had the surgery I think you’ll find the video above pretty impressive.  Just 2 weeks after her knee replacement Nancy is back at the studio doing many of her regular Pilates exercises.  The secret to her impressive road to recovery?  Pilates of course! Nancy’s regular Pilates practice before her surgery gave her the strength, balance and core strength to tackle the recovery process the best she could.  Since the Pilates method of exercise is so adaptable to any body Nancy was able to easily incorporate her Pilates practice into her recovery time and is doing fabulous!

To learn more about the benefits of Pilates before and after Knee Replacement surgery schedule a complimentary Private session today!

Practice What You Teach: Pilates Anytime Inspiration…

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My favorite workout this week has a little story behind it! My story starts with Shelley, one of the trainees in our Comprehensive Teacher Training Program coming in for her private lesson.  When I asked Shelley how her body felt and if there was anything in particular she wanted to work on she said she was hoping to do Reformer as she had just watched a couple of Amy Taylor Alpers‘ classes on Pilates Anytime and really had some “aha” moments!  I was asking her about what she watched and we excitedly talked for a a few minutes ( OK..maybe 7 or 8 minutes because as Pilates instructors this is exciting stuff….).

We talked about some of the ideas Amy was incorporating, how she taught certain exercises and how it changed how Shelley saw certain exercises.  One of the key ideas that Shelley was talking about was an idea I’ll call  “standing in your feet” throughout all the exercises.  Shelley kept saying,” I know you’ve told me these things, but for whatever reason how she said it just clicked!”.  This is one of the many reasons you should try to take lessons at least occasionally with different instructors: we learn different things from different teachers and sometimes just hearing something a different way helps ideas or movements make more sense in your body!!

Our conversation made it easy for me as an instructor to decide what Shelley would be doing that day in her session with me.  I had Shelley do an intermediate Reformer workout (one she knew well as far as order of exercises) and we focused on “standing in her feet”!  I took the idea that she had been introduced to and tried to incorporate it into every exercise she did and really incorporate it into her body.  Needless to say our focus and my cues and interpretation of this idea really changed how Shelley was thinking about each exercise and made her fine tune each exercise in a way that she hadn’t done before(aka- everything was more work!).

IMG_7354It just so happened that the very same evening Shelley and I were both at the studio and I ended up having an unexpected break due to a cancellation and Shelley did too as she was supposed to observe that session.  So I told Shelley it was a sign that I should work out (and she should teach me!).  I told her we could do some Reformer and she could be as picky as she wanted with me! So I did a intermediate Reformer workout and Shelley taught me giving me lots of cues about “standing in my feet” and just fine tuning my alignment.  It was a great workout that had me, just like Shelley earlier that day, working harder and moving better just from changing how I was thinking about each exercise.

If you practice Pilates or are a Pilates instructor and are unfamiliar with Pilates Anytime– you should check it out!  For a very small monthly fee (like what you would pay to take one Pilates class!)  you’ll have online access to hundreds of amazing classes, workshops, and tutorials with some of the best instructors in the world.  One of the things I love about my Pilates practice is that it is always evolving and it’s a continuous process of learning and incorporating things into my body. Every teacher that I have taken classes, sessions, workshops or continuing education classes from contributes to the evolution of my understanding of movement and the Pilates Method in my body and my teaching.   The video classes and workshops on Pilates Anytime allow me to learn from incredible instructors that I wouldn’t normally get to take sessions or classes with on a regular basis.

As a teacher of Pilates instructors I encourage all my trainees to use Pilates Anytime as well.  Our trainees have to get in quite a few observation hours as part of their training process and we allow some of those hours to come from watching classes and workshops on Pilates Anytime.  Although very different from observing a live session I do think it is so important for trainees to get exposed to different teachers and different teaching styles to help them learn things best in their body as well as learn how to teach it to others.  When you are in small town Iowa there aren’t a ton of options for finding multiple instructors to observe, so I really find Pilates Anytime an invaluable tool for training future Pilates instructors.

Are you a Pilates instructor or practitioner who watches Pilates Anytime?  I would love to hear about some of your favorite classes and what you’ve watched lately!!

Inspiration of the Month: Mike Palmer

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

I started seriously doing Pilates last fall. To be completely honest, Becky made me start going to Pilates. She decided we both needed to be doing something active. When I didn’t have a plan, she signed us up for a couples Pilates class. After my first class I still had mixed feelings. A few months later, and while I still think she should have allowed “aerobic fishing” as an option, Becky signed me up for some private sessions. I really started enjoying Pilates after getting those private sessions under my belt to get an understanding of the different equipment and movements.

What benefits have you seen by committing to a regular Pilates practice?

When I first started Pilates, my favorite things were just the quiet focused time spent doing Pilates and the warm relaxed flexible period afterward. After doing Pilates for a while, I started to notice that I was stronger and much more flexible.

The most amazing benefit from Pilates has been that my back pain gradually went away. It happened so gradually that I’m not exactly sure when it happened. One day after some strenuous activity that would have usually left me with a lot of pain the next day, I realized that my back wasn’t bothering me. Then thinking about it, I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I had back pain. I’ve struggled with chronic (and occasionally acute) back pain for years due to issues related to being in the Army and SCUBA diving (heavy equipment), and my being overweight and a job that had me sitting at a desk for hours at a time.

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

I initially liked the Cadillac – probably the big hardware/guy sort of thing. But after doing Pilates for a while I’ve discovered that using the different pieces of equipment is part of the fun. Even the same exercise on different equipment gives you a slightly different motion.

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

I was at the bookstore and had that very discussion with someone about Pilates after we talked about how hard it was to see and reach the magazines on the lowest shelf ( especially if you had a sore back). They were wondering if they could just pick up a book or a video on Pilates. I suggested that initially taking private sessions would be the way I’d recommend. Taking private sessions initially would allow them to learn how to do the movements properly. Also, without using the equipment, it’s hard to appreciate how much assistance it provides for some of the exercises.

 

It’s starting to get kind of fun!!!

By: Shelley Oglesby, Rivercity Pilates Pilates Mat Teacher Trainee

April 9, 2016

Nancy and Shelley - teacher trainees

Nancy and Shelley – teacher trainees

I just finished my first week of teaching my practice clients in the Pilates Mat Teacher Training Program at Rivercity Pilates. Before my first session I was nervous, I couldn’t sleep as I was trying to go through everything in my mind that I wanted to cover with each client. My heart was racing as the time approached for my very first private Pilates teaching experience! I was honestly questioning myself about getting into this teaching Pilates thing. The anticipation was scary! I was trying to get myself calmed down and tell myself…I know these women, they are my friends, you’ll do fine, what’s the big deal?, etc. etc.… One of the other teacher trainees told me it’s like ripping off a Band-Aid; you just have to do it!

Yes! It was true. A big sigh of relief after my first client and it went really well! The Band-Aid was off. I thought during and after that first session that as I was teaching, explaining, encouraging, and demonstrating, that, hey, it’s not about me…it’s about the client!

So, I’m starting to feel better and go on to teach my second, third, and fourth private Pilates sessions in one week. I love the feedback I’m getting from these terrific clients and their honesty and hard work! And guess what?

It’s starting to get kind of fun!!

Here’s an example of a message I got from a client after I checked in with her two days after her session: ”I feel great. I can really tell I worked the lower abs and feel it makes me aware of standing up straighter. Thank you!!”

Okay…This makes me smile!

Pilates for Back Pain

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As a Pilates instructor I see a lot of clients who come to Pilates as an exercise method because of back pain.  In today’s video I teach some of my favorite at home exercises that I often give clients with chronic back pain.  These exercise are designed to develop core strength, develop uniform develop, and stretch out some areas that are commonly tight for those with back tightness and pain.

Practice What you Teach: Neck Pain and Practicing Swan

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I woke up Sunday morning and my neck hurt!  I could tell immediately after I woke that I had slept on it funny or something and it was not happy.  In general my body feels pretty great and I don’t have a lot of aches or pains, so when I get one it drives me crazy! (and I’m a little impatient!)

So my Pilates practice started this week with lots of neck and upper back releasing as I attempted to get rid of my pesky neck pain.  I got out my foam roller and used some small balls to do some focused release and breath work and it did help although the pesky little pain didn’t completely go away until the end of the week!  I did a Reformer workout one day and a Tower workout another and really just focused on balanced work in my body and specifically not overworking or engaging in my neck and upper shoulders.  The movement always made me felt better and by Thursday the pain was completely gone(thank goodness!)

I ran across a great video this week of Pilates instructor Brent Anderson fine tuning someone’s Swan and it inspired me to do some extra play time with my own extension.  Brent gives some great explanations in this quick video!  (It’s a must watch especially if you don’t like swan!!) Throughout my workouts I took time to really pay attention to my extension movements and incorporate some of Brent’s teaching.  One of the things I love about the Pilates work is that something as simple as watching someone else teach and listening to how they explain something can spark  fine tuning in my own practice and movements and help me get more out of what I’m doing.