Can Pilates Class be effective with someone 50 years your senior??

I taught a Pilates Reformer class yesterday and had 2 participants…one was 26 and the other was more than 50 years older!  I couldn’t help thinking as I was teaching… How amazing is that??! These two women who are clearly at very different places in their lives came in and got on their reformers and went through a whole body workout focused around the Pilates principles of breath, centering, balance and just plain good movement skills together!  And in case you are wondering about the pace of class…..the 26 year old was often looking over at the older client to get a visual of what we were doing next or how to do an exercise as we flowed through a traditional reformer workout!  This situation really exemplified to me one of the things I love about Pilates as a movement method…..it is accessible for ANY BODY at ANY Age, SHAPE or SIZE! 

There are no prerequisites to starting to learn the Pilates method in your body.   You simply have to be willing to learn new things and practice.  Whether you are twenty something or in your seventies you can learn to move better in your body and how to stay strong, balanced and healthy simply by showing up and doing the work on a regular basis.  When you are starting Pilates there are a few tips that I would give any body:

  • Start at the beginning!  Even if you are an elite athlete, even if you can hold a plank for 5 minutes or run a marathon…..there is so much value at learning the basic skills we use in Pilates because these are basic movement skills that we use in all types of movements.  Give your brain and your body time to learn what you are doing and why and you’ll progress much quicker than trying to just jump into a more “advanced” workout!
  • Keep practicing!   The value of a movement practice like Pilates is the “practice” portion of it!  Take the time to focus your body and mind and do the movements on a regular basis.  The movements may be a super challenge or they may seem not very intense or “workout like” to you… do them anyway!  The Pilates movements will teach you to strengthen your center by stabilizing your back, help you gain flexibility in your body by sequentially moving through your spine and teach you to coordinate your breath with your movement( great for better focus in your life and stress and anxiety relief!).  The absolute only way to feel the benefits in your life is to do the movements on a regular basis!! 
  • Work at your own level.  Don’t worry about what an exercise looks like or that what you are doing does not look like what your neighbor in class is doing! Another benefit of learning a movement practice like Pilates is learning to pay attention to how movements feel in your body and trusting yourself to adjust as needed.  Your teacher of course is going to give you movement suggestions and options, but ultimately the goal is for you to be able to know what the goals of the exercise are and then be able to decide and execute how you are going to do the exercise on any given day.  
  • Let yourself be a beginner for awhile!  Don’t feel rushed to get to the next level and try not to fret over not being able to do an exercise perfectly after your 3rd session!  There is no prize for being able to hold a picture perfect teaser, other than the prize of feeling great in your body because of all the good movement practice you got while working your way to that teaser!  Every time you practice those basic movement skills you will be gaining the strength, flexibility and balance that will allow your body to do what is considered the more intermediate/advanced exercises when it’s ready.

If you are thinking about starting a Pilates practice we have a lot of great options at the studio.  I always suggest starting of with a complimentary private session.  This session allows you to get introduced to Pilates in a way that is completely individualized to you!  It gives your instructor a chance to work with you and see how you learn best so they can guide you to the best way to start you Pilates journey.  Most students end up starting with private lessons or one of our Beginner Class series after that initial session so that they can build a strong understanding of the basics in their body.  

Contact us today to get started with a complimentary private session!

Workshop: Using the Oov to find your core.

Find Your Core with the Oov with Jenny Arnold

April 28, 11am to 12:15 pm

Do you ever wonder if you are actually engaging your “core muscles”? Do you ever question if you actually have core muscles? ( We know you do!) Maybe you just want to know how you could engage those core muscles better or more often so they can continue to strengthen and support you?

The Oov is a new fitness tool that is quickly becoming a standard piece of equipment in Pilates studios. Pilates teachers love how the design of the Oov allows clients to quickly and efficiently activate and find their core stabilizing muscles and figure out how to balance their body out. The Oov works by activating the user’s core stabilizing muscles while also gently extending the spine to stimulate healthy intervertebral disc lubrication.(ie strengthen your core and your back feels amazing when you are done!) If you want to work on strengthening your core muscles and improving your balance you have to try the OOV!

PMA certified Pilates Instructor Jenny Arnold, owner of Intelligent Movement Pilates Studio  in Dyersville is going to be teaching an Oov Workshop designed to introduce class participants to the Oov. You’ll learn how to get set up properly on the Oov and you’ll get a chance to try a variety of exercises that are designed to work your core muscles like you’ve never experienced. No Pilates experience is needed. This workshop will be great if you are a true beginner or a seasoned athlete.

Workshop: Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul

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Spring Cleaning – A Yoga Practice for the Body,Mind and Soul 

 with Nicole Sohalia Hussain

March 24, 11:30am to 1:30pm

Join guest instructor Nicole for this special yoga practice designed to cleanse your body, clear your mind, and speak to your soul. In this two-hour workshop, Nicole will blend powerful detoxifying pranayama (breathwork) with dynamic asana (postures) and guided meditation to create a space for students to release tension and constriction in the body while strengthening and lengthening the spine in order to to allow prana (life-force energy) to flow freely and abundantly. Revitalize & renew yourself as we shed the layers of winter and welcome the budding seeds of spring!
 
Nicole Sohalia Hussain has been teaching yoga for the last decade and is a life-long dancer & performing artist. She believes that a full and happy life is an embodied one, in which we come into deep integrated relationship with this unique vessel we were each gifted. An advocate for the power of movement to bring us into harmony with ourselves and the world around us, she shares this path to self-understanding & self-expression through yoga, dance, and her healing practice.
 $20 per person

March Life Inspired Session: Yoga with Nick Glasgow

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Yoga with Nick Glasgow

Friday, March 23

6 to 7:30 pm

 

Life Inspired is a monthly gathering that we host for our clients and the community to come to the studio and maybe learn something new and always having some fun with each other!

This month we will host a Yoga class with Nick Glasgow and we will end the night with some time to hang out and have wine and chocolate!

This is a free class, but space is limited, so sign up to reserve your spot!

Joe’s Challenge: 10/20/30 classes

What clients are saying about Joe’s Challenge after 20 sessions!

 
I finished my next 10 classes this week, so I have 20 completed all together. I have been a bit disappointed because the number on the scale has not changed at all.
 
What I am excited about though are the inches that I’ve already lost. From the beginning of the challenge to now, which has been about a month and a half, I have lost… 1″ from my bust, 1.5″ from my hips, 2″ from my waist and 1″ from my thighs. My arms and calfs have stayed the same.
 
I have also been able to wear a particular pair of pants that when I started Rivercity Pilates (in October, I think), I could not get them buttoned. Yesterday, I wore them and they felt kind of saggy.
 
So, I keep telling myself that the scale doesn’t matter. How I feel and how my clothes fit are the big motivators for me!
Thank you to all the instructors for helping to challenge me and keep me going!
I love you ladies!
~Danielle
 
Jane sent us a photo of her too loose jeans!
 
Remember you have 3 months to get in your 30 sessions from your start date!  Make sure you get your 30 sessions in and send us your comments and/or photos by email at rcpilates1@gmail.com
 or on Facebook after each 10 sessions! 
Each time your name is entered to win 3 Months of Unlimited Classes! 
$780 Value!

March Inspiration of the Month: Bill McClelland

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When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
 
Racing around doing everyday activities, I started to gradually loose flexibility, which slowly started to impact mobility.  A buzzing sensation in my leg down to my right foot ultimately suggested something needed to be done.  Massage provided relief, but it was temporary. My wife had started Pilates with Carey and convinced me to give it a try a few years ago. After several private sessions and Carey’s keen eye for spotting trouble, the buzzing sensation went away and I was doing well enough to stop: too busy, too much travel.  Of course the original flexibility-related problems as well as the buzzing sensation returned. It took a year or so to finally understand what Carey was really saying – Pilates provides a lifetime of change if it becomes a life style.  So I re-started sessions and classes at Rivercity with a longer term outlook and commitment.
 
How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?    
  
Pilates has become a critical part of staying healthy for me; I try to do something every other day.  Sessions with Carey and some classes happen when I am in town, but more often than not I am looking for space in hotel rooms to do something. If I am doing field work, any flat space outdoors will do. It is amazing how easy it is to find a spot for doing “100s” and teasers if you’re honest about looking. Sessions with Carey are still helping remove asymmetry and Shelley’s Every Body mat classes provide an excellent opportunity to focus and enjoy movement.
 
What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 
 
Pilates for me has been about mobility from the start. That has definitely improved, but the increased strength resulting from Pilates has taken me by surprise.  The combination of strength and flexibility has made moving through everyday life enjoyable.
 
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?    
 
It may sound underwhelming, but my favorite time of exercise is when I first get into position on the Tower or Reformer for a session with Carey or lie down on the mat in Shelley’s mat class: check in with breathing, position, etc. – my mind drifts off of work and I think to myself “this is going to be fun…”
 
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
 
Pilates is a foundational form of exercise that facilitates and enhances any additional activity.  If you are interested in a true change in lifestyle with increased mobility and function, do Pilates.  And since many of the exercises are transportable, you can do something just about anywhere!  Rivercity provides the inspiration, encouragement and knowledge to get started.  They also provide a warm friendly welcome when you return, no matter how far and long you have wandered.