March MATness 2018: Join the Movement !

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Ready to join the movement? Fantastic! March is a particularly great month to embark on a Pilates Mat practice because the entire Pilates community is helping you get inspired and educated. Perhaps even
pick up a copy of
Return to Life through Contrology, the original Pilates book by the method’s founding father himself! We have some copies available at the studio.
To participate in the Rivercity Pilates #MarchMATness2018 daily challenge simply post a picture or video of you doing the exercise of the day and use the hashtag #MarchMATness2018 .  If you tag Rivercity Pilates we’ll enter you into our drawing jar every time you post and you’ll be eligible to win great prizes in our weekly drawing!!
We know not everyone wants to post something on their social media page and that is OK!  Here are all the things you can do to participate: 1) We still want you to watch our daily videos and work on your movement practice daily so you can join along in the fun! Comment on our post to let us know you practiced and get your name in our drawings  2) You can simply share our posts on social media.  3) Pick up a tracking sheet at the studio (available at the front desk) and track your daily movement progress at home and turn in your sheet at the end of the month to be entered into our prize drawing!
1. #hundred
2. #rollup
3. #rollover
4. #onelegcircle
5. #rollingback
6. #onelegstretch
7. #doublelegstretch
8. #spinestretch
9. #rockerwithopenlegs
10. #corkscrew
11. #saw
12. #swandive
13. #onelegkick
14. #doublelegkick
15. #neckpull
16. #scissors and #bicycle
17. #shoulderbridge
18. #spinetwist
19. #jackknife
20. #sidekick
21. #teaser
22. #hiptwist
23. #swimming
24. #legpulls (front and back)
25. #kneelingsidekick
26. #sidebend
27. #boomerang
28. #seal and #crab
29. #rocking
30. #controlbalance
31. #pushup
MarchMATness Tips
  • Note the date(s) for each exercise
To synchronize the campaign, the number on the list above corresponds with the day of the exercise’s turn; March 15 is The Neck Pull, for example.
  • Add hashtags
To connect with everyone participating, use the corresponding hashtag as listed above with each exercise. HINT: add #marchmatness2018 and your public social media post will appear in the live feed on the website!
  •  Spread the word!
Post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, tell your friends! Be sure to tag us to get your name in the weekly drawing! Share with us at the studio how you’re doing!!
  • Practice!
Simply search the hashtags to get inspired and fall in love with your daily movement practice!
Want to learn more about the March MATness social Media campaign?  Click this website to read more and see live feed of posts throughout the month of March!

March Beginner Classes (4 week series)

Beginner Class 4-Week Series 

 
 
Wondering the best way to get started? Our beginner series classes will get you introduced to the movements in your body in a very beginner friendly atmosphere!  Schedule a complimentary private session with us and we can help you decide what options would be best for you based on your goals and movement experience! 
 
Beginner Barre & Pilates Mat 
with Shannon Ottoson
Sundays, March 4, 11, 18, 25
4pm – 5pm
Click here to sign up!
Beginner Yoga 
with Nick Glasgow
Sundays, March 4, 11, 18, 25
6pm – 7pm
Click here to sign up!

How do I find the best Pilates teacher for me?

If you are new to Pilates, you may be a little overwhelmed when it comes to finding a Pilates instructor or maybe you didn’t even realize that it was important to make sure your instructor was qualified and a good fit for you!

When it comes to fitness many people think that a good trainer or instructor is simply someone who can push you to strengthen your body and do something you might not choose to do if left to yourself.

And yes, a good instructor will motivate you to do what you might not have thought you can do.  But more importantly, your instructor will teach you how to do it with the proper form and technique for your individual body so that you don’t get hurt and you get the maximum health results from your efforts!

There is a lot more to TEACHING movement and exercise than just calling out exercises.   A good instructor will be able to guide you through a movement while helping you adjust and fine tune your technique at the same time.  A good instructor will help you learn a movement in your own body and not just having you mimic what they are doing.

Whether you are taking a class at the local gym or a Pilates or Yoga studio- it is still important for you to research your instructor!

You may be surprised to know that many fitness centers and studios don’t require any sort of formal training or teaching experience for their Pilates teachers.

Often times it is assumed that if someone can teach a aerobics class or is a trained Yoga instructor that they are qualified to teach a Pilates class.  Many times these instructors have never even taken a Pilates class from a qualified instructor.   Often times these unqualified teachers have no Pilates teaching experience or training at all.

So what should I look for in an instructor?

1. Learn about where they did their training.  How many hours of training have they completed?  Was the training only mat work, or did it include equipment?  Were they trained to work with different populations, including those with injuries or special needs?

Most credible Pilates training programs start out with 100-150 hours of training, minimum for a basic Mat Instructor program.  To qualify to take the Pilates Method Alliance Professional Certifying Exam, instructors must have a minimum 450 hours of training on all Pilates apparatus and Pilates Mat work at all levels. Most fully trained instructors have 700 or more training hours logged in before they take their exam.

2.  Ask about their teaching experience.  How long have they been teaching?  Do they teach group classes only, private sessions or both?

3.  Ask to talk with them in person or maybe try out a class or session with them.  It’s important for you to feel comfortable with your instructor at all levels.  Not only do you want to make sure they are properly trained but you want to make sure you enjoy their teaching style.  Every teacher brings their own unique style to their teaching and it’s important to find an instructor that best fits you and your personality.

Want to learn more about how to find a Pilates instructor?  Go to http://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org and read more.    Founded in 2001, the Pilates Method Alliance is the professional association and certifying agency for Pilates teachers.  For the past decade, Pilates teachers from around the world have worked together to create a unified community, to share knowledge and information, and most importantly, to establish the practice of teaching Pilates as a profession.

Stretch Anywhere and fight the perils of too much sitting

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Do you sit a lot at work or at home?  Is your back hurting from sitting?

Mayo Clinic research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.  Sitting in front of the TV isn’t the only concern. Any extended sitting — such as behind a desk at work or behind the wheel — can be harmful. What’s more, spending a few hours a week at the gym or otherwise engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn’t seem to significantly offset the risk.

The solution seems to be less sitting and more moving overall.   Here is an exercise that you can do multiple times a day anywhere.

Iowa & Illinois Pilates Teachers: Don’t miss this workshop with 2016 Teacher of the Year: Carrie Pages

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 Pilates Anytime 2016 Teacher of the Year Carrie Pages

will be at Rivercity Pilates in North Liberty, Iowa on April 13th and 14th, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 

Active Agers: Have you thought about taking a Yoga Class?

I can’t tell you how often people call us and say – I’d like to take yoga, but I’m older now – and I can’t twist into all those crazy positions like “young” people .    My goal is to stay healthy and keep moving!    We have just the class right now on the Rivercity Pilates schedule!   It’s called “Gentle Yoga”.   

Here are four reasons to try Yoga at Rivercity Pilates, from an article written by personal trainer Debbie Abbott in Great Britain and a testimonial from a current 65 yo client who is a “regular” in our Gentle Yoga classes ! 

  1. Yoga makes our bones denser.   This is big, because Osteoporosis is rampant. The main sites for developing osteoporosis are the wrist, spine, ribs, and hip.  They’re vulnerable because most forms of exercise don’t stress these areas very much, and general living with no exercise means almost no stress at all on these sites. Planks, twists and other fun moves (aka, “asanas”) both load the bones and create a pulling/tugging of the muscles-tendons-ligaments that attach to those bones.  When that happens, the message the bone gets is, “We need to build.” 
  2. Yoga creates a hormonal-chemical concoction in your blood that’s conducive to “rest, digest, heal, and grow.”   Life often creates a hormonal-chemical concoction that’s conducive to “fight or flight,” which make us fat, sad, and tired. This is big, and this is important. The hormonal soup we swim in very much determines Who. We.  Are.  We have the ability to control that soup, but it takes intentional thought and determination. 
  3. Yoga teaches us to focus on one thing at a time.  Yoga was actually created thousands of years ago specifically for that reason.  Focusing has bigger benefits than you might imagine.  Short, choppy attention spans and difficulty concentrating are associated with anxiety, depression, and the inability to learn and perform tasks well.  Did you know the average U.S. attention span has shrunk to 9 seconds?  That’s not good! Yoga is both movement and “forced” focus. I challenge you to think of your to-do list, or a problem, while holding dancer pose; it’s not happening. These poses take too much concentration! Movement and focus stimulate brain growth, or “neuro-plasticity” in a good way!  When we practice yoga, we’re literally re-wiring our brain to be positive, productive, creative, and much, much less scattered.  
  4. Yoga increases flexibility and balance tremendously, more than most sports.   The ranges of motion and the poses that we practice in yoga are pretty unique to yoga.  Can you fold over and touch your toes?  Can you stand on one leg for a minute?  Can you squat with no pain?  Can you easily get on and off the floor? These are normal movements of life.  Our body, just like our mind, is a “use it or lose it” organism.