The secret to New Year Changes!

2021 is almost here and I have to tell you I love the beginning of a new year! I love to take time to reflect on my previous year and write goals and intentions for my upcoming year.  Last year I tried something new when writing out my goals.  

I wrote goals that started like this: “I want to be a person who…”    A few of my health goals were:  

  • I want to be a person who drinks their body weight in water each day,
  • I want to be a person who eats vegetables for lunch,
  • I want to be a person who walks outside daily,
  • I want to be a person who runs 3 times a week for 30 minutes

I have to tell you there was something about this mindset change around my goals that changed things for me.  My focus changed from short term goals to long term habits.  When I didn’t feel like doing one of my goals I would just remind myself of who I wanted to be as a person.  I reminded myself a lot when I started running that if I wanted to be a person who ran 3 times a week I would have to suck it up and do it even when it felt really hard, even when I didn’t want to do it.

I reminded myself (and still do) that to stay hydrated sometimes I need to chug water even if I’m not even particularly thirsty.  When I had a day when I didn’t quite reach my goal I gave myself grace and reminded myself that a person who does these things wouldn’t just give it up because life threw them a curveball.  They would adjust and figure out a way to do the things.

The best part of writing my goals like this…I accomplished them all and now all of these things don’t seem like such a challenge anymore…they are just part of who I am and what I do on a regular basis.

Our Couch to Pilates Strong Program starting January 9th is designed for anyone who might be saying to themselves…I want to be a person who practices Pilates 2 or 3 times a week. I want to be a person who loves their workout.   I want to be a person who is taking care of my body.    I want to have a regular movement practice that helps me feel taller, move easier and makes me stronger!

If you are ready to commit to yourself this year we would love to help you get started. “The Couch to Pilates Strong” program includes 2 weekly live Beginner Classes and a bonus on demand shorter class (15-30 minutes).  The live classes are recorded so if the time of class doesn’t work for you, you can take class anytime on your schedule.

 Sign up for Couch to Pilates Strong!

Are your Hips & Happy?

Do you ever wonder if you are doing things correctly when you are practicing an exercise at home?  If you said yes…sometimes I do wonder that…you are not alone.  I think one of the reason so many people fall in love with Pilates as a way to exercise is that when they started taking sessions or classes with a teacher, they are able to learn how to do things correctly in their body. 

It’s very empowering to have someone teach you how to do something correctly, be able to practice it on your own and feel the results it makes in your body!

I was in the studio teaching a private session yesterday and during the session I adjusted an exercise for a client as I watched her do it so that she could better figure out how to activate her gluteus muscles.  I could tell that she wasn’t using those muscles because of the instability I saw in her hips.  I made a simple adjustment to the exercise, just having her lower her legs more than her normal and immediately she was amazed at how much it changed the exercise and  how much more she was working.   More than that — she said she was working muscles she didn’t normally work.  We talked about what it felt like to engage and work in that way and I reminded her of other exercises that would also have that same “feel”.  

It occurred to me at that moment that these “aha” moments are the thing that don’t happen as often when clients are taking virtual classes because they are not getting direct feedback from a teacher on how they are moving.   

One of my goals for every #LiveBetter workshop is to teach you how to have an “aha” moment even if we are virtual & even if you don’t always have a teacher carefully watching your movements when you exercise. 

I want you to be able to learn ways to correct yourself and know if you are doing things correctly.  From the feedback from previous workshops we’ve done I can tell that you are really enjoying the chance to learn in this way and you are feeling the results in your body!  Yeah!

Of course if you have the chance to work personally with a teacher who can guide you and help you move better in your body…you should absolutely do it! It will be an investment you won’t regret.  If you are unable to do that right now due to the pandemic or financial budgets,  I’m hoping that our #LiveBetter workshops will help you learn more about how your body moves and how you can check in on yourself to make sure you are doing things correctly.  

In this Live Better workshop I’ll be giving you all of my favorite exercises to keep your hips healthy and happy.

More importantly, I’ll be teaching you how you can make sure that you are doing the exercises correctly!  You’ll walk away feeling confident that you know what it feels like to do exercises properly that involve your hips!

This workshop is available and online for you to watch and exercise along with me. Purchase it here and you will receive the information to attend within an hour!

Click to purchase!

Do you have happy feet?

If you’ve ever had foot, toe or ankle pain….I have so much to share with you!

Have you ever stubbed your pinky toe on the corner of the dresser and then realized for the next week how important that pinky toe is because it hasn’t healed and is effecting every step you take?

Perhaps you have dealt with that annoying pain in the bottom of your foot called plantar fasciitis that is especially painful when you first climb out of bed in the morning?

Anybody get foot cramps that wake you in the night? Do you have some toes that look like they are permanently curled under or maybe you have a bunion that seems to be getting worse rather than better? 

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, my guess is you are starting to realize that your feet are important to your health, and your connection with your daily activities!   Every step you take starts with your feet.     

As a Pilates Instructor, I see many many people who have taken their feet for granted for years.   It’s easy to to wake up with a foot cramp and decide you didn’t drink enough water, or you haven’t had a banana for a while.    But is it a little thing like that?    Or are you just neglecting to take care of your feet?   

If your feet hurt, it’s hard to get any movement time in.   Ignoring foot care sometimes ends with visits to your general physician or podiatrist, broken bones, or worse yet, a fall that could be catastrophic.  

I created our #LiveBetter Happy Healthy Feet workshop because I believe movement keeps you healthy.   If your feet are hurting or you have plantar fasciitis, it limits your movement, and you can’t keep moving and it becomes easy to get out of the healthy habits that you have put in place in your life.  

Foot health is critical to good health.   Our Happy Healthy Feet workshop is online now! In this workshop you will learn what the most important things are you should be doing for your feet (the things that will help you the most are unique to you).  You can attend at your convenience from your own home, and if you have any questions, you can email Carey and she’ll answer you!

I’ll give you simple exercises to make your feet and ankles stronger and healthier that you’ll be able to start implementing immediately.  You’ll get the recording of the workshop, so you can retake it whenever you want AND you’ll get my special exercise guide with reminders of what exercises to do and the benefits of each.   $25 workshop now or visits to physicians, podiatrists, maybe even physical therapy in the future.    If you are dealing with any kind of foot problems, you have nothing to lose by taking this workshop!

I’ll be using a few simple props during the workshop that I’m guessing you probably already have. I’ll be using a small massage ball (any tennis ball sized ball will work), a resistance band and a hand towel.  If you need a band or a ball before the workshop be sure to purchase one in our online store and you can pick it up at the studio or we can ship it to you!

You don’t need any Pilates experience to attend this workshop.   This workshop will help everyone — whether you go to formal exercise classes or not.  Everyone will benefit! Register here!

Healthy Feet Workshop

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If you have ever had foot pain you know how debilitating it can be and how it can affect your whole body.

In this #Livebetter workshop we’ll talk about some basics of why the feet are so important in relationship to the rest of the body’s movements and in our daily life. You’ll walk away with some easy exercises that can be incorporated into your life to keep your feet healthy, flexible and strong. 

You don’t need to have foot pain to benefit from this workshop but if you have dealt with or are dealing with Plantar Fasciitis, bunions, hammer toes, heel pain or any foot discomfort you will especially love this workshop!!

To Register — click here!

Get to know Len!

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Note from Carey: Prior to the 2020 pandemic, Rivercity Pilates clients raved about Len’s classes when he would spend a day as a guest instructor at our studio. When we started doing virtual classes during the Pandemic — I asked Len if he’d like to teach classes at Rivercity Pilates and was excited when he said yes! Len teaches our virtual Tuesday Beginner Pilates Mat and our Thursday Pilates for boomers classes! This Saturday, Len is teaching our #LiveBetter workshop this month — The Pilates Principles. This workshop is going to be a shortcut to more results for everyone who practices Pilates, whether you’ve taken 1 class or 100 classes!

We asked Len for permission to add a blog he wrote to our website about his Pilates journey. Here it is!

My biggest Pilates achievement is becoming a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher at age 60.

They say that 50 is the new 40, but this wasn’t the case for me! When I turned 50, I began to notice signs of aging; stiffness, less flexibility, more aches and pains, not being able to do things I did when I was younger. I figured that if I felt this way at 50, what would life would be like at 70 or 80? My excuses for not exercising disappeared when a new fitness center opened where I worked. One day a personal trainer encouraged me to try a Pilates class. I entered the class reluctantly but left it feeling like I’d come home. I had discovered a way of exercising that felt right; for my body, mind and soul. I felt stronger, breathed deeper and stood taller. I had more energy and my flexibility improved. The stiffness I’d attributed to “getting older” had gone and I was more confident about maintaining a great quality of life. I soon developed a thirst to find out more about the Pilates method.

I found a local studio and delved even deeper into the Pilates world. The more Pilates classes I attended, the more I wanted to attend! I started thinking about teaching Pilates but didn’t know how I would be able to do the training and work full time. Sometimes, fate works in strange ways.

When outsourcing eliminated my corporate job I decided to take the plunge and join the training program. It consisted of 750 hours of instruction, workshops, observations, and student teaching, covering the mat and all apparatus. The instruction helped me understand the exercises and get them in my body. Observations exposed me to different instructors and their styles. Workshops deepened my understanding of the method and taught me proper cueing. Student teaching helped me practice my skills. Tests on Pilates principles, anatomy, and exercise order ensured comprehension. Practice classes provided feedback and the final exam, performing the entire advanced reformer series, was like a rite of passage.

Fifteen months later, at age 60, I became a Pilates instructor. Quite an amazing transformation! Now, I enjoy enabling my clients to realize their own transformation. Working with “Baby Boomers” like myself, I feel I am best able to relate to their particular needs and concerns. It has been an incredible journey.

This year I celebrated my 7 year teaching anniversary and have never been happier. Joseph Pilates taught until he died at age 86. Many of Joe’s original students, collectively known as the Pilates elders, taught into their 80’s and even 90’s. I look forward to teaching as long as I can.

To register for “The Pilates Principles”, click here!

Are the results of Pilates like wearing a corset?

What can Pilates do for me?  Can it get rid of my stomach, tighten my butt, slim my thighs?

When you are in the movement, fitness, Pilates business these types of questions can always be expected.  So expected that I, like many teachers have some standard responses where I tell potential new students,  “of course it can”, followed by professional explanations of how the exercise method if done regularly can produce just the results they are looking for.  But I have to tell you…the longer I teach the harder it is for me to stomach saying these lines. Not because they are wrong, but because I really don’t believe the value in learning a movement practice like Pilates is in the results they are asking about.

I’ve been where these women who are asking me these questions have been…looking for the next best thing to help them get into a smaller pair of jeans or look how you think society wants you to look.  I quit obsessing about weight, worrying about what size I am or trying to fit into society’s ideals a long time ago. I do think my career as a movement instructor was instrumental in that process in my life and I’m forever grateful for that.  I have an eight year old daughter and even though I try to be a great positive body image role model for her, I already am finding that I can’t shield her from thinking she needs to be “skinnier”, go on a diet, or even “lose her stomach” (yes she’s 8 and actually mentioned to me she just wanted to lose a little bit of her stomach???!) and it drives me crazy! What I really want more than anything is for her to appreciate the amazing body she has, stay active and healthy by moving in ways she loves and not fall into feeling like she is always trying to “fix herself” to meet other people’s standards.

So when someone asks me one of those questions about losing an inch from their waist….my heart kind of aches because I can tell that they are still in that place of “trying to fix themselves” or get their body to some “ideal place” that doesn’t exist. Here’s what I want to say when someone asks me about losing their stomach, tightening their butt, or slimming their thighs:

The answer of course is yes — any regular movement program combined with healthy eating can accomplish those things…but is that really what you want?  You are beautiful and have a body that lets you live life.  It might not be perfect or what you see as ideal, but the reality is it is amazing!

If you make it a priority to take care of it by moving in ways you enjoy you will be happier, healthier, and you’ll learn to love yourself for the wonderful you that you are! 

You will feel better in your body and I think that’s what most people are really looking for.  What if you looked at learning Pilates as a way to do something good for your body, a way to grow yourself as a person as you learn more about how your body moves, and a health tool that helps you feel better in your body and happier in your life?