June Life Inspired
“Life Inspired” Classes are free and open to anyone. Beginners and new to the studio clients are welcome, you do not need to be a Rivercity Pilates client to attend. Reserve your spot here!
Inspiration of the Month Kathy Oleson
When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start? I first tried Pilates when my daughter who was living in Berwyn, Pa. started teaching them. I would go out to visit and take a class or two when I stayed with her. She got me a Pilates DVD from the studio she was working at and I started doing them a few times a week at home. I knew I needed to exercise but never made the time for myself; she was my inspiration.
How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing? Retiring in 2016 I started doing mat classes 5 times a week along with the DVD. I must admit if the grand-kids were at my house, I definitely skipped Pilates to spend time with them. Currently I use my foam roller a lot for exercises to strengthen my back. I also enjoy the Pilates and Yoga chair classes as they have helped me regain balance along with the barre classes.
What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? Nine months ago I had emergency ileostomy surgery; I know that having a strong core and flexibility helped me recover faster. I remember one of the first nights in the hospital the nurse was explaining to me how to get out of bed; I just rolled like a ball to sit up, swung my legs over the edge and was out of bed. Definitely surprised her. Even putting those silly skid proof slippers on I would just roll like a ball up, put socks on and roll back down. I feel so much better overall after I do Pilates in the morning.
What do you love about virtual classes? I live 70 miles from my daughter’s studio; I would love to take more classes there but it’s just not realistic. I save 2 hours of driving by being able to do virtual classes. I know that if I am having trouble with an exercise I can text or call her and ask questions on how to modify it for me. I feel like I am in a classroom setting and I am more aware of executing my movements correctly not just moving thru them.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates? Would you suggest virtual classes? To me the key is to keep moving so I can enjoy my grand-kids. I would and do tell friends and family take time for yourself; you are worth it. I am a proud promoter of the Virtual Classes.
May Workshop
- Do you ever get frustrated that you can’t quite do an exercise that your teacher teaches?Do you ever say to yourself…I’ve been practicing Pilates for quite awhile now…you’d think I’d be able to do that?!
- Do you ever feel like you’re “pretending” that you can do an exercise — but in reality you know you’re not using the right muscles?
- Do you ever find yourself wanting to know exactly what an exercise is supposed to feel like or where you are supposed to be feeling the work at?
- Do you ever find yourself wanting to know exactly what an exercise is supposed to feel like or where you are supposed to be feeling the work at?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you will love my upcoming workshop..exploring the Intermediate and Advanced Pilates exercises. The exercises we’ll be learning about are the exercises that often get left out of all levels classes for a few reasons. They get left out because quite honestly there’s not always time to do ALL the exercises in a 50 minute class.
They also get left out because even though there are versions available to ANY body, the full expression of the exercise is not always suitable for ANY body. As teachers we know that even though we teach students to work at “their working level” if we are teaching a group of students it’s practically irresistible for clients to not try the most advanced version…even though it could potentially be unsafe or not right for their body. Because safety and making sure the entire class gets a great whole body workout is always a teacher’s first priority, the advanced exercises don’t always get taught…because you don’t necessarily need them to accomplish those two things.
If you want to keep progressing in the Pilates method, having an understanding of these advanced exercises and the skills that are needed to do them will help you progress in all of your exercises. You’ll feel more comfortable in your all levels Pilates Mat classes and you’ll be confident in your ability to take an intermediate or advanced level class if you want to practice these exercises more often.
This workshop will explain the intermediate and advance exercises and you’ll learn how you can do a basic version of the exercise with the skills you already know how to do.
You’ll walk away with a new appreciation of the exercises you are already doing and ideas on how you can easily start challenging yourself in a safe way to keep progressing in the method.
Reserve Your Spot
A “slept wrong” morning & Pilates magic…
Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and immediately know that you “slept wrong” ? By “slept wrong” I mean you wake up to immediately find that the muscles in your back or neck hurt and it hurts to move? I had one of those days this week. It was an early morning for me as I had 5:30 am clients, and when my alarm went off at 4 something I immediately knew I had “slept funny”. The muscles around my right shoulder blade were kind of screaming at me and it hurt and ached when I did even a shoulder roll. I wasn’t too concerned as I just assumed that it was caused from how I slept and that eventually it would go away.
I played with moving my shoulder and arm as I got ready to go into the studio and it was feeling slightly better when I went in, but it was definitely still there and not feeling great. After getting to the studio I decided that I was going to do some Reformer work with my morning clients. As I often do before I teach I decided I just wanted to jump on and do a little of the work I was going to teach. This always helps me connect with the work and just get my brain ready for teaching(especially at 5 in the morning!) I wasn’t sure how any of this was going to feel on my shoulder, but decided to try it anyway.
So I did my Footwork, my Hundreds, and then when I got to the Short Spine exercise something amazing happened. I could feel the pain in my upper back and around my shoulder blade going away a little more each time as I rolled down through my spine. I know the power of movement to balance and even heal the body, but I am still utterly amazed every time it happens in my own body! I think I did about 15 or 20 Short Spines that day because it felt so good. I was loving just the time to really feel how the exercise and the support of the equipment allowed me to articulate through my whole spine and lengthen out all those tight muscles that had been causing me pain!
If you aren’t familiar with the Short Spine exercise on the Reformer I included a quick video of it below. Although it looks intimidating at first most clients end up LOVING this exercise as it really supports your body and allows you to move through your back in a way that decompresses your spine, lengthens your muscles and feels pretty amazing!
When will we re-open?
As a valued part of our RCP community I wanted to be sure to keep you in the loop so you know what to expect from us as a business. I have made lots of hard decisions over the years as a business owner, even some harder ones this year, but the decision to wait to open back up for movement services like Pilates and Yoga right now is not necessarily one of them.
Let me tell you why.
I created my business as a way to share my love of movement as a health tool in my life with others. I have been blessed a million times over with the opportunity to work with so many amazing people over the years and to be able to make a living from doing what I love. I have been blessed to find an amazing, talented crew of staff members who are also passionate about helping others use movement in their lives. When it comes to making a decision that directly effects my staff, our Rivercity Pilates community and our community at large I feel like my number one responsibility is to do the thing that keeps every one the safest.
Like most people I have studied the cases of COVID-19 in Iowa, I have read all the research and know how it spreads, the best way to not spread it, who it could be most detrimental for, and I know what the best practices are to keep everyone as safe as possible. I also know that this is not going away anytime soon.
I know that it’s probably not realistic for everyone to completely stay home and social distance until there are better ways to deal with the virus’ effects and until there is a vaccine. Yet I feel like if as a business we can continue to serve our clients in a way that encourages them to stay home a little more, our business will be contributing to something that could save some lives in the long run. And since the purpose of my business is to help people stay healthy, this decision aligns perfectly.
Our reopening plan is broken into 3 phases and we are hoping to start Phase 1 July 1st:
- Phase 1: Pilates privates and same household semi-privates will be offered in studio
- Phase 2: Pilates Equipment Classes (4 people maximum) will be offered in studio
- Phase 3 : Pilates Mat, Barre, Zumba, and Yoga Classes (4 people maximum) will be offered in studio
You can be assured that when we do open we will have procedures and protocols in place to keep you and our staff as safe as possible and also to create the best possible in studio movement experience. We’ll be sending out more details on our protocols for staff and clients when we get closer to our Phase 1 reopening.
Until then, we will be doing everything we can to help you incorporate movement into your life virtually!
- If you are looking for instruction and motivation to keep your body healthy and strong…we have you covered.
- Need a quick anytime workout? Check out our RCP Youtube Channel where we post absolutely free classes, mini classes and tutorials that you can take any time of day.
- Want to connect with real people and workout in the comfort of your home? Our virtual classes will keep you moving and pushing yourself to maintain your health!
Thank you for being part of our RIvercity Pilates Community and supporting us as a small business during this time! You are the reason we do what we do and we are grateful that you let us be part of your health and fitness journey!
May Life Inspired
“Life Inspired” Classes are free and open to anyone. Beginners and new to the studio clients are welcome, you do not need to be a Rivercity Pilates client to attend. Reserve your spot here!