5 ways you can reach your health goals during the pandemic!

Let me guess…you’ve tried those dvds (or even vhs) workouts at home in the past? Maybe they worked for you for awhile, but then you got bored of doing the same thing or maybe you just plain got out of the habit of doing them?

When the pandemic happened and you started hearing about virtual fitness classes I’m guessing you imagined that those virtual classes might not be too different from those video workouts you used to do. If this is the case I can guess that you didn’t really look into what virtual fitness classes were, because you grouped this fitness option with something you had already done and maybe that’s not exactly what you were looking for when it came to getting help staying active and fit.

I have some exciting news for you! Virtual fitness classes are actually really different from those video workouts you used to watch and I think you might be pleasantly surprised at how this new trend could help you stay active and work toward your health goals. Let me tell you how:

5 Ways Virtual Classes help you reach your health goals:

  1. When you take a virtual class you are taking a class that is live and personal! The teacher is taking you and the class through exercises in real time. You’ll feel like you are in the room with the teacher even though you are working out in the comfort of your home!
  2. Each class is different and unique. Although the class may practice some of the same things each time, the way the teacher teaches is different in each class. This means you’ll learn new things each time and you won’t get bored!
  3. You get to connect to a real life teacher who will answer your questions before and after class, or outside of class by email or phone. Your teacher will be cheering you on in your fitness journey and the accountability of working with a professional will help keep you motivated.
  4. You’ll have the option to turn your video camera on if you want. If you like accountability, you can turn your video on so that your teacher can see you throughout class. Not all students in class do this, but many do because they feel like it keeps them more accountable and they know it helps the teacher give them cues and suggestions that are specific to them.
  5. You’ll have the chance before class starts and after class to chat and connect with other students in the class and the teacher. This is optional, but if you are looking for a more personalized experience this is a great way to connect with others and allows your teachers to get to know you, so they can best help you on your fitness journey.

If you are looking for something to help you stay accountable to your fitness time I would encourage you to try out virtual classes! You might just find yourself looking moving your body more and enjoying it!

Traction isn’t always a bad thing!

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traction2

What do you think of when you think of traction?  The first thing that immediately pops in my head is someone lying in a hospital bed with their legs being held up in the air in traction.  Traction can be used in a variety of medical conditions usually to take pressure off a joint or area of the body so it can heal properly.  By gently pulling on the body using a force the muscles are lengthened and the joints effected are decompressed. Did you know that the Pilates method uses the idea of traction to help students align their body and decompress their joints?

Lengthening and decompressing the spine and body as a whole is one of the main goals of the Pilates work.  By learning how to engage your core muscles you can learn how to create a support system for your bones that actually decompresses your skeletal system and leaves your body feeling long, tall, and working most efficiently.  An easy example of this is to think of your seated posture. 

In the Pilates work we often focus on how you can use your muscles to get out of that slouchy, rounded forward posture (that many of us do day in and day out!)  Many exercises will teach you how to sit tall on your sitting bones, use your core muscles to align your rib cage over your pelvis and lengthen your neck muscles to bring your head in line over your shoulders.

There are times when the Pilates equipment acts as a force that can help you create more traction and decompression in your body.  One of my favorite exercises on the Cadillac is something called the half hang.  The half hang consists of carefully putting your feet into straps that hang from the Cadillac so that you hips are slightly suspended over the mat.  This is an amazing way to allow the muscles in your legs, hip and back relax while letting the joints of the legs, hips and spine decompress.

Another favorite “traction” exercise of mine is called Long Spine on the reformer.  You put your feet into straps that are attached to the carriage and springs and use the resistance to create a pull or traction that helps you find articulation through your spine while also decompressing the space in between each vertabrae.  The design of the equipment allows you to find a sense of support and traction while still working your body in a balanced uniform way. (it feels amazing!)

The idea of decompressing your body during your exercises is one of the reason Pilates leaves you feeling so amazing! Even though the exercises can seem like a lot of work, they are done in a way that leaves your body feeling better when it gets done working versus worse.

Want to learn more about Pilates as an exercise program and how you can lengthen and decompress your body?  Contact us today (email us at rcpilates1@gmail.com) to schedule a complimentary private session to try it out!!

Is your posture starting to look like your grandma’s?

Do you ever look at a picture of yourself and think, “Wow, my posture is horrible!”  Or maybe…my posture is starting to look like that of my grandmothers?   Over time if we do nothing about a rounded, hunched posture…our body will continue to move into that posture. 

Unfortunately that posture leaves our body feeling stuck, achy, not able to move freely, inhibits our ability to balance and often just plain causes pain!

Shelley

In this #LiveBetter workshop, Pilates teacher and Physical Therapist Shelley Mockler will teach you how to do movements and exercises that will help you reverse that hunchback posture! Shelley’s Build a Better Swan workshop could also be called Learn to Reverse Hunchback Posture Workshop!

If you have osteoporosis/osteopenia swan and extension exercises can be a great way to strengthen your back and core muscles safely and help you improve your posture!

The tools you’ll learn in this workshop will help you immediately whether you are brand new to Pilates or if you’ve been practicing for years. 

Here’s just a few of the things you’ll walk away with:

  • Learn why doing extension exercises (we call this the swan in Pilates) is so important to feeling great in your body.
  • Learn why Pilates extension exercises are much more effective than exercises traditionally done in other fitness modalities.
  • Learn where you should and shouldn’t be “feeling” these types of exercises.
  • Learn how to maximize your practice time by doing your exercises in a way that maximizes the benefits.

If you have questions about whether you should do this workshop — please call us at 319-665-2499. Register for this online workshop here!

2 Minute Exercise Break for your workday

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Frequent breaks in sedentary activity may explain lower health risk related to waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), triglyceride levels, and 2-hour plasma glucose levels. 

As you may know, those risk factors, along with triglyceride and HDL levels, define the metabolic syndrome which dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and probably Alzheimer’s disease.    

Take a break from your work day by trying this great one leg balance exercise!

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Have you ever had a fall that scared you?

Have you ever been just walking through your day as normal, to suddenly find yourself in what seems like a slow motion moment where your feet slide out from underneath of you and you find yourself strategizing in a split moment what might be the best way to fall?

This has happened to me and it just plain scared me! I landed with my heart racing, feeling a little like “what just happened?”, looking around to see if anyone saw me because I’m embarrassed and then I started checking myself to see what I hurt when I fell. Losing your balance is a pretty common thing and I think we can all relate to the unsettling feelings we have when it happens, not to mention the injuries we can get.

Many of my clients tell me one of the things they know they need to work on is balance. Many people (family, friends, & clients) have told me how much it just plain frustrates them that they can’t do what seems like a simple thing while holding their balance. You are not alone if you feel this way!

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that all the folks that tell me they need to work on balance are senior citizens. That’s just not true! In fact it is often my “younger ” clients who get the most frustrated, especially if they are practicing in a class with older participants who are clearly much better at balance than them! Most people believe that they should just be good at balance and they don’t realize balance is actually something you have to work on!

Improving your balance IS NOT HARD, will not take hours of daily practice and no matter your age or where you are starting you can make improvement! But it does take consistent action and commitment to practicing the things that will improve your balance and your confidence.

What are you doing to improve your balance? If you are like most people the answer is probably…nothing. That is exactly why I created two options for people trying to improve their balance. Both of these options are for anyone from 40-90+ trying to improve their balance. You do not need to have any Pilates experience before class!

Option 1 — Exercise for Better Balance. This is a 90 minute online workshop with a handout of exercises to practice to improve your balance. The entire workshop is done either sitting in a chair or standing beside the chair.

Click here for more information on this workshop.

Option 2 — We have a class on our schedule that meets once a week called “Better Balance”. In this 50 minute class Carey leads you in exercises designed to improve strength and balance. Half of the class is done seated, and half of the class is done standing beside the chair. If you’d like to try this class and see if it’s for you — send an email to Carey@RivercityPilates.com – and she’ll get you more information!

If you’re not dripping sweat, is it exercise?

I was chatting with a client the other day ago about our Roll,Release and Relax class and he said, ” I like it, but it wasn’t much of a workout.” I went on to explain that Roll, Release and Relax was not meant to be a workout, it was meant to be a self care class. A class where you spend the entire time using self massage techniques to roll out your muscles and fascia so that it is healthier, more hydrated and helps your body function better.

He also said during our conversation well you know many people would not consider what we do in Pilates class a workout. And he’s right…not because it’s not a “workout” but because some people’s idea of a workout is very different than what we consider a workout.

I consider a workout: specific time dedicated to moving your body in ways that creates strength and mobility so you can maintain your health to do whatever you want to do in life.

Other people’s definition of a workout: Time moving your body that feels like intense work, time moving your body that makes you sweat, time moving your body that is constantly hard and barely doable even time doing something you dislike just because you think you should.

Because so much of our society has accepted the definition of a workout above, many people never try a “workout” like Pilates and never really give it a chance because they feel like it’s not hard enough or won’t work for them.

I have a secret for you…that’s not really a secret…. the reason that Pilates is so effective once people commit to it is that it is adaptable to their specific body and it adapts with them to keep challenging them for years to come. It often doesn’t “seem like a workout” because it is taught by experienced teachers who give you just enough of a challenge to keep you progressing, but not so much that you hate it and don’t feel like you can do it. It doesn’t seem like a workout because it entertains your body and brain at the same time.

What if our criteria for what a workout included things like movement time that gave me noticeable feel better in my body results? Movement time that challenged my body and brain to do things that I don’t do often in my regular life like moving my spine in lots of different directions or gently stretching muscles that are often shortened and tight?

I have nothing against workouts that are super challenging and workouts that make you drip sweat. These types of workouts can produce great results for people and that is amazing.

What I want to point out is that if you are one of those people who isn’t really working out at all or maybe someone who has never tried Pilates because you thought it wouldn’t really count as a workout…maybe it’s time to change how you think about your movement and exercise time. I could almost guarantee that if you are not feeling the best in your body right now…Pilates could help! Give it a try!