Do you have back pain?

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A client guided in a Pilates Tower Exercise by Carey Sadler, owner of Rivercity Pilates.

Let’s talk about back pain.  As a Pilates teacher for over 20 years I have worked with a LOT of people who deal with back pain.    You might think that you should rest your back if it hurts, but research shows that regular exercise can reduce the frequency of recurring back pain attacks by almost half.

In general there are 2 key things that I have seen over and over again that help people lessen their pain or eliminate it completely.  It might surprise you to know that these 2 things are not necessarily specific to Pilates.

  • Move more and move in more ways that help your body improve strength and mobility on a regular basis. When people first find Pilates they often discover a type of exercise they actually enjoy that doesn’t aggravate their pain and because of that they start practicing on a regular basis.  Just this consistency of adding more movement into their life helps them feel better in their body.  You should know that these kind of results are common in other movement practices as well…Yoga, strength training, adding more cardiovascular training, etc.   

    In some ways, someone feeling better when they first start Pilates is specific to Pilates (your Pilates teachers have gone through intensive training to help you figure out how to move without increasing your back pain and they adjust the exercises specifically for you).     In some ways the pain relief is simply a result of moving more and in new ways which gives you more overall strength and mobility in your body.

    So if Pilates is not your thing…find something else that encourages you to do more movement in your life!  If Pilates is your thing…do it consistently in your life.Do things that balance out your body.  The Pilates Method of exercise is a method focused on learning how to do movements in a way that creates more balance in your body as you strengthen.  This means that each Pilates exercise you practice is designed to stretch muscles and tissues that are tight and strengthen muscles that are weaker so that your body functions how it was designed to function. 
  • How do I balance out my body?  The process of balancing out your body is not something that happens immediately when you start working on it and the results from this type of specific training usually takes time.  The best way to learn this technique of creating more balance in your body is to work with an experienced movement teacher who can guide you and teach you how to practice this skill in your body. Then of course you’ll want to continue practicing it as much as you can! 

If you have worked with me at all I often call this work of balancing out your body as you move “picky Pilates”!   Joseph Pilates developed the Pilates method to focus on quality of movement, rather than repetitions, so the bonus here is you do not have to perform tons of repetition to get results. You just need to pay attention to how you are practicing the exercises to get results.

If you have back pain I would encourage you to find some movement and exercise that you can consistently add into your life and learn how to balance your body.  Pilates of course is an ideal way to work on these two things if it is something you enjoy.

Many of our clients have found that the Pilates Reformer has helped them balance their bodies, and reduce/eliminate back pain.  

The Reformer provides a low-impact workout that can help to strengthen the muscles in the back, hips, and abdomen, which are all important for supporting the spine. By improving strength and flexibility, many of our clients have found relief from back pain.  The bonus?  The Pilates Reformer is designed to “meet you where you are”.   You don’t have to worry about “getting in shape” to start an exercise program, because your instructor will show you how to use the reformer in a way that helps you create balanced strength and mobility in your body. 

If you are interested in learning more about how the Pilates Method and specifically how practicing Pilates on the Reformer can help you with these two keys to a happy back we have just the thing.

Start your Pilates journey with our Beginning Reformer workshop on Sunday, August 6.

In this his 90 minute workshop you’ll get a guided tour of the Pilates Reformer that includes safety and tips for beginners. You’ll be introduced to basic Pilates Reformer exercises and learn how to practice the basic Pilates Reformer exercises in your body in a non intimidating atmosphere.

This is a great workshop for anyone who is new to Pilates or new to practicing Pilates using the Pilates reformer.  


What to expect:

  • Time to ask questions.
  • A comfortable atmosphere to try basic movements on the Pilates Reformer in your body and have the guidance of a teacher to help you figure out the best way to do each exercise.
  • No judgement
  • A fun, supportive atmosphere
  • A detailed guide you can take home with you
Get more information on our Reformer Workshop

Would you fit in at Rivercity Pilates?

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Carey sadler, Rivercity Pilates.

Somebody asked me the other day, “What are the other clients like that come into the studio?” I think they really wanted to know if there would be others in group sessions who would be similar to them in terms of age and health goals.  

The question had me thinking about how I would describe most of our clients who come in to the studio and I came up with a few key characteristics that I wanted to share with you!

Our clients are learners! They really appreciate having time to learn more about how their body works, learn more about how they can use movement to feel better and improve their health.  They really embrace their exercise time not just as something they do to lose weight or look a certain way, but as a way to practice things that help them maintain and improve their health. 

Our clients love to know why we have them doing things and what it does for their body (and we love sharing that knowledge!)  Our clients will often ask questions about why they are doing something and they will often ask their instructors for ideas on how they can continue to work on specific things outside of the studio.  Our clients love to know that the exercises they are doing are helping them do things like improve their balance, strengthen their bones and stay mobile.

Our clients exercise to improve their health and they truly appreciate that movement helps their body feel better and is a health tool in their life. Want to know how I know this?  Each week so many of our clients come into their sessions not feeling so great in their bodies!   You read that right…they come in to exercise even though things hurt or they don’t feel the best in their body because they know that the way to feel better is to move their body!!

Each session when we ask clients how they are feeling at the beginning of their session we hear them say things like….my low back is sore today, I’ve been really noticing my knee hurting this week, or my shoulder feels really tight.   Our clients know that when they come in to their session their teacher will help them practice a whole body workout that feels appropriate for their body and they know they will feel better when they leave!

Our clients are confident knowing that they won’t ever be pressured to do an exercise or movement that doesn’t feel good in their body.  Our clients know that their teacher will adapt their session to them so they can improve their strength and mobility in a safe way. Our clients know that a regular movement practice helps their body feel the best!

So what do you think…did my general description of our clients sound like you? What other characteristics did I miss? Email me and let me know!!

If you need any help scheduling sessions or have any questions remember you can always just send me an email! I would love to hear from you!

Thinking about trying Pilates?

If you’ve heard about all the great benefits of Pilates, maybe you’ve heard friends and even celebrities talk about how much it benefits them and wondered if it’s something you could do… you’ll want to watch this!

NEW: Big Ball Pilates Mat

Big Ball Pilates Mat with Kathryn

Wednesdays at 5:30 pm
June 7 – 28

Kathryn is back teaching for us this summer and she’s offering a small group Pilates Mat session that incorporates the Big Exercise Ball! This small group will incorporate the Big Exercise Ball into the Pilates Mat exercises for a fun twist on the traditional Pilates Mat exercises!  

Why practice Pilates with the Big Ball?

  • Fun – adding a big ball to your Pilates Mat workouts will make you smile we promise!
  • Balance – The big ball challenges our body to improve its balance skills by adding instability to each exercise. You’ll love how the ball gives you feedback and helps you improve your balance skills!
  • Strength – The Big Ball is an especially great prop for adding extra strengthening into your Pilates Mat practice.  You’ll learn lots of great variations that help you improve your overall strength!

Sign up for Big Ball Small Group Pilates Mat Sessions by requesting a Thursday 5:30 pm Pilates Mat session (June 7-28th) in Mindbody or simply email us and we’ll schedule sessions for you. You can schedule a single session or attend all 4 sessions!

Schedule Big Ball Pilates Online

Are you up for a challenge?

Do you ever wonder how time passes so quickly? I was chatting with a client last week and we were talking about how she had been practicing Pilates with me at the studio for over 14 years!!

It made me reflect on how cool it is that I have had the opportunity to be a part of so many of my clients journeys as they age.  What an honor to get to see the habits and keys of what keeps people happy, healthy and moving through life well into their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond.

There are 2 lessons or key ideas that I have taken from my experiences that I try to incorporate into my own life always and I want to share them with you today.

  1.  This one I like to call “keep moving consistently”!  Clients who age well have made a point to consistently keep moving, no matter what.  They have a consistent movement routine in their life and they have no plan of ever stopping! They have learned that movement is important and they make it a priority to keep moving!  They keep moving even if they don’t really feel like it. They keep moving even when something is uncomfortable in their body (they simply adjust their movements for how their body is feeling and do what they can..)   In case you are wondering…yes,  many of them are practicing Pilates but they are also staying active in other ways in their life too..  Walking, biking, hiking, gardening, pickleball, golf and lots of other activities they enjoy!
  2. The second habit is simply a  “positive mindset around movement”.  These clients have learned to be grateful for what a movement practice does for them. They have figured out that dreading exercise is not helping them.   They look for ways to move their body, they look forward to their exercise time and they often talk about how much they know that their movement practices improve their life! They are purposeful about how they think about their movement time!  

Are you ready to work on your consistency and your movement mindset? We have just the thing…..it’s our 2023 Summer Challenge!

  • When: June 1st – August 31
  • The Challenge: Any combination of 30 sessions or virtual classes
  • Why?   Make a commitment to yourself to be consistent about your movement time and have fun doing it! (Plus there are prizes 😉)
  • What do I win?  A new Rivercity Pilates shirt
  • How much does it cost?   It is  FREE!
  • How do I join?  Email Carey

What counts for sessions or virtual classes? You can count any in studio movement sessions you take and any Rivercity Pilates virtual classes that you take. This does include our FREE classes that are available on our Youtube channel. You can take a recorded class more than once and each time you take the class it counts as a session!  

How do I track my sessions and classes?
If you are regularly coming in to the studio you can track your sessions and classes on our Summer Challenge Poster! You can also just download our tracker and keep track at home if you prefer!

Will there be bonus prizes?
Of course! Follow us on social media and read your emails from us this summer because we’ll be giving away fun prizes all summer long to summer Challenge Participants!

EMAIL CAREY TO SIGN UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

Have you been diagnosed with Osteopenia?

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May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month, and we’re having a sale on our one hour on-demand workshop, “Exercising for Strong Bones”.

If you’ve been diagnosed with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis you will want to take this virtual workshop!

How you are exercising and moving your body today could help you avoid fractures and breaks in the future!  Just click below to purchase the on demand workshop.  After you purchase the workshop we’ll email you an on demand link that you can watch anytime and you’ll get the PDF workshop guide for your reference.

Here’s just a few of the things we covered in the workshop!  

  1. The best exercises for maintaining and even improving bone density
  2. Exercises to avoid if you have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis
  3. How to adapt current exercises you are doing to be safe for you even if you have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis
  4. The two key things everyone should be aware of when it comes to your bone health.
  5. What exercises help with hip and spine bone strength
  6. The best posture for maintaining your bone strength

Here’s a preview of this informative workshop!

I know some of you have purchased the workshop in the past and maybe you’ve lost your email that gives you access to the workshop. If this is you, simply email me and I’ll resend it to you in case you want to watch it again!!

Click to purchase “Exercising for Strong Bones”