Inspiration of the Month Natasha Pashkova

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natasha-iom-marchWhen did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I discovered the Pilates exercise method a long time ago through books and DVDs and began practicing at home. To get better motivation and more consistent Pilates exercises, I started to search for Pilates group classes in the Iowa City area. The Rivercity Pilates website sounded like it was exactly what I was looking for. However, it took me a few months of thinking about joining the studio until my daughter Anna finally suggested trying the complimentary session together last August. Since then, taking classes at the Rivercity Pilates studio has become part of my well-being routine.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing? 

I have done various group classes and try to go to the studio at least twice a week. The classes that I’ve attended the most are Pilates Mat, Barre and Pilates Mat Combo, and Restorative Yoga. Taking these classes helped me learn the correct technique of different Pilates exercises, how to control breathing and body movements, gain strength and flexibility, and experience relaxation of the body and mind.

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 

Through regular Pilates practice, my core muscles have become much stronger and my posture has improved. I started to feel less stressed emotionally and more energized physically. Reduced tension in my shoulders and neck has also helped me avoid frequent headaches.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

My favorite mat Pilates exercise is probably Rolling Back. Also, the challenge of doing the Teaser makes me feel stronger and more balanced.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?

Definitely give it a try! Don’t wait too long…just invite your relative or a friend to take a session or a class together to get started. At the Rivercity Pilates studio you can find exercises for any fitness level and the convenience of different class schedules.

Inspiration of the Month Kathryn Smith

dscn7863When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I started Pilates back in high school when I was dancing a lot with my studio. During college I spent most of my time doing yoga, but after graduating, I wanted to still incorporate movement into my life and missed Pilates. I have been coming to Rivercity for a little bit over a year and a half now. I’m working to become certified as a mat instructor because I just can’t get enough Pilates in my life and want to help others with Pilates exercises.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?  

I try to attend at least 2 classes a week. I love to mix it up and do barre class or yoga class as well. My favorite type of session is a traditional mat class so I can focus on areas that I can continue to improve in. I also am working towards becoming certified as a Pilates mat instructor, so this traditional practice has helped a lot with the course. 

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 

Pilates is something I can always rely on to make me feel better. It takes care of various aches and pains from other workouts. I feel more centered and connected when I am regularly going to classes. With my training I have also been able to really focus in on my own practice and have seen a lot of improvement in various movements and exercises as the months have gone along.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?  

Mat class is my favorite. When it comes to a specific exercise that I love, I have a love/hate relationship with side leg exercises. My hips are weaker than other parts of my body so it’s a big challenge to me, but it has been paying off. I also love spine stretch and spine twist.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?

Try it out!! You won’t regret it, and if you stick to it, there will be improvements in your life and with your body. It’s such a great outlet to have in life to center in and focus on yourself and your body for a small chunk of time each day.

Inspiration Of The Month – Nancy Mayfield

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nancymayfieldI am not sure exactly when I fell in love with Pilates. I took gymnastics as a child, and as I later pursued a life in the theater I enjoyed challenging myself in new ways: yoga, dance, karate, Tai Chi, mat Pilates.  But like many students, my irregular schedule and lack of funds made it difficult to take regular classes, and working at home with videos quickly became boring.  As my career focus turned to research and administration instead of performing, my life became sedentary and I began to gain weight. Before I knew it, I was getting injured doing simple things: missing a step walking down the stairs resulted in a nasty sprain.  Carrying a nephew around threw out my back.  Holding my phone in place with my shoulder at work created neck spasms and headaches.  It wasn’t until I started working with a physical therapist to help me with the latter that I came to realize just how weak my body had become.  My fears of further injuries had resulted in my avoiding the basic exercises I most needed to build up my muscles and protect my joints.

I tried to ease myself back into a healthier activity schedule with gentle yoga, but after 6 months I felt more flexible and slightly more resilient, but no stronger.  The more advanced classes aggravated my past wrist and ankle sprains, and I was frustrated by my limitations.  I really wanted to revisit Pilates, but the studio I was going to didn’t offer a class that worked with my schedule.  So I started shopping around and asking my friends for recommendations.  All it took was one session with Cary and I knew Rivercity Pilates was exactly what I had been seeking.

I started with mat Pilates once a week, and experimented with trying other classes as my schedule would allow.  I was a little intimidated by the Pilates equipment classes at first, but quickly discovered that I really enjoyed the graceful lengthening exercises on the Tower. I was just starting to really make exercise a part of my routine when I sprained my wrist again, worse than ever.  In the past, this might have made me give up.  But the amazing instructors at Rivercity worked with me modify our workouts, and helped me stay positive and forward-thinking.  It took a long time, but I have gradually regained strength in my wrist and can now plank better than when I first started!  I take two classes a week, and I have been trying to work in a third, even if it means trying something difficult or new.

It sounds obvious now, but somehow it took me a long time to recognize that the only way I will get healthy is if I make health a priority.  The success of my Pilates classes encouraged me to starting working with Health Coach Amy Boelk, whom I met during an open house.  I am now combining exercise and a guided health plan to help me create the positive habits that will help me feel more energetic and stronger, and more confident. I am so grateful to Amy and the entire Rivercity staff for helping me stay focused on living a happier, healthier life.

Inspiration of the Month: Annette Schulte

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annetteWhen did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start? 
I found my way to Rivercity Pilates in February 2016. I started with the Couch Potato Workshop! I was inspired to start because I was far too stiff, creaky and weak for an otherwise healthy woman in her late 40s. I had major organ surgery 17 years ago after my daughter was born. That surgery sliced through all my abdominal muscles and pried open my ribcage with a clamp the size of my head. I healed, but I didn’t really discuss with my doctors how to counteract the effects of the surgery over time. It left me a little barrel-chested and with no core strength but with lots of scar tissue. I had taken a Pi-yo (Pilates and yoga combo) class in the past and enjoyed it. So I decided to look for something similar. I found Pilates in my metaphorical backyard. Coming to Rivercity was one of the best things I’ve ever done for me.
 
How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing? 
Like a lot of women, I’m busy balancing a career, family and my needs. I need the commitment and structure of a class outside the home to stick with Pilates. So I take evening and weekend classes at Rivercity. I’m currently taking one mat and one tower class a week. My goal is to get strong enough to take two mat classes a week. I’m confident I’ll get there!
 
What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 
I’m stronger, more flexible, better toned — even with all the scar tissue. I can stretch farther than before and am so less stiff! I’m  comfortable in my skin again, and that makes me a happier person every day, all day.
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?  
Writing this, I’m realizing that I’m an equipment fan. I like the Tower in general and really enjoy the ab series that Janee takes us through on the Tower. Through Carey’s mat class I’ve discovered the fun of workout balls and bands. The Stretch-eze is a little different, but even that is fun.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
Do it, and do it at Rivercity. The instructors are friendly and compassionate, and the clientele is welcoming. And I like that attention is regularly paid in classes to good form and adjusting the exercises to the individual’s capabilities. Great, great stuff.

Inspiration of the Month: Linda Jones

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    Linda Jones and the Pilates Experience
About three years or so ago, I had just been through multiple back surgeries, multiple foot surgeries, and multiple hand surgeries. Additionally, I was told that I would eventually have to have rotator cuff surgery which I finally had done twice this past year. After all the surgeries, I was in almost constant pain and it hurt to get up in the morning, and it hurt to move.   I had given up the water aerobics classes I had previously enjoyed, and was pretty much of the attitude that I could no longer exercise.   To top it all off, I had gained a bunch of weight (I won’t tell you how much!) and didn’t feel good about my appearance.

At about this time, my husband, Phil, signed up for a series of private Pilates lessons with Carey and came back from his first lesson all enthused about how Pilates might be just the ticket for me. Eventually, Phil talked me into coming to observe one of his Pilates lessons so I could see what it was all about and decide for myself whether I might be able to do it. To my surprise, it looked do-able, even for me. So I signed up for private Pilates lessons with Carey and have been working with her off and on ever since—the off times being the periods when I’ve had to go back in for more surgery and undergo rehabilitation before resuming Pilates. As of this time, I take a private lesson from Carey once a week. Private lessons with Carey work really well for me because Carey is able to help scale the Pilates exercises to exactly my ability level. Right now, this one-on-one with Carey is, I believe, necessary for my continued progress, but I hope and expect to be able to participate in group classes eventually.

I’ve really noticed some huge benefits to Pilates. First, before starting Pilates, movement of almost any kind was painful, and I had really become very inflexible due to my back surgeries. Now, and I attribute this almost entirely to Pilates, I’m able to move more fluidly and with much less pain than before. Pilates also helps greatly with “range of motion” issues. Second, before Pilates, my attitude towards most physical activity had become: “I can’t do that.” Pilates has changed my attitude towards the same kinds of physical activities into: “Not yet, but I can eventually.”

Best of all, I’ve managed to lose about 60 pounds of excess weight this past year. What’s kind of surprising to me in retrospect about it is the following. You may remember that I said I had two rotat0r cuff surgeries this past year. Now this, in my experience, is a difficult surgery with a difficult recovery period. And the reason I had two surgeries is that after I had the first one and had just about completed my re-hab, I slipped and fell and tore the rotator cuff all over again. When that happened, I remember thinking, even as I was still down from the fall, that I was not going to let that derail my weight loss program—and it didn’t.   I truly think the positive thinking I’ve picked up from Pilates was key.
My favorite piece of Pilates equipment is the reformer/tower combination. I love the way this piece of equipment makes virtually every exercise completely scale-able so that it can be scaled down to be doable by the elderly and infirm or, conversely, scaled up to be a challenge to even the young, physically fit beach-bodies among us.

Inspiration of the Month Gary Stetzel

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Inspiration of the Month
Gary Stetzel
July 2016 

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?  I started Pilates in January 2015.  I wanted to improve my health and do an activity with my wife.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?   I try to do 2-3 sessions per week. I have been doing Private Pilates sessions with my wife. It is a good couples activity. 

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates?  I have noticed that I am more trim. In fact, I just took some clothes to alterations to reduce the waist size. I am more flexible and have more stamina biking and hiking.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?  I like the leg spring exercises on the Tower equipment the best.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?  I would say give it a try. I think men perceive that this is more for women and that is not the case. You will notice the improvements in your waist size and stamina!