Appreciate the body you have!!!

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As a Pilates teacher I get to work with lots of different bodies that have lots of different things going on and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  There is nothing I love more than being able to help some one figure out how to use movement to empower their body and to truly inspire their life.  I love the challenge of putting myself in my client’s body and then giving them suggestions on how they might move to most benefit their body.

One of the biggest benefits of my teaching time is truly the inspiration and insight I get from working with clients whose bodies don’t feel great.  When I say don’t feel great, I’m not talking about having a tight back or a just not feeling your most energetic self on any given day.  I’m talking about being in constant chronic pain 24/7.  Can you even imagine?   I can tell you that if I get a slight headache or a kink in my back- I am irritated, whiny and just plain unhappy.  I can’t imagine putting on a happy face and living life with chronic pain.  Many of my clients actually do Pilates to minimize chronic pain. The clients come in, grateful for the opportunity to practice Pilates, and appreciative of their bodies, regardless of the pain.

My thoughts?   I want everyone (who is not in pain)  to know how lucky and amazing it is to have a body that can move and bend and twist without pain.  I want to tell everyone to quit worrying about the weight on the scale, the size of your clothes and just start moving your body.   The benefits of movement are so much more than burning calories.

I hope you’ll take a little time to appreciate the amazing body you have!  Take some time to truly appreciate all the wonderful things you can do with it and give yourself a break when it comes to criticizing yourself!

Move first in the morning!!

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As a Pilates teacher I often am up bright and early to teach classes and clients.  I try to make it a point to get to the studio early enough that I have a little time to move a little myself before I start teaching, so that I’m a little more awake in my brain and body.  Sometimes I forget how great this early morning movement time is for my body….until there’s a day when I don’t have to teach bright and early.  On a weekend or day off when I am not up moving around first thing during my day I often have a moment mid morning or mid day when I realize that my body just feels “creaky”.  And by creaky I mean my body feels tight, I’m not moving with as much ease as normal and my energy levels are not as high as normal.  That’s when  I have that realization that I skipped my morning movement time!  So I take a few minutes (yes that’s it…maybe 5-10 minutes tops if I have the time) and I move my body in a variety of ways.  Usually I do something as simple as:

  • rolling through my spine with Pilates roll ups and rolling like a ball
  • I do some extension exercises like swan
  • some sort of gentle side stretch

The difference in how my body feels is kind of amazing.  So my suggestion for you is to play with a morning movement routine!  It doesn’t have to be complicated and you can do it in your pajamas or maybe before you even get out of bed.  Find some simple movements you can do each morning to wake up your body and try to make a habit of it everyday.

 

 

 

 

Am I doing this right?

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Carey RLBWhen people first discover Pilates I find it can be a little overwhelming!  One of the things I love about the method is that traditionally it is taught in one on one or small group atmospheres and teachers are trained to teach students to move properly so that they don’t get injured.

Because Pilates teachers are so knowledgeable about the details of each exercise they can clearly describe the goals of the exercise, the muscle engagement and the proper alignment.  With all of this knowledge being taught to them, new students often find themselves with a glassy look in their eyes, staring at their instructor saying, “Am I doing this right?”.

As teachers we know that your body can’t possibly process everything new we are throwing at you the first time you try it and that’s ok!  But what we are looking for is that you know what we are asking your body to do and that you are trying your best to do it in a way that is safe for your body.  When someone asks me this question I often start my answer by asking them how it feels in their body.  I ask them if anything hurts or is uncomfortable.  If the answer is yes then we investigate and figure how to help them move without pain.  If the answer is no than I may just ask them where they feel the exercise and we might fine tune from there.

Wondering if an exercise you are doing is right? Definitely ask your teacher or feel free to ask us questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to give you some guidance!

I don’t do bendy-twisty things…

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bendytwistyI was talking to a friend the other day ago about Pilates and mentioned I should take her with me sometime. She immediately said “Oh I don’t do any bendy and twisty stuff!” That made me laugh because I knew exactly what she meant. We’ve all seen those pictures of yogis on Instagram and Facebook with their leg wrapped around their head or in some crazy upside down position.  And let’s face it – just the thought of doing something like that makes me and most people cringe.   Then add to that that the people in those photos are usually wearing crop tops and have tall, lithe bodies — and my cringing turns to groans!   But my Pilates sessions are nothing like that!

When I think of bending and twisting I think about the fact that I like to be able to bend over and weed my garden. I want to be able to turn my head and back and looked behind me when I back out of my driveway so I don’t hit anything. I especially like it when I bend over to pet Misty and my back doesn’t hurt.  When I go to my Pilates sessions we don’t do any crazy poses or things that cause my body to hurt. In fact you might be surprised at how seemingly simple some of the movements we do look from the outside.

We spend a lot of time getting ourselves into correct body alignment and doing movements that mimic things I do in my day-to-day life.  There’s a focus on strengthening my core muscles and my teacher is always making sure that I am engaging the right muscles and not hurting myself by doing something incorrectly.  The movements are small and controlled and even though they are usually a lot of work- my body kind of feels amazing and better when I’m all done. We focus on things like knowing where my body is in space and how to find good alignment with my posture. All of these things help me in my day-to-day life feel better in my body.

So if you’re one of those people that have written off Pilates because bendy-twisty things scare you- I wish you would reconsider. Quite honestly it’s been kind of life-changing for me and it makes me happy that I’ve found an exercise method that helps me bend, twist and move in my life with ease and without as many aches and pains!

How do you progress in Pilates?

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reformer-classA client was asking me today about how you progress when using the Pilates equipment.  She was examining the springs and asked me,” so does someone more advanced than me use a heavier spring? Is that how you make it more challenging?”

Unlike traditional weight training and fitness programs where you continue to challenge you body by increasing weight, increasing repetition and decreasing rest time…the Pilates method of exercise works just a little differently.

Our goals in Pilates are of course to become stronger and more flexible, but you could say that we are a little bit pickier in Pilates than traditional fitness programs.  Another important goal in Pilates is to develop the body uniformly.  What this means is that we are training the body as a whole and creating uniform, balanced strength in all your muscles.  We are training the body to learn to initiate movement from the center and move in a very efficient movement pattern.  From a training standpoint this means we don’t just want to push on a resistance we want to be able to recruit the correct muscles to push on a resistance so that the movement is precise, controlled and comes from our center.  To an untrained eye these subtleties don’t mean much.  But for the person doing the work it as an amazing difference.

Long story short….progression does not just happen from increasing the amount of strength needed to do a movement.  The body is continually challenged by asking it to “perform better”.  It is challenged by trying to execute movements with more and more control and precision each time and by doing more work from your core musculature and working in a more balanced way.

There are definitely times when we make a spring heavier to make an exercise more challenging, but more often than not we will make a spring lighter if we want to make an exercise more challenging.  By using a lighter spring the body has to do more work to hold itself in space and move with precision.   A heavier spring is usually more supportive, thus, you do not have to work as hard.

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.