Practice What You Teach: Bean Bag Pilates

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If you didn’t think I was a Pilates Nerd already, this post may confirm any suspicions you had!  The workout I was most excited about this week was the one I did on a bean bag!  Yep I’m talking about a bean bag chair! In fact it’s the one that usually sits in our lounge area for clients and staff to sit on.  Let me explain….

I taught my regular Wednesday night Pilates Mat class this week and found myself talking to one of my clients after class about how we could find a better position for her to be able to do the Pilates Mat Side Leg Kick series.  She has a shoulder injury that really bothers her when she’s lying in any sort of side lying position on that shoulder.  I had played around with small pads, small balls and barrels to prop her but nothing really worked.  As I stood chatting with her in our studio lounge area I happen to spot our bean bag chair.  Mid conversation I plopped onto the floor and set myself up in the bean bag chair to do some side leg kicks…..it was perfect!!  I could position it around my shoulder so that I wasn’t putting extra pressure on the shoulder and it propped my head up in a supportive way too!  Even though she was laughing at me at first, my client then got on the floor and tried it out and she was almost as excited about it as me!!

I’m not quite sure why I never thought of using the bean bag as a prop! All of a sudden I was thinking of other clients who also might benefit from the adaptability of the bean bag to give support in a variety of positions.   I couldn’t wait to try it out!! So the next day I played around doing a variety of exercises using the bean bag for support!!  There’s a few pictures above of my play time!

Pilates in the Pool!

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I have a confession…. summer can be a difficult time for me to fit in Pilates workouts. When the weather warms up, I typically add more outdoor activites to my fitness routine. Biking, paddle boarding, and hiking tend to trump my usual weekend schedule at the studio. Add in vacations, social events, and the occasional weekend road trip, and there is little time left for my favorite classes. If I am not planful, my Pilates practice can easily fall by the wayside.

If you are like me and find it difficult to make it to the studio in the summer, consider adding a little Pilates to your favorite outdoor activity! Try a mini-Pilates workout before heading out on your morning run, practice your Pilates breathing before your next bike ride, or try some paddle board Pilates!

I recently decided to fit some Pilates in while enjoying some time at the pool. It was the perfect way to fit a little Pilates in to my day without giving up time at the pool. From a therapeutic standpoint, exercising in the pool offers the benefits of both bouyancy and resistance. But most importantly, it’s fun!

If you have tried Barre classes at Rivercity Pilates, then you already have experience with several options for translating the traditional Pilates matwork to a standing routine. If you are new to trying Pilates in a different environment, consider trying a few of my favorite Pilates exercises in the pool.

  • Chest expansion – inhale as you press your arms back and open your chest, exhale as you bring arms back to the water surface. For an added challenge, grab a pool noodle to use in place of the roll down bar usually used in tower class.
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  • Mermaid – again, grab a pool noodle (or a kickboard) if you have one, but feel free to try this without any props. Inhale as you press down with one hand and elongate in to a side bend. Exhale as you return to upright standing.
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  • Standing leg kicks – think side leg kicks in a standing position. Hold on the edge of the pool or a railing for support, or challenging your balance by standing a few inches away. Try sweeps, battement, developpe, rond de jambe, hot potato, and bicycle. For added challenge, try sidekicks using pool noodles or floats to perform the whole series floating (sorry, no pictures of this experiment!). Add in some single leg pumps from the traditional chair repertoire while you are at it.

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  • Rolling like a ball – this one takes a little experimentation and a pool noddle or two, but it’s a fun one to try! Experiment with placing pool noodles under your knees and possibly around your back. Start with small rocks and gradually increase the range of your movement. Most importantly, have fun!

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Have you tried Pilates in the pool? If so, tell us about your favorite variation.

~Shelley Mockler

 

Practice What You Teach: Pilates on the Water

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What could be better than beautiful summer weather, getting out in nature and movement?  Twice this week I got to go play at the lake and do some stand up paddle boarding! The paddle boards are a fun way to cruise around the lake, but also stable enough you can pretty much do the entire Pilates Mat sequence on them!  The added instability is great for fine tuning your form and having to use your center to balance!  During our monthly Life Inspired gathering this week we played around doing both Pilates and Yoga on the boards and it was a blast!  Here’s a few pictures from the evening!

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Balance, balance, balance…

Saw with our paddle as a group
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Check out Dick’s great plank (only 9 weeks
after shoulder replacement surgery!!)		 Right before I fell in as Julie was guiding
me through a yoga pose
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Nancy was doing Pilates and Yoga in the canoe!! Rolling Like a Ball!! My favorite!
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Roll Ups with a beautiful
view of the sky!		 Mountain Pose is a lot more
work on a paddle board!

 

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!

Top 5 Job Perks for Pilates Instructors

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Thinking about training to become a Pilates teacher? Check out my personal top 5 perks of teaching Pilates!!  If these perks sound appealing to you be sure to check out our upcoming Pilates Mat Teacher Training Program that starts in September 2016!

1. I get paid to live in my comfortable workout wear.

2. I’m constantly in motion.

3. As a teacher I grow just as much as my students, learning with them!

4. I get to be a part of people’s health journey.

5. Working out is kind of required (I like to call it playing).

 

My arms aren’t long enough!!

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It never fails, when I’m teaching the transition in between Backstroke and Teaser on the Reformer to drop a spring at least one client tries the exercise and when they can’t quite do it the first or maybe even the 20th time they say,” I have really short arms. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that.  My arms are just not long enough!”

If you have ever said this or something similar in your Pilates class I have some good news for you.  The good news is: Your arms are long enough.  Very rarely does your physical size or shape effect your ability to do a movement, but what does effect it is your mind!  Note: this doesn’t mean your body size and shape doesn’t effect how you do a movement it means it doesn’t generally effect being able to do a version of that movement in your body!  Without even realizing it we put limitations on what we can do based on previous experiences, based on what other people have told us or based on the stories we create in our head!  I want to be the first to tell you there are no limitations on what you can accomplish with movement if you open your mind to the possibilities.

Now, don’t get me wrong- just changing your thought process probably won’t immediately change your ability to do something, but over time I promise it will.  If you whole heartedly believe in yourself and practice that movement adjusted to where your body is right now…eventually you will get there.

I would love to hear from you on this topic!  What does it feel like when you finally do something you’ve been working towards?  What advice would you give others who get frustrated when they can’t seem to do something right away?