It’s summer and if you are like us you have been getting outside more than ever to plant your garden, pull weeds (can I hear some groans…), mow the lawn and water those beautiful flowers! In this month’s client inspired video we give you some tips on how you can incorporate your Pilates practice into your outdoor time. Everyone likes to multi task right?
This weekend I’ll be teaching the Body Precision Instructor Training Chair Module, which means I’ve been prepping for the workshops all week long( and last week too…). My favorite way to prep for teaching is to start by re-reading through the training ![IMG_6953](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_6953.jpg")
manual and then doing each exercise along the way. At this same time I always dig out my original notes from when I went through the training program and read through them as well. And for Chair one of my favorite reference pieces is the Chair book from the Pilates Center that features pictures of Joe doing all the exercises himself. My manuals and notebooks are covered with notes and nuggets of wisdom that I’ve learned over the years.
This process of prepping for the workshops is almost as much fun as teaching the workshops for me. And it never fails I always learn something and re-remember somethings I haven’t taught or used in awhile. I also rediscover exercises in my personal practice that I really should be doing on a more regular basis and start adding them in!! I find myself taking notes as I go through the exercises for clients( things like this would be good for this client, great for balance work, try this with client so and so this week..). If you are a client of mine and we’ve been doing a little more chair than normal this week….this might be why!!
The act of preparing to teach this material to other students of the Pilates method really re-lights my passion for what the Chair can help someone do in their body as well as my own. It reminds me of my love of not only the Pilates method, but of teaching movement in general. I’m pretty thankful that my work time and my Pilates practice time this week included playing on the Chair!!
I was studying up on some business marketing the other day ago and one of the ideas that was presented was to make sure to not only let people know who would be a good fit for your business but also to let people know who is not a good fit for your business so that you are not wasting their time. This got me thinking about who might not be a good fit for Rivercity Pilates and I came up with my top 5 reasons why Rivercity Pilates might not be a good fit for you:
![IMG_6591](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_6591.jpg")
1. If the only reason you exercise is to lose weight or shred inches off your waist. At Rivercity Pilates we know that exercise and movement are an important part of maintaining a healthy body, but we’re not so concerned about a number on a scale or a dress size. We believe an exercise program should be fun, help you relieve stress, be safe and give you results like feeling better in your body, gaining strength and flexibility, and allowing you to do anything and everything you want to do with your body.
2. If your workout clothes are just as important as your workout. Don’t get us wrong…we love to feel good in our workout clothes and love them as much as the next person but we know that more important than over priced Yoga pants is you feeling comfortable in what you are moving in. You’ll find our clients wearing a wide variety of comfortable active wear and you’ll never feel like you don’t fit in because of what you’re wearing.
3. You only want to “feel the burn” when you workout! There is definitely nothing wrong with feeling your workout but our instructors know that you don’t need to be miserable to get a great effective workout. We give lots of variations for different body types and encourage clients to work at an appropriate level for their body. Often times clients find that by slowing down, paying attention to their body and focusing on using the correct muscles they get a much better workout than if they had just muscled through the workout pushing as hard as they could!
4. You are not looking for an instructor to learn from. Some people just want to workout and are truly not interested in learning more about how their body moves and how they could do a movement better to get the most benefit in their body. Our instructors are passionate about not only helping you get in a good workout but educating our clients so they can continue to progress safely and get the most out of their workouts. They love to get to know each client and nothing makes them happier than to help you fine tune your movement through individual tips and cuing.
![IMG_1441](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_1441.jpg")
5. You don’t want to talk with anyone before or after your workout. Not everyone enjoys being social or “having everyone know your name” like Cheers and if this is the case Rivercity Pilates might not be the place for you. From our front desk staff to our instructors, our staff members love to connect with our clients so that we can better serve you. Our clients seem to really enjoy this casual friendly atmosphere and also enjoy getting to know each other.
If you read through our list and still think Rivercity Pilates might be a good fit for you I encourage you to schedule a complimentary session with one of our instructors so you can get to know us more!
“The question is: Did you know you can practice a little bit of #Pilates everyday and really change the way you feel? #JustSayin‘” ~ Gina Jackson
![pilates4fitness](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/pilates4fitness.png")
My Pilates friend Gina Jackson posted this quote on her Facebook page this week and it really spoke to me. Probably because it had been one of those weeks that just kind of flew by and even though I was doing Pilates every day it wasn’t ever a full 30 minute or more workout.
It was a sneak in 5 or 10 minutes before my next client, stretch and play on the floor while I watched my daughter dancing in the living room kind of week.
![carey](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/carey.jpg")
One of the best things about this kind of week is that the little bits of Pilates I did throughout my days really did change the way I felt. I always felt better after I moved both physically and mentally!
The reminder this week from Gina was just what I needed to change my attitude from I wish I had time to fit more in to…wow, I’m grateful to have a consistent Pilates practice in my life that makes a difference even when it’s just a little bit each day.
The idea of incorporating Pilates into your life and making it part of your daily routines is something I talk to clients about all the time so when I have those a-ha moments in my own life about how amazingly effective and helpful it is… it just makes me smile! #Practicewhatyouteach
![Book-15](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Book-15.jpg")
As a Pilates instructor one of the things I love about teaching is getting to know my clients and getting to be part of their health journey. So many of my clients have been with me for years and I think that is so amazing! As an instructor I can tell you that like any relationship the instructor/student relationship definitely evolves and matures as clients get to know me,I get to know them and as they progress in their Pilates practice.
One of the funny things that happens as clients get to know me better is that sometimes they say the things that are going through their head during their session or class. You know….that stuff you’ve been thinking since your first session but just finally feel comfortable saying!
Here’s just a few of my favorites:
- Are you making that up? (I mean did Joe Pilates really create all of these crazy exercises and how could she still be teaching me new things after I’ve been doing this for more than a year…?)
I have to admit that on occasion I make up a movement or variation of an exercise if I feel like it would help a client. In fact in my own workout(aka play time) I often experiment with different variations of a traditional Pilates exercise that might help someone learn a Pilates concept or movement better or in a new way. So it’s possible I would answer this with a yes! - What the he** are we doing? Most Pilates students have thought this at one time or another. Maybe you felt this the first time you did Short Spine or when we asked you to Roll Like a Ball, but only those who know me well will actually say it out loud when I ask them to try something new or different!
- Are you bored? This one goes hand in hand with did you make that up? It’s true I do like the creative, playful side of Pilates and like to mix things up on occasion…variety is the spice of life right?
- Are you kidding me? This one usually comes out when I ask them to do something they don’t think they can do like maybe Upside Down Push Up on the Chair or Monkey on the Cadillac and then they end up doing it beautifully!!
- No…. When I ask if they want to try an exercise or movement sometimes I get an upfront No, not really….usually I’m not really giving them an option and then they end up doing it anyway…but those who know me well aren’t afraid to try to get out of it…
- Rolling Eyes..(no words needed)…. This response is common when I say things things like,”This exercise is like a built in rest in the middle of your Pilates mat work or guess what fun thing is up next?…”
- Stop being so picky! Admit it….some days you just wish your instructor would not remind you of all those little details… are they really that important anyway?
- Really??? This usually gets said at that moment when you are slightly tired and I ask you to do 2 more, or maybe try just a slightly more challenging variation….
- Do you really think I can do that?? My answer is always, “Of course I do or I wouldn’t have asked!!”
- Anything else? Pull your abdominals in, keep your legs together, no scrunching those shoulders and then coordinate your breath with your movement! …. The Pilates method can seem pretty demanding and sometimes you feel like your brain and body can’t possibly put all those pieces together at the same time.
- Time for Seal?? If you have been practicing Pilates you know the exercises that come at the end of the order and you have to admit that it’s kind of a relief when you hear your instructor announce those exercises. For those who know me well they are not shy about asking for those exercises( even if we are only half way through our workout!)
So now it’s your turn! I would love to hear what goes through your head and what you actually say to your Pilates instructor! If you are a Pilates instructor I’m sure you can add to my list of what you hear from clients! Share this post and be sure to comment with your favorites!!
One of the things I love most about teaching Pilates is the “figuring it out” part of the work. I’ve learned over the years that by using movement to create balance in your muscles and your body often times you can get rid of pesky aches and pains throughout your body and you can just plain feel better in your body. So when a client has something going on(whether its a tight low back, foot pain, or whatever) I love being a detective who looks for clues as to what might be imbalanced in the body and then figuring out what we can do from a movement perspective to create more balance.
This type of detective work is not always a quick process as often times the solution is not an easy answer…like we need to strengthen your bicep muscle. Many times the solutions come over ![detective](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/detective.jpg")
time as clients learn to pay attention to their bodies and notice their own alignment and movement patterns. By regularly moving in alignment the whole body starts to realign and become more balanced. My goal is to give people a toolbox of skills so they can learn to use movement to work toward a more balanced body.
As an instructor I find myself not just cuing clients and helping them with this process in their session but often times I spend my own movement time playing with ideas and movements I’m teaching them so that I can better help them. Which leads me to my movement practice this week. All week long I have been playing with movements related to the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. During some “client detective work time” I started thinking that my client wasn’t activating these muscles properly and/or there was an imbalance and so I started playing around with the best cues and movements to encourage proper engagement and strengthen those muscles.
So I’ve been playing with movement specific to these muscles in my own body and also just thinking about how I use these muscles in everything I do so I can better relate that to my client. The result….a sore butt( in a good way) and some awareness in my own body that I have some imbalances in my own gluteus muscles. I know this as I have really been working on awareness and firing both sides together and my left butt has been much more sore than my right!! #awarenessiskey #jobperk #PilatesInstructor #PilatesNerd