What should I wear to Pilates/Yoga?

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While you will see some classmates wearing colorful workout pants at RCP – by far the most common color is black!

When it comes to workout clothes there are a TON of options out there.  There are a lot of companies making very expensive Yoga, Pilates and workout wear and you may wonder do I need special clothing to take a Pilates class?  At Rivercity Pilates, labels and logos are not important.   You might see someone wearing exercise pants from Costco or Target or you might see someone wearing a logo some people recognize!  What is important, is that you are comfortable.

There are some things you may want to consider when deciding what you wear to class and they really have nothing to do with the price tag or the company who makes your pants.  Here are some quick tips to finding an appropriate pair of pants for your next Pilates class:

1.   No Zippers! 

In Pilates we articulate (aka roll) through the spine in many exercises so you’ll want to avoid pants that have zippers, buttons or even uncomfortable seams.   Those cute running tights with the zippered key pocket on your back side just might hurt you when you roll down to your mat!

2.  Consider your classmates/instructor!   Avoid Loose Shorts!

There are many exercises that involve you laying on your back with your legs reaching up to the ceiling and away from your body.  Avoid wearing loose fitting shorts or skirts or make sure you wear a biking short underneath so you are not exposing yourself to your classmates & instructor! 

3.  Consider a higher waisted workout pant!  

For me, higher is better. Hip bones or higher is a good rule of thumb.  Because of all of the rolling, twisting and just plain moving we do in Pilates most people find a higher waisted pant keeps them covered better through out movements.  It can be really distracting if you are seeing the underwear of the people next to you, and there is no need to share your back side with the rest of class!!  Pants with an internal drawstring are a great feature in a Pilates Pant!  While this blog concentrates on pants, a longer shirt can also help with this coverage issue!

4. Sweat Pants or Fleece will likely be too hot!  

Pick a lightweight breathable fabric.  A bulky sweat pant material can make it hard to move in and will be just plain hot!

5.  Choose a comfortable functional length. 

If you get hot easy -a shorter capri style pant might be best.  Avoid overly long or wide legged pants that might hinder your movement or may even get caught in your springs if you are attending a Pilates Equipment class.  I have found the pants labeled yoga pants make great pajamas, but not such great pilates pants.   They are generally longer and looser than other exercise pants.  

6.  Thoughts on Spandex!

Wearing a pair of fitted pants will allow your instructor to see your alignment and help you do the exercises.  However, they don’t have to be extra tight, or “girdle-like”.  There’s a difference between fitted and too much spandex!  Breathing is important in Pilates, and you don’t want to be fighting your pants when you take a deep breath!  My best advice is to try the pants on in the store before you buy them, to make sure they are comfortable.  I buy pants that say slimming, but the difference is they go up higher, not that they pull in more or hide my curves!   Sometimes I go up a size, simply because of the style or fabric. No one will check the label for a size at Rivercity Pilates!

7.  Most important find a pair of pants that is not only functional but something you are comfortable in and feel good wearing! 

Feeling good in your workout clothes is important!  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great functional pair of Pilates pants.

Foot therapy with a super bouncy ball!

FullSizeRender(19)  If you are a parent you know exactly what a super bouncy ball is….they usually are fairly small, come in all kinds of fun colors and your kids are fascinated by them! ( at least for the first 10 minutes after they get one) You can pay 50 cents and get one out of the gumball machine or maybe your child earns them as a prize from school or buys one with their tickets at Chuck E Cheese. For the longest time they were an item that I would throw out when the kids weren’t looking and I considered them junk.

[tweetthis]Do your kids bring home bouncy balls? Give yourself a massage with them![/tweetthis]

Then one day I decided to try rolling my foot on one and discovered a whole new use for them!!  Now I keep one under my desks at work and at home and bring them in to the studio to give to clients.  So what do you do with them?

FullSizeRender(17)1. Roll the ball around on the bottom of your foot giving yourself a mini foot massage.  If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, have tightness in your feet or ankles or just want to gain a little more mobility in your foot- this will help!!

2.  You can also strengthen your feet and toes by using your toes like fingers and practice picking up the balls.

3.  Have a tight muscle?  Put the ball in the palm of your hand and roll it around on tight muscles anywhere for a mini massage!!

FullSizeRender(18)The great thing is that these little balls are small, portable and really inexpensive! The Super Bouncy Ball might become your favorite at home pilates prop!!

 

 

Did my Pilates teacher not notice my scrunched shoulders that time?

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shoulders scrunchedOne of the most common things I hear that tells me my clients are progressing in their Pilates practice is something like this,” My shoulders were up and you forgot to to tell me!”.

My answer….I didn’t need to tell you…you figured it out yourself and that is exactly what I want as your teacher.  It tells me that you are progressing in the Pilates work when you can correct yourself and you don’t need me to do it!!  You have learned what balanced movement feels like in your body and you can create it without my cues….super exciting!!!

Of course as an instructor I will continue to give you cues and fine tuning wherever you are but you may find those cues are much different from when you started your Pilates practice.  In the beginning you just need to learn the choreography of the movement in a safe way.   After you have a grasp for what the movement is then we can begin fine tuning.  Every time you do the exercise we can focus on fine tuning the pieces like shoulder stability, hip stability, how to integrate your whole body, finding control, moving from your center, etc. etc.

[tweetthis remove_hidden_hashtags=”true”]#Pilates #Instructor #Tips. When your student starts to self-correct![/tweetthis]

After you have started to tie these pieces together my job as your instructor changes.    My job becomes more about giving you cues to keep you progressing and exploring the movements in your body.  Maybe encouraging you to do something you might not have done on your own.

So if you find yourself catching your instructor not giving you corrections…it’s a great sign that you are progressing and you’re exactly where you are supposed to be in your Pilates practice!  Congratulations!!!

Momtrepreneur

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The British definition of Momtrepreneur! "MUMpeneur"

The British definition of Momtrepreneur! “Mumpreneur”

I love this new word that has been thrown out a lot in social media:  Momtrepreneur.  It sounds fun, hip and cool!  As a Momtrepreneur with 3 kids, a growing Pilates studio and a pretty busy Pilates teaching schedule I can tell you it doesn’t always feel “cool”or “hip” or even”fun”.

Quite honestly there are many days that I question why I didn’t just stay home with my kids or work a few hours part time instead of going all out and trying to build a growing, successful business.  I’m pretty sure my super supportive husband who would never say it out loud has this thought that too!

It never fails when I start to have some moments where I’m doubting what the heck I’m doing- something happens to remind me how much I truly love to teach Pilates and really enjoy the challenge and journey of growing a business and life around that.

IMG_6734For me those moments are almost always teaching moments.  It doesn’t matter if I’m over tired from lack of sleep, stressed out about getting the kids where they need to be, feeling guilty about not getting to every single event of my kids or not having a real conversation with my husband all week, or anything else.  Something somewhat magical happens when I start teaching.

I find it practically impossible to think about what’s going on in my own life and as soon as I start connecting with clients, paying attention to their bodies and movements, and teaching I feel like I’m in the zone.  And by the zone, I mean that space in your life that you truly enjoy being in and you really are just doing what you love…   And it really makes it all worthwhile!

So if you’re thinking of becoming Momtrepreneur, my best advice is to find something your passionate about and go for it!  It’s not always the easiest path but I think you’ll find it is truly a rewarding one and the happiness factor of loving what you’re doing is worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

Am I going to Pilates class or practicing Pilates?

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If you know what Joe's favorite outfit to workout & teach was - you are definitely practicing Pilates!

If you know what Joe’s favorite outfit to workout & teach was – you are definitely practicing Pilates! If you don’t know, ask at the studio, or google Joseph Pilates!

There is definitely a difference between trying a few Pilates classes to improve your health and having a Pilates practice in your life.  For those who get to the place where you have a practice, you know what I mean.  Pilates becomes part of you and almost feels like belonging to a super cool exclusive club where you’ve had to earn your way in.  For those of you that have a Pilates practice in your life…I think you’ll relate to this list.  For everyone else these are some of the things you can look forward to:

Top 10 signs you have progressed to practicing Pilates.

  1. You see your instructor coming toward you and you connect your shoulders.
  2. You know what your instructor is going to say before she says it.
  3. You know the next exercise before your instructor tells it to you.
  4. You have a foam roller in your living room (or a magic circle, or some other favorite prop!)
  5. Exercises you’ve done at least a hundred times get harder every time you do them.(How is that possible??)
  6. Changing one little, tiny, minute detail (like what your toes are doing) changes the whole exercise. How can that make SUCH a difference??
  7. You hear your instructors’ voice in your head when you are slouching at your desk at work (roll your shoulders down your back, bring your head into alignment…)
  8. You do belly up and in when you’re pulling weeds in the garden, shoveling the snow or maybe just sitting at a stoplight in the car.
  9. You start sounding like a Pilates Evangalist!    You are teaching your friends Pilates and talking about how good Pilates has been for you!  It’s too good not to share!
  10. Your body misses it when you don’t do it .. even though a roll up, a teaser or maybe just rolling like a ball is incredibly challenging – you finding yourself wanting and even craving to do them even on your own! Crazy huh?

[tweetthis remove_hidden_hashtags=”true”]Top 10 Signs you are #practicing #pilates![/tweetthis]

We’d love to hear from you!  How many of these rang true for you?  Can you add to our list?

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll probably suck at Pilates at first!

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I am often amazed at how many clients come into a session and expect to be able to do everything we teach them perfectly on the first try and then beat themselves up when they can’t do it!  It doesn’t matter if you danced for 20 years, are an elite athlete, run marathons, lift weights, did Yoga or if you are in the best shape of your life!  If you are brand new to Pilates you are brand new to Pilates and it will take some time to learn!

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I often hear a client say, but you just did that exercise perfectly.  My response is usually something like:  Let me tell you how many times over the last 15 years I have done that exercise…(hundreds…even thousands)  and I’m still working on it too!

The only way to learn something is to practice it!  That’s why it’s called a Pilates practice.  Pilates is not a quick fix exercise program.  Pilates is a method and system of exercises designed to teach you how to move better (more efficiently) by balancing out your body’s strengths and weaknesses.  It’s designed to become part of your life and something you continue to work on every time you get on your mat.

If you are contemplating starting a Pilates practice or may be you’ve just recently started please know that we don’t expect you do get everything perfect on your first try (or even your 50th).  As instructors we love helping you learn and we love to be part of the process!

It’s OK to suck at Pilates when you start!!  Just think of the progress you’ll make every time you do it!

We’ll be super supportive and we’ll give you lots of chances to try things out in a safe, non-intimidating atmosphere.  Click here to learn about scheduling a complimentary Pilates session at Rivercity Pilates.