Have you thought about becoming a Pilates Teacher?

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Our Pilates Mat Teacher Training Program starts soon

If you’ve considered teaching Pilates or maybe just want to take the program to learn and progress in your own body there is still time to register!!  Contact Carey to learn more about the program details at 319.665.2499 or rcpilates1@gmail.com!  

November 2018 Inspiration of the Month Debra Aegerter

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November 2018

Inspiration of the Month

Debra Aegerter

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

I was looking for a way to increase my strength so that I could continue practicing and teaching yoga. I was struggling with some of the more challenging yoga poses I had been able to do when I was younger but as I got closer to 60 I just didn’t have the strength. 

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

I try to take as many classes as I can. Sometimes that’s four times a week and sometimes it’s only two. Four times is always my goal because I feel the most benefit for me personally. I definitely feel as though I’m building at four and maintaining at two. I always book the reformer classes.

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

The first thing I noticed was that I felt stronger. It’s a mental and physical thing. I was getting stronger and the yoga poses that were challenging came more easily. In my daily life things became easier too and I didn’t have to worry about injury. I felt stronger and I was stronger.

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

I love the reformer! Maybe it’s because I spend a lot of time on a mat in yoga but it is the class I always want to take. I also love working with props.  I feel like it really teaches you a lot and helps you identify your weak spots.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
I would encourage anyone who is considering Pilates to do it! Also, don’t be afraid of the reformer. It took me forever to learn to how to flow with the equipment but I never felt out of place in class with more experienced students. The studio is welcoming and helpful. You won’t regret starting something that makes you feel fabulous.

November Beginner Pilates Mat 4 Week Series

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November 7 -28, Wednesdays at 5pm with Jane McKenrick

This 4 week Pilates Mat class series is designed for those who are brand new to Pilates and want to learn what it is all about and how they can use the Pilates method of exercise to feel better and move better in their body. This class will move slowly and participants will get detailed explanations of how to do each movement in a way that is safe for their body and in a way that makes it most effective for them!  Expect to learn how to breathe better, how to engage your core muscles, and how to start thinking about movement and exercise in a whole new light!

Sign up here.

Two things your body absolutely needs in the morning!

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Every morning after I get up I grab a glass, fill it with water and make my self drink it. I say “make” because on many days I’d much rather have my coffee first thing…but I know that water is what my body really needs and making this simple little change in my habits (water first instead of coffee) really helps my body feel better.  Some days I forget about my coffee without even realizing it ( hard to believe I know!) Just like our bodies need to replenish with water first thing in the morning, I believe our bodies also need to replenish and start the day with movement.  Movement is basically a way to hydrate your muscles, fascia and body tissues after a night of sleep and not moving a whole lot. Here’s just a few things morning movement can do for your body:

  1. Morning movement will aid in better circulation! Morning movement helps raise your body’s temperature by getting the blood flowing from the core of the body out to the extremities. Increasing blood flow helps circulation and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your muscles and organs.Better circulation keeps your tissues healthier and you will just plain feel better and more energized! 
  2. Morning movement will stretch out tight muscles and increase flexibility and mobility.  When we sleep we often hold our body in positions for long periods of time that keep our muscles tight and shortened.  By starting the day with movements designed to lengthen and stretch the muscles you will have a head start on your day!  You will not start your day sitting at work with already tight muscles.  You’ll probably find that this helps you feel amazingly better in your body. Increased mobility and flexibility will help your your body be more balanced and you will breaks out of the cycles of always having tight and shortened muscles that don’t work as well as they could and could cause pain and aches in your body.
  3. Morning movement will prevent aches,pains and even injuries.  Morning movement will help your body be prepared for the day ahead and that means it is better equipped to move better and safer.  You’ll be more likely to use good alignment and body awareness throughout your day which will keep away those pesky aches and pains that happen related to poor posture and poor habits.  You physical body will be more balanced and reactive to deal with those silly injuries that happen when we trip over something on the floor or bend over to far to pick something up with tight back muscles.
  4. Morning movement will give you mental clarity and stress relief.   Increased blood flow throughout the body from movement time means your brain also has increased blood flow. This blood flow to the brain increases concentration and focus for the rest of the day. It also accelerates endorphins to the brain helping relieve stress and anxiety. Morning movement time is like an all natural focus pill for your day! 

There’s lots of great ways to add morning movement into your life.  Need some ideas for some movements you can do at home to start your day?  Check out our Rivercity Pilates Youtube Channel.  I especially love anything with a foam roller in the morning as I feel like the massaging effects of the foam roller work to really wake up our tissues for the day. We also offer early morning classes that are designed to get your body ready for your day.  Check out our class schedule here.  And of course..don’t forget to drink some water before and during your movement time!!

 

4 Week Beginner Pilates Mat Series

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Beginner Pilates Mat Series

4 weeks – Wednesdays at 5pm

October 3, 10, 17, 24

Everybody has to start somewhere and if you are looking to start practicing Pilates or maybe come back to your practice, this is a great place to start. The Pilates Mat for Beginners class will focus on learning the fundamental Pilates skills as it introduces participants to a beginner  mat sequence perfect for building strength and mobility in your body no matter where you are starting. By committing to 4 weeks you’ll have a chance to not just try it out but to really experience how a weekly Pilates class can change how your body feels.  This is a great class for those brand new to Pilates, those coming back to their Pilates practice and those who are wanting to just fine tune their Pilates practice.
4 week package runs from October 3-24th,   Wednesdays at 5 pm
Need to miss a class due to other commitments? No worries, you can make up the class in the next 4 week session!
Cost $49.00

Do you want your high school body back?

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Do ever wish you were in high school again? Me neither….but there are days when I wish I had the physical body of a high schooler! Whether you are 40 or 80…I don’t need to tell you that the way our body feels as we age changes.  For many of us, looking back on the things we did with our body as a youth leaves us longing for the days of not noticing body aches, pains and discomfort.  We realize how nice it was to not have to feel our body so much and not to feel limited in our life by those aches, pains and even injuries that seem to have crept up on us over the years.  We find ourselves asking…how did I get here?  I used to be so flexible, so strong, so ache free!  We find ourselves feeling helpless to the natural aging process that leaves us feeling creakier and less mobile than our younger days. 

I wish I could tell you I had a magic pill that could make your body feel like it did when you were 20…but you already know there is no magic pill.  The good news is though that there are lots of ways you can use your movement time in your life to slow down the progression of the “feel of aging” in your body.  Safe movement time that maintains and builds strength and mobility in your body might be the closest thing out there to a magic pill for aging! Try incorporating these simple but magical concepts into your life and see if they make a difference in how your body feels:

  1. Maintain and Build Strength  After 30 it is possible to lose 5% muscle each decade if you are not proactively doing exercise and movement in your life that will maintain and build strength.  Strength training comes in lots of different forms and it really doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you are doing movements that are safe for your body and target where you need to strengthen.  You can use weights and do a traditional strength training type workout, you can use your body weight as resistance and do things like squats, push ups, tricep presses etc., you can use resistance bands or you can take up movement practices like Pilates or Yoga that incorporate strength training into everything they do.  
  2. Maintain and Improve Flexibility Feeling less flexible as you get older really isn’t related so much to your age but to the fact that you stopped using your muscles in the ranges that you did when you were younger and so they continue to get tighter and tighter and before you know it it feels like you can barely bend over to tie your shoes! What’s the key to maintaining and even gaining flexibility and mobility as you age?  The key is to practice movements that stretch your muscles to what feels like close to their end range.  Just plain stretching will accomplish this or you can practice movement that has a stretching component built in like Pilates or Yoga.  
  3. Maintain and Improve Core Strength  Maintaining strong core muscles will give your body a support system of strength that will help you do everything you want to do in life better.  Whether your movement goals are running a marathon or piggyback rides for your kiddos…core strength is the key to doing these things well and not getting injured!  Core strength will keep your back feeling healthy, mobile and keep it injury free. 
  4. Keep Practicing Balance  Kids are natural at balancing and the reason they are so good at it is that they practice! Kids are always naturally working on balance when they are climbing things, playing sports, and playing at the playground.  As adults we start to lose the ability to balance because we often don’t challenge ourselves to do it.  Feeling uneasy about balancing our bodies in space is uncomfortable and usually brings up feelings of feeling “old”!  Start practicing you balance at home or take up a practice like Pilates or Yoga that continually works on challenging your balancing skills.  
  5. Practice Your Breathing  This one seems so simple and silly that most people ignore it…until they discover how much it can help them.  Learning to breathe well and use breathe in your movement and exercise time can not only help you move better it can help you destress and reduce anxiety.  Moving with ease and feeling a sense of ease through our bodies…feels youthful. It also helps with circulation which in turn helps everything in our body function better and leaves us feeling more energized.  Breathing can be practiced on its own or you can find a mind body practice like Pilates or Yoga that incorporates breath into each movement. 

I love to multi task so practicing Pilates or Yoga just makes sense to me when it comes to the perfect anti-aging exercise.  These mind body practices build strength, improve flexibility, strengthen your core, improve your balance and on top of it all leave you feeling less stressed and energized because of the breath focus!!  As a teacher one of my favorite classes I teach is one I named Anti-Aging Pilates Equipment.  This small class (5 people maximum)  combines exercises utilizing the Pilates equipment and a series of functional balance stations to work on this whole list above! The balance stations are designed to safely challenge balance and strengthen in a way that prepares us for life’s balance challenges(not falling when we trip on the side walk, balancing a 3 year old on your shoulders so they can see better, etc.!).  All exercises are beginner friendly and participants range from 30 to 80 in age…because let’s face it we all need anti-aging Pilates no matter what age we are!