Are you tired of feeling stiff and achy?

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One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients as they age is stiffness and specifically morning stiffness. If you often find yourself feeling stiff and creaky wondering what is going on with your body…I have some great news for you.  There are lots of things you can do to improve how your body feels and diminish the feeling of stiffness!  

Robert Chu wrote a great article called 10 Tips to Overcome Morning Stiffness and here’s what he lists as the main causes of Morning Stiffness :
The basic causes of morning stiffness are lack of daily physical activity, being overweight, having a poor diet, not sleeping properly, and being in an environment that tends to be cold and/or damp.  

The great news about this list is that all of these things are things you have control over!  By doing things like moving more, paying attention to what you are eating, having good sleep habits and keeping your environment comfortable you can keep your self feeling less stiff and creaky and more mobile!  

Here’s a few of my favorite movement inspired tips for feeling best in your body:

  1. Regular exercise that moves your body in a variety of ways.  You know how every time you look at a 5 year old they are doing something different with their body…jumping, twisting, summersaulting, squatting, etc.?  As adults we could take some lessons from those 5 year olds.  My favorite motto when it comes to our aging bodies is: move it or lose it! When we don’t regularily move our body in different ways… we start to lose the ability to move like that. It might not be socially acceptable for most adults to twist and cartwheel throughout their days, but what we can do is choose exercise time that encourages our bodies to move in a variety of ways to counter the fact that most of us are probably not moving as much as our bodies would like them too!  Practices like Pilates, Yoga and Martial Arts are great for safely introducing a variety of movements.   
  2. Add more mini movement time throughout your days.  When we make an effort to look at our activity throughout our days most of us probably are finding we are pretty sedentary.  Taking more breaks from sitting, parking further away at the grocery store or always getting up during commercials of your favorite TV show can help keep your body moving more and feeling less stiff and creaky!  Need some ideas on how to move more?  Check out our Office Pilates series on YOUTUBE for a great series of movements that can be done at the office or even from your favorite lounge chair at home!! 
  3. Drink lots of water...this one seems so simple but it is so important! Did you know staying well hydrated actually helps your joints feel better?  Read more about the benefits of drinking more water and joint pain here! It turns out your joints need water to stay healthy and as you might guess everything in our body functions better when it has enough water.  If you are adding more movement time in you may want to consider adding more water in to your life as your body will need it to function at it’s best!  
  4. Stretch more.  The feeling of stiffness often is a result of muscle tightness that happens due to our lifestyle. Sitting for long periods of time can especially affect muscles in our neck, back and hips.  Self massage techniques using small therapy balls is one of my favorite ways to  stretch and lengthen tight muscles and fascia(the connective tissue covering the muscles in our body).  If you are new to these techniques try a rolling class like our Roll, Release and Relax class that is designed to help you stretch and lengthen muscles throughout your entire body! Do you experience tightness in your low back, hips or backs of legs?  Some simple stretches at home with a theraband or yoga strap can really help loosen up tight muscles and will probably only take 5-10 minutes at the most! 

Looking for some ways to add more healthy, safe movement into your life? We would love to introduce you to the benefits of a mindful movement practice like Pilates in your life!  Sign up for a complimentary private session to get introduced to the studio, talk to an experienced teacher about your health goals and get introduced to Pilates!  

Beginner Pilates Mat

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Beginner Pilates Mat
Wednesdays at 5pm
4 week series $49 or use any class pricing option
 
 
You don’t have to be a first time Pilates student to enjoy this class!! If you are just coming back to your Pilates practice or recovering from an injury this will be a perfect class for you!!
 
This beginner class will focus on the Pilates basics using only your body and small portable props. You’ll gain strength, flexibility and mobility and learn exercises that you can practice just about anywhere!
 
Space is limited to 8 people!

Maybe you could become a morning person?

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Have you ever wished you were a morning person? Maybe you wished that you could get up early and get your workouts in before the busy-ness of the day distracts you?  Have you ever entertained the idea that you could become a morning person if you wanted to? 

I’m a morning person…or at least that’s what I tell myself!  I’ve found that my life just works better when I’m a morning person.  I get more accomplished, I’m able to spend more time with my family and I actually get my workouts in.  I don’t necessarily think I’m any different from non morning people other than I decided to be a morning person.  When I look closely at my morning routines I’ve discovered that I do a lot of little things without even thinking about them anymore (because they are habit) that help me enjoy my mornings and make the most of them.  

  1. Gratitude is number one on my list on because I think it is probably the most important.  A long time ago I read about practicing gratitude before you even climb out of bed in the morning and I can tell you it’s the habit that helps me the most on those days where I’m exhausted and just want to snuggle in my covers and push snooze. Before I climb out of bed I start running through my mind all of the things I’m grateful for…my family, my dog, my friends, a career I love that fulfills me, fun things to do that day, etc.   It’s kind of amazing how it can instantly get me excited to get out of bed and get going for the day!
  2. Purpose and faith rank right behind gratitude when it comes to my motivation to get up early.  Having a deep awareness or knowing that what I do no matter how little or big it is, makes a difference in the world and to others, always inspires me to take advantage of the time I have.  On those mornings when my bed is sucking me in…I like to remind myself of what a gift each day is and how lucky I am to get to experience whatever life throws at me!
  3. Music.  I usually head into the studio pretty early most mornings and I can tell you if you saw me driving in you would probably see me singing along to my favorite songs on my drive! Usually after I get to the studio I turn them on again as I get set up for my day and sneak a little movement time in.   I always have a playlist of my favorite songs handy and it always puts me in a good mood and starts my day off right when I can listen to them!  
  4. Movement….I don’t always do a full workout first thing in the morning but I do allow myself a little time to “just move”.  For me this is often some gentle stretches, gentle movements through my spine, and anything that gets my body moving.  I always feel a little more energized and ready to go after I start moving! 
  5. Oils…  I realized the other day ago that one of the things I often do in the morning (usually when I’m at the studio as we have a variety of oils) is open a bottle of my favorite scent of essential oil and smell.  Sounds pretty simple but I always love how my favorite  blends of essential oils seem to wake me up a little bit and almost give me energy! 
  6. Happy Space... I think it’s important to have spaces in your life that you love.  My mornings are usually spent at the studio and I’ve come to realize that even though it’s technically work for me…the studio is one of my “happy spaces”.  The atmosphere from when I walk in the door always makes me happy and that makes it so much easier to be excited about spending my mornings there. 
  7. Coffee…I’d be lying if I didn’t include coffee in this list!  I kind of love my morning coffee (flavored with too much flavored coffee creamer!)

Want to try out being a morning person? Join me on:

Tuesdays for a 6:30 am Sunrise Pilates Equipment Class or on
Thursdays for my 5:30 am Beginner Friendly Foam Roller Pilates Mat Classes.

Both these classes are designed to get your body moving gently and safely first thing in the morning and will definitely leave you feeling energized and accomplished (because your workout is done) for the rest of your day!    Register now!  

 

 

 

We have added a Pilates Equipment Class for Back Health

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Pilates Equipment for Back Health
New Class beginning Tuesday, September 11!
with Shaina Boylan
Tuesdays at 7pm
 
 
Pilates Equipment for Back Health: This beginner friendly Pilates equipment class will explore using a variety of pieces of the Pilates equipment to help you gain mobility in your back while increasing your core strength and getting a great whole body workout. Both beginners and more experienced students will enjoy this class!
 
4 classes $89 or use any class pricing option.   Call 319-665-2499 for more information or email us at rcpilates1@gmail.com!   
 
 
 
 

Why add a foam roller to your Pilates routine?

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Ever wonder what the big deal is with foam rollers?  They seem to be everywhere and so many people are talking about why they love them. We kind of think they are amazing too and wanted to share with you why you might want to consider adding in the foam roller into your Pilates practice!

  1. Core Strength.  The shape of the roller makes it just enough unstable that when you lay on it…your core muscles have to activate to keep you from falling off!  What this means to you is that you work your core muscles more and you don’t even have to think about it.
  2. Balance.  Balance is something we can always improve.  By adding in the foam roller to traditional Pilates exercises you can challenge your body to work on it’s balance in new ways.
  3. Getting rid of tension and tightness.  As a teacher I can tell you once of my biggest challenges is teaching clients how to work less in some places and how to reduce tension.  The foam roller can be a great tool used to roll out tight muscles and fascia.  When those muscles and fascia are released the rest of your exercises become better and you can do them more efficiently, creating balanced strength and flexibility quicker in your body.
  4. Life skills.  I always think of my Pilates time as “training for life” time.  I exercise so that I can move through life without getting injured and feeling great in my body. Life is not usually predictable when it comes to movement.  You need to be able to adjust when you accidentally step on a rock that twists your foot or have to balance on your tip toes to reach something on the top shelf.   Challenging your body to move in a variety of ways is always a good thing. Adding in the foam roller to your Pilates exercises challenges your body to have to move and react in different way than what you typically would in each Pilates exercise.   By mixing things up slightly and asking your body to do things a little different with the foam roller you can prepare it better for the unexpected movements that happen in life!
  5. Variety. Variety keeps you from getting bored and maybe not focusing as much as you should. Adding in a prop like the foam roller creates just enough change to an exercise that you can’t just space off and do it like you usually do!  You really have to pay attention and check in with the whole body to do the exercise well! Increased focus often means we move better, engage more muscles properly, and get more out of each exercise.  It also is a great stress reliever! 

If you are interested in what the foam roller could do for you, we have the perfect class:  Beginner Friendly Foam Roller Pilates Mat! This beginner friendly class will give you a fabulous Pilates workout while incorporating the foam roller!  You’ll have fun, and learn some ways you can use your foam roller as pat of your Pilates practice, and learn how to use it to stretch and lengthen tight muscles and fascia throughout your body!  

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Kari Gerst Inspiration of the Month August 2018

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When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start? 
I started Pilates after attending an open house at Rivercity Pilates in May of 2016.  I have been a student of Iyengar Yoga for 10 years and after moving here 4 1/2 years ago was looking for something in North Liberty.  There was an article in the Press Citizen about Carey and her studio Rivercity Pilates and I thought I needed to check it ou

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?    
I am usually at the studio two times a week for a mat class,  jump board, or an equipment class.  I started with the private sessions which were very beneficial to me since I had never done Pilates and it is different from Yoga.   

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 
I have a stressful job, (who doesn’t, right?), so when I am doing Pilates it takes my mind off my worries, the headaches go away and it brings me back down to earth.  The physical health benefits are huge! No stiffness, the back pain goes away, and I have noticed the jump board class has improved the looks of my legs!  
 
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?
I enjoy the mat class because I am still learning the fundamentals and you can do it at home.  But, my favorite is the reformer and Shaina’s jump board class!  
 
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
You have to try it!  Don’t think because you have always done Yoga you won’t like Pilates.  I still do both, they each have different benefits for me.  As our body ages we have to keep moving.  Routinely doing Pilates will add years to your life. I have taken classes from many of the instructors at Rivercity. All of them are very helpful and go out of their way to explain how to do the exercises and the benefits.