I need to get into better shape before I start Pilates again…

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I’ve been teaching Pilates long enough that I have clients that have been seeing me for years which quite frankly I find pretty amazing!  I adore that clients have found a love for Pilates and incorporate it into their life and am super honored that they continue to choose me as their instructor throughout their journey.

Recently I had a client come back in after being away for awhile.  This is a client I knew quite well and who I knew had been battling some health complications over the years I’ve worked with her.  When she came back in we had a pretty honest talk about why she hadn’t been back in sooner and I really appreciated what she told me.

She mentioned that she kept telling herself that she needed to get in better condition before she came in.  She said she was embarrassed at how far out of shape she had gotten and quite honestly didn’t want to disappoint me.  I can tell you she’s not the only one who has thought something like this or told me this.

My heart kind of sank when she said these things. All I could think of is that just like I tell my kids, “I’ll love you, support you and will be there for you no matter what”…..I have the same sense of non judgmental support for my clients.  Part of what I love about my job is being part of people’s health and wellness journey no matter where they are in their bodies or their life.

Mindful movement can be so healing, energizing and life changing in so many ways.  Movement can help you from a physical and spiritual stand point when you are going through “stuff” ( you know… the stuff that happens to everyone at some time like injuries, illness, family problems, life problems, etc).

As an instructor I love showing people that you don’t have to be doing the hardest, most grueling exercise for it to be an effective tool in your life.  Learning to move safely in your body where you are at any given day is a gift that can change your life.  Learning to listen to your body and find movement that feels good and is effective can change your health and your happiness.

So I have to tell you some amazing things happened within just a week of this client starting Pilates again.  First of all the second time I saw her, she was moving amazingly better and was already feeling a difference in her body (and I could see the difference!).  By the second week it was a dramatic enough difference that she sent me this note:

WE received a compliment tonight!  My husband has been really busy the last couple of weeks. He has been going to work really early and coming home super late.   The first thing he said to me tonight when he arrived home was, “Wow, you are moving so much better since you started Pilates.”  Yeah for us!

(I love those type of notes by the way!) You might be wondering what kind of amazing exercises and sessions we did to get such great results?  Well, we had done three 25 minute sessions( which included some talk and discussion time) over 2 weeks.(Yep…that’s it!)  We did a lot of breathing, fundamental Pilates movements and some exercises using the Pilates equipment.  We started with the basics and did exercises that helped her body find a sense of ease of movement while working in a space she was comfortable.  Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary…but the difference it made in her body and her life was pretty amazing.

So if you’re feeling like you need or want to get back to your Pilates practice but maybe you have some similar thoughts going through your head about why you’re not coming back in……know that I would love nothing more than to help you get started again wherever you are in life and in your body!

P.S. If you’re reading this and I’m not your Pilates instructor I can tell you that your Pilates instructor feels the same way I do!

Do Pilates instructors need to know how to count??

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One of my long time clients was laughing at me today in our session.  I think the moment happened something like this:  I said ” We’re going to do five of these”.  As I watching her move I made a few adjustments as she was doing the exercise and at some point said, “OK, one more of those” I have no idea how many we did but it was probably not 5!  She did her one more and then as she got off the Reformer she was giggling. She mentioned how she remembered when she first started taking lessons with me and I said something like,” I’m not a very good counter!”  At the time she thought it was a little odd that a fitness instructor “wasn’t very good at counting repetitions” but she went on to explain that now she got it.

She now knew that there isn’t always an exact number of repetitions. It is more about getting to the repetition that was performed as well as she was going to do it that day with perfect form.  She also knew that each side didn’t always need the same amount of repetitions.  Our bodies are not balanced and many times one side needs a little more work than the other.  She also knew that my job as a Pilates instructor was not to count reps for her but to give her guidance on how to find the best movement in her body and for her body.

So if your instructor counts wrong don’t be too surprised and take it as a good sign that he or she is probably paying attention to more important things, trying to give your body exactly what it needs on any given day!

A Long Distance Pilates Consult

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Everyone knows that you tell your troubles to your hair stylist, or your bartender, but your Pilates instructor?   Yep, that’s what I did, and she even solved this one for me.

I was on vacation recently and we were doing a lot of walking.   Last year, I had worn new boots on the airplane, and started the trip with blisters which filled my entire vacation with sore feet.    I was determined not to do that this year.

The first day of vacation, I put on my ToeSox and a pair of UGG Riding boots which are very comfortable, and we headed over to the convention center.  I didn’t get blisters, but two hours later, my lower back was screaming with shooting pains.    I took some Ibuprofen, but it didn’t touch it.   I tried doing some Pilates breathing, and being more aware of my posture but it didn’t help.    I was carrying a tiny purse, so I knew that wasn’t it.   We finally had to take a break from walking, because I was feeling rotten.

When we got back to the hotel, I texted Carey, and told her I was having back pain for the first time in months.   She asked me what shoes I was wearing.   I told her, and she advised me to wear shoes with more support.   The next day, I wore a pair of cowboy boots.   We walked for hours.   No back pain.

IMG_2609The third day I wore a brand new pair of cowboy boots, which I was thinking was risky because they weren’t broke in.    No back pain, no foot pain.     It was cowboy boots on my feet the entire rest of the trip.   My UGGs are comfortable, so I can wear them for errands, and certain activities, but if I’m doing any amount of walking, I make sure to wear shoes with more support!

 

Practice what you teach: Breath and concentration can do wonders..

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Breath and concentration (two of our Pilates principles) can do amazing things!  I woke up on New Years day with a pesky pain in the muscles between my shoulder blade and spine.  It was nothing horrible, just a “I must have slept wrong” kind of pain.

My usual routine in the morning is to start my day with my Pilates Mat work and even though I was feeling a little tight and twingey by my shoulder blade, I wanted to start the year off right and get my day started with some movement.  I grabbed my foam roller as that spot in my upper back really just felt like it needed a good massage.  I spent a few moments just lying on the foam roller in different positions and massaging near the spot- which helped although it was still there.

I decided to go through my mat routine and make my focus breath and specifically breathing into the area that was bothering me.  Throughout my routine whenever I felt that spot I took a deeper breath and really envisioned my breath expanding into that area.  Even though I tell people all the time to try techniques like this I am always re-amazed when I use them on myself and they work!  I love to be reminded of how amazing our thoughts, our bodies and our ability to create change in our body is!!

#PracticeWhatYouTeach (1)Needless to say I felt soo much better after getting my Pilates Mat work in.  The spot by my shoulder blade had not completely disappeared but it was so much better AND what happened the rest of the day was even better.  When I found myself feeling that tightness I went back to my practice of breathing into that space and it was better.  By the time the Hawkeyes were headed onto the field for the Rose Bowl I wasn’t feeling the pain at all!

[tweetthis]Movement is healing! #breath #concentrate #Pilates #practicewhatyouteach[/tweetthis]

For Women Only??? Meet Mike.

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cybermondayIt’s Cyber Monday, and Rivercity Pilates has several package specials for the day.  Are you thinking, I already have a class package so I don’t need a new package?  Let me let you in on a little secret.    Pilates is not just for women.    All the positive things that Pilates does for women, apply to men too.   Many articles have come out the past few months that outline the benefits of Pilates for men.

IMG_1918Here’s a real life example.    I’m fortunate enough to live in the same neighborhood as Carey, and occasionally we work on some geeky computer things at my home.  Thus, she met my significant other, Mike.    Like many of us, Mike had relaxed his workout routine till it became non-existent.  Mike is retired from the Army Reserves, so he used to run daily.  Our best plans to walk every day always get hijacked, and as the birthdays keep coming, there’s a little stiffness here and there, and flexibility is pretty much a dream.     Mike has been very supportive of my Pilates practice and he’s the first one to recognize the positive differences that Pilates has made in my life.  I took him to a “couples” class, but he wasn’t sure it was for him.    That first class was pretty interesting.   It was a tower class, and when the instructor told us to put our feet in the straps for legs spring, Mike gave me the “you’ve got to be kidding look”, and that look just kept happening all through the class.    

One afternoon, Carey and I coordinated schedules and scheduled Mike for a private Pilates session the next day.  He wasn’t excited about it, but he didn’t say no.     I did not go with him for his first session (or any session for the first few weeks), because I wanted him to be comfortable at the studio and not worry about what I was doing or thinking.   She scheduled him again, and just sent him the appointment, and he had another lesson.    After only 3 sessions, Mike had to reluctantly admit, that he could feel the difference.   He didn’t have as much back pain.   His shoulders felt better, and his legs started to feel less “creaky” (his word) and not as old.    Mike had Guillain-Barre syndrome as a child, so his hamstrings are very tight.  

After Mike’s first sessions, he would comment on how Carey could recognize tightness in his muscles, and how she modified exercises for his working level.  As Mike’s Pilates practice is now almost 3 months old, his flexibility is increasing, he moves more and we even take semi-private Pilates lessons together once a week, and then he does 1-2 more private sessions with Carey each week.   The best part?   He says he feels better.

Mike would never have invested in his own health had Carey and I not pushed him and I had to do some major convincing about how amazing private sessions were and how well trained Carey and the other Rivercity Pilates instructors are.   They truly recognize how each person’s body moves, and offer modifications and progression for each person to be able to develop their own Pilates practice.

Introduction to PilatesPackageWhen you look at the Cyber Monday Pilates packages at Rivercity Pilates, don’t forget that Pilates would be a great present for the man in your life, and it might even be something you can do together!   If the man in your life is anything like Mike, you may get some static, and you may have to take him to the studio and promise him a local brew later, and he may never admit that he “likes” Pilates to you, but he will know you care about his health!

Does A Pilates/Yoga Private Session Sound Uncomfortable?

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Rivercity Pilates offers Private and Semi-Private Training in Pilates and Yoga.     I saw that on the website, and thought — yeah right.    First there’s the price.    It’s more expensive than classes, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that much.    Then there’s the scary thought.    For 50 minutes, I am the only person that instructor is concentrating on.

I watch reality TV.    I’ve seen the trainers yell and scream at the contestants on the Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows.  It doesn’t look that pleasant.    They yell and scream, and the contestants cry, vomit in garbage cans, and even collapse.  They also concentrate on really big challenges.   They run marathons for the right to stay on the ranch — even if takes them 20-24 hours.    I want to be healthy, but that looks like pain that I’m not sure my body could take.

I was apprehensive when I signed up for my complimentary session at Rivercity Pilates.   I didn’t want to get yelled at.   I didn’t want to end up with burning muscles and more pain than I started with.    I didn’t want to run a marathon.     I just wanted to reduce my risk of diabetes and heart disease.   My goal was to be healthier.

When I arrived at Rivercity Pilates for my first visit, I found a spa like atmosphere, friendly people and Carey gave me an orientation to the Pilates Cadillac.  I signed up for one of the new student specials that allowed me to take personal training sessions and small group classes (usually between 3-6 people), and I am still doing both of those today.   Every private session has been extremely encouraging and positive, and no one has ever raised their voice!   In private sessions, I feel free to ask questions about what I’m supposed to do or feel during a specific exercise, and Carey always patiently explains the exercise, and often demonstrates the correct exercise, and/or a modification if I can’t do the complete exercise.

Kimberly helping Nancy with foot position in a Private Reformer session!

Shelley helping Nancy with foot position in a Private Reformer session!

Do I feel like I’m being watched?   Yes, because my instructor is watching my alignment, my breathing, my working level, to ensure that I get the most benefit out of the exercise.  When having someone watching makes me self conscious I do what everyone does — I close my eyes!    The coaching and instruction that I’ve received in private sessions are some of my favorite exercise times ever and I believe the consistency of my Pilates practice, and the benefits I’ve seen from it start in these private Pilates sessions.

If you haven’t tried private sessions because you’re uncomfortable, I urge you to try 2 or 3 sessions to see how they work for you?    Then, please let me know, because I’m anxious to see if you have the same experiences that I have had!

Becky
Rivercity Pilates Student