Meet The Rivercity Pilates Instructor – Shelly M

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Tell us about yourself / your family.  I live with my husband, Ron, in Tiffin. I am a physical therapist by day, Pilates teacher by night and weekend. When I am not working, I enjoy outdoor activities, spending time with friends and family, and planning my next day trip or vacation.

Describe yourself in 5 words.  –  learner, analytical, mover, helper, balance-seeker

Tell us about your first Pilates experience.    When/Why did you start practicing Pilates? –  I first tried Pilates in April 2013 (wow, has it really been 4 years!) in a semi-private intro session with a co-worker. I had fallen out of a consistent exercise program and was excited to get back in to a routine. I liked that Pilates helped take my mind off everything on my to-do list for an hour and got me moving again. It took me a few months to start a consistent Pilates practice in July 2013. I haven’t looked back since!

Favorite food / or favorite restaurant –  I love seafood. And chocolate.
If money were no object, what would you do all day?  – Walk on the beach, read a good book, and enjoy a relaxing meal.
Why did you become a Pilates teacher?   I initially decided to begin the teacher training program to develop a deeper understanding of the Pilates method.  I enjoyed my private sessions and classes, and was reading to take my practice to the next level. I also thought I would be able to use some of the Pilates method in my work as a physical therapist. I didn’t intentionally set out to teach Pilates in a studio setting. After beginning the teacher training program, I gained an interest in sharing the method with other people.
Describe why you love Pilates in three words.   engaging mindful movement
Would you rather hike or bike?  – I like both, but would pick biking if I could only do one.
If you could live anywhere in the world — where would you want to live?  – Somewhere with a beach.

Halloween Pilates 2015

What are your favorite ways to incorporate movement into your life in addition to Pilates?    biking, walking, hiking, paddleboarding

Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?  – my husband, Ron
If you won an amazing prize, and the choice was either take an incredible vacation or get the dollar value in cash — which would you pick?   Cash
Would you rather enjoy a houseboat or a speed boat?  – speed boat
Do you have a guilty pleasure?    watching “trash” TV
Do you collect anything / what / and why? –   I like collecting seashells as reminder of fun beach vacations, but try not to keep too many. I still have my teddy bear collection from childhood. I can’t remember why I started collecting them, but once it became a theme, I received a lot of bears as gifts. I also have a large collection of vacation photos waiting to be edited and printed. I developed an interest in photography in college and have a hard time picking my favorite photos.

Meet the Instructor: Shelley M!

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IMG_6248Where are you from, how did you end up in the corridor?
I was born in Grinnell and grew up in Marengo, Iowa. I first moved to Iowa City to attend graduate school. A few years later, I moved back to the area to take a position at the University of Iowa.
What is your favorite food to prepare or eat? 
I love pizza. And I rarely pass up the chance to try fish tacos at a new restaurant or food truck.
What is your favorite sport to participate in or watch?    DO you have a favorite sports team?
I enjoy watching football. I’m partial to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Why did you choose to practice Pilates?    When/Where do you start?  Why do you keep doing it?
I started Pilates to help me regain fitness after I fell out of a consistent exercise routine. I started practicing Pilates at Rivercity in 2013. I have continued practicing Pilates because I like the way my body and mind feel when I complete a session.
Why did you become a Pilates teacher?   Where did you complete the program, and what did you like about it?   
I started the teacher training program at Rivercity Pilates because I wanted to learn more about the Pilates method and deepen my personal practice. The more I learn about Pilates the more I enjoy sharing the method with other people.   I am completing the teacher training program at Rivercity Pilates. I have enjoyed this program because Carey is readily available for mentorship, the training groups are small, and I can do all of my training, observation, and practice teaching locally.
IMG_6945Is there something about you that would surprise students in your classes?   
I like TV show marathons. My current bing-watching guilty pleasures are Diners, Drive-in, and Drives, and Crimal Minds.
What is your favorite song / favorite artist / favorite genre of music?   
I like a wide range of music, from classical to rap.
What is your favorite Pilates exercise and why?   
I love teaser! I have a sense of accomplishment when I think about how far I have progressed with teaser, and also a sense of challenge when I think about how much further I have to go.

Practice What You Teach: The Power of Words

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This week I did a Tower Class workout on Pilates Anytime with Pilates instructor Benjamin Degenhardt(which was amazing!) During and after the class I was reflecting a little on how much harder I worked during my workout just because of the words and imagery Benjamin used.  The exercises themselves weren’t anything new to me yet I did some of them differently just because of how he taught the exercises and the words he used.  Sometimes a cue he used would have me doing “more” or getting “more” out of that exercise than I would have been doing had I just been practicing on my own.

A cue he used a couple of times that really worked for me was to roll through the space behind your heart.  I usually think about IMG_7013rolling through my upper back but there was something about the heart cue that immediately gave me a sense of more movement in my spine. As a bonus, all week long I could hear his words when I was practicing on my own and it really helped me move better!

As an instructor this reminded me of how powerful our words can be in helping others find movement or create change in their body.  As a student it made me grateful for the opportunity to learn from a variety of instructors over the years. I feel like each teacher shares their own gifts and their own words and they are all important in keeping my movement practice evolving, which in turn keeps me healthy and happy!

 

Practice What You Teach: Pilates fuzzy strap revelations…

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Today’s fuzzy strap revelations were inspired by Andrea Maida and her insightful blog called:  The Pilates Exercises and the Lower Body: Strength for Life!

Andrea is one of my favorite Pilates bloggies as I love how she talks about the connections in the Pilates method and shares her own personal revelations along the way (and she’s pretty funny)!  After reading Andrea’s blog about the lower body I often find myself rethinking the lower half of my body, it’s purpose in the Pilates exercises and how what happens in the lower half of the body effects the body as a whole during each exercise.

IMG_5794During a reformer workout this week I had quite a few aha moments when exploring this concept but my favorite was on the short box.  I tell people all the time to be strong in their straps and use
their legs to anchor, but I found I wasn’t doing it myself( or least not doing it enough!)  When I do Flat Back on the Short box I often keep my range fairly small as I feel like if I go to far I immediately start to feel it in my low back.  So today I dug a little deeper and engaged like I had not quite engaged before.

I anchored into the fuzzy short box strap and found my lower body.  I engaged through my legs to pull the strap apart and reach into and found a place of length where I almost felt like my sitting bones were going to lift off the box (and it was an amazing amount of work).  The beautiful thing was that I felt amazingly stronger throughout my whole body and was able to hinge back to a much bigger range of motion without any strain or pain through my low back. The exercise was at least 20 times more challenging but I also moved about 200 percent better!!  This is what I love about the Pilates work!!

The next day I also reconfirmed my new found revelations as I was feeling worked muscles in places that I hadn’t felt for awhile or ever! I love it when that happens and yet another reason I love the Pilates work.

If you’re working with me this week don’t be surprised if I encourage you to find your lower body in new ways.  The only thing better than finding new engagement and understanding in my own body is sharing it with others!!

Happy Birthday Joe and Thank You!

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Today is Joseph Pilates Birthday and I thought it would be nice to write a thank you to the man who has influenced my life in a very profound way and the lives of so many others.  This year when I was at the Pilates Method Alliance Annual Conference I was listening to Mary Bowen(Pilates elder) speak about Joe to a crowd full of Pilates instructors and she said,” Just think about it, what would your life be like without the influences of Joe and Clara?  Where would you be without your Pilates friends?”

I remember thinking to myself,” Wow, she’s right- I can’t even imagine my life without Pilates!”  So today in honor of Joe I wrote a quick list of things I’ve learned and things I’m grateful for that all started with Joseph Pilates!

1. Thanks Joe for the inspiration to make my love of movement into a career.  Movement has always been an important part of my life. I’ve always loved to play and move, but it wasn’t until I was introduced to Pilates that I realized I could actually spend my days moving, playing and inspiring others as a career!

2. Thanks Joe for connecting me with so many amazing, inspiring people.  I can’t even begin to list all of the amazing people I’ve connected with because of my Pilates practice.  The mentors I’ve had, the friends I’ve made and the amazing clients I work with on a day to day basis all have enriched my life beyond words.

3. Thanks Joe for all of the empowering life experiences.  It hard for me to even think about pieces of my life that are not influenced by Pilates in some way.  My family, my career, my friends, and my experiences have so many ties back to my Pilates practice. Pilates is part of me that is infused into most things I do and into the many great experiences that continue to shape who I am and how I live my life.

4. Thank you Joe for my health.  When I found Pilates it was a new way of moving and exercising and staying fit that intrigued me.  Over the years it has become a lifelong health plan.  It has taught me to take care of my body physically and spiritually.  It has taught me to follow my instincts and listen to myself and my body above all. It has shown me how amazingly powerful I am in creating health and happiness in my life.

Joseph Pilates spent his lifetime developing his methods and trying to inspire others with his amazing work, but sadly didn’t ever see the influence on the world of his efforts. It’s inspiring to me to reflect on how much he has shaped and influenced my life and the lives of millions of others across the globe.

Happy Birthday Joe and thank you!

 

[tweetthis]Happy Birthday Joe and Thank You! #JosephPilates [/tweetthis]

 

 

 

 

If there is mindful, is there mindless?

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IMG_4277 I teach mindful movement daily and I’m a firm believer in the power of a mindful movement practice in your life.  I love my Pilates practice and how it forces me to pay attention to my body, to go inside and not even think about anything else, and to just plain create space and time for me.  I also love what I like to call my mindless exercise for an entirely different reason.

For me, mindless exercise is usually a run or walk or combination of both.  My goal is often to run because it forces me to push myself, it gets my heart rate up and I can’t overthink it.  I grab my headphones and listen to some of my favorite music and just get outside and move.  The getting outside component is probably just as important as the activity for me.  I find my brain and my body crave the fresh air and the sunlight(or moonlight depending on when I get out!), whether its scorching hot out or 20 degrees.

During my runs I often find myself just soaking in the outdoors, looking around and reminding myself of the expansiveness of my world.  Check out the amazing scenery I get to soak in during a run around my neighborhood.  Sometimes in life, I feel like I get so caught up in the little things going on in my life and for some reason when I’m outdoors I reminded of how unimportant those little things are in the big picture of things.

IMG_4278I always feel better mentally and physically when I’m done with my mindless exercise and I can always tell when I haven’t gotten it in for a few days.  For me how I feel is what keeps me motivated to continue to add it in to my life.  There used to be a day when mindless exercise like running, cycling, cardio,etc. was something I did to stay in shape or to maintain or lose weight and it often seemed like a chore.  Now it’s a truly a gift in my life, something I get in whenever I can because I enjoy it and because I love how it makes me feel.   It’s amazing how much that perspective can change things.

P.S.  I’m a super slow runner and quite honestly don’t find it easy while I’m doing it, but it seems the after effects trump that and keep me coming back for more!