Age Proof Your Knees

Clients say the darnedest things! One of my clients came into her session one day and said, “I’m only 61 — but my knees feel like they are 81!”  This is a very common feeling, but it scares me a little.   I get worried because so many people accept this as a natural part of aging, and don’t take action to try and prevent or minimize it.   Many people just think that there is nothing they can do about it. That’s exactly why i created “Exercises for Happy, Healthy Knees”.

Healthy knees are important to keep us active and moving. You’ll learn strategies and exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint that can easily be added into your movement time. You do not need any Pilates experience to take this workshop! 

Strong healthy knees allow you to safely get to the ground and back up when you are planting, pulling weeds or even cleaning the leftover yard crud so that your flowers have a clean space to grow! Strong healthy knees also help you get to the ground and back up to play with your grandchildren!

Strong healthy knees allow you to properly squat to pick up items like bags of potting soil, pots and planters.  This keeps your low back protected from undue strain.

Strong, healthy knees are able to adapt easily to uneven terrain and are key for maintaining your balance when doing any outdoor activities.  

You do not need any previous Pilates experience to benefit from this workshop.

This workshop is for you if:

  • You have knee pain when climbing or descending stairs.
  • Your have arthritis in your knees.
  • You have knee pain that limits any of your activities.
  • Getting down to the floor and back up is a challenge and you often feel your knees.

Please note: If you have undiagnosed knee pain we always suggest talking to your doctor or physical therapist before starting an exercise program!!

Click to register for the workshop!

Find the Magic

What’s so magic about the magic circle?

The magic circle was created by Joseph Pilates and is one of the most versatile fitness props around.  In this month’s #livebetter workshop we’ll be talking about what makes it so magical!  

We’ll be going through a basic Pilates Mat series of exercises and learning how the magic circle can be supportive and help you do the exercise better (ie make something you struggle with seem easier!) and we’ll be showing you how you can use it for the same exercise in a way that will challenge you when you are ready to progress in your practice.  

This workshop is perfect for beginners who are looking for ways they can get stronger in their body by using a prop for assistance and perfect for those who have been practicing for awhile and want to learn how to use the circle to challenge themselves! Any magic circle or fitness ring will work!  Magic circles can purchased in our online store.

The workshop will be recorded and all participants will receive a recording of the live workshop.  Live Workshop is Sunday, March 28th at 3 pm.
Click here to register!

Do you have happy feet?

If you’ve ever had foot, toe or ankle pain….I have so much to share with you!

Have you ever stubbed your pinky toe on the corner of the dresser and then realized for the next week how important that pinky toe is because it hasn’t healed and is effecting every step you take?

Perhaps you have dealt with that annoying pain in the bottom of your foot called plantar fasciitis that is especially painful when you first climb out of bed in the morning?

Anybody get foot cramps that wake you in the night? Do you have some toes that look like they are permanently curled under or maybe you have a bunion that seems to be getting worse rather than better? 

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, my guess is you are starting to realize that your feet are important to your health, and your connection with your daily activities!   Every step you take starts with your feet.     

As a Pilates Instructor, I see many many people who have taken their feet for granted for years.   It’s easy to to wake up with a foot cramp and decide you didn’t drink enough water, or you haven’t had a banana for a while.    But is it a little thing like that?    Or are you just neglecting to take care of your feet?   

If your feet hurt, it’s hard to get any movement time in.   Ignoring foot care sometimes ends with visits to your general physician or podiatrist, broken bones, or worse yet, a fall that could be catastrophic.  

I created our #LiveBetter Happy Healthy Feet workshop because I believe movement keeps you healthy.   If your feet are hurting or you have plantar fasciitis, it limits your movement, and you can’t keep moving and it becomes easy to get out of the healthy habits that you have put in place in your life.  

Foot health is critical to good health.   Our Happy Healthy Feet workshop is online now! In this workshop you will learn what the most important things are you should be doing for your feet (the things that will help you the most are unique to you).  You can attend at your convenience from your own home, and if you have any questions, you can email Carey and she’ll answer you!

I’ll give you simple exercises to make your feet and ankles stronger and healthier that you’ll be able to start implementing immediately.  You’ll get the recording of the workshop, so you can retake it whenever you want AND you’ll get my special exercise guide with reminders of what exercises to do and the benefits of each.   $25 workshop now or visits to physicians, podiatrists, maybe even physical therapy in the future.    If you are dealing with any kind of foot problems, you have nothing to lose by taking this workshop!

I’ll be using a few simple props during the workshop that I’m guessing you probably already have. I’ll be using a small massage ball (any tennis ball sized ball will work), a resistance band and a hand towel.  If you need a band or a ball before the workshop be sure to purchase one in our online store and you can pick it up at the studio or we can ship it to you!

You don’t need any Pilates experience to attend this workshop.   This workshop will help everyone — whether you go to formal exercise classes or not.  Everyone will benefit! Register here!

Have you heard of sitting disease?

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Do you sit a lot daily? My guess is if you answered yes then you’ve also experienced at least the occasional bout of back pain or maybe you deal with it on a regular basis. 

I know this because when you sit a lot your gluteus muscles (your butt muscles) spend a lot of time not engaging and not working. When muscles aren’t getting used, they get weak. And when muscles are weak they are not doing their job to support your body and move it through space properly. Your muscles become imbalanced and the end result can be tightness, discomfort and even pain.

You may have heard that exercises can help with easing back pain and it’s true, especially when you are doing exercises that strengthen those weak, underdeveloped muscles.

One of the things I love about Pilates is that everything we do while practicing Pilates is designed to help you balance out the muscles in your body. I know if you’ve never done Pilates before this probably sounds complicated!

pilates for back pain - leg stretch.

It’s really not complicated but I can tell you it does take practice and knowing how to do the exercises properly in your body.

In this today’s beginner friendly virtual workshop I’ll be going through the basic Pilates mat exercises and you’ll learn what we are trying to accomplish in each exercise, how each exercise can benefit your body and how you can strengthen your weaknesses by setting up and executing the exercises properly.

If you are interested in how to use exercise to help you feel better, this workshop is for you!

Purchase this course

May Workshop

  • Do you ever get frustrated that you can’t quite do an exercise that your teacher teaches?Do you ever say to yourself…I’ve been practicing Pilates for quite awhile now…you’d think I’d be able to do that?!
  • Do you ever feel like you’re “pretending” that you can do an exercise — but in reality you know you’re not using the right muscles?
  • Do you ever find yourself wanting to know exactly what an exercise is supposed to feel like or where you are supposed to be feeling the work at?  
  • Do you ever find yourself wanting to know exactly what an exercise is supposed to feel like or where you are supposed to be feeling the work at? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions you will love my upcoming workshop..exploring the Intermediate and Advanced Pilates exercises.  The exercises we’ll be learning about are the exercises that often get left out of all levels classes for a few reasons. They get left out because quite honestly there’s not always time to do ALL the exercises in a 50 minute class.

They also get left out because even though there are versions available to ANY body, the full expression of the exercise is not always suitable for ANY body. As teachers we know that even though we teach students to work at “their working level” if we are teaching a group of students it’s practically irresistible for clients to not try the most advanced version…even though it could potentially be unsafe or not right for their body. Because safety and making sure the entire class gets a great whole body workout is always a teacher’s first priority, the advanced exercises don’t always get taught…because you don’t necessarily need them to accomplish those two things. 

If you want to keep progressing in the Pilates method, having an understanding of these advanced exercises and the skills that are needed to do them will help you progress in all of your exercises. You’ll feel more comfortable in your all levels Pilates Mat classes and you’ll be confident in your ability to take an intermediate or advanced level class if you want to practice these exercises more often.

This workshop will explain the intermediate and advance exercises and you’ll learn how you can do a basic version of the exercise with the skills you already know how to do.

You’ll walk away with a new appreciation of the exercises you are already doing and ideas on how you can easily start challenging yourself in a safe way to keep progressing in the method. 

Reserve Your Spot

Frustrated with Foot Pain?

Are you dealing with foot pain that just won’t go away? Maybe you are starting to get bunions, have chronic tightness, plantar fasciitis or even just chronic cramping in your feet and calves.  Maybe you’ve tried a few solutions that just didn’t work and have decided just to deal with the pain and discomfort? 

The Healthy Feet Workshop is designed to equip you and empower you with knowledge and tools you can use to help your feet feel better.  What happens in our feet and ankles effects everything else in our body.  You’ll learn how you can use the Pilates principles and philosophies of creating uniform development in your body to make lasting changes.  You will walk away being inspired and motivated to start adding simple movement tools into your life that will keep your feet healthy! 

You don’t need to have foot pain to benefit from this workshop but if you have dealt with or are dealing with Plantar Fasciitis, bunions, hammer toes, heel pain or any foot discomfort you will especially love this workshop!! 

Here’s what one of our previous participants had to say about the workshop:

I was impressed by the workshop! I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when my friend asked me to go…after seeing a podiatrist and physical therapist for the past year, I figured the workshop might be more of the same stretches & that I had previously been told. I am excited to try all the different things you taught us to do with the balls.

January 27th at 2pm

$20

Register here to reserve your spot!