Tag Archive for: BME

Pilates can help you ….Breathe Better

Maybe you’ve never even thought about how you breathe and how it affects your health…if not you should! Joseph Pilates talked a lot about the importance of learning to breath correctly in his book, Return to Life.  Joseph Pilates said,” Breathing is the first act of life and our last and our very life depends on it. It is deplorable to contemplate about the millions and millions who have not mastered the art of correct breathing.”   The Pilates method of exercised is based on the fundamental idea of learning to breathe fully and properly and to use breath to help our body movements more efficiently!  Want to learn about some more benefits of practicing your breath?  Check out this great article about all of the reasons you might want to learn to breathe better:

 

http://breathing.com/articles/benefits.htm

#RealPeople Fitness goals: No Shrinking!

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One of my clients said to me,” I decided I have a new goal: I want to maintain my height as I age!”   I LOVE that!  What a great goal!  Did you know that Research from the Baltimore Longi­tudinal Study of Aging found  average woman between 30 and 70 loses 2 inches?   What if you decided to keep your body healthy, strong and tall as you aged as one of your fitness goals?  What would that look like?  

First let’s look at why we shrink as we age.  What actually causes you to get shorter as you age?

  • You can lose height because the discs between the vertebrae in the spine dehydrate and compress
  • The aging spine can also become more curved, and vertebrae can collapse (called a compression fracture) due to loss of bone density (osteoporosis).
  • Loss of muscles in the torso can also contribute to stooped posture.
  • Even the gradual flattening of the arches of the feet can make you slightly shorter.

So what can we do to slow the shrinking process?

You may be able to slow shrinkage by taking steps that will help protect your bones and muscles.Things like consuming adequate calcium, vitamin D, and other bone-healthy nutrients; not drinking alcohol to excess; and not smoking will help! Doing weight bearing exercise and strengthening the muscles that support your spine is also very important.

 If you are wondering what type of exercises might fall in to this description, let me tell you about my favorite two!  

#1 is walking.  I love walking as part of your fitness and health plan because it really doesn’t take a lot of special effort or equipment.  All you need is you and a place to walk.  It’s also a skill that we all already have so you don’t have to learn anything new. Besides being a great weight bearing whole body exercise it is also great fro keeping your heart healthy.  

My other favorite type of exercise is Pilates.  The Pilates method of exercise is designed to teach you how to strengthen your body in a way that strengthens and balances out the muscles along your spine which is exactly what we all need as we age to help us shrink less.  Many of the Pilates exercises are designed to move your spine in a way that actually hydrates the disc in between the vertebrae, helping you maintain a healthy spine.  All of the exercises focus on moving from your center and strengthening your core muscles that help you maintain your great posture and avoid stooping.  The exercise method also focuses on always working in alignment which basically means every time you are doing Pilates your are practicing your strengthening your ” good posture muscles”. 

Want to learn more about how learning the Pilates method can help you keep your height?  Give us a call and schedule your complimentary private session today!  

 

 

 

 

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/preventive-care/article/why-you-shrink-you-age

 

 

 

 

 

An Introduction to Mindfulness

 

I am very excited to focus on mindfulness at Rivercity Pilates this month. I have to admit, a few months ago I am not sure I really understood mindfulness. I am still not sure I do, but I am excited to share a few insights from my experience taking the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program through the University of Iowa.

When I signed up for the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program, I was apprehensive and not entirely sure what I was getting myself in to….What is mindfulness? How do I achieve it? What will it do for me? What I learned is there are many possible answers to these questions.

While my understanding of mindfulness continues to evolve, after participating in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program, I have some initial answers to my questions.

What is mindfulness? According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness is the awareness that comes from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

How do I achieve it? Mindfulness is a practice, not a destination. It is a way of living. In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, being mindful is simple but not easy.

A few ways that we practiced mindfulness during the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program include a guided body scan, meditation, mindful eating, mindful movement, and paying attention to our senses (smelling, tasting, feeling, seeing, and hearing) during events throughout the day.

What will it do for me? There are many potential benefits of practicing mindfulness, including decreased stress, decreased chronic pain, decreased anxiety, improved anger management, and improved quality of life. Personally, practicing mindfulness is helping me become more responsive rather than reactive. It is helping me focus on the present, rather than dwelling in the past or worrying about the future. It is helping me become a little less judgemental with myself by focusing on the process rather than the outcome. And for all of that, I am grateful.

“Mindfulness means seeing things as they are, without trying to change them.  The point is to dissolve our reactions to disturbing emotions, being careful not to reject the emotion itself.  Mindfulness can change how we relate to, and perceive our emotional states.”

Tara Bennet-Goldmen,PhD in Emotional Alchemy

For more information about mindfulness programs at the University of Iowa, visit https://uihc.org/mindfulness-programs

Should I be in a more advanced Pilates class?

I teach a weekly class that I call Return to Life on the Mat. In this class we practice the entire advanced Pilates Mat sequence that Joseph Pilates created in a very flowing tempo.  Most of the classes on our group class schedule are considered all levels, but Return to Life is not and because of that I require that students be approved by a teacher to take the class.  This is because we do exercises that are often not taught in an all levels class and the pace is pretty quick so there is not a lot of time as a teacher for me to stop and “teach” an exercise to an individual body who has not done it before.  As a teacher it’s always first on my list to keep all students safe in their body.  Truly this class flows enough that at the end of class your heart rate is often raised and you are dripping with sweat as if you just went for a brisk walk or run! If the challenge of being able to safely practice the advanced mat sequence is something you would love to do, definitely talk to me or your teacher about how we can help you get there!

Now that I’ve told you all about the advanced Pilates Mat class, I have something VERY important to tell you:

There is absolutely no need to be able to do advanced Pilates Mat exercises to get the amazing benefits of a Pilates practice in your life!!  

If you practice Pilates on a regular basis I probably don’t need to tell you this.   You’ve probably had some “aha” moments in your practice when you say to yourself:

“The more I learn about how to move my body correctly, the harder the exercises are!”

“I think that going slow and at a “beginners” pace today was harder than when we have more flow?!”

You can practice Pilates for your entire lifetime without doing the “advanced exercises” and you will still feel amazing in your body and you will still be progressing! 

The reason so many of our classes are “all levels” is that you don’t need to do a more advanced exercise to improve your Pilates practice.  When you practice Pilates exercises on a regular basis, when you learn to focus and concentrate more on each movement and be more precise, you are advancing in your Pilates practice!  And I’m guessing you’ve probably noticed that and said to yourself, “Why is this Pilates thing feeling more challenging the more I do it?!”.   It’s because you are progressing, improving and becoming a better, more efficient mover who is stronger and more balanced in their body.

The goal of your Pilates practice is not (or should not!) be to “get to a certain level” or to be able to do a particular exercise.  The goal is to move your body in a way that brings balance and uniform development to your body, which in turn allows your body to function at its best.  I believe the best way to achieve that goal is to find movement classes that you enjoy coming to and create an at home practice that supports your goal to create optimum health in your body.  Probably the most challenging part about a Pilates practice that I see in clients is consistency.  The method itself is amazing, and if you practice on a regular basis you will feel results and reap daily benefits from it.  But let’s face it…life gets crazy and movement and exercise time is often one of the things that easily gets thrown aside.  If you want to make a commitment to advancing your Pilates practice simply make a commitment to keep practicing!!

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Practice Pilates with Precision?

 
This month’s studio focus is the idea of “Precision” in your movement practice. For me, precision is simply fine tuning.  Precision is the challenge of continuing to practice a movement so that each time I do it, it gets a little better and I get a little bit “more” out of the exercise.  Precision is what keeps my mind occupied when I’m doing an exercise that I’ve done thousands of times.  Precision is also what creates movements that are controlled and refined.
Precision is one of the qualities of a Pilates practice that I believe really sets it apart from other movement modalities.  Our focus is rarely how many reps can we get in, or how fast can we move.  Our focus is on how we can move in a way that coordinates our breath and movement and use our muscles in a balanced way to move with ease.
As a Pilates teacher I am talking about precision in relationship to my Pilates practice, but the great thing about this idea of precision is that you can apply it to practically any movement practice.  If you are flowing through a Yoga pose or lifting a weight I think you’ll find that just changing your mindset to think about precision takes any movement you are doing to another level.  It makes it a little more challenging, it helps you move with more ease, with more balance and it helps you move better!

The one piece of fitness equipment that trains EVERY body….

I think we could all agree that not all workouts are for EVERY body.  For example….running is not the best choice for EVERY body.  If you are overweight or have knee or hip issues…running is not going to feel good on your body and its not necessarily good for it as it may exacerbate pre-existing conditions.  Another example…if you have low back problems, jumping into a fitness program that does a lot of burpees and planks may actually make your back pain worse if you are not using good form.  Yet if you are an elite athlete, or fairly healthy with no pre-existing conditions this might be the perfect type of workout for you.  I truly believe there is not one exercise program that is the perfect fit for EVERY body…although I do think there might just be a piece of equipment that effectively trains EVERY body- the Pilates Reformer.  Let me explain.

The Universal Reformer, as inventor Joseph Pilates called it was truly designed to be adaptable to train EVERY body.

Here’s some examples:

For the overweight person who is just starting to exercise, the Reformer provides a supportive place to strengthen the entire body without strain.

  • Many exercises are done lying down on a moving carriage hence giving the body a way to strengthen the muscles without the weight bearing in knees and hip joints that can cause pain and discomfort.
  • The adjustable spring tension allows clients to be really supported in their movements (no straining!) and slowly progress as they strengthen.
  • The design of the reformer allows practitioners to strengthen their core muscles in non traditional ways( ie no sit ups!!).

For the overall healthy, fit person the Reformer works with the individual to challenge their strength, flexibility and balance in a very safe progressive manner giving them what I like to call the most bang for their buck.  You know… a super effective all over body workout that doesn’t take 4 hours..

  • The Reformer is designed to “work with the body” giving it feedback on how balanced it is and how it could work most efficiently.  This feedback from the spring based Reformer system allows practitioners to make adjustments in their alignment and muscles engagement quicker.  This constant feedback system is kind of like having a great coach giving you constant positive feedback as you workout about how you can get more out of your workouts.  The results are increased strength, balance and flexibility quicker than traditional strength training or flexibility workouts.
  • The Reformer exercise sequences are designed to challenge the body and your brain.  For most this means that this highly effective workout has the side effect of reducing stress and leaving you feeling energized after spending your workout coordinating your movements with your purposeful breath.
photo by getty images

Jake Arietta, Pitcher Chicago Cubs

For the elite athlete looking to improve their performance:

  • The feedback from the Reformer allows athlete to quickly identify patterns and movement habits in their body that are affecting their specific sport movements.
  • Many sport specific movements can be imitated on the reformer….giving the athlete’s body a chance to strengthen and balance their body specifically for their sport.
  • There are a variety of advanced exercises in the Reformer series that I’m pretty sure Joseph Pilates designed with an elite athlete in mind.  To get to these exercises you really have to develop the entire body uniformly and have a uniform combination of strength, flexibility and balance. The challenge of these exercises allows athletes to truly take their bodies to the “next level” of competition.
  • The Reformer Sequence is designed to challenge the mind and the body equally and everyone knows that the mind is just as important as the body when it comes to being able to excel at any sport at a high level.  The Reformer could be considered mind training for athletes!!

Curious about what the Pilates reformer could do for you?  Our Beginner Reformer 4 week series starts every 4-6 weeks.    Let us know if you’re interested! We’d love to introduce you to this fabulous piece of equipment!!