Tag Archive for: Pilates Cedar Rapids Iowa

Client Screening and Tracking Workshop w/ Len Palombi

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Attention Pilates Instructors!!
Client Screening and Tracking Workshop w/ Len Palombi
April 29        12 to 4 p.m. 

$79 Early Bird Pricing before Apr1l 1st!


What do we do with a new client? How do we develop a program to meet their needs? How do we know if our program is working? In this workshop we will learn how to gather key information about a client. We will learn how to use that information to design a safe and effective program and we will learn how to use specific tools to track their progress and measure improvement.
Sign up online under Workshops, or let us know by email or at the front desk.


Guest Instructor Len Palombi will be teaching a  Restorative Pilates Mat Class on Saturday, April 29th at 9 am and he will be available for private sessions April 28th, 29th and 30th!   Contact Carey if you’d like to schedule a session!  

Am I doing this right?

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Carey RLBWhen people first discover Pilates I find it can be a little overwhelming!  One of the things I love about the method is that traditionally it is taught in one on one or small group atmospheres and teachers are trained to teach students to move properly so that they don’t get injured.

Because Pilates teachers are so knowledgeable about the details of each exercise they can clearly describe the goals of the exercise, the muscle engagement and the proper alignment.  With all of this knowledge being taught to them, new students often find themselves with a glassy look in their eyes, staring at their instructor saying, “Am I doing this right?”.

As teachers we know that your body can’t possibly process everything new we are throwing at you the first time you try it and that’s ok!  But what we are looking for is that you know what we are asking your body to do and that you are trying your best to do it in a way that is safe for your body.  When someone asks me this question I often start my answer by asking them how it feels in their body.  I ask them if anything hurts or is uncomfortable.  If the answer is yes then we investigate and figure how to help them move without pain.  If the answer is no than I may just ask them where they feel the exercise and we might fine tune from there.

Wondering if an exercise you are doing is right? Definitely ask your teacher or feel free to ask us questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to give you some guidance!

I don’t do bendy-twisty things…

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bendytwistyI was talking to a friend the other day ago about Pilates and mentioned I should take her with me sometime. She immediately said “Oh I don’t do any bendy and twisty stuff!” That made me laugh because I knew exactly what she meant. We’ve all seen those pictures of yogis on Instagram and Facebook with their leg wrapped around their head or in some crazy upside down position.  And let’s face it – just the thought of doing something like that makes me and most people cringe.   Then add to that that the people in those photos are usually wearing crop tops and have tall, lithe bodies — and my cringing turns to groans!   But my Pilates sessions are nothing like that!

When I think of bending and twisting I think about the fact that I like to be able to bend over and weed my garden. I want to be able to turn my head and back and looked behind me when I back out of my driveway so I don’t hit anything. I especially like it when I bend over to pet Misty and my back doesn’t hurt.  When I go to my Pilates sessions we don’t do any crazy poses or things that cause my body to hurt. In fact you might be surprised at how seemingly simple some of the movements we do look from the outside.

We spend a lot of time getting ourselves into correct body alignment and doing movements that mimic things I do in my day-to-day life.  There’s a focus on strengthening my core muscles and my teacher is always making sure that I am engaging the right muscles and not hurting myself by doing something incorrectly.  The movements are small and controlled and even though they are usually a lot of work- my body kind of feels amazing and better when I’m all done. We focus on things like knowing where my body is in space and how to find good alignment with my posture. All of these things help me in my day-to-day life feel better in my body.

So if you’re one of those people that have written off Pilates because bendy-twisty things scare you- I wish you would reconsider. Quite honestly it’s been kind of life-changing for me and it makes me happy that I’ve found an exercise method that helps me bend, twist and move in my life with ease and without as many aches and pains!

Crohn’s, Pilates and Life: How many miles have you run?

listen1Last week I talked about one of the two questions I always ask Kelly when she comes in for a session. Today I talk about the other question,” How far have you run or biked since I last saw you?”.  Now you are probably thinking, that’s seems like a pretty reasonable, expected question from your trainer or coach right?  But what I think might surprise is you why I ask Kelly that question.   Sure, part of the reason I ask her is because I want to know what she has been doing with her body.  I want to know if tightness or patterns I see in her movement are from her biking and running or if they are more related to what is going on in her body from her Crohns and Fibromyalgia.

More important than what is going on physically in her body, I ask Kelly that question because I want to know how she is doing from an emotional state.  You see Kelly, like many people with chronic diseases deals with depression and anxiety on a regular basis and it’s not something she likes to talk about (who does?).  She has figured out though that movement and exercise can help her better deal with these issues and often turns to them as a health tool.  In so many ways…this is amazing!  There are a lot of choices and options of how to deal with depression, anxiety and stress in your life and exercise is definitely a pretty positive one!

kellyrunThe only down side to using exercise is that sometimes( Ok..many times!)  Kelly over does it.   In an attempt to feel better emotionally she runs 10 miles or bikes 50 and then her physical body pays the toll for it in the days after.  One of the many reasons I think Pilates has been so great for Kelly is that she can get the emotional benefits of a movement practice without all of the harsh effects of hours of running or biking.

So what do I do as Kelly’s teacher when she tells me she ran a half marathon the day before?  I usually try to do what I would call a “listen to your body” movement session.  We slow down, we listen to what her body is telling her and me and we try to do things that it needs.

listen2This is my attempt as a teacher to help Kelly figure out how to listen to her own body.  My attempt to help her figure out that she is so much more capable than she realizes at figuring out what her body needs and giving her permission to do whatever that is.  Giving permission seems like a funny phrase when it comes to movement, but I think it’s appropriate.  I think so many people feel like there is a rule book of what you need to do to be in shape, be healthy and fit.  The only rule is you listening to your body and doing what works for you, what makes your body and life feel the best.

Tips to help you with your Cadillac Roll Down!


The Roll Down on the Cadillac is a great exercise for gaining more mobility in the spine as well as strengthening the core and shoulder stabilizers.

This video will highlight the basics of the exercise including how to set up and breathing. It will also give you some fine-tuning tips so that you can get more out of each exercise.

If you liked our tips, be sure to click like above and share the Pilates wisdom with your friends!

 

Fabulous Pilates Mat Mini Workout

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Here’s a mini mat workout you can do at home. When it comes to creating a Pilates habit, one of the most important things is to just do it. We know that with your busy schedules it’s not always easy to get in for a full class.

When working out at home try to work on your flow and transition from one exercise directly into the next. This mini workout will take you less than 10 minutes – so there’s no excuses to not sneak it in :).

We’ve also listed the exercises and traditional repetitions for you below. If you consistently do this workout you will start to know the movements in your body and not even need the video!

Hundreds– 10 breaths or 100 pumps of the arms

Roll up – 5 to 8 reps

Single Leg Circles – 5 in each direction

Rolling Like a Ball – 5 to 8 reps

Stomach Series:

Single Leg Stretch– 5 each leg

Double Leg Stretch – 5 each

Scissors – 5 each

Double Leg Lower Lift – 5 each

Elbow to Knee – 5 each side

Spine Stretch – 5-8  reps

Try it out and let us know what you think!   If you like it- be sure to click like and share it with your friends so they can try it too!