Tag Archive for: Pilates Coralville iowa

What can you learn from my dog Sadie?

Sadie

If you haven’t met Sadie, she’s my adorable, lovable and oh so sweet Goldendoodle! (I may be a little biased!) Sadie is the ultimate example of what I am talking about today and so I thought it was a great excuse to share a cute picture of her with you!

Have you ever noticed how animals rarely stop moving? Have you ever noticed how even if they have an injury or even an ache or pain they have a natural drive to keep moving? It’s hard to slow them down! I like to call it their “moving mindset”!

Do you have a “moving mindset”? As a movement teacher for 23 plus years I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of people over the years and I’ve been lucky enough to get to observe people’s movement and exercise time over long spans of time (5, 10, 15, even 20 years).   And when I look at the movement practices of those who have been successful at consistently adding movement time into their life long term as a health tool, there is one thing that stands out to me…their “moving mindset”.

First let me say I just made up the term “moving mindset”. Here’s my definition of it:

“Moving Mindset” : realizing that movement is a necessary component of health and wellness that keeps the body and mind happy.  Those with a moving mindset keep moving no matter what is happening in their life and their bodies.  Those with a moving mindset accept that some movement is better than than no movement. Those with a moving mindset know that having pain or an injury aren’t reasons to stop moving…these things just motivate them to get creative and move what they can.

Here’s an example:

I think that a lot of people believe that the biggest benefit of taking Pilates at a studio with a trained instructor is the knowledge the teacher has of each exercise, or maybe it’s the individualized adjustments the teacher gives you on exercises or even the inspiration you get from having a teacher encouraging you as you move.

Of course all of those things are great benefits and are fabulous…but I think probably the most important benefit you’ll get from your Pilates teacher is the gift of a “moving mindset”. 

The “moving mindset” is something that will stay with you forever where ever you are.Here’s how our Rivercity Pilates community keeps moving:

I don’t know about you, but reading about what others are doing helps motivate me and keep me inspired! Check out a few of the responses we got last week if you are looking for a little motivation!

How do I join an In-Studio Group Session?

Can I schedule myself for a group session even if I don’t attend every week? YES!!  

We have a variety of “open” small groups that happen each week at the studio. A lot of our clients do attend regularly and simply schedule ahead to reserve their spot.

Small groups are limited to 4 participants. Yet we often have a spot open in a group and you can request to join the session if there is an open spot in our Mindbody system.  This option is available in Mindbody (on the appointments tab) up until 2 hours before a session. 

After you request a session we will approve your request and send you a confirmation email to let you know that your spot is reserved.

Here’s a quick list of our weekly “open” groups that may have an opening:

  • Monday 11 am with Shelley Mockler
  • Monday 6 pm with Kimberly Burke
  • Tuesday 6:30 am with Carey Sadler
  • Tuesday 10:30 am with Carey Sadler
  • Tuesday 6 pm with Shannon Ottoson
  • Wednesday 6:30 pm  with Curtis Strahan (Pilates Mat session)
  • Thursday 10 am with Nancy Kaff (Barre & Pilates Mat Session)
  • Thursday 5:30 pm with Rachel Piper
  • Friday 6:30 am with Carey Sadler
  • Friday 10 am with Carey Sadler
  • Sunday 8:15 am with Rachel Piper

What will I be doing in these small groups?

Each session is designed to be unique to the participants who attend. Your Pilates teacher will design an individualized session using the Pilates equipment and props. Sessions are designed to help you build strength and mobility in a safe effective workout.  Sessions that are focused on Barre and Pilates Mat are noted above.

Can I join a group if I’m brand new?

If you are new to the studio and haven’t practiced Pilates with us we ask that you sign up for a complimentary private session before joining a group session.  We want to make sure we get to know you, so we can design a session that best fits your needs!  

How to schedule yourself in an in-studio group:

This video will walk you through the process of finding an opening and scheduling yourself for a semi-private group. If you have any questions, please email us.

Can Bigger Bodies do Pilates?

Carey Sadler demonstrating a Pilates exercise at Rivercity Pilates

Have you ever watched somebody doing an exercise and thought, “My body would never do that!”

You are not the only one! I bet at least a couple times a day I give people a visual example of an exercise as a way for them to learn what we are going to do and they say, “I’m not sure I can do that!”.   My response is usually, “You might be surprised, let’s just try it and see what happens.” 

Guess what almost always happens? Yep, they do the exercise.   Why did their mind tell them they couldn’t do it?

My theory is that when they watched me do it they immediately thought…my body is way different from Carey’s and so I couldn’t possibly do that. 

What their mind didn’t know is that as their teacher I only give an exercise to a client if I am pretty darn sure they will be successful at it. 

Why am I telling you this?  I’m telling you this because so many people don’t start practicing Pilates because the only images they see of someone practicing Pilates are images of people with bodies that don’t really look like theirs. 

A LOT of people are missing out on finding a way to exercise and move their body that could absolutely change their life for the better because they prejudge their ability to do that exercise method!   Myself and all of our staff at Rivercity Pilates are very passionate about sharing Pilates with EVERY body and that leads to why I’ve told you all this!

Free Pilates Class at Rivercity Pilates on October 28 -- Pilates for Bigger Bodies

I’m so excited to announce our October Free Life Inspired Virtual Community Class: Pilates for Bigger Bodies.

Pilates for Bigger Bodies
Friday, October 29 at 5:30 pm

This is a free class but you must preregister to attend! Click the button below to register!


Be sure to watch Rachel’s video (below) talking about why she’s teaching this class!  You can follow Rachel on Instagram at @size_diverse_Pilates and learn more about Pilates for Bigger Bodies.

Click here to register for this free class!

One of my favorite things…

I wish a had a dollar for every time a client says to me…”you know you were in my head the other day ago!”

I love hearing stories from clients about how they were going about their life and suddenly they heard my words in their head encouraging them to do things like pay attention to their foot and leg alignment, notice their posture or even just to move more throughout their day!

I think I love it because when I hear them say things like that I know that not only am I helping these clients stay motivated to move their bodies regularly so they feel better, I’m also teaching them how to navigate life in a different way, in a way that helps them feel empowered about their health and inspired to continuing working on it, even if I’m not around.

I also love it because I know that most of us have way too many negative, non encouraging thoughts run through our mind on a regular basis and I do believe that adding people into your life who encourage you, who inspire you to be a better person and who really believe in you can be life changing.

Empower your body ~ Inspire your life

This is our studio mission and something that all of our instructors focus on.  At Rivercity Pilates we take time to get to know you, to learn your goals, and to tailor each of our semi private or private sessions to help you reach those goals!    I remember a client telling me that she didn’t like the “big box gym” down the road, because although the memberships were less expensive, she never knew if she was doing things right, or what she needed to do to help her reach her goals!   

If you are needing someone to help you set and reach movement goals, then you really should get to know Rachel and Shannon a little better and snag one of their open session spots.  

Our teachers are highly educated in teaching movement, but in my opinion that is not their biggest gift.  

Beyond being able to teach movement these women are the kindest, most encouraging people I know!   

If you’re thinking about starting a movement program, fill out this form, and let’s chat!

Need to work on balance? Try the Pilates Chair!

When you hear Pilates Chair what do you think of?  Do visions of the ab chair infomercial come into your head?  Does it sound like something elderly people would use so that they could exercise while sitting in a chair?

The Pilates equipment called the chair was named the chair because Joe’s original design allowed you to convert this mighty piece of exercise equipment into a sitting chair when you weren’t working out on it.  Personally I think this is pretty genius from a marketing standpoint!  How many people use their treadmill for a clothes drying rack at home?  Wouldn’t it be great if that treadmill easily converted into a couch when you weren’t using it?  Seriously though, if you are someone who wants to work on balance in your movement practice…you must try the chair!

Whether you are an elite athlete or simply want to navigate day to day life without falls and injury- balance is so important!!

Like all of the Pilates equipment, the Pilates chair is designed to help you find a quicker, more efficient way to get stronger and more balanced in your body quicker.  The chair design is simply a small seat with a spring loaded paddle below the seat.  Many exercises have you positioning and balancing your body somewhere on the seat and then using the loaded paddle to challenge your balance.  The size is just big enough to give you some support, but small enough to challenge your balance and of course your core strength!

Other exercises have you standing on the floor pressing into the spring loaded paddle.  Many of these exercises challenge you do do the exercise with one arm or leg while you try to keep balance in your body.

Interested in seeing how Pilates and the Pilates equipment can help you improve your balance?  Schedule a complimentary private session at Rivercity Pilates today!!!

My back hurts!

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backpain3

I hear it all the time. “Can you just give me a few exercises I can do to make my back feel better?”

If you are looking for a quick fix I’m here to tell you there isn’t one! If you want to make changes in how your body feels you need to learn to change how you are moving your body (or not moving it).  This doesn’t happen overnight and there definitely are not magic exercises that will cure your aches and pains.

One of the biggest reasons that Pilates as an exercise method is so effective for helping people get rid of back pain is that by practicing Pilates on a regular basis you start creating a habit of paying attention to how your body moves and you start learning how you could be moving better and more efficiently.  Better movement means less pain in your body.

The good news is that a regular Pilates practice does not need to be complicated or even take a ton of time, but to really get the benefits you need to stick with it on a regular basis.  

How often should you do Pilates to relieve your back pain?
  • 2-3 Pilates classes or sessions a week
  • 1 private a month to fine tune your at home practice which consists of 10-15 exercises you can do 2-3 times at home
  • 1 Pilates class a week plus incorporating the Pilates principles into other workouts

The possibilities are endless!  Ready to get started on changing how your body moves and feels?  Contact us today to schedule a complimentary first session to learn more!!

Tag Archive for: Pilates Coralville iowa