Tag Archive for: Pilates Coralville iowa

Inspiration of the Month – Kathleen

Kathleen Knutson IOM
Inspiration of the Month
Kathleen Knutson

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
I starting taking Pilates classes at Rivercity a little over a year ago. I had sporadically taken large group mat classes over the years at various gyms but was looking for a smaller studio to get better instruction on the proper form of Pilates.
How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?  
I usually take 2 classes a week, one equipment and one mat. I would like to fit in one more this fall/winter per week as my schedule allows.
What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 

I’ve really noticed positive differences in my balance, range of motion and strength. Especially in my neck and core.  Core strength is important to me because I have moderate scoliosis.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?    
Any exercise that involves stretching my spine one way and then the other are my favorites. Feels great!
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
Pilates is a great alternative to traditional strength training such as cross fit or HIIT.  There’s less risk of injury.  Cardio is also very important.  I very much enjoy taking Jazzercize classes in Cedar Rapids too.

Breath Inspired Pilates Mat Workout

Our focus this month has been on breath.    This 15 minute Pilates Mat Workout focuses on using the full capacity of your breath, coordinating your breath with your movements and just plain breath awareness!

 

Pilates Travel Workout

Here’s a quick and effective Pilates Workout for you with a theraband!

 

Zumba and Pilates? Why do we offer Zumba at Rivercity Pilates?

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Picture of people doing zumba at Rivercity PilatesHave you heard of Zumba?  Zumba totes itself as “Pretty much the most awesome workout ever. Dance to great music, with great people, and burn a ton of calories without even realizing it”.   It’s a total workout, combining all elements of fitness – cardio, muscle conditioning, balance and flexibility.

As a Pilates and Yoga studio we focus on being a place where our clients can come in and have a great movement experience that leaves them walking out of our doors feeling better in their bodies then when they came in.  So when we were looking to grow our offerings and offer some cardio based classes in our studio… Zumba seemed like the perfect fit! Here’s our top 5 reasons why we love ZUMBA and are hoping you do too!!

  1. It’s Beginner Friendly! Never been to Zumba before? Don’t worry! Zumba is taught for the beginner in mind and it doesn’t matter if this is your 1st or 100th Zumba class.
  2. It’s never boring!  We all know that cardio can be boring some days.  Even though we know how good it is for our bodies and minds…It’s hard to motivate yourself to get that walk or jog in, it’s a challenge to jump on your bike or even toss in a DVD to do a workout.  The great thing about Zumba class is that it’s fun and before you know it you’ve been moving and dancing for 50 minutes, burning lots of calories and having fun at the same time!
  3. The Music!   The heart pumping Latin music will leave you feeling energized!!  It’s been proven that music can change your mood and make you feel better in your body and we agree!!
  4. It does not have to be perfect!  If you are someone who feels uncoordinated in a step class or always get those dance steps mixed up….it doesn’t matter.  You’ll find with Zumba that you can easily follow along even if dancing isn’t your best skill!  You’ll be encouraged to move at your own pace, do what you can and just keep moving to the music!
  5. The People!   Exercise with other people who are learning Zumba and getting their cardio in at Rivercity Pilates.   We laugh, we sweat, and most of all – we get healthier!

Are you looking for some fun cardio to spice up your workout routine? Then Zumba is just for you!

Check out our Zumba class schedule and click here to sign up for a class today!

  • Mondays at at 11:00 am
  • Wednesdays at 9 :00 am
  • Fridays at 8:00 am
  • Sundays at 9 am

 

 

Why do you always start with my feet?

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One of my newer private clients asked me the other day ago,” Why do you always have me do these exercises with my feet at the beginning of our session?”  The exercises I was having her do can be seen in the video below and use a small ball to roll your feet out.  She liked the exercises and was even doing them at home, and more than anything was curious about why I always had her do them.

My answer: Your feet, and the tissues and muscles in your feet have a direct effect on how the rest of your body moves! By starting with the feet we are giving the rest of your body the best possible prep to move it’s best and get the most out of your session.  As an example I had her do the ball exercises on one foot first.  Then she did a slow standing roll down to check in with how the backs of her legs felt.  She was amazed at how just by rolling out her foot, her muscles in the back of her leg on that side felt looser and less stiff!  If you haven’t tried this yet…go do it now!!

If you’ve never really thought about your feet in terms of how they impact how the rest of your body feels….it’s worth a little examination!  Join me for my Healthy Feet Workshop On Saturday, August 26th at 10:30 a.m. and learn why you should pay attention to your feet and walk away with lots of simple exercises and movements you can use to keep your feet healthy and happy!!

 

Tips for Pilates teachers from my 14 year old son…

My son just turned 14, and like any 14 year old boy one of the first things he wanted to do is get his driving permit.  As a parent having my kid driving kind of terrifies me, but I knew that I wanted him to be a good driver and the best way to give him those skills was to get as much practice time as possible.  So I made a pact with myself to try to go out daily with him to start the learning process.  I figured I am a natural teacher…I spend my days teaching movement and Pilates to clients who often have no movement experience at all….how hard could teaching driving be?  I made a vow to be as patient as I could, try not to yell and give him lots of positive encouragement.

Before I tell you more, let me say overall I love our driving practice time.  Caden and I don’t share a lot of common interests these days and I feel like as he gets older it’s harder and harder to find things we can do together. I always feel like our driving time connects us a little more and I really enjoy it. That being said…I’m not going to lie….the first few times we drove were quite the experience.  Very quickly I realized I was not in control and there was only so much I could do to help him figure out what he needed to figure out.  I had to figure out how to calmly use my voice and my words to help Caden figure out what he needed to do, when he needed to do it and how he should do it.  So many times I wanted to be able to push the break pedal or turn the wheel for him…but I couldn’t!

I drive so much that I truly had forgotten what it was like to be starting from the beginning to learn to drive!  I had to go back to the basics and walk through all of the things that I do without thinking…gradually speeding up and slowing down (instead of slamming the brakes!), when to turn on your turn signal, how to keep your eyes on the road but still be aware of traffic behind you, knowing your speed limit, etc. And even bigger than instructing him on all of that stuff I have to give him time to practice and use what I’m telling him without freaking out too much!  As long as safety is not an issue..I kind of have to let him figure out things by practicing imperfectly.

And if me feeling very out of control wasn’t enough…he started asking questions while he was driving…How times should I turn the wheel when I turn? Is it a quarter turn, half turn or what?  How does the car work when you put it into reverse?  Is it illegal to drive without shoes? Those are just a few of the ones I remember because I did not have a quick answer for them when he asked.

This whole experience reminds me of watching my new teacher trainees as they start to learn to teach Pilates and movement to others.  By the time the trainees are teaching others they are very experienced with the movements in their own body and have a great understanding of what the goals of the exercise are and technically how do it it..but the challenging part comes when you have to teach someone else how to do it.  The teaching path is never as easy as just tell them how to do it …   Everyone learns differently so you have to prepared to give lots of different ways for a clients to learn something in their body.  And then even harder is you have to give the time and space to figure it out.  You have to let them do it “wrong”  or “not exactly perfect” as long as it’s not going to hurt them so that they can learn what they need to do.  And you can’t overload them with corrections and explanations or they will get frustrated and probably not want to keep trying!

Here’s a quick list of my favorite teaching tips I was reminded of by my son:

  1. Be prepared to have lots of different ways to teach each exercise.
  2. Keep them safe first.
  3.  Once you’ve presented the exercise and the information…let them practice and practice and practice and practice.
  4. Don’t overwhelm them with corrections.
  5. Give lots of positive feedback when they do something correctly.
  6. Be prepared to answer questions (that may or may not really affect them learning the skill you are teaching)!
  7. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t “get it” right away.  One of your most important jobs as a teacher is to make the experience fun, enjoyable and encouraging so they stick with it.  Any new skill takes time to learn, they will get it eventually if they stick with it!