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When’s the last time you exercised your feet?

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Sometimes when I start talking about feet exercises or showing them to clients I gets some crazy looks.  I can just imagine the dialog going on in my clients head……

“I came here to do Pilates, you know…strengthen my core and tone my body so I can feel strong and energized in my life.  I can’t believe I’m paying for a Pilates session and we are doing “foot exercises”.  I’m mean really.. my feet are fine and how in the world is exercising my feet going to help me get a strong core, keep my back pain at bay and look good in my favorite jeans?  I’m not really breaking a sweat working my feet…how could this be good for me? Aren’t there more important things we should be doing?”

I get where clients are coming from.  If you’ve never thought about or been educated on the importance of your feet/ankles in relationship to how the rest of your body moves, then foot exercises probably seem ridiculous!  But I can tell you from someone who specializes in movement, it is SO important to take care of your feet!! And this doesn’t just mean taking care of them when they are hurting or are causing you pain, but taking care of them so they don’t ever cause you pain! And just in case you are wondering….paying attention to your feet CAN totally help you find proper alignment in your body, prevent injuries, strengthen the entire body more efficiently and can even help you lessen or get rid of back pain!

The wonderful thing about taking care of your feet is that it is truly not difficult and does not take a lot of time to do it.  But the little time and effort you put into your feet now can save you years of misery later in life!

Want to start learning more?  Here’s some basic foot facts that you might find interesting!!

  1. The foot and ankle contain: 26 bones (One-quarter of the bones in the human body are in the feet.); 33 joints; more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments (Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones and ligaments are fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones.)
  2. During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons, equivalent to an average of a fully loaded cement truck.
  3. 75% of Americans will experience foot problems at one time or another in their lives.   ( WOW– thats 3 out of every 4 people!!)
  4. Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.
  5. It’s rare that two feet are exactly the same; one of them is often larger than the other.
  6. Over 2 million Americans seek treatment for plantar fasciitis (heel pain) each year.
  7. Foot disorders in the elderly are extremely common and are the cause of much pain and disability, and consequent loss of mobility and independence.
  8. 1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.
  9. When walking, each time your heel lifts off the ground it forces the toes to carry one half of your body weight.  ( Who knew your toes were so strong??)
  10. Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet — so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.

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Intrigued?  Join me on for my Healthy Feet Workshop on October 6 th where we’ll dive into learning about why your feet are so important to how the rest of your body moves and you’ll learn lots of “foot exercises” that you can easily start incorporating into your life to keep your feet and body healthy throughout your lifetime!!

4 Week Beginner Pilates Mat Series

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Beginner Pilates Mat Series

4 weeks – Wednesdays at 5pm

October 3, 10, 17, 24

Everybody has to start somewhere and if you are looking to start practicing Pilates or maybe come back to your practice, this is a great place to start. The Pilates Mat for Beginners class will focus on learning the fundamental Pilates skills as it introduces participants to a beginner  mat sequence perfect for building strength and mobility in your body no matter where you are starting. By committing to 4 weeks you’ll have a chance to not just try it out but to really experience how a weekly Pilates class can change how your body feels.  This is a great class for those brand new to Pilates, those coming back to their Pilates practice and those who are wanting to just fine tune their Pilates practice.
4 week package runs from October 3-24th,   Wednesdays at 5 pm
Need to miss a class due to other commitments? No worries, you can make up the class in the next 4 week session!
Cost $49.00

October Life Inspired: Mindful Mat with Jane

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Life Inspired is our free monthly community event! This month’s class is Mindful Mat Pilates with Jane. Mindful Mat Pilates is a class focused on learning the basic Pilates Mat exercises in your body, with an emphasis on the Pilates principles of control, breath, centering and concentration. You’ll learn to adjust exercises to your individual body allowing you to achieve more strength, balance and mobility in your body.

If you are brand new to Pilates you’ll love this class as a way to learn the basics and experience how great Pilates can feel in your body. Those with Pilates experience will enjoy experiencing how focusing on the mindfulness of each exercise can help you get even more out of each exercise. You’ll walk out of class feeling refreshed, refocused and amazing in your body!

This is a free class but space is limited so please sign up ahead of time to reserve your spot! Sign up using our online scheduling system or email us at rcpilates1@gmail.com or call us at 319.665.2499 to sign up.

5 easy minutes of movement can totally change your day…

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My favorite client story this week: I was trying to be supermom this week and save a little time (not sure why I didn’t just make 2 trips!) I tried to carry all the grocery bags into the house all at once and by the time I made it in I was feeling tightness and pain in my hip and down my outer leg.   I got my roller out and spent 5 minutes rolling everything out and could just feel my sore hip ease back into place….  It didn’t bother me at all after that!

THIS IS SELF CARE!!!  And THIS is why I teach Pilates.  Don’t get me wrong… I love to move, I love to take people through a work out and I love to help people learn how to do Pilates.   But my passion for doing all of that is to help people on their journey of figuring out how to better take care of themselves.  And self care sometimes means making yourself go to Pilates class, do a workout, go for a walk, etc…. but many times it’s as simple as listening to your body and getting out your foam roller when something is tight!!  

Teaching Pilates is always more than just teaching Pilates! Here’s a quick list of some of the amazing things you can do as a pilates teacher:

  • Help others create a positive self body image
  • Teach people how to use movement as a self care practice
  • Help people use movement to de stress and relieve anxiety
  • Give people a sense of community and connection with others 
  • Give clients knowledge about how their body works and moves
  • Inspire people to make other healthy changes in their life just from being you and being an example

Want to learn more about how you can help others grow in their self care journey and in their life journey through movement?  Contact me today to set up a time to chat more about our Pilates teacher training programs and mentorship programs!! 

Why add a foam roller to your Pilates routine?

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Ever wonder what the big deal is with foam rollers?  They seem to be everywhere and so many people are talking about why they love them. We kind of think they are amazing too and wanted to share with you why you might want to consider adding in the foam roller into your Pilates practice!

  1. Core Strength.  The shape of the roller makes it just enough unstable that when you lay on it…your core muscles have to activate to keep you from falling off!  What this means to you is that you work your core muscles more and you don’t even have to think about it.
  2. Balance.  Balance is something we can always improve.  By adding in the foam roller to traditional Pilates exercises you can challenge your body to work on it’s balance in new ways.
  3. Getting rid of tension and tightness.  As a teacher I can tell you once of my biggest challenges is teaching clients how to work less in some places and how to reduce tension.  The foam roller can be a great tool used to roll out tight muscles and fascia.  When those muscles and fascia are released the rest of your exercises become better and you can do them more efficiently, creating balanced strength and flexibility quicker in your body.
  4. Life skills.  I always think of my Pilates time as “training for life” time.  I exercise so that I can move through life without getting injured and feeling great in my body. Life is not usually predictable when it comes to movement.  You need to be able to adjust when you accidentally step on a rock that twists your foot or have to balance on your tip toes to reach something on the top shelf.   Challenging your body to move in a variety of ways is always a good thing. Adding in the foam roller to your Pilates exercises challenges your body to have to move and react in different way than what you typically would in each Pilates exercise.   By mixing things up slightly and asking your body to do things a little different with the foam roller you can prepare it better for the unexpected movements that happen in life!
  5. Variety. Variety keeps you from getting bored and maybe not focusing as much as you should. Adding in a prop like the foam roller creates just enough change to an exercise that you can’t just space off and do it like you usually do!  You really have to pay attention and check in with the whole body to do the exercise well! Increased focus often means we move better, engage more muscles properly, and get more out of each exercise.  It also is a great stress reliever! 

If you are interested in what the foam roller could do for you, we have the perfect class:  Beginner Friendly Foam Roller Pilates Mat! This beginner friendly class will give you a fabulous Pilates workout while incorporating the foam roller!  You’ll have fun, and learn some ways you can use your foam roller as pat of your Pilates practice, and learn how to use it to stretch and lengthen tight muscles and fascia throughout your body!  

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July Life Inspired – Butt, Thighs, Arms and Abs, Oh my !

Life Inspired is a monthly free community event!

Friday, July 27th 6pm to 7:30pm

Butt, Thighs, Arms and Abs, Oh my! with Shannon Ottoson

Shannon’s all level Pilates Mat class: Butt, Thighs, Abs and Arms..Oh My! is guaranteed to work all those places you know you need! This is a great class for a beginner to experience the whole body workout you can get from Pilates in a way that is completely safe for your body.
This is a free event but space is limited so please sign up using our online scheduling or call us at 319.665.2499 or email us at rcpilates1@gmail.com to reserve your spot!!
Bring a friend to this free class & after class join us for a fun time!
Beverages and treats provided!
Reserve your spot today !