Tag Archive for: Pilates Iowa City

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Travel Pilates

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img_4474I was traveling this week and so besides getting my workouts in at home and the studio I got to practice a little travel Pilates. Travel Pilates for me is a combination of anything and everything I do in the form of movement to keep my body feeling healthy and happy when I travel. Here’s just a few of the things I do:

1. Airport Pilates : I know that sitting on a plane for almost 3 hours is not always my body’s favorite thing so I try to get my body moving and stretching before I have to sit in those every so comfortable little seats! I try to walk around just to be moving and then while I’m sitting at the gate waiting to board I sneak in things like:

  • Seating Hamstring stretches (I stretch my legs straight in front of me and hinge forward at the waist with a flat back)
  • Seated spine movements(like cat but sitting up!)
  • Neck stretches
  • Seated Mermaid stretches

2. Airplane Pilates: Once I get on the plane my space is of course limited a little more, but I still try to sneak some movement in. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Shoulder Rolls
  • Seated spine movements again!
  • Foot/Ankle circles
  • Using my Yoga Tune Up therapy balls to sit on or lean against
  • Wiggling and adjusting my posture!

3. Anywhere Mat Pilates: When I travel I try to sneak some Pilates Mat work in whenever I can. This trip I found myself sneaking in some Mat work while I laid on my pool chair soaking in some sun and watching my daughter play in the pool! I also like to just throw a towel on the floor or even lay on the hotel bed and sneak in some of my favorite exercises.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPfVPswgz89/?taken-by=rivercitypilates

I love that I can take my Pilates practice with me wherever I go by just getting a little creative! I consider my Pilates practice part of my self care plan that keeps me and my body healthy and happy even when I’m traveling!!

Crohn’s, Pilates & Life : Have you been to the hospital since I saw you last?

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book-3Let’s start with the hospital question. I’m not sure how many times it has happened over the last 15 months that Kelly just never told me she had spent the previous night or day at the ER, the hospital or all day at doctor’s appointments before our session. The first few times when it happened I was in complete disbelief when I found out later. I haven’t been in the hospital for myself since my eight year old was born…. so to think that someone would spend a night in the ER and then come to their Pilates session and not even mention it to their Pilates instructor… was kind of unbelievable to me. It drives me a little crazy when someone forgets to write on their health intake form about the arm they broke 8 years ago….so forgetting to tell me you were in the hospital yesterday or even 2 or 3 days ago seems inconceivable.  Could someone possibly think that my planning of what we were going to do in a Pilates session wouldn’t be at all affected by a hospital trip?!

I’m what someone might call an intuitive teacher. So usually I make decisions about what my client’s session will be like as I’m working with them.  I pay attention to how they are moving when they walk in the door, how their body moves as we warm up and always adjust as I go.  So looking back on the days when Kelly “forgot to tell me”  I’m always hopeful that my intuition served me well and I didn’t do anything that left Kelly feeling worse!

Needless to say, I always start my sessions with Kelly with a quick check in question, “Have you been in the hospital or saw the doctor since I last saw you?”  It’s a little bit of a joke between us now and of course she knows me well enough that she is pretty good about keeping me updated on those things (like hospital visits) that could affect her movement!

The more I get to really know Kelly…. I finally am starting to get it.  I am starting to understand better why she might not even have thought to tell me or maybe just didn’t want to tell me about her hospital time. It’s a great lesson for me as a teacher in empathy and the value of truly getting to know someone so you can start to see things from their perspective.

Hospital time and doctor time is pretty much part of Kelly’s life. She’s in pain every day.  As much as she tries to just live a “normal” life, she can’t.  The effects of the Crohn’s are always there.  She doesn’t really know what it feels like to not be in pain or to not have to worry about her health.  Her amazing positive attitude and her drive to succeed in everything she does goes along way in hiding her struggles with Crohn’s, but it is always there.

What Kelly probably wants more than anything is to just be able to move, workout and live life without having to deal with all the crap that goes along with dealing with Crohn’s.  And I can’t blame her for trying to just keep going, thinking that maybe if she ignores it all it will just get better or go away.  As her teacher I try to remind Kelly that part of “our work” in life is to learn to deal with what we are given and make the best of it.  When it comes to her movement practice that means that she has to pay attention to her body, acknowledge how it’s feeling on any given day and she needs to think of movement as a tool to make her life better and not just a workout.  That’s all a lot easier said than done, and I know that.  So I’ll just continue to remind her and we’ll practice in our sessions incorporating these ideas into everything we do!

Be sure to check in to our next blog where I talk about the second question I always ask Kelly at the start of each session: “How much running and biking have you done since I saw you last?”

 

 

Pilates Cadillac teacher training starts in February!  

Upcoming Workshops:
Pilates Cadillac Teacher Training
Two workshops – 12 hours $450

Saturday February 18th  12 pm to 6pm
Saturday, February 25th 12 pm to 6 pm

Prerequisite: Completion of Module 1 (Pilates Mat training)

  • Complementing the Pilates Mat & Reformer is the repertoire of the Cadillac/Pole System. This adds an array of exercises to give the teacher additional tools to use when working with clients. We will look on proper technique, modifications for client issues and compensations, safety, teacher spotting and anatomy as it relates to the exercises
  • This workshop will give you the tools to teach Cadillac/ Tower System individually as well as in a small class setting
  • Training Manual: $25
The highly regarded Body Precision Teaching Training Programs specializes in teaching the classical Pilates method of exercise to any body.
For more information, click here or schedule a time to talk in person with Carey about training opportunities.
Contact us at: rcpilates1@gmail.com or 319.665-2499.

Crohn’s, Pilates & life: A teacher’s story

img_6127This week I’m kicking off a joint blog project with one of my students. Kelly has been taking Pilates with me for more than a year ( 15 months to be exact..) and our journey as teacher and student has definitely has been a huge learning experience for me. I work with lots of clients who experience different conditions in their body and I really love how each experience makes me a better teacher and hopefully a better person as I work to teach each client the power of mindful movement in their life.

If you teach movement I’m guessing you’ll be able to relate to my journey with Kelly. If you are living with a chronic disease or condition or maybe just know someone who is…I think you’ll relate to Kelly’s journey and hopefully be inspired by how we are working together to help her live the life she’s been given in the most empowering, inspiring way. And although this journey started with Pilates and much of our writing will talk about our experiences in the studio… I think you’ll find that our stories always come back to things much bigger than just a workout. I’m a believer that movement heals and I’m hoping our stories will inspire you to believe that too!

As we head into our blog series I wanted to start by giving you a little back ground about where Kelly and I are in our teacher/ student relationship. In my next blog I’ll be talking about why I start each session by making it a point to ask Kelly if she has been in the hospital since I last saw her and if she has been doing any running or biking and how much. ( a crazy combination right?) Check in with my blog to hear the rest of this story!

Worried about your plank?

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plank4A common question I get from clients new to Pilates is, “Are we going to be doing a lot of planks? They really hurt my wrists or my back or….fill in the blank.”  The quick short answer is no.  You do not have to be able to do a plank to practice Pilates.

You see Pilates is a system of exercises that is designed to strengthen the entire body from the center out.  As you begin your Pilates practice you’ll find that the majority of the exercises are done lying on your back or your belly and focus on you figuring out how to engage from your center.

As your body starts to figure out how to engage from your center the method will continue to challenge you by asking you to do whole body movements the engage, strengthen, and increase balance in your musclature.  As you continue to progress in your own strength and balance these exercises will progress to continue to challenge you.  You will naturally progress to more challenging exercises.  Eventually you may find yourself strong and balanced enough to do exercises that require you to support your body in plank-like or side-plank like position.

I promise by the time you get to these exercises….you will be ready for them and we’ll teach you how to do them without pain or injury.

Buy some cute studio socks with that gift certificate!!

img_4882It’s the holiday season and that means gift giving season.  I don’t know about you but in the crazy hectic season of giving I often find myself giving people a gift merely to cross it off my list.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate this person or want to give them something to show them they are important in my life….it’s just that I ran out of time.   I really love to give gifts that have meaning, that are well thought out, that reflect how amazing the person is I’m giving it to, and is something they will treasure. Unfortunately, my life gets crazy and I end up buying a gift certificate for something I know they will use.  Gift certificates are not a bad thing, it’s just that I often feel like maybe I didn’t put enough thought or effort into my gift giving.

I was thinking about this idea in terms of the gift certificates we sell at the studio.  Things like Pilates, Barre  and Yoga are often considered luxuries in peoples lives.  For many people, they feel a little guilty spending $15 to $30 a session for a Pilates class when they could go to the local gym for $19.99 a month.  Yet we all know that the gym membership doesn’t do you any good if you never use it! So what an amazing gift of health you are giving someone by giving them permission to indulge in their own health.  What could be even more indulgent than the classes and sessions themselves?   Cute Socks!!  That’s right…cute grippy socks!!  Because here’s the thing…so many times our regular clients have seen the light in knowing that paying a little extra for quality instruction and something they love is totally worth it.   But they feel a little guilty about wanting to get a cute pair of grippy socks or even a shirt or pair of pants that they are merely going to work out in.  The wonderful thing about a cute pair of grippy socks or your favorite workout top is that they make you happy when you are exercising.  Feeling good about what you are wearing is sometimes just the motivation you need to take that class that you are thinking about skipping!  From a gift giving perspective, the other great thing about a cute pair of grippy socks is that every time they wear them they’ll think of you and the thoughtful gift you gave them!!

So if you’re thinking about getting someone you love a gift certificate for movement and health….don’t forget the cute grippy socks!!!

Need some gift giving ideas for someone you know?  We’d love to help!  send us an email at rcpilates1@gmail.com or call us at 319.665.2499!!