Tag Archive for: Pilates Iowa City

Inspiration of the Month Audrey O’Hara

,
audrey october iom
When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
 
Heather (Thorpe) was talking to me about the Pilates studio and said she needed a person to come in for her training and then my hair designer, Ari Bult, was talking about it a day later and so I decided to try it out and started working out with Heather. I was very very sore after my sessions with Heather in the first weeks and realized that I needed help to get my health back in order. The more I went, the better I felt, and the more I craved it. People noticed a change in me in regards to my posture, strength, and my new found love for Pilates movements in general. I have not stopped recommending it to everyone since! I believe Pilates will be a way of life for me now. LOVE IT!!!
 
What benefits have you seen by committing to a regular Pilates practice? 
 
I have a lot more stamina and flexibility and love seeing my progress. I do not want to grow older without making some kind of effort to take care of myself and my own well being.
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?
 
Jackknife has become one of my favorites because I can feel myself getting my spine in realignment without the help of anyone else. My balance has also improved tremendously. It is now a lifestyle change for me that I plan on doing for a lifetime. It has really enhanced the quality of my life and now I cannot live without Pilates!
(Audrey’s demonstrating jackknife in the photo above.)
What would you say to someone thinking about starting Pilates?
 
I would recommend to anyone who is interested in Pilates to try private sessions first to get the movements down before trying classes. I think the one-on-one is very beneficial before trying classes. You won’t regret it!
 

The Pilates Push up

 

 

The Pilates Push up is a great all over body exercise that ties together all of the Pilates Principles.  The push up itself is a great exercise, but this Pilates version will teach you how to work on your balance and control and make an exercise out of the act of getting into the push up position as well as getting out of it.

Be sure to watch the video, try your own variation of the Pilates push-up and let us know how it goes!  If you liked this video be sure to share it with your friends!

3 quick and easy ways to make sure you get your Pilates and Yoga classes in!

We hear it all the time…..I feel so much better after class.  I almost didn’t come to class, but now IMG_2605I’m so glad I did.

We  know that many times the hardest part is just getting here.  Sure class can be a challenge, but the focused movement and breathing are sure to leave you energized, de-stressed and feeling empowered if you could just get to class.

 

Here’s our top 3 ways to make sure you get to class:

1.  Put it in your schedule!  Whether you use your iphone or an old fashioned calendar, if its not written down or typed into your schedule it’s too easy to skip.  Make a commitment to schedule your classes or sessions ahead of time and put them into your calendar.

2.  Have your clothes ready to go.  Make sure you have your clothes ready to go so you have no excuses if you’re running a little behind.  Some people even leave an extra set of clothes in their car so they don’t have to worry about it.

3.  Find a friend to commit to a class with you.  Just knowing that your friend will be expecting you for class will keep you motivated to keep your commitment.  It’s also a nice little treat to have some quality time before, after and even during class with a good friend.

 

 

 

 

Try this quick but oh so effective Pilates move- the Plank!

,

The plank is great for overall strengthening of your body and really prepares your body to do some of the more challenging Pilates exercises.  Make sure you really focus on your form by incorporating your Pilates fundamentals like engaging your deep abdominal muscles, breathing, and stabilizing your shoulders(don’t sink into the shoulders!).

Try one of these variations each day this month! See if you can progressively hold the pose a little while longer, but be sure to come out of the plank if you are straining your low back, shoulders, or wrists.

When you finish, you can sit back in a child’s pose or turn onto your back and hug your knees into your chest to stretch out your low back.

Pilates Inspiration Denise

denise

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I started Pilates in June of 2013.  Katie Wera, the Cancer Care Coordinator from Mercy Hospital in Iowa City was my inspiration.  Ms. Wera is a dedicated and hard working cancer care coordinator who is truly concerned about her patients.

Soon after my bi-lateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments to treat breast cancer, I hired a personal trainer to help me regain strength, flexibility, and the full range of motion in my arms and shoulders.  My trainer’s main focus was on my weight.

After working with the trainer for one year I was getting discouraged because I was recovering from my third injury from working out with her.  In addition, my range of motion, strength, and flexibility was not improving significantly despite working out three to five times a week with her.

Katie suggested that I try Pink Ribbon Pilates at Rivercity Pilates in North Liberty, Iowa.

What benefits have you seen by committing to a regular Pilates practice?

My flexibility and range of motion are back to normal.  My strength is almost back to normal and I have lost 35 pounds.  In addition, my coordination, balance, core strength, and self-esteem have improved.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

My favorite thing about Pink Ribbon Pilates is… I look forward to going.  Additionally, Pink Ribbon Pilates is geared specifically for recovering Breast Cancer patients.

Carey is very knowledgeable about what is safe and appropriate for her recovering cancer patients to do.  Carey is also enthusiastic and motivating. She has the ability to give me the confidence to try any exercise.  As soon as I can easily do an exercise she challenges me by making it harder in an effort to improve my strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance.

What would you say to a cancer survivor who is thinking about doing Pilates?

I would highly recommend Pink Ribbon Pilates, at Rivercity Pilates.  Carey has helped me empower my new body and inspired my life.

 

Learn more about our Pink Ribbon program for breast cancer survivors by clicking here!

Did you schedule your ME time?

time-quoteI don’t know about you, but about this time every year I find myself asking, “Where did summer go?”  Summer is one of my favorite times of the year and it always seems to go by so quickly!

I also find myself sitting down to schedule my life for the rest of the year.  I try to sit down and put EVERYTHING in my calendar.  This includes kids activities, school events, my work schedule, my husband’s schedule, family outings, and MOST IMPORTANT my ME time!

I consider ME time anything that refreshes my soul, nourishes my body and quite frankly keeps me sane!  This includes my weekly Pilates and Yoga sessions, meditating, running, walking, journaling, and other little things like time to read a book, time to catch up with friends, and just time alone.

Learning to schedule ahead has not always been my strong point and there was a time when I would really resist schedules.  I’m a little bit of a free spirit, and I enjoy being able to be spontaneous, go with the flow and not have the pressure of a schedule.  I have learned over the years to rethink how I see a schedule.

I have learned that if I want to get something done the best way to do that is to put it in my schedule.  There are always days of course, when life happens and things are not on schedule or just plain don’t get done.  But for the most part, having a specific time scheduled to do something has allowed me to be more efficient, less stressed and just plain happier.ical picture

Scheduling ME time was not something I was comfortable with at first either.  As a mom, wife, and business owner I have lots of commitments that in my mind need to come first before me.  I used to schedule everything else and then tell myself that after everything else was done then I would sneak some time for myself.

The problem was that by the time everything else got done I either ran out of time or was just too plain exhausted and didn’t have the energy to do anything for myself.  And since I wasn’t doing anything to nourish and refresh myself,  I continued to not have the energy to find that space in my life.  It was a vicious cycle that I had to change!

My own experience with scheduling was the catalyst for our Schedule Ahead Rewards Program.  I knew if scheduling ahead could help me be more committed to my health and well being, it could help others too.

The program itself is pretty simple:

We remind you every month to schedule ahead your sessions and classes.

At the beginning of every month we check to see if you have scheduled ahead. If  you have scheduled ahead at least 4 sessions or classes you earn $5 of Pilates Bucks( ie an account credit you can use towards anything we sell including  classes, sessions, a cute pair of Toesox or a fun Lucy headband!).  Not only are you creating a commitment to your workouts and your health, you are getting paid for it!

AND you also get one free late cancel per month.   So there are no worries about getting charged for a class when something unexpected comes up and you don’t have time to cancel within our 24 hour cancellation period.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to get the details of the program and learn how to sign up!