Tag Archive for: Pilates North Liberty Iowa

Pilates Inspiration of the Month – Sandy Schaefer

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

 I started Pilates in July 2013 to improve movement and strengthen core muscles.

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

 I have issues with my back. Pilates is helping to increase my ability to strengthen these muscles.

Why did you decide to do the 2014 Empower Your Body Challenge? 

I started the Challenge so that I would begin a regular exercise and diet program.  With the e-mails, weekly goals, and class requirement I am getting into good practices. I also liked the ability to participate in unlimited classes.

 What was your favorite part about the Challenge? 

I am getting 6-8 classes in a week. I have started jump board, very fun! I am going to try ball mat class this week. I make a weekly schedule so I have planned in cardio time so I get it done.

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

I really enjoy the tower. I feel that it has helped me the most. I move easier with the tower and am able to get up into teaser position now.

 What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates? 

I know that it took time for me to get into a Pilates program, but I am really finding that it is helping my movement and my spirit. All the instructors are so accommodating to my limitations and offer modifications which encourage me to keep working. The biggest benefit so far has been my ability to stand straighter because my back and core muscles are getting stronger!

Pilates and Pregnancy – Week 31: Chair Workout and a Baby Shower!

Welcome back to our Pilates and pregnancy blog! This week the baby is about 18 inches long and 3.4 pounds. I am firmly in the nesting phase of this pregnancy, which includes house projects that could definitely wait and a multitude of lists. Good thing I have Pilates to maintain my mental and physical health!

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This week Carey had lots of fun exercises in store. We used the Chair along with Balanced Body’s Slastix Resistance Bands (pictured right).The bands hook onto the Chair and can be used in a variety of ways to create resistance.

We started with footwork on the Chair and as I pushed the paddle down with my feet, I held one handle of the Resistance Bands in each hand and did a straight arm lift out to the side. It only took a few repetitions to feel the work in my shoulders! Next, Carey had me sit on a large exercise ball in front of the Chair. I was turned so that the right side of my body was at 90 degrees to the paddle. Then, we did the first three exercises in the Reformer Side Arm Series – Open the Door, Shave the Face, and Lawn Mower – using the Slastix bands hooked to the Chair. Afterwards, I held the Slastix handle in my right hand and did Mermaid reaching away from the Chair. It was great arm work and helped stretch out my side waist.

We ended the workout with low back and side waist stretching. Carey had me stand in front of the Chair, about a foot’s distance back, and hold on to the outer edges of the Chair for support. From there, I softened my knees and flowed through a rounding and extension of the spine similar to Cat/Cow in yoga. Then, I flattened my back and did a subtle side bending motion. Carey describes this motion as being similar to a dog trying to look at its tail. You gently turn your head to one side at the same time that you move your hips to that side, and then switch.

And then it was time to party! Okay . . . not right then, but a few days later Carey threw me a fabulous baby shower and lots of our studio clients attended. We had so much fun and I cannot thank Carey and everyone who celebrated (in person or from afar) enough. This baby already feels so loved. :)

Here are some pictures from the shower day.

31 weeks Baby bowling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peg, Sandy, and Diane at the baby shower Janee at the baby shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Baby Boy! Cassie and Carey at the Baby Shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole crew at the baby shower! Ari, Su, and Peg at baby shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check in next week for news of my 32 week appointment!

-Cassie

The Pilates Ped-o-Pull- What is it and what can you do on it?

The Pilates Ped-o-pull is a unique piece of Pilates equipment that you may have never even heard of. The Ped-o-pull consists of pedopulla base platform and an upright pole that has two springs with handles. Participants stand on the platform,center themselves against the pole and then use the handles attached to the spring to do various exercises.

Like many of Joseph Pilates’ pieces of equipment it is simple yet genius, because of its ability to challenge the body to create efficient, balanced movement.  The exercises you can practice on the Ped-o-Pull range from simple to quite advanced.

In the video, Carey teaches Sandy some basic Ped-o-pull exercises so you can see this little known piece of equipment in action! The Ped-o-pull is especially good for working on your standing alignment, strengthening the muscles around the shoulder girdle, fine tuning your Pilates breathing and is wonderful for strengthening you core muscles!

Pilates and Pregnancy – Week 30: Big Ball Exercises

Welcome back to our Pilates and pregnancy blog! This week the baby is about 18 inches long and 3.2 pounds. If the baby arrives when he’s supposed to we’ve got less than 10 weeks to go!  I’ve noticed a small amount of swelling in my legs along with occasional leg cramps the past few weeks. Other than that, I’ve been feeling pretty good!

This week we started my workout with a great leg stretch in a seated position. To do the stretch, I sat tall and leaned back toward the mat with my arms supporting me just behind my hips. While in the supported leaning back position, I started by pointing and flexing my feet. It was a small movement, but felt really good to stretch the bottom half of my legs and get some movement through my feet and ankles. Next, we did a little internal and external rotation of the legs by turning the thighs and knees in toward and then away from one another.  By gently rotating the legs in and out I could feel the stretch all the way up in my hips.

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We did a series of exercises using the big exercise ball in our session. The balls are very supportive and can be used in a variety of positions during labor. Carey is hoping that by getting me comfortable moving and exercising with the ball I will make an easy transition to using the ball during labor. They are available at the hospital where I plan to deliver, but just in case they’re all spoken for, I will be bringing my own.

We started our ball work in a kneeling position with my hands on top of the ball in front of me. Pushing down gently, I rounded and then extended my spine in a cat/cow motion. It was work in my arms to stabilize the upper half of my body and felt nice to stretch out my low back. In between this and some of the other exercises I would drape over the ball in a modified child’s pose position which not only felt great but will also be a great position to use throughout labor (according to Carey).

We also did some leg lift variations where my side body was supported by the ball. I had to work to maintain my balance while I did different leg lifting and rotating exercises. These exercises were a lot of work and I didn’t feel like I could lift my leg very high. It felt nice, however, to move through my hips which have progressively tightened during the pregnancy.

We ended the session with a great quad/hip opening stretch. You can see this one pictured above. To start, Carey had me sit back on my heels (or as close to it as I could get) and drape my body and head back over the big ball. Just being in that supported position was a quad stretch. Then, she had me gently push my hips forward to intensify the quad stretch and help open up the front of my hips. It was a subtle movement, but a nice stretch.

Check in next week for all the details on the shower Carey and our wonderful clients threw for me!

-Cassie

 

 

Pilates and Pregnancy – Week 29: A Sneak Peek into Our Workouts

Welcome back to our Pilates and pregnancy blog! This week the baby is around 3.1 pounds and 17 inches long. He is about the length of a butternut squash. For the past several weeks I have written about the workouts Carey teaches me. This week, we wanted to take it a step further and show you some of the exercises we’ve been doing. In today’s video, we use the Pilates Wunda Chair. Enjoy!

In addition to working on the Chair, we did some standing leg work. Similar to the side-lying leg series in the traditional Pilates mat routine, we did a series of leg movements while standing and holding on to the ladder of the high barrel for support. We worked on internal and external rotation of the legs, a bent leg kick backwards, and large circles where you reach the leg in front of you, around to the side, behind you, and finally back to its resting place. The nice part of doing the work standing is that your leg that isn’t moving is also getting a workout because it supports your weight and works to keep you in balance.

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We ended the work with a variation on Pigeon stretch. Pigeon is a traditional Yoga pose that is usually done on the mat. One leg is bent while the other leg extends straight behind you. You can prop yourself up with your arms or let your body round over the bent leg. The stretch is usually felt in the outer hip/glute of your bent leg. To modify the stretch, we used the high barrel. I bent one leg in front of me on the barrel, while the other leg supported me in a standing position. Instead of rounding over my bent leg (which wouldn’t feel very good because my belly would get in the way), I leaned back and held onto the ladder.

See you next week!

-Cassie

Pilates and Pregnancy – Week 28: Welcome to the Third Trimester

Welcome back to our Pilates and pregnancy blog! This week the baby is around 2.9 pounds and 17 inches long. He is about the length of a small cabbage. We’ve officially begun the third trimester, which means that I saw our nurse practitioner this week. I’m happy to report that I passed my glucose test, my stomach’s measuring on track for 28 weeks, and the baby’s heartbeat sounded good.

I have noticed some more changes in my body. First, I feel warmer. Most of the time it feels like someone turned up the thermostat a few degrees, but every once in a while I start boiling. Many of my clients assured me that these “personal summers” only get better with age. Second, I feel like either the baby has moved or grown a bunch in the last short while because my belly seems to stick out more than it did just a few weeks ago.

This week Carey and I started on the Reformer. She had me sit at the end of the long box with my feet resting in a turned-out position on the foot bar. We started with gentle rounding and extension movements through the spine and then added some side bending. Next, I sat tall and gently straightened my legs to push the carriage out and then bent my knees to bring it in – giving me a nice hip opening stretch.

We also did the classical exercise Mermaid on the Reformer, with an added twist. As you can see in the picture, you start seated facing one Week28side of the Reformer with one leg tucked up against the shoulder blocks and the other in front of you. You can always tuck that front leg under your other leg for more of a challenge. This position felt good on my hips and so we started there. Then, you press the carriage out with one hand on the foot bar and the other reaching overhead, giving you a nice side stretch. The twist that we added was a literal twist – rotating from the shoulders and ribcage to bring the top hand to the foot bar. We held that position for a few deep breaths to help stretch from the side waist all the way down into the hip.

We ended our workout with some squats in front of the Chair. To start, I faced the Chair – about a foot’s distance back – with my legs turned out wide. I reached my arms overhead and then did a roll down until my hands made contact with the paddle. I pushed the paddle down while simultaneously bending my knees into a deep squat, without lifting my heels away from the floor. To come back up, I straightened my legs and rolled up through the spine to standing.

See you next week!

-Cassie