When it comes to Pilates exercises I think most people would admit that they have some favorites and they have some that they would skip if they had the option. Today’s Mat Workout sequence is all my favorites. Just like Oprah had her favorite things I have my favorite Pilates exercises! And even though I often practice all of the Pilates Mat exercises, there are many days when I just want to be able to do the exercises I like…so I do!! Enjoy!
Tag Archive for: Pilates North Liberty
![IMG_1918](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IMG_1918-e1448895512322.jpg")
When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
I started seriously doing Pilates last fall. To be completely honest, Becky made me start going to Pilates. She decided we both needed to be doing something active. When I didn’t have a plan, she signed us up for a couples Pilates class. After my first class I still had mixed feelings. A few months later, and while I still think she should have allowed “aerobic fishing” as an option, Becky signed me up for some private sessions. I really started enjoying Pilates after getting those private sessions under my belt to get an understanding of the different equipment and movements.
What benefits have you seen by committing to a regular Pilates practice?
When I first started Pilates, my favorite things were just the quiet focused time spent doing Pilates and the warm relaxed flexible period afterward. After doing Pilates for a while, I started to notice that I was stronger and much more flexible.
The most amazing benefit from Pilates has been that my back pain gradually went away. It happened so gradually that I’m not exactly sure when it happened. One day after some strenuous activity that would have usually left me with a lot of pain the next day, I realized that my back wasn’t bothering me. Then thinking about it, I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I had back pain. I’ve struggled with chronic (and occasionally acute) back pain for years due to issues related to being in the Army and SCUBA diving (heavy equipment), and my being overweight and a job that had me sitting at a desk for hours at a time.
Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?
I initially liked the Cadillac – probably the big hardware/guy sort of thing. But after doing Pilates for a while I’ve discovered that using the different pieces of equipment is part of the fun. Even the same exercise on different equipment gives you a slightly different motion.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
I was at the bookstore and had that very discussion with someone about Pilates after we talked about how hard it was to see and reach the magazines on the lowest shelf ( especially if you had a sore back). They were wondering if they could just pick up a book or a video on Pilates. I suggested that initially taking private sessions would be the way I’d recommend. Taking private sessions initially would allow them to learn how to do the movements properly. Also, without using the equipment, it’s hard to appreciate how much assistance it provides for some of the exercises.
My Pilates practice started off great this week with a private lesson with Cassie at Northwoods Pilates and Wellness in Ankeny. Cassie is a PMA certified instructor who trained with me and now has her own studio in the Ankeny, Iowa. Cassie is an amazing teacher and nothing could be better than getting to sneak in an entire session just devoted to my movement practice. I’ve taken many of lessons with Cassie over the years but it’s probably been almost a year since I’ve taken a private with her since she’s relocated so it was especially a treat!
As a teacher of teachers I always find it fun to take lessons from my students. It’s fun to hear your own influence in their teaching but also to see how they have created their own style of teaching.
There were some moments during our session where I often just laughed inside because I found myself doing things I see my clients doing all the time or I found Cassie saying things that I would often say, or I was just reflecting on what it might be like to teach me! Here’s just a few that might make you laugh too.
- During the Hundreds I couldn’t help thinking,” Are we done yet? Isn’t that a hundred? I obviously am not doing this many during my daily Pilates practice!!”
- Sometimes I need help concentrating! More than once I found myself not following Cassie’s directions!! I would be one or two reps into an exercise and realize I was not doing what she was asking me to! She was very sweet and would just gently remind me until I realized and got it.
- Tensing my shoulders!(yes teachers do it too!) When Cassie was teaching me something new or I was paying attention to other details of an exercise she would have to remind me (often by a simple touch of the hand) or verbal cue to soften my shoulders or connect them!
- Since Cassie is 32 weeks pregnant she often said things like,” you get to do this exercise that my body is sooo craving to do!”. I can totally relate to that place in pregnancy where you are missing being able to move like you are used to!!
- At least a couple of times I heard Cassie say, ” Let’s try this “fun” version of an exercise!”. {my favorite phrase when it comes to movement! I’m not sure where she get’s that from!}
![FullSizeRender(25)](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FullSizeRender25.jpg")
Finn stretching his spine!!
As always my session left me feeling refreshed and energized and wondering why I don’t make a commitment to get over to see her and take more lessons!! I also got to hang out with Cassie’s son Finn and watch him play in the Pilates studio! I absolutely love to watch as kids naturally move and play and do things that us adults are trying to recreate in our movement practice! The picture of Finn just laying down and stretching his spine over the Spine Corrector barrel is a great example! (and he totally did that without prompting from anyone!)
As someone who teaches movement for a career I have to tell you sometimes I am honestly surprised at how strong, flexible and functional my body is. I’ve been keeping track of my Pilates practice since the beginning of the year for this blog and I have to tell you I don’t workout in the traditional sense very often. It’s pretty rare that I take a class or spend an entire 40 or 50 minutes doing Pilates.
![plankoff](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/plankoff.jpg")
The other day ago I challenged my 12 year old son to a plank off as our staff was trying to do some extra planks as part of the studio’s 6 week Challenge designed to motivate clients to move more. I managed to hold a plank with pretty good form (or so I think) for 3 minutes and 48 seconds. If you’ve held a plank before you know this is not easy!! Considering how little I actually “workout” in the traditional sense…I was pretty happy with that and it made me really look at what I’m doing for my movement practice and why it’s so effective. Here’s what I decided….
I play….. a lot. I sneak in little sequences of movement through my days doing things like practicing what I want to teach to clients, laying on the floor while hanging out with my kids and sneaking in some exercises or movement, I go for walks and runs with the dog and my kids, and sneak in occasional squats or planks leaning on my kitchen counter and of course I teach Pilates 5 to 8 hours a day (which if you are a Pilates instructor you know does not mean I get to workout 5-8 hours a day!!) My teaching time is kind of like the rest of my life…play time. I’m generally teaching with my words, walking around clients giving feedback and cues and occasionally am showing a movement or exercise.
![IMG_0887](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_0887.jpg")
So what’s my secret? Here’s what I discovered by accident! Last week I had a day where my teaching schedule included Return to Life Mat Class ( a class that goes through Joseph Pilates’ mat sequence as he laid out in his book) and also some private sessions. As I was teaching a private client later in my day I had a moment where I got that intense feeling of work in my abdominal muscles much like I get when I’m doing the work myself. At that moment I had a little aha moment where I realized how much I often “do the muscles engagement and probably sequencing of muscle engagement” part of the movement with my clients as I’m teaching. When I’m teaching I often find myself trying to put myself into my clients body in my mind so I can help them figure out how to move better and obviously as I’m doing that I’m engaging muscles with them. When I’m teaching a class I often use my body to show a movement without actually getting down on a mat and doing it.
This is just a theory, but I have to believe that this engagement of my body while I teach only helps to strengthen my body and also just plain helps me make moving a continual part of my life. It also reminds me of how lucky I am to be able spend my days doing something I love that keeps my body healthy and strong! #jobperk
P.S. I would love to hear what other instructors think about how their teaching hours effect their overall health, strength, etc.!!
I got to start off my week taking a Pilates Mat class this week and it reminded me of all the reasons I should take more classes with other instructors even though I practice Pilates on my own on a regular basis!!
![#PracticeWhatYouTeach (1)](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/PracticeWhatYouTeach-1.png")
Side Leg Kicks….my favorite!
1. 50 minutes of me time! It’s pretty rare that I take a full 50 minutes to do my Pilates workouts! Often I flow through a workout in 20 or 30 minutes tops and sometimes I do smaller 10 or 15 minutes workouts when I can fit them in. There is something very therapeutic about knowing for the next 50 minutes the only thing I get to do is pay attention to my body, breathe and move the best I can!
2. New cues and fine tuning. Listening to someone else explain an exercise or give alignment cues helps me fine tune more and work deeper. It makes me think differently about how I’m doing each exercise and I really get more out of each exercise.
3. Energy of the class. I love being in a room full of people who are doing mindful movement. It’s kind of hard to describe, but it definitely motivates me, keeps me focused and is just fun!!
4. Client perspective. From a teaching standpoint being a client and taking a class reminds me what it’s like to be the student!!
5. I do more than if it were just me working out! Like most people I’ll admit that when I’m working out by myself I’m less likely to push myself or I occasionally skip things I don’t love! (Which as I tell all my clients…the things we don’t love are often the things we need most!!) Case in point….side leg kicks. The side leg kick series is sooo good for my body but they are also really challenging for me to do well! So….. I often don’t do as many of them or I skip them. In a class though, the energy of the class and my competetive nature kicks in and I do way more than I would on my own!!!
That all being said I’m going to try to take more classes this year! Maybe I’ll see you in class this week!
Today’s fuzzy strap revelations were inspired by Andrea Maida and her insightful blog called: The Pilates Exercises and the Lower Body: Strength for Life!
Andrea is one of my favorite Pilates bloggies as I love how she talks about the connections in the Pilates method and shares her own personal revelations along the way (and she’s pretty funny)! After reading Andrea’s blog about the lower body I often find myself rethinking the lower half of my body, it’s purpose in the Pilates exercises and how what happens in the lower half of the body effects the body as a whole during each exercise.
![IMG_5794](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_5794.jpg")
During a reformer workout this week I had quite a few aha moments when exploring this concept but my favorite was on the short box. I tell people all the time to be strong in their straps and use
their legs to anchor, but I found I wasn’t doing it myself( or least not doing it enough!) When I do Flat Back on the Short box I often keep my range fairly small as I feel like if I go to far I immediately start to feel it in my low back. So today I dug a little deeper and engaged like I had not quite engaged before.
I anchored into the fuzzy short box strap and found my lower body. I engaged through my legs to pull the strap apart and reach into and found a place of length where I almost felt like my sitting bones were going to lift off the box (and it was an amazing amount of work). The beautiful thing was that I felt amazingly stronger throughout my whole body and was able to hinge back to a much bigger range of motion without any strain or pain through my low back. The exercise was at least 20 times more challenging but I also moved about 200 percent better!! This is what I love about the Pilates work!!
The next day I also reconfirmed my new found revelations as I was feeling worked muscles in places that I hadn’t felt for awhile or ever! I love it when that happens and yet another reason I love the Pilates work.
If you’re working with me this week don’t be surprised if I encourage you to find your lower body in new ways. The only thing better than finding new engagement and understanding in my own body is sharing it with others!!