Tag Archive for: Pilates North Liberty

The Day I Discovered Mindful Exercise

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DSCN0397A Student Story:

My name is Becky Monroe, and I’m a student at Rivercity Pilates.   I’m also a blogger in my work and personal life.     Carey offered me a free class card for some Pilates Student Blogs, and I jumped at the chance.   I have been practicing Pilates since March 2014.   I’m not sure when my trips to RCP transitioned from workout to “a practice”, but I am starting to feel like I am practicing Pilates.   I generally take my private sessions and my classes in the early morning, before anything in my life can get in the way of my workout.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a really bad day at work.   There was one of those “let’s talk it out” calls, and the conversation seemed to focus on me not doing anything right.   No doubt part of what was said was true, as I realize there are two sides to everything, but I left that conversation feeling hurt and betrayed.    I choked back my tears, and tried to keep on keepin’ on.   I tried to keep busy after work, but the tears were always right there, right under the surface.    I didn’t sleep well, in fact I was awake until early morning.   I finally fell asleep just a couple of hours before my alarm went off for 6:30 sunrise class.   I considered going back to sleep, but I knew that sleep was unlikely.  I got up and got ready, and got back in the car.    Right then, all the feelings from the day before came rushing back.

When I drove into the parking lot at RCP, I couldn’t hold the tears in.   I considered driving to another parking lot and just sitting there to cry it out.   Yes, I know I take things too personally, but I think that also contributes to some of the good things I do.   I walked in, and got on my reformer, mostly without looking around.    As we started to do footwork, my brain was racing.

I’ve never tried to do a reformer workout when I was emotional.   Would I be able to do it?    I considered walking out, but I had the reformer in the back, and I didn’t want to walk by everyone.   My brain wasn’t even clear enough for me to remember that there was a back door.   Ok, concentrate.   Footwork.    Push out, pull in.   Don’t move your hips.    Breathe.   Inhale on the way out.   Exhale on the way in.   Do another one.    Ok.    Birds on a perch.    Wrap the toes and heals around the bar.   Out and in.  Stretch those heals.   Curl around the bar.   Inhale, exhale.   I didn’t want any thoughts to invade my head or my heart from outside the room.   Heals on the bar.   In and out.   Inhale, Exhale. Tendon Stretch.   Inhale. Exhale.  Maybe I can make it through.  

It was time for hundreds.   OH MY!    Can I make it?    As soon as I curled up — my ability to breath went away!  I read somewhere that you should try to inhale and fill the bottom of your lungs and then up.    My lungs felt like they were tiny, like baby sized lungs.   Focus.    I put my head down for a couple of breaths.    That helped a little.    Back up.   Baby lungs were still here.   What would I have to do to feel better?  

Short Spine was next.    Turns out, that short spine was the answer.    The first one I did — I must have looked like Gumby — and I’m sure Carey was wondering what was going on with me.   She didn’t say anything, and she let me work it thru, and I did that whole class, one breath at a time.   By the end of short spine, I was feeling like the tears had gone back into my tear ducts, and I could face the rest of the class.  When we got to the long box/short box — I had to concentrate — because I didn’t want to fall off the box, and I struggle with all those exercises on a good day.

When I got back into the car after class, I did feel the stress of the workday in front of me.   The stress hadn’t disappeared, but I wasn’t replaying that conversation in my mind over and over like a broken record.   Mindful exercise brought me past that “let’s talk it out” conference call, and brought me to the present moment.   To be perfectly honest, when people had talked about mindful exercise — I may have rolled my eyes and thought they just wanted to be teacher’s pet…….until I felt it myself.   I truly hope that you all will be able to feel that focus, without having a “let’s talk it out call”.      See you in class.   Come in the AM.   We have fun during mindful exercise!

 

Meet the Instructor Monday: Kimberly

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Kimberly and her buddy Ivey!

Kimberly and her buddy Ivey!

It’s Monday, and we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Burke.   Kimberly is currently teaching Mat Small Group Sessions and Private Lessons.    Her calming voice and encouraging attitude during class gives everyone confidence.    Click the schedule button and sign up for one of Kimberly’s classes!

Where are you from?    I was born in Iowa City.   I’ve lived in Manhattan and in Glasgow, Scotland.   I’ve traveled to Egypt, Moldova and Turkey; still, I like it here.

How did you end up teaching Pilates in North Liberty?   When I first looked into taking Pilates I checked out a number of studios. With the exception of Rivercity, they were all yoga studios that just happened to teach a Pilates class too. The class sizes in these places were large, and when I asked about the teachers’ training, people got nervous. All of which made me nervous. THEN I found Rivercity, with its controlled class size, and uber-trained instructors, and gave it a try! Instant addiction!

The more I did, the better I felt, and the more I discovered about how my own body works. Eventually, I decided to take the Teacher Training for Mat — I wanted to deepen my understanding of the exercises. About two-thirds of the way through that, I decided I’d like to teach, and that I’d like to do the full line of courses, learning equipment additionally to mat. It can be difficult to accomplish everything, what with a full time job and a part time one going at the same time. But it is totally intriguing!

Favorite food to prepare?   I seldom have the opportunity to really cook anymore, but when I did I loved to bake bread. It was my weekend *thing* do to in winter. The smells, the textures — I found it soothing.

Hobbies?   Jack-of-all-Crafts, Master-of-None! I can do, or rather dabble in: crochet, tatting, knitting, beading, jewelry making, drawing, origami, cooking, reading, writing, and sewing.

Why did you choose to practice pilates?   I needed a workout. But I was raised to be paranoid about injury, and I am easily bored by physical routines. Prior to Pilates, the only exercise that had held my attention was martial arts. I had practiced Hatha Yoga for 3 years, and loved the feeling of it, but kept losing my focus, and couldn’t seem to advance. Pilates seemed very complimentary to yoga, but with a different dynamic. I can’t do Pilates on autopilot, and the attention to specific muscle areas and individualized adaption means that there is always something doable to focus on — always some area to see progress occur.

Is there something about you that would surprise the students that have attended your classes?  I once was pulled off a train in Moldova by a Russian-speaking soldier with a very big gun…

What is your favorite song / favorite group or favorite genre of music?   My musical tastes are a total hodge-podge! Chopin, Beatles, Journey, Beethoven, Near Eastern dance music, Beach Boys, Celtic, Musicals….bit of everything, so long as there is a melody line of some sort.

Social Media?  My twitter handle is @kimberlyriverc1.   I love following Mayo Clinic and other science sites to see how their research supports what we learn in Pilates!

Are you an exercise introvert?

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careyfamilyI don’t know about you, but the thought of having to go to an event or business or even a new dentist or doctor for the first time is on the bottom of my list of favorite things.  I would definitely call myself an introvert and it takes some effort on my part to get out of my shell and talk to new people and get out of my comfort zone.  I’m also crazy busy with a business and 3 kids (4 if you count my husband and 5 if you include our dog) and just the thought of setting up something new seems like such a big task – that often I avoid it if I can.

When it comes to exercise I feel the same way.  I have always loved to exercise and move but often have just done it on my own because the thought of joining a new gym or fitness group seems, well daunting.  I think one of the reasons I was so drawn to Pilates was the small studio atmosphere, the personal connections I had with my instructors and classmates  and also the ability to practice on my own.

When it comes to setting up my business I have tried to keep all of this in mind and make getting started at the studio as easy as possible and as intimate as possible.  We offer a complimentary one on one session for all new clients so you can get aquainted with our studio space, our instructors and what we do without the intimidation of having to meet and workout with a roomful of strangers.  We want you to feel at home at the studio and it’s important to us to get you started on the right foot!

Now of course if jumping into a new group class at a new space is exactly the thing you love- please take advantage of a complimentary class instead!  We know everyone is different and would love to have you try us out in whatever way you prefer!!

For more information about getting started at Rivercity Pilates click here!

My Foam Roller is Like Spinach

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IMG_1439My name is Becky Monroe, and I’m a student at Rivercity Pilates. There is a foam roller in my living room and I look forward to using it every evening before I go to bed.    I didn’t think twice about this, until earlier this week, when I was in a small Pilates class, and I asked if we could do some foam roller.    The other student groaned!  When I heard her groan, I remembered that I used to hate it when Carey went over and grabbed the foam roller.     The foam roller is pretty hard (my boyfriend compares it to a rock), and initially when I tried to use it to massage a muscle, it hurt!   I truly didn’t understand why Carey seemed to love it.  15 months later, here I am with a foam roller in my living room.  It’s like spinach.   I hated it at first, but I have learned to love it!

At night, I lie with my spine on the roller on the living room floor, and do my knee folds, and I let my shoulder blades hug the foam roller.   I love that feeling.    Then I turn it around, and put it under my shoulder blades, and do those reverse crunch type moves to roll out my shoulders!   I put it under my hips and do some footwork.

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Then I put it vertical again, and just lay there with my spine on the roller.    It doesn’t take a long time, I just do what feels good!    What?   It feels good?  Absolutely, and it’s the only piece of exercise equipment in my home that I use more than twice a week!

In class this week, the same day the other student was groaning, we used it to massage the muscles in our legs after the side leg series.    That felt good too!    I hadn’t been doing that every night, and I don’t honestly know when my foam roller stopped hurting and started feeling like a massage.    Of course, I couldn’t tell you when I stopped hating spinach either!   I searched for foam roller moves on Google, and over 1 million links came up, so I’m guessing there are a lot of people like me who learned, that like spinach, a foam roller is an acquired taste!

Looking forward to meeting you in classes @ Rivercity Pilates!   Maybe we’ll get to do some work on the foam roller!

 

Becky Monroe
@NLBJM

 

Do I have time to become a Pilates instructor?

When prospective students start looking at our Pilates instructor training programs the amount of time the program takes is one of the first things they look at.  Most of our trainees are coming into our program with full time jobs and family commitments and it is important for them to feel comfortable with the time needed to complete the program.  This is one of the major reasons we have broken our comprehensive training program into modules that can be completed in your own time and schedule.  We are very passionate about teaching Pilates and want to share the method with as many people as possible.

The learning process that takes place in our programs is truly a combination of workshop time, individual practice, taking classes,private session time, practice teaching, and observation time.  If you are thinking about joining our programs we want you to be confident that you will be able to schedule time in your life for all of the programs components so you can get the most out the experience!

Here’s an example of the time commitment for our Mat Training Module:

P1020756Mat Levels I-III

  • 30 hours of workshops
  • 50 practice teaching hours
  • 40 observation hours
  • 25 lessons (10 privates/15 classes)
  • 5 miscellaneous hours
  • 2 written tests – Level I- III and anatomy
  • 1 teaching test – (Level II, private client)
  • 1 performance test – Level III

Total Apprentice Hours: 120
Total Workshop Hours: 30
Total Hours for Completion: 150

 

To complete the program in 6 months(the minimum time we would suggest)  you would need to log in about 5 hours a week doing a combination of personal sessions and workouts, observation hours and practice teaching.  You will also need to attend 6 workshops that are 6 hours total.  These workshops are usually held on a Sunday.

Of course not everyone completes the program in 6 months and we allow trainees to take up to a year to finish this particular module.

Interested in learning more about our Pilates instructor training programs?  Contact us today and set up a complimentary consultation with Carey to get all your questions answered!!

 

 

 

Why swinging on the monkey bars is part of this mom’s exercise routine!

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I’ll admit, I love to move and exercise.  Just because I love it doesn’t mean I get to spend hours a day working out.  In fact, just like everyone else I struggle to fit in movement.  As a mom of three and a business owner my schedule is usually packed full and I don’t often have a half hour let alone an hour to workout.

When I had my first child I lear-1ned pretty quick that I needed to readjust how I looked at my exercise and movement routine.  I had the honor of having a very colicking baby boy who only quit crying if you were holding him(usually involving some sort of movement), was nursing him or all of the above with the vacuum cleaner on!

Once I realized that my visions of the  baby napping while I got to run on the treadmill or even just getting on the floor to practice Pilates was not going to happen- I started to get creative.  It turns out my son loved to be snuggled up in a sling and gently bounced while I sat on a large exercise ball.  He also enjoyed stroller rides on bumpy gravel paths and quite frankly was pretty happy as long as I was holding him.  This time period in my life was when I truly learned to incorporate movement and exercise into everything I did.  It’s amazing what a great workout it can be climbing stairs while holding a baby, or doing some squats!

Fast forward 11 years and 2 more children later and you’ll still see me incorporating movement whenever I can.  Sure, life is a little bit less hectic now that the kids are older, but honestly not that much.  You’ll still find me stretching my hamstrings while I brush my teeth, doing some squats as I fold baskets full of laundry,  running up and down the stairs a few extra times when I have the chance and of course swinging on the monkey bars with the kids at the park!   I’ve learned that moving, stretching and strengthening my body helps me feel better and it doesn’t matter if I’m taking a Yoga class or just jumping on the trampoline with my kids- it all counts.

So if you are a busy Mom struggling to fit in your “regular” workout I encourage you to think outside the box.  Stop worrying about how many minutes you get in or if you are doing enough and do what works for you.  Don’t let the the act of getting exercise in create more stress in your life.

What’s your routine? I would love to hear what you do to fit exercise and movement into your life! Share your favorite exercises and help someone else use the power of movement to inspire their life!