Tag Archive for: Rivercity Pilates North Liberty Iowa

Inspiration of the Month Teri Accola

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teri accola

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

I started coming to Rivercity Pilates in January of 2015. I’ve done a few Pilates classes in the past and really enjoyed it.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?

I try to make it at least 5 days a week and I have been doing mostly Tower and Reformer classes.

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 

I have tried all types of classes and workouts and Pilates makes me feel the best. I don’t walk out of the class injured but strong. It has helped make so many other things easier. I love the way it makes my core feel.

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

I enjoy all of it, but if I had to pick a class that I liked the most it would probably be the reformer and jump board class.

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

I would say Pilates is something we can do forever and you can’t say that about all workouts.  I have met a lot of great genuine people since I have started coming to Rivercity Pilates and that is a wonderful bonus. They inspire me!

 

Squat Pilates Style

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Joseph Pilates incorporated squats into a variety of his classical exercises and exercise sequences for good reason. The squat is a great full body exercise that is very functional.  Think about how many times throughout your day you use this type of movement to sit down and get up or to bend and pick something up.

FullSizeRender (4)To really embody the Pilates method in your squats here are a few quick tips:

  • Coordinate your breath and movement.  Inhale as you bend into your squat, exhale to return to standing.
  • Engage your core!  Engage your deep abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
  • Keep your spine in alignment. Try to maintain a nice straight line from the crown of your head to your tailbone as you are squatting.
  • Pay attention to your feet, ankle and knee alignment.  Whether you are doing your squats in parallel or an external rotation, try to line up your knees over your center toes when you squat.  Keep the knees behind the toes as you bend.

Remember it’s great to challenge yourself and work up to more and more squats but do be aware of your form and alignment.  If you find yourself not able to maintain proper form take a break!!

Need a quick visual demonstration?  Check out our squat video here!   If you want more support, and if you have an exercise ball, watch this!    As always, if you have any questions, feel free to call or stop in to the studio!

 

 

Do I really need a private lesson before joining a reformer class?

If you are brand new to Pilates, you may wonder why in the world you can’t just take a reformer class and try it out. We understand your frustration with our request to have a few private sessions under your belt before joining group equipment classes and just want to explain why in a little more detail.

I’m guessing that you are pretty healthy with no major injuries and have probably tried a lot of different types of exercises over the years, so it seems silly that you wouldn’t be just fine to join this Pilates Reformer class.  The reality of it is that you would be fine and I’m sure you could make it through class just fine.  The reason we don’t suggest just jumping into a Pilates Reformer Class without Pilates reformer experience really has to do more with the other participants in class than you.

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You see… Pilates is a mind body practice that involves learning a sequence of exercises, the breath associated with each exercise and the proper form to execute the exercises properly.

Clients who are taking a Reformer class are practicing the reformer sequence  in order to further their practice and get feedback from the instructor so they continue to progress.  Clients who are taking classes have a good basic understanding of Pilates, they understand how to stay safe in their own body and know the basics of how the equipment works.

One of the number one rules as an instructor in a group setting is that you must teach to the lowest level and understanding in your class.  Safety is always first! When clients have a good understanding of the Pilates fundamental movements and basic safety precautions it makes it a non issue to work with varying abilities in a class.  It’s fairly easy for a trained instructor to give modifications and adjustments to different levels so that everyone can be challenged appropriately.

When a client joins a class who hasn’t learned the Pilates fundamentals, isn’t familiar with safety or even how the equipment functions an instructor has no choice but to tailor class around that student.  Often this means that the instructor must stay close to the new client to ensure their safety (which takes away from the instructor being able to give cues to all clients) and class flows at a slower pace to accomodate the beginner student.

If you are new to Pilates and really want to make a practice out of it we highly suggest starting off with some private sessions so that you can create a practice.  Once you have a basic understanding of Pilates and how the equipment works, you will have no problem joining a Pilates Reformer Class or any of our other classes.  If private sessions aren’t in your budget we often suggest starting out with our Fundamental Pilates Mat class.  This class will teach you the fundamentals of Pilates and how to use them in your body.  Once you have a good grasp of the Fundamentals you will be able to try out some of the Pilates equipment work in a much safer way.

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!

What does Empower Your Body really mean?

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Where did the tag line in the Rivercity Pilates Logo come from?   Empower Your Body……Inspire Your Life?

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This tag line came from the evolution of movement in my own life.  As a child I always enjoyed movement and found a sense of me when I was doing something active.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but having an active body helped me think better, dream bigger, and just plain be happier.  And today it remains the same.

As a child,  just to be swinging on the monkey bars or playing ball was enough to focus my attention in the present moment.  As an adult, I’ve  learned that when I take time to focus my attention on a physical practice( Pilates, yoga, running, walking, cycling, etc) I am happier, calmer and much more productive.  I also have a daily meditation practice that helps me learn to be more in the present moment.

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Personally I have found that if I let the craziness of our fast paced lives take over my mind races from thing to thing and I find myself stressed out, cranky and unproductive.  The more I practice being in the present moment, the calmer I feel.  And when I do find myself trying to do too much or think about too much at once I am easily able to remind myself to focus on one thing( the task at hand, the person I’m talking to, etc ). So, empowering your body to me is really a method to create balance in my life and truly a lifelong process.

It’s my hope that your experience at Rivercity Pilates is one that allows you the time and space to empower your body so your life can be inspired to be as incredible as possible!

Do you groan when it’s time for planks?

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Plank challenges are everywhere and this month we put together our own version of a 30 day plank challenge. We hope you’ll join us!

There’s a good reason you see this exercise being practiced in a ton of different types of fitness classes – it is highly effective and works the entire body.  It’s most effective though when done correctly.   If you’ve started to hate to plank, this post is for you!

If you are trying to hold your plank for any amount of time and your form is suffering then you are probably not doing yourself much good AND you’re likely to get hurt!

In today’s video, Rivercity Pilates owner Carey Sadler talks about the 3 Most common Plank Mistakes and how you can fix them!