Pilates as the Anti-cellulite Solution!

It blows my mind how quickly Americans will go under the knife for a quick fix solution. Instead of getting off our t.v. watching, couch potato butts and getting some exercise we'll call the closest plastic surgeon to book their next available liposuction. This multi-billion dollar industry thrives on the quick fix tummy tuck and lipo your thighs away. Funny thing is most people don't get the results they were desperately looking for. Lipo tends to leave area more rippled and bumpy than before you walked through their front door. And tummy tucks? Why put yourself through all the pain and misery, you're still going to have to get off the couch and do some kind of activity or it's going to come right back! Why not try Pilates???? It's low impact, you won't leave the studio ragged and soaked with sweat, but feeling less stressed, relaxed, and guaranteed to have less tension throughout your body. Pilates builds strong, long, lean muscles. It prevents and reduces the risk of injury, builds core strength, improves posture, increases flexibility, improves balance and coordination, and gives you a mind-body connection, making you aware of your body allowing you to incorporate your everyday tasks more easily and safely. Our younger generation is in desperate need of help. Obesity continues to rise yearly in our youth and all we've taught them is to save their pennies and get it sucked out. Why not save your pennies and take a class or a private session with a professional Pilates instructor? You'll not only gain flat-ripped abs, perfect toned arms and long sleek legs, you'll gain confidence, sleep better, and save your health and your life.

Pilates for Pre and PostNatal

For most women Pilates is the perfect exercise before, through your pregnancy and after. I did Pilates through out my entire pregnancy. I taught 6:00 class on that Monday night and by 2:30am Tuesday I was in the hospital 7 centimeters dilated and just hanging out with no pain. I gave birth to an 8 pound 5 oz baby girl at 10:45 that morning. I also only gained 18 extra pounds in the 9 months and left the hospital in my pre-pregnancy jeans. Prenatal Pilates teaches you how to breath, how to center yourself, how to use your core muscles, and it helps you stay flexible. All which help with labor, the birth of your baby, and your recovery. Postnatal will help you regain control and strength of your transverse muscle (the muscle under your belly button, most women call their pouch). It will help you regain flexibility and strength, increase your stamina, it can make you feel better, and in 20 minutes you can get the benefits of Pilates- now that your schedule has become tighter and busier with your new arrival! Check with your OB to make sure you are having a healthy pregnancy and having no complications before trying Pilates. Most doctors will approve Pilates for Prenatal if you're already active or have done Pilates. Always be sure to be cleared by your doctor before starting ANY exercise regime before and after your pregnancy.

Beat the Blizzard with Pilates

You would think with all this crazy weather and being stuck inside, I could actually keep up on my blog. But between the desperate runs for toilet paper, wine, and baby food, the extra time for shoveling, and of course an 8-month old that never wants to sleep. These precious days with all this so called extra time just slips away. For the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast these past 3 weeks have pummeled us with multiple feet of snow, keeping us house bound and stir crazy with cabin fever. What's the best way to beat the blizzard blues??? Why not try Pilates? If you've never have, now is the perfect time. With U-tube, the Internet, and even on-line book ordering you can have a DVD, book or demo right before your eyes. Sometimes if you have On-Demand you can go through the guide and find a Pilates class for free to order right off your TV! And for those of us that are familiar with Pilates. All you have to do is grab your towel or mat. Lie on the floor and do mat exercises for 20-30 minutes or put in one of your DVDs. In that little bit of time you'll get rid of the flat butt you've now earned from watching too much TV, flatten your abs from all the food we've shoved down our throats out of complete boredom, even take away those aches and pains from your stiff body from shoveling the mounds of snow from your driveway. I think I might take my own advice as I gaze out the window at the snow covered pine trees that continue to bend in the 50 mph winds and continue to leave me trapped in this house. Oh Well at least the baby is asleep.

Pilates-The Perfect Exercise to Start This Winter

With such harsh weather through out the winters in the US and most of the world, everyone tends to get a tinge of cabin fever quickly after the holidays. Why not fill some of those dark and blustery days with some exercise. Pilates is Perfect! Even if you have to travel, you can take Pilates with you. You don't even need a mat, a towel on the floor will work. Since Pilates uses your body's resistance, all you need is the desire to feel better and the will to exercise. Even if you only get 15-20 minutes to yourself a day, you can just lay on the floor and do basic fundamental mat exercises to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping. The best thing about Pilates is when the weather breaks and summer starts to arrive you can take your mat to the beach or to the park and do Pilates in the warmth of the sun.

Starting The New Year Off With Pilates

Wow! So the holidays are over. We're all sick of eating and eating. Of course it was mostly chocolate, desserts, and alcohol. Now we're settling into the wintry months, short days with blustery winds and freezing starry nights. We've decided to make new resolutions, which usually include to lose weight, eat better, stop a bad habit. Well why not start the new decade off with a Pilates class or private session? Pilates helps rehabilitate any injury, it builds core strength, build long, lean muscles (who doesn't want Jennifer Aniston's perfect arms and legs, not to mention her figure.)Pilates helps you feel good about yourself and it also helps to find harmony and body awareness. Pilates is perfect for any size, shape, or gender. People who haven't tried Pilates often say it's easy stuff, they obviously haven't taken Pilates before! So check out the closest Pilates studio near you, most will give you a free session or free class to try. You've got nothing to lose!

How Pilates changed my Life!

Core strength has definitely become a trendy phrase these days, but if you have it your body moves more efficiently and and your body is well protected from injury. I had poor posture most of my adolescents maybe it was because I was 5'7 at the age of 9. Talk about being awkward and the teasing well that's a whole other story. But there is nothing worse than having chronic back pain, and living with it daily. After having two major car accidents and left with whip lash and some serious neck injuries (only cause I was 23 and thought I would heal by myself-so stupid!!!) After finally being sick of hurting all the time at such a young age, I started doing Pilates at my gym and quickly fell in love with it. Flash Forward 5 years and having to relocate almost 3 hours away. I found a Chiropractor who actually sat down and talked to me about what I needed to do to fix my neck and back so I wouldn't need major surgery by the time I was 35. Pilates fell into my lap as my mom decided to pull her small studio out of the house and open a store front. With business taking off, I was working hard on my core to fix the underlying back injuries, then I decided to get my certification and help other people in chronic pain. I felt myself get stronger and stronger. My posture was so much better, I was actually getting compliments for the first time in my life how great my posture was. That blew my mind! So I continued to practice Pilates almost everyday and Boy! did my body feel so much better, I slept better, I could do so much more-(being an avid gardener, this helped out with lots of heavy gardening!) Last year I found out I was having a baby and I worked out every day, worked 40+ hours a week, only gained 18 pounds in the 10 months of carrying her, and only had about 5 real hours of labour before she arrived. Pilates gave me the strength to carry a baby full term with no complications, still work out and work, still garden and do things that I always loved to do. And my back pain seemed to be mostly gone. Now carrying a 6.5 month old that weighs over 20 pounds, and still fighting to get my core strength back after having a baby (which takes a while, if you're a normal human and don't have an Au pair and 5 free hours to workout everyday) My back pain is back and my posture has taken a detour, but determined to get it back and quickly. Pilates is my number one choice and I still make an effort to do at least 3 days a week. Once you stop doing it you lose the benefits, kind of like dieting once you come off your diet you gain your weight back. Once you stop Pilates you fall back into old habits and incorrect movements. Pilates has changed my life and I guarantee it will continue to. Now if someone could figure out how to add extra hours in a days time and how not to be exhausted as a new mom, I could conquer the world.

Pilates At Any Age

The most asked question we get as Pilates Instructors is "Who can do Pilates?" Usually it's men asking the question for themselves, ironically Joesph Pilates developed his exercises first for men recovering from their injuries in the war. And then later after moving to New York City, focused Pilates towards Gymnasts and Ballet dancers. Today you usually see women on a mat in advertisements and DVDs. But in reality, Pilates is for anyone, no matter your age, race, gender, injury or disability. And it's not just Mat exercises. Today you can take a Mat class in most gyms and studios. But the Pilates equipment,...the Reformer, the Wunda Chair, the Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, Contour Bench, etc. is where people are finding the best benefits for their health, fitness level, or recovery from injury or surgery.
So almost anyone can do Pilates, from infants-like my 6 month old daughter who has mastered leg circles just from watching my clients to my oldest client who's 85 with Osteoporosis and comes 3 days a week and loves it! You can be a man or woman, short or tall, an athlete or couch potato, have chronic back pain from poor posture or be post-rehab after knee surgery. We've had clients who've have greatly benefited from Pilates after their stroke, Hip replacements, back surgery, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Pre-Natal, and Post Natal. Pilates is for everyone! And actually if everyone did practice some sort of Pilates, people would be in less pain and guaranteed to visit their doctors less frequently. So what are you waiting for, where's the nearest studio???