Posture

People know that posture is important. But it’s quite misunderstood. It’s not a matter of willpower. You can’t just try to “stand up straight”. It’s not about holding your body in a position. It’s much more fluid than that. Often the things we do in an effort to have “good posture” are actually creating tension and hindering good movement patterns. And good movement patterns are ultimately what give us “good” posture.

Pilates is known for improving posture. And of course the aspects of strength and flexibility that you gain with Pilates practice play a large part in this. But ultimately it is learning how to move in healthier ways that lead to having better posture. The idea that holding the shoulders down and back will not lead to improvement, but learning how to move your shoulders, arms and upper back will lead to standing up straight. And more importantly help you be able to do the things that you need to do with ease and without pain.

Improving your posture and movement patterns is not a quick fix. It takes time and work. With regular Pilates sessions you will see huge improvements and feel the benefits pervade all aspects of your life. Even if you can’t commit to regular ongoing sessions I can give you the tools to continue your practice in your own and support your postural support. Even if you are suffering from pain or injuries Pilates can be adapted to your personal needs. If you want to stand taller, move and feel better please schedule a session. You will be feeling better in no time and the benefits increase the more you do. Stop trying to stand up straight and learn how to move!

Homework

Private Pilates sessions are wonderful. But unless you’re doing them 2 or 3 sessions a week your progress will be limited. This is where homework comes in.

I understand that people are busy. But having a functional body is pretty important!  And while it does take time and work it doesn’t take as much time as you might think. Especially when you’re doing the right things the right way.

This is why a skilled teacher is invaluable. I’m here to help you with your specific needs and goals. Together we can make a personal program that will keep you moving and feeling well. I’m available for sessions in my NE Portland studio or via video chat online.  Contact me to get started on your path to physical wellness!

Why do Pilates?

Pilates can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be!  It’s really not supposed to be for anyone special, it’s actually designed to be done by anyone in any stage of fitness, even if you are at your most “unfit”.

If you have been sedentary and not exercising at all Pilates is perfect for you.  You can begin with exercises that build up your strength and flexibility and as you progress your workouts will increase in challenge.

If you are fit but have been struggling with an injury or pain Pilates is perfect for you! You can continue to strengthen yourself without flaring up any injuries and also work on rehabilitation of the issues your having.  Pilates helps you re-educate your movement patterns and regain healthy joint function and range of motion.

If you’re a very fit person looking to improve your performance Pilates can target the areas that need more mobility or stability to help you improve movement mechanics. Better body mechanics mean more functional strength, flexibility endurance and performance. Sessions  combine supportive exercises related to your sport and beneficial cross training to help maintain balance in the body.

And if you’re not really interested in exercising but want to improve your posture and just keep your body feeling and moving well Pilates is a perfect fit. Pilates is the most un-gym like workout and many people who hate exercising discover that they actually love Pilates!

So whatever you’re looking for Pilates can fit into your life to help you live more fully and freely in your body.  Whether you commit to doing private sessions on the equipment or prefer to learn mat exercises to maintain a practice at home I can help you start where you are and reach your goals, whatever they might be. The only thing you have to do is show up!

“Pilates is too expensive “

Many people dismiss Pilates as “too expensive”. But if you look at prices for any form of personal training you’ll find that it is not any more costly than working with another type of trainer. Massage costs more per hour. And physical therapy is usually much more costly.

Pilates can help you with pain and injury, sometimes with issues that have not responded to other methods. And for injury prevention and increased mobility and longevity of mobility it is invaluable.

I’ve been teaching Pilates for almost 25 years. For my level of experience my rates are very reasonable.  For those who aren’t able to do ongoing private sessions on the equipment I am happy to work with you to create a personalized home program that you can do on your own. If you are motivated to do your exercises with consistency they will work! But many people are not motivated to keep up their practice. Scheduled sessions ensue that you’re doing the things that will keep you feeling and moving well.

Pilates really works but you have to put in the time and work. There isn’t any magic method that is a quick fix. The magic of Pilates is in having a skilled teacher who curates  a workout for your specific needs paired with your commitment to continue practicing.

Whether you can commit to ongoing sessions or want to learn a home program to do on your own I can help you achieve your goals.  And when you compare the costs with the benefits it’s clear that it’s a small price to pay for a healthier spine and joints, and a body that is free from pain and capable of meeting the challenges of your life.

Body positivity

This video is me doing a pretty advanced Pilates exercise. Don’t worry, you won’t be expected to try this in your first session!  I’ve got almost 30 years experience practicing Pilates, a gymnastics background and slightly long arms which all make this exercise possible for me.  At age 46 I’m pretty proud that I can still do this! Yet when I watch it I’m bombarded by my own critical voice. It’s not perfect.  And my body doesn’t look like all the 25 year old bikini clad sculpted bodies you see doing Pilates. I’m in decent shape but I’m not the picture of what a Pilates teacher looks like. I’ve posted it anyway. I’m trying to embrace my self as I am.

There’s a lot of talk about “body positivity” yet if you look for Pilates you’re not gonna see much of it represented.  I wanted to use some of my clients for photos but they didn’t feel comfortable due to their weight so I’ve got photos of a fit woman, which is great but I’m trying to show that Pilates is for all bodies.  People have said “ I’ll start once I’m in better shape” but how does one get in shape to exercise without exercising?   There’s no shape you need to be to start Pilates. You don’t need to wear tight expensive yoga clothes to do Pilates.  And you don’t need to get in shape before you try it.

I’ve seen other teachers give a new client a way-too-intense first session, leaving them visibly overwhelmed and scared to come back. That’s not my style. I will work with you whenever you are and give you challenges that you will succeed at. Fitness is a process and overdoing it doesn’t make it go faster, quite the opposite usually.

Consistent work over time is how you make progress. Your body will begin to feel and move better before anything looks different. But that is “results”. Results that you can feel and make your quality of life better have more impact than toning this or slimming that. Those things will happen too, but not overnight. And many of those sculpted people are not feeling and moving well, they over work, under eat and live in pain for pretty pictures on Instagram. And if that’s what you want, that’s fine. But I’m here for everyone else, the ones who want to get out pain, move well and keep moving year after year.

If pilates has been too intimidating to try I encourage you to try again. I’m here to encourage you and support you and give you a workout that will be effective and leave you feeling better instead of beat up. We need these bodies to last us our lives and taking care of them requires thoughtfulness and kindness.

I’m here to help you exercise in a way that supports your well being. No body is not a Pilates body, all you need to do is book a session and show up.

Shoulder rotation

 

This exercise is called the screwdriver.  It’s a wonderful way to explore the rotation of the shoulder joint.  It strengthens and stretches many of the muscles that are vital to healthy shoulder movement.

When I was recovering from rotator cuff tears I thought I’d never be able to do this again! But with gentle work and lots of patience I’ve gotten back to my full mobility. It’s been a long time coming but I’m grateful for my recovery. Even Pilates teachers can struggle, get injured and feel like they will never get better!

Whether you are struggling with an injury or just have run of the mill tension Pilates can help you. I will work with you in a way that is both safe and effective. If you are doing physical therapy I will work within the parameters set by your doctors. This exercise shown isn’t right for everyone but the beauty of Pilates is that it is infinitely adaptable to any body. Limitations are just an opportunity to find creative solutions.

If you’ve been struggling to get back to a pain free and fully functional body please consider Pilates. You don’t have to be fit already to begin. We can start wherever you are and progress from there slowly and surely towards your goals.

You can heal. I’m here to help you.

Why you need to work your glutes

Why do you need to work your glutes, AKA your butt? Hint…It’s not just for bikini season!

The gluteal muscles are very popular to exercise but it’s often a purely  aesthetic  endeavor. The reality is that those muscles are vital for both good posture and good movement.

When we sit too much, as most of us do, those muscles tend to get very tight. A tight muscle is not a strong muscle, quite the opposite. And sitting also makes the hip flexors tight. So our legs pretty much want to stay in that chair shape even when we stand up. The glutes extend the hips, therefore strong glutes help you have more flexible hips that can extend out of that 90 degree angle they spend so much time in. This allows you to stand taller, walk with a longer, healthier stride and do things like squatting down and standing up or climbing up a steep incline with more ease and power.

Part of what’s so great about Pilates is that we work the body in a balanced way, targeting those under-used muscles to create more uniformity of muscles. The exercises are designed to get groups of muscles working together in harmony, the way they were designed to. It’s one thing to do some tiny, never used in real life exercise to “feel the burn” but in Pilates you get to find a full range of motion and feel how many different muscles working together create more power, stability and mobility. This allows the results to infiltrate your actual life.

If glute work leaves your lower back feeling tight or painful, you might want to rethink what your doing. The glutes need to work together with the hamstrings and lower abdominals so the lower back doesn’t get compressed too much in the process. If you’ve got hip tightness that never improves no matter how many Barre classes you do, again, perhaps you need to try something different. Pilates will work your whole body, of course you can target  areas of weakness and tightness but our body works as a synergistic system and movements that allow that tend to yield the best results.

And why do you want to “burn” your butt anyway? And if that’s what you’re after laying by the  pool in your bikini is a much more pleasant way to do it! But I’d recommend sunscreen and skipping the burn altogether.

Extend yourself

Most of us are spending a lot of time flexing. Bending forward. Curling over a desk, computer, phone or steering wheel. So, does it make sense to spend a huge amount of your workout flexing?  Doing crunches and spending more time curled forward might not be the best use of your time or effort.  And we need to move in all directions, particularly focusing on the directions that we don’t often move in. This is where Pilates is very helpful!

Pilates includes many extension exercises, teaching you how to arch the spine in a supported and healthy way. On the mat or the equipment you can take your spine into that opposite direction and strengthen the muscles that get neglected in “modern life”.  You’ll also stretch the front of the body out, opening tight chest, hip  and abdominal muscles that contribute to “poor posture”.

Pilates gives a well balanced workout, and individual sessions let you go at your own pace and focus on your personal issues. If you don’t feel like your fitness routine is improving your posture or making you feel more balanced and mobile I’d encourage you to try Pilates. The seemingly simple movements can be quite transformative.  It’s a lot harder than it looks and it’s smarter than it is hard.  A small amount of well thought out movement can do much more than mindless reps or frantic over exertions. Your workout can challenge you physically and mentally without leaving you sore and beaten up. Exercise can feel good and be restorative.  And if you extend yourself regularly you’ll stand taller and keep your spine healthy.

Shoulders

We carry a lot with our shoulders. The shoulder joint is truly amazing. It’s strong and very mobile, allowing us to raise our arms up over our head in a way the hip doesn’t do for the legs. And we work with our hands so the shoulders can get quite stressed by work and life. But many people stress their shoulders out even further. With demands. To stay “down” or “back”.  But the shoulders don’t need to “stay” anywhere!  They are made to move!

People worry about “posture” and the shoulders often get the blame. And they get “fixed” with unhealthy holding patterns. If you want to move your arms you must let those shoulders move. Pulling your shoulder down while lifting your arm up creates a world of misery for your shoulder joint. There are many moving parts that make up the shoulder. None of them benefit from being held “down” or “back” or fixed in any way.

We don’t want our shoulders hunched up to our ears, but cramming them down isn’t good either!  We need strong muscles but more than that we need healthy movement patterns. Good mechanics. Pilates can teach you about how your body is meant to move but many teachers fixate on keeping those shoulders down. And it’s not helping. The body is a balance of mobility and stability. The Pilates exercises are designed to take us through all ranges of motion to have a body that’s balanced and capable. But if you over focus on stability you can get rigid. Too much mobility is not good either. It’s about balance.

And our shoulders are just part of the body. You can’t just “fix” them and viola! “Good Posture”!  They are sitting towards the top of the spine, everything from the feet up affect them. To improve your posture it requires working your whole body and learning what your body needs to be better organized.  An organized body will respond and adjust as it goes through life.

So, there’s no need to pick on your shoulders.  Let them move! Give them some freedom. Because, really, has yelling at them actually helped them relax?!

Form/function

Pilates can get quite fixed on form. Having “perfect” form can become an obsession. Function can become secondary.

I fell into this as a teacher. I gave too many corrections. I found out that this makes people afraid to move! Afraid to do it “wrong”.  Try so hard to be “right” that they can’t feel and don’t breathe.  It didn’t work so well.  I’ve been working on myself to change the way I approach each session. It’s a constant challenge but it’s well worth it in the results I see when I just allow people to move and breath and feel!

But form follows function. Taking the body through the Pilates movements challenges you to organize your body for better function. As you develop more functional movement patterns and abilities your form will improve. It’s good to keep an eye on form, in proportion to the function.  If you are unable to roll up through your spine trying to maintain “perfect” shoulders or toes is not important. It’s wonderful to get through a movement that’s very difficult and just be excited that you did it! Nothing is perfect after one try!  Not after 100 tries.  And perfect isn’t really the goal. We need to be able to move.  It execute challenges the body faces in life. Worrying about having perfect form is good for something like performing on a stage, not while doing the gardening!

As you progress through the Pilates method your form will improve as your function does. By allowing your body to figure out the exercises as best it can, not fixating on being “perfect” will give space for ease in moving.  Freedom of mobility feels so much better than striving for perfection through tension.

Don’t try to be perfect.  Allow yourself to make mistakes.  Figure out how your body can do each exercise by being present.  Form will improve through function. Be proud of getting it done and trust that “good form” will come with practice.

Because practice makes possible!