In a year I have:

Ran a half marathon. Loved it.

Gotten fully certified to teach what I love: Pilates.

Turned the big 3-0.

Voraciously consumed all info I could get my hands on about organic products and sustainable living.

Gone down 4 dress sizes (mwahahahaha!!)

Found a fabulous group of girlfriends.

Fallen in love all over again with my husband.

Fallen in love like never before with my daughter.

Not blogged like I planned to. At all. Not even close!

BUT I would like to start again and try to keep it on a semi-regular basis  ( I am a realist) and I hope you will have me  : )

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

When I think about it, I guess a “chair workout” does sound kinda strange. So, what exactly is a chair workout? Not a dance routine from off Broadway, I can assure you of that much. In fact, it’s a “chair” only by tradition.  Far from being a new part of a studio, the Wunda chair has been around just as long as the reformer. So, like the reformer, it is a resistance exercise machine. It was designed by Joseph Pilates in the 1930’s. Check out this video: Joeseph Pilates on Wunda Chair, 1936

From the history as I understand it, he designed it so that his clients who had summer homes in the Berkshires and the Hampton’s  would have a machine to continue their workouts on; when they were done, they could simply tip in over, place a pillow on it and, viola, have an inconspicuous piece of  exercise equipment in their living room. It is basically a box with one side that can be pressed down with feet and hands; like a pedal.  Traditionally there are two springs that attach to the pedal and can be adjusted to create more or less resistance. While at first the chair can seem limiting, it is astounding how many different movements one can do on the chair. Almost anything that you can do on the mat can be adjusted to do on the chair in some way; either sitting, standing, lying, or at the front or side of the chair. From the ab series of five to the jacknife, Pilates creatively crafted a well rounded chair workout.

When I work on the Wunda Chair, I work muscles and parts of my body that I don’t get on the mat or the reformer. I’ll spare you the details but I will say this: If you are taking Pilates in a studio and haven’t had the opportunity to work out on the chair, ask your instructor about it. It is a great way to get a workout and a true testament to the ingenuity of Joseph Pilate’s  Method.  He was a busy man; inventing many machines to aid the workouts of himself and his clients.

“I invented all these machines. Began back in Germany, was there until 1925 [or was that 1923?], used to exercise rheumatic patients. I thought, why use My strength? So I made a machine to do it for me. Look, you see it resists your movements in just the right way so those inner muscles really have to work against it. That way you can concentrate on movement. You must always do it slowly and smoothly. Then your whole body is in it.” - Joseph Pilates*

I find the chair my most challenging piece of equipment. I would say a have a love/hate relationship with it. I encourage you to find the same.

Chairfully yours,

Christine

* quote found on http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/pilates/h_biography.htm

For more information on the Pilates Method, read his book, “Return to Contrology”

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I took about 4 months off from teaching and taking Pilates at the studio where I am completing my apprenticeship. I was nervous and intimidated when I walked back through the doors in September. I immediately wanted to start where I left off and GET MY BODY BACK.  But my body had changed- my pelvis was unstable, my abdominal muscles were…well, let’s face it. What abs?  My core had disappeared! My instructor, Mary Ann,  and I had to start at the beginning. To start at the beginning we had to do the most basic and important: neutral spine exercises. Before I could move on with my Pilates workouts, I had to find my neutral spine again!

After having a baby, finding my neutral spine was incredibly difficult! I had a “duck butt” (thank you, Mary Anne, for such a descriptive and sexy phrase) from holding my daughter 24/7. A duck butt, fyi, is when you stand and press your lower back out, causing your behind to stick out. This causes a ton of lower back pain. It was such a humbling experience to start over. I realized how much I had taken for granted before. Starting at the beginning forced me to reconnect to my body- something I had taught before but had not fully appreciated.

Before you begin any Pilates program, and especially if you are doing it at home, please take a moment and explore what and where your neutral spine is.

1. Start by lying on the floor on your back. Your legs should be bent and feet flat. Check your lines; are your feet in line with your knees ( your heels should be directly under your knees)? Knees in line with your hips? Let your arms rest at your side.
2. RELAX. Your shoulders, neck and yes, even your jaw should relax. Allow your back to naturally rest on the floor.
3. Remember to breathe! Take a deep breath in and imagine that the oxygen is traveling all the way into your toes; exhale and imagine all the stale air in you body is exiting. Do this several more times.
4. Take your hands and place them under your back; you should feel a slight open space.
5. Place your hands back by your side. Take an inhale and press your pelvis down into the floor, away from your rib cage.
6. Exhale and reverse by tilting your pelvis up, towards your ribs. You should feel the small of your back connect with the floor.
7. Relax your body. Neutral spine is a place in between the two pelvic tilts you just did.
8. Next, imagine that you have a clock on your belly. 12 0′clock is below your sternum, The middle of the clock is  your belly button, and 6 0′clock is just above your pelvis and includes your kegel muscle.
9. Pull 12, then the middle, then 6 into your body. Your navel should press into your spine. Try to keep all of this connected while tilting your pelvis up and down several times- REMEMBER TO BREATHE!!
10. Relax your pelvis and just think about connecting the clock on your belly. Breathe in deeply and drop your abdominal muscles to the floor. The natural curves of your neck and lumbar spine are away from the floor and you are no longer pressing your pelvis up or down.
11. Your body should feel relaxed and aligned, and most of all, connected.

After finding the neutral spine you should be ready to begin mat work!

I am still working on my neutral spine. When I hold my daughter I check myself in the mirror and think “where is my pelvis?” It used to be in a permanent “duck butt” position, but thanks to the world of Joseph Pilates it gets better every day.

Neutrally yours,

Christine

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

My favorite method of stretching is called “Active-Isolated Stretching”, a technique developed by Jim and Phil Wharton. This involves the stretching of one isolated muscle at a time, by actively contracting the muscle opposite the muscle you are trying to stretch. Confusing? Let me break it down.

To stretch your hamstrings:                                                                                                           

1. Lay flat on the floor with one leg bent, one leg up
2. Reach up and hold your shin/ankle and flex your quadriceps muscles
3. Stretch your leg by pulling it towards you, quickly and gently: no more than 2 seconds
4. Release the stretch
5. Repeat

Whether you chose to stretch with the Active-Isolated method or not; my point is STRETCH! You always feel better after you do. Much like taking time to exercise can be a challenge, finding time to stretch can be as well. I hear a similar story after every class  I teach:  “It feels so good to stretch, I just never think about it!”  My advice is to incorporate into your routine somehow- make it part of your exercise regime; sit and stretch while you watch t.v.; stretch while your shower heats up in the morning. The human body is remarkable in regards to muscle memory. I love seeing clients touch their toes after only 2 weeks of classes! It is possible to increase your flexibility by doing several key stretches a day and it is  necessary because it will decreases your chance of injury (and will make you a more effective athlete). You will find if you start stretching now you will be reaching new heights before you know it!

Flexibly yours,

Christine

The Wharton’s Stretch Book by Jim and Phil Wharton is a great tool to have on hand for any instructor, coach, or exercise junkie

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

So, to get back on point, I credit Pilates with my overall well being. In Joe Pilates book  “Return to Life Through Contrology” he talks about the importance of good posture. For those of you new to Pilates,  Contrology is what Joe Pilates called his method. After his death, the name Pilates became the term to describe his revolutionary method of exercise. He writes ” Good posture can be succesfully aquired only when the enitire mechanism of the body is under perfect control…. the proper functioning of your own body is the direct result of the assembled Contrology exercises that produce a harmonious structure we term physical fitness reflecting itself in a coordinated and balanced tripart of body, mind, and spirit.” Whew! What a mouthful!  To translate ( this was first published in 1948, after all ):  By training your muscles in the body to act as a unified entity rather than separate parts, you can achieve overall well being. You might even compare this theory with the metaphor of your body as a machine; each part compliments the other and when one stops working the machine breaks down.

By focusing on your walk you can alleviate hip and knee pain. Concentrate on the placement of you feet: do they roll in or out when you walk? Imagine your feet like a triangle; the toes are the base and the heel is the tip. Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout from your little toe to your big toe. Try to keep 60% of your weight in the ball of your foot, or the base of the triangle; the other 40% in your heel. This is a great thing to practice while you are standing in line, making dinner, or any other situation you find yourself in. Here is a link to some great foot exercises to create awareness.

Don’t forget about the rest of your body; your hips; are they shifted? If you are like most people, you stand with most of your weight on one side of our body. This can be a habit that is very hard to break but think about it like this:  if a structure is built with it’s weight unevenly distributed it will eventually break down and fall. Try standing with your feet like we discussed above and keep your hip bones over your knees, knees over your ankles. Tuck your lower back in so that you don’t put undo pressure on your lower back. Pull your shoulders down, connect your navel to your spine and stand tall. You can apply these lessons to your sitting posture as well. We spend so much time in the car or seated elsewhere it  is a challenge not to sit slouched and hunched over the steering wheel or the desk.  Concentrate on aligning your shoulders over your hips and keeping your spine straight.

There is more to think about and focus on ( of course ) but start slow. Concentrate on your standing posture and on your shoulders while you sit at the desk, in your car, at the computer, ect. I promise you will feel better (and look better too) !

standing tall,

Christine

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

In order to challenge myself, I have been working on a prenatal workout that focuses on strengthening the pelvic floor, kegel muscles, gluts, and core. Below are some modifications on traditional Pilates movements as well as simple movements that deviate from the method but still focus on core strength and stability.

• The Hundreds: Standing up, hold onto 3 or 5lb weights. Make sure your body weight is evenly distributed  and lift one leg about a foot off the ground. Inhale and exhale while pumping your arms beside the body for 50 counts then switch legs and pump for 50 more.  I love this modification because it forces you to stay engaged in your core and works on pelvic stabilization.

• Plies: Legs are wide and open, feet flat on the floor. Lifting your arms overhead as the legs straighten, lowering the arms as you plie. Focus on deep breathing and tucking in your lower back.
• Plie Pelvic Tilt: Place your hands on your thighs and practice pulling the the kegel muscle as you inhale and tilt forward and exhale, tile backward.
• Leg lifts: the wonderful thing about leg lifts is that very little needs to change to accommodate the pregnant body. The only things I change:  bend the lower leg at an angle towards your belly to support your lower back for upper leg lifts; for lower leg lifts, rest the top leg on a large pillow.
• Abdominal Series: place two large pillows behind the small of your back and engage your core. Keeping your back on the pillow, you can do the single leg stretch and double leg stretch comfortably.
• Squats: engage your gluts, powerhouse, and kegel muscle as you squat. Raise your arms to shoulder height as you lower, and lower your arms as you raise your body back up to standing. This can also be done with hand weights.  Remember to NEVER let your knees pass over your ankles!
• Cat’s Spine and Cow: on all fours with your weight distributed evenly on your palms and kness, arch your back toward the ceiling as you inhale, pulling in your core and kegel muscles; then as you exhale, arch your back away from the ceiling as you let your belly hang over the floor.

I am still working on more to do; I love exercising and I know how important it is to strengthen the pelvic floor (especially the kegel muscle) and maintain abdominal strength.

to be continued,

Christine

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

My favorite metaphorical cues:

• During Leg Lifts: Lift your leg as light as a feather and imagine that you a pressing 1000lbs into the ground.
• Neck Pull and Roll Up: Imagine your vertebrae is a strand of pearls and you a slowly lowering it onto your dresser

• During an entire mat series: Pull your navel into your spine as if you have a great weight pressing your belly down; or pull everything in like you are wearing a corset.
• During Spine Twist: Imagine you are a child’s toy and only your top will twist.
• Spine Stretch: Imagine you are stretching over an giant beach ball
• Corkscrew: Wrap your inner thighs and imagine your legs are a giant pencil. Your toes are the tip and you are drawing a circle on the ceiling.
• While teaching someone to lift their chin to their chest: Imagine you are wearing a feather boa and you don’t want to crush the feathers as you lengthen your neck and bring to your chest.
• The Hundreds: Imagine you are laying on a raft in a pool and you are slapping the water with your palms.

Many of these cues you may have heard before ; I hope some of them you haven’t. As an apprentice, I want to find the best way to describe a movement so that my clients get the maximum result. In order to learn,  I am always listening to other teachers. As my instructor has said to me: ” Once you find a verbal cue that works, stick with it”. I can personally attest to the impact imagination has on my own workout. I find that while visualizing something like a corset around my waist or a beach ball between my legs my  core connection grows deeper and my concentration stronger. I am curious, what cues do you use? Do you hear a particular phrase and find a deeper connection? What helps you visualize your body for a more effective workout?

Creatively,

Christine

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

For another challenge outside the traditional method I modified the double straight leg stretch. As they lower an inch they hold the position for 3 seconds, then lower another inch and hold again. The double straight leg is one of the more challenging Pilates exercises; adding additional resistance makes it a very effective abdominal workout. Last we did the crisscross. I had the class hold each crossed position for a series of seconds, concentrating on keeping the shoulders and upper back off the mat; 5 on the right, 5 on the left, then 4 on the right, ect. For the last five sets I sped up the tempo ( to the relief of the class ). As an instructor I love seeing the results of a high energy ab series of five. If I don’t hear a “whew” afterward, I haven’t challenged them.

*The Ab Series of Five is a series of 5 movements done 10 times each. This is a T.A.P. practice, but can be found in many Pilates studios and classes. Doing all 5 in sucesion is ideal, but you should know your own strength level before attempting all of them. How do you know if you are strong enough? If you can’t lift your shoulders of the mat using your powerhouse or if you lose your connection ( the small of your back leaves the mat, abdominals are not engaged) while doing any of these you aren’t there yet. Don’t worry- you will get there before you know it and your abs will look great!! Start with the first two and work your way up.

1) Single Leg Stretch : works your powerhouse and stretches your back and legs. For beginners to advanced levels.

2)Double Leg Stretch: works your powerhouse and stretches your arms and legs. For beginners to advanced levels.

3) Single Straight Leg Stretch: provides additional stretch for the legs while challenging the abdominal muscles. For intermediate to advanced levels.

4) Double Straight Leg Stretch:   your powerhouse supports the legs as they lower and lift, providing a serious workout for your abdominals. Intermediate to Advanced levels.

5) Crisscross: works your external obliques, waist and powerhouse. Great workout for those love handles! Intermediate to advanced levels.

whew!

Christine

Post from: Anywhere Pilates

While taking time to heal, I shamefully realized that my concern wasn’t where it should be: the safety of my baby. I am so conditioned to stay in shape I pushed my body further than it could go and hurt myself in the process. I realized that I needed to find a balance between getting the workout I wanted and treating my body with more love. I recognize now I need to move slow and deliberately. I take in to account that my ligaments are more flexible, so I avoid certain movements that tend to increase the stretch on my inner thighs  (like side splits on the reformer). Some movements feel amazing because of my pregnancy. I could do semi-circles all day!  I have made several adjustments to the mat work I do at home: 2 large pillows beneath my back to support the additional weight on my spine;  the use of a large pillow under my top leg during side lying leg work; during double and single leg kicks I am on all fours with equal weight distributed on my hands and knees- then I kick one leg up at a time with a bent knee. My instructor, Mary Ann, incorporated the foam roller into my workouts. One of my favorites:  she has me stand in a squat position with the roller horizontal behind me and the wall as I lower and hold for what feels like forever (really, it’s 8, 10, then 15 seconds ) and this gives my quads and glutes a much needed challenge. I still take walks, but only for 30 minutes and it feels good to move my body even though I lumber more than walk at this point. Moderate exercise is good for me and my baby. I feel happier and healthier when I do. Besides, doctors recommend getting 30 minutes of physical activity a day- pregnant or not.

Finding a balance took some creativity and humility. I have accepted the fact that I can’t control my body anymore. I WILL gain weight, I WILL get bigger, and I WILL slow down. While this was hard to accept at first, all it took was a kick from the little person inside me to remind me of the bigger picture. It’s not just about me anymore. And I am more than okay with that!

slowly but truly,

Christine

* as Jenny McCarthy so eloquently put it in her book “Belly Laughs“:   “The label morning must have been thought up by a man who thought it was all in our heads and hoped that by limiting the definition it would make us all shut up by noon. Well, I don’t think so buddy! I say, come on over to my house around 5 p.m. so I can heave on you.”

Post from: Anywhere Pilates