Monday, October 26, 2020

Monday Motivation!! OMG Stay standing in October SNOW and ICE! Pilates Clam Series 🦪

 

Pilates Clam Series 🦪💗
It's early in the year for this much snow and ice in Minnesota, but hey, it's 2020 and we're rolling with the punches!
Gaining strength and flexibility in the hip stabilizers will help to keep us standing, walking and safe on icy sidewalks!
 
The hip stabilizer muscles include the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, piriformis and deep core muscles (the transversus abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor).
The side lying Pilates Clam Series is one heck of an exercise series to aid in strengthening the gluteus medius, which lays on the outer edge of the buttocks and is responsible for stabilizing your pelvis! So think about when you're trying to stay upright while walking on a slippery surface, besides your core strength helping to maintain balance it's your hip stabilizers that will help to keep your feet from flying out from underneath you!
 
The clam series is said to be one of the best for strengthening the hips, glutes, and pelvis. The pilates clam can also help to prevent injury and ease lower back tension as well aid in physical therapy to help sciatica, reducing pain by strengthening the core and lower back muscles.
 
To set up, make sure your head is comfortably supported with your bottom arm, neck should be in neutral with stacked shoulders. Maintain a neutral ribcage and pelvis, the knees are bent at approximately a right angle with the heels in line with the tailbone.
 
It's important to maintain torso stability (shoulders, ribcage and pelvis) to get the most out of this series. Avoid letting the top hip roll forward or backwards as the legs move, avoid going too fast or straining in the shoulders or neck. REMEMBER TO BREATHE your Pilates breath, use your exhale to aid in your stability. If you're doing it correctly you will feel your core working as well as the legs!
Make sure to do both sides 😁😹

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#MondayMotivation💪 Pilates Clam Series 🦪❤ It's early in the year for this much snow and ice in Minnesota, but hey, it's 2020 and we're rolling with the punches ! Gaining strength and flexibility in the hip stabilizers will help to keep us standing, walking and safe on icy sidewalks ! The hip stabilizer muscles include the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, piriformis and deep core muscles (the transversus abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor) . The side lying #pilatesclamseries is one heck of an exercise series to aid in strengthening the gluteus medius, which lays on the outer edge of the buttocks and is responsible for stabilizing your pelvis! So think about when you're trying to stay upright while walking on a slippery surface, besides your core strength helping to maintain balance it's your hip stabilizers that will help to keep your feet from flying out from underneath you ! The clam series is said to be one of the best for strengthening the hips, glutes, and pelvis. The pilates clam can also help to prevent injury and ease lower back tension as well aid in physical therapy to help sciatica, reducing pain by strengthening the core and lower back muscles . To set up, make sure your head is comfortably supported with your bottom arm, neck should be in neutral. Maintain a neutral ribcage and pelvis, the knees are bent at approximately a right angle with the heels in line with the tailbone . It's important to maintain torso stability (shoulders, ribcage and pelvis) to get the most out of this series. Avoid letting the top hip roll forward or backwards as the legs move, avoid going too fast or straining in the shoulders or neck. REMEMBER TO BREATHE your Pilates breath, use your exhale to aid in your stability. If you're doing it correctly you will feel your core working as well as the legs ! Make sure to do both sides 😁😹 #MondayMotivation #pilatesclam #clamshell #dopilates #dopilatesyoullfeelbetter #dopilatesanywhere Also we're still in the middle of a pandemic so make sure to always #wearyourmask and #sociallydistance in public but if you can #StayHome as much as possible ! #StayHealthy #StayPositive #StaySafe

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Monday, October 12, 2020

Monday Motivation!! The Pilates Magic Circle!

 Two Videos using the incredible Magic Circle!

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#MondayMotivation💪 Magic Circle day!!! TWO videos! The Magic Circle is a tool or prop created by #JosephPilates intended to help people practicing #Pilates boost their practice, add resistance and find their deeper centers . Also referred to as the Pilates Circle or Pilates, exercise, or fitness Ring; this tool is made of flexible metal (or more commonly today) rubber, about 13 inches in diameter with pads on either side. The Magic Circle is a traditional, inexpensive, light weight pilates resistance prop that can easily be integrated into mat Pilates at home as well as with Pilates machines such as the Reformer . Using resistance props, utilizing ones own body weight, in your Pilates workout will help to build muscle tone, allows one to target multiple areas of the body, adds to stability, improves balance and enhances many mat Pilates exercises! Another amazing benefit is being able to imitate, to a certain extent, larger resistance equipment that not everyone is able to have at home, the Reformer, Cadillac, or Chair . In my first #MondayMotivation video I incorporate the circle into a common mat exercise, the Hip Roll + leg lift increasing the intensity of the hip roll and demanding stabilization of shoulders, ribcage and pelvis to maintain the straight line of the body during the roll up, leg lift, especially since the ring is flexible, and roll down. In my second video I mimic the Monkey footwork and stretch, a Cadillac exercise, transitioning into the Teaser combined again with the Monkey footwork to increase the demand for balance and sequencing . Enjoy!! #dopilates #dopilatesyoullfeelbetter #dopilatesanywhere #pilatesmagiccircle #pilatesring #pilatescircle #pilateshiprolls #pilatesmonkey #pilatesteaser #StayHome #StayHealthy #StayPositive #StaySafe

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Monday, October 5, 2020

Motivation Monday in THREE PARTS with the Big Ball!!

Many people have a big ball laying around but it may be stuffed in a corner or a closet, it may be thrown off to the side of a desk having been briefly used as a chair, maybe it's covered with discarded clothing. So let's get it out and USE it!
The first video integrates the Pilates Teaser prep with the big ball enhancing focus, coordination, sequencing and balance.

The second video goes over Hip/Pelvic release & mobilization, this is especially important for runners and dedicated athletes, but everyone will benefit from mobilizing!

Ramping it up a bit in the third video, I demonstrate using the big ball, side plank, plank, declined push-up and pike!! Challenge yourself and do not forget to BREATH and use your ALIGNMENT PRINCIPLES!!

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#MondayMotivation💪 Part 1 . Here we are still stuck in a pandemic, trying to make the most of it. From my side, finding my own motivation has been tough, when everything feels heavy it takes extra strength just to get going. I KNOW for me, when the going gets tough I HAVE to keep on moving, it is the only way out of the perpetual cycle of sadness and anxiety. I've missed a couple of #MondayMotivation (s) working on myself so that I could give more to others . Thinking about continuing to move even when we are stuck at home can be hard so today I am going to post a 3 part #motivationmonday utilizing the large stability ball in 3 different ways. Many people have a big ball laying around but it may be stuffed in a corner or a closet, it may be thrown off to the side of a desk having been briefly used as a chair, maybe it's covered with discarded clothing. So let's get it out and USE it! My first video today integrates the Pilates Teaser prep with the big ball enhancing focus, coordination, sequencing and balance. The #PilatesTeaser takes the full range of body engagement including breath targeting the transverse abdominis, deep pelvic floor, scapular stabilizers as well as the rectus abdominis and obliques concentrically and eccentrically rolling up and rolling down. So girl (and boys) put your records on and let's get moving- TOGETHER! #tictokmusic And as much as you can continue to keep yourself and others safe and healthy! #StayHome #StayHealthy #StayPositive #StaySafe and please always #wearyourmask😷 in public!! #dopilates #dopilatesyoullfeelbetter #dopilatesanywhere #bigballpilates #pilatesteaserprep #pilatesteaser #bigballteaser

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#MondayMotivation💪 Part 2 . Hip/Pelvic release & mobilization!! Tight hips are such a pain! Literally! Practicing release, mobilization and stabilization is incredibly important to restore and maintain flexibility and strength . In this video, using the big ball I run through parallel alignment, medial rotation (turn inward), lateral rotation (turn outward) and stabilization! The advantages of hip/pelvic release are incredible targeting the muscles and tendon of the hip and glutes, including the tensor fascia latae and glutes attaching to the IT band. Athletes, especially runners, benefit greatly from these movements !! #MondayMotivation #dopilates #dopilatesyoullfeelbetter #dopilatesanywhere #pilateshiprelease #bigballpilates #StayHome #StayHealthy #StayPositive #StaySafe

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Thursday, October 1, 2020

Joseph Pilates' 6 Principles of CONTROLOGY

The exercise method we know today as Pilates

 


"Be in control of your body and not at it's mercy." -Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates originally called his meathod of exercise "Contrology." He considered this to be an approach to movement founded on the integrative effect of principles such as breath, centering, concentration, control, precision, and flow. These basic principles infuse each exercise with intention and fullness of expression.

1. Breath: “Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.” -Joseph Pilates
Joseph Pilates emphasized using a very full breath in his exercises. Most Pilates exercises coordinate with the breath, and using the breath properly is an integral part of Pilates exercise. Breath is the most encapsulating principle. Without the use of the breath, none of the other key elements are being done to the best of their ability.  Oxygen, blood flow, increased space to move, and many other benefits are just some of the variables of using the breath.  Most people inevitably hold their breath when under stress.  Learning to first breathe, and then when to breathe certain ways, helps any Pilates practitioner reach their goals. Learn more: Breathing in Pilates.

2. Centering: "You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance, ability to preform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run or travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strain." -Joseph Pilates
Centering is physically bringing the focus to the center of the body, the Powerhouse area of the body. Energetically, Pilates exercises are sourced from the center. The powerhouse is found from the bottom of the rib cage through the hip line, the abdominal muscles, low back muscles, pelvic floor, muscles around the hips, and the glutes (butt muscles). Not only are you focusing on these core muscles, you are also balancing the right and left side of the body, while simultaneously balancing dominant and weaker muscle groups.
     -The abdominal muscles are a combination of the
          Transversus abdominis – the deepest muscle layer of abdominal muscles.
          Rectus abdominis – slung between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis.
               When contracting, this muscle has the characteristic bumps or bulges that are commonly
               called ‘the six pack’.
          External oblique muscles – these are on each side of the rectus abdominis.
          Internal oblique muscles – these flank the rectus abdominis and are located just inside the
               hipbones.

3. Concentration: “Concentrate on the correct movement each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all vital benefits.”-Joseph Pilates
If you bring full attention to the exercise and do it with full commitment, you will obtain maximum value from each movement. In other words allowing the mind to drift off to your day's list of to-do's, what you plan to eat after class, or the shiny object in the corner of the room will distract you from reaping the full rewards of each exercise. Instead Pilates creates an active meditation that pulls an individual away from their surrounding stressors. Every movement starts with the conscious thought of moving followed by engagement, then the movement. Making the decision to think about the motion and what muscles to activate, versus just moving through it, provides increased performance and better results that transcend into your everyday life.


4. Control: “Every moment of our life can be the beginning of great things.” -Joseph Pilates
Every Pilates exercise is done with complete muscular control. No body part is left to its own devices. It is all a conscious, deliberate movement that the mind is controlling. Even if we are doing an exercise that does not directly involve the legs we continue to keep muscle tone and control in the legs, they are not forgotten or allowed to become spaghetti. Every movement in Pilates is deliberate, and the mind should be directing every muscle.

5. Precision: “A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion.” -Joseph Pilates
In Pilates, awareness is sustained throughout each movement. There is an appropriate placement, alignment relative to other body parts, and trajectory for each part of the body. A common misconception of Pilates is that it’s “too easy.”  That is directly translated as exercises being done too quickly and not knowing what muscles should be working.  Each Pilates movement has a purpose, placement and technique that needs to be followed in order to be successful. Long term this will also help to have the same deliberate precision in every day life; whether we are running, cycling, lifting weights or sitting at a computer, driving a car or doing another activity that makes bad posture or misalignment easy.

6. Flow: "Correctly executed and mastered to the point of subconscious reaction, these exercises will reflect grace and balance in your routine activities." -Joseph Pilates
Pilates exercise is done in a flowing manner. Fluidity, grace, and ease are goals applied to all exercises. The energy of an exercise connects all body parts and flows through the body in an even way. Flow is involved is what stitches each movement together.  Every motion in our body needs to be executed with ease versus pain or difficulty.  Reminding ourselves that we should only move and function when good flow is possible is imperative and should be stopped when it’s not.  Patience with this concept will improve our overall health in our everyday lives.