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“I have a question about a client with Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. She takes medication for it and sometimes it works better than others. I try to minimize distractions in and around the studio and I try to be very clear with my queing. Is there something I could be doing to focus her? Your thoughts on that would be very helpful.” — Susan
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Great question! Personally, I haven’t worked with a client who’s told me she’s ADD and on meds, but I’ve had numerous clients with distraction issues - whether it’s from chronic pain, emotional, work-related, or they just have that personality of wanting to be doing anything but exercise!
In my experience, doing a consistent Pilates program should help improve her focus over time, but there are definitely some things you can do to assist.
Continue reading ‘Teaching Pilates To Clients with Attention Deficit Disorder’ »
Tags: Attention Deficit Disorder and Exercise, Pilates Training and ADD, Teaching Pilates
Posted in Exercise and Fitness, Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips, Uncategorized by Aliesa George on April 23rd, 2009.
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This Foot Care Question was just submitted to my inbox by Nicole, thought perhaps there are others out there searching for answers on how to alleviate foot problems and curious to know if exercise might help.
“I have some problems with my feet. Hyper mobile forefoot and hypo mobile mid-foot with some posterior tibular tendonitis.”
“I was wondering if there are foot care exercises I could do to help?”
Thanks for your question about exercises for your feet. It is impossible for me to give you specific exercises that I think would be beneficial without actually having a chance to see you, work with you, and evaluate your feet.
Based on your comments about the problem, I do have some thoughts about what I would look for, and I am confident that yes, there probably are some specific foot fitness exercises that you could do to help improve your feet.
Continue reading ‘I Have Foot Problems - Are There Foot Exercises that Can Help?’ »
Tags: Foot Exercise, Foot Fitness, foot problems, Pilates, Pilates training program
Posted in Exercise and Fitness, Foot Care Tips, Pilates-Teaching Tips, Uncategorized by Aliesa George on April 17th, 2009.
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Designing safe and effective Pilates training programs that are client-specific, goal-oriented, and help improve whole-body health is the primary function of a great Pilates teacher. You can know lots of good exercises, but it’s the subtle changes, adaptations, or order for workout sequence that help your clients get the results they are looking for from their Pilates program.
The Pilates program outlined here was designed by an Apprentice Teacher and is being used as an example for a critique on designing effective Pilates programs.
This blog posting is meant to assist Pilates teachers, and especially new Pilates trainers with assistance in thoughtful and safe exercise selection to design safe and effective workout programs. I do not recommend that you precisely follow this program, but analyze the program and my comments and suggestions - then use this information to help develop your critical thinking skills, make good exercise choices, and design great Pilates programs for your clients.
As a more-experienced teacher, I enjoy helping the students in my teacher-training program develop their critical thinking skills. It thought there may be other new teachers out there who would find this information useful.
Continue reading ‘Beginner Pilates Program Design - No Neck Flexion’ »
Tags: Pilates Teacher Education, Pilates Workout, Pilates Workout Program Design, Pilates-Teaching Tips
Posted in Pilates-Teaching Tips, Uncategorized by Aliesa George on April 14th, 2009.
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I’ve been focusing a bit more on my own Pilates workouts lately - and it’s such fun to discover new things about the same old exercises I’ve been doing and teaching now for fifteen years! It’s never boring, and regardless of whether I’m teaching a client, or giving myself a workout - I’m amazed at what I continue to learn about the benefits and subtleties of the Pilates system.
Here’s my revelation for the week! (or perhaps it’s just today’s revelation - and something else will pop up eager for me to share tomorrow.)
I’ve always cued my clients to begin learning their exercises with the awareness of working within the framework of the Pilates “Box.” Think about the torso from shoulder to shoulder, and hip to hip. Every exercise starts from the center of the box, moves away from, and back to center. The farther away from center you move, the stronger you have to be to maintain balance, control, and core support for your exercise or movement. Feeling where the corners of the “box” are help create an awareness of being evenly distributing your weight and staying centered. Great concept!
So when the knees bend in towards the chest on any exercise where should they go?
Continue reading ‘Knees Over Chest Is Best - For Getting Great Benefits from Pilates Training’ »
Tags: balance, body awareness, control, core support, exercise program, Fitness Training, flexibility, Health, health and fitness, Pilates, Pilates Box, Pilates Exercise, Pilates Matwork, pilates method, Pilates System, Pilates Teaching, Pilates Workout, Pilates-Teaching Tips, strength, Wellness
Posted in Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on March 23rd, 2009.
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I was eating lunch today and talking shop with one of my Centerworks-trained, PMA Certified Pilates teachers, and we ended up on the topic of: How to effectively get clients enthusiastic about Pilates, AND keep them signing up for lessons so we can really help them see the benefits Pilates has to offer.
So I had to put on my thinking cap and work through what I’ve done in the past 25 years as a health professional, and particularly in the last 15 years as a Pilates teacher to motivate my clients to stay committed to their exercise program. I feel very fortunate that I’ve always had a very busy training schedule and most of my clients have been with me forever. Well maybe not forever, but some clients have been consistent for well over 10 years, and my most recent clients have been enrolled for at least 3-5 years!
Everyone that has stuck with it has been with me since they started. Now I realize that the last sentence seems kind of funny….but that IS the real question!
WHY have they stuck with it???
And how do we get more people to experience, enjoy, and continue with a long-term wellness program?
If you’re a Pilates teacher, personal trainer, or parent these principles will apply! If you’re a client - struggling to stay on the exercise bandwagon, you can easily apply this information to your workout program too.
Here are Six Ways To Help Your Clients
Stick with Their Pilates Workout Program.
Continue reading ‘6 Ways To Help Your Clients Stick with Their Pilates Workout Program’ »
Posted in Business, Health, Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on December 10th, 2008.
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Darlene Asks about Pilates and Pregnancy…
Dear Aliesa,
I am teaching a Pilates class and one of the participants has
told me that she is pregnant. She has been doing Pilates for
a while and is strong and knows her limits, but I am looking
for a resource where I can research the limitations and
contraindications for a pregnant participant.
Can you recommend some reading or a website I can rely on
to give me correct information? This is a mat class only.
Thanks very much for your help,
Darlene
Great Question Darlene!!!
You’ll find a few guidelines for Pilates & pregnancy in the PMA Pilates Certification Study Guide. If I remember correctly, Dawn-Marie Ikes did a session or two on this topic at the PMA conference in 2005 & 2006, it was great information. If you have access to a copy of the course outlines for either of those years, I think you’ll have the info you’re looking for. You might check on the PMA website for Dawn-Marie’s contact information www.PilatesMethodAlliance.org and request info directly from her.
Continue reading ‘Pilates and Pregnancy: Exercise Guidelines - Resources for More Information’ »
Tags: ACE, ACOG, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Council on Exercise, Health, Pilates, Pilates Method Alliance, Pilates-Teaching Tips, PMA, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exercise Guidelines, Wellness
Posted in Health, Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on November 30th, 2008.
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I’m always experimenting with cues to help find good images that my clients can associate with while they’re moving through their workouts. When I can associate a relatable picture to proper body position and movements - I usually get great execution of each Pilates exercise.
Here’s my new cue of the week for improving Spine Extension.
Continue reading ‘Opening the Ribcage for More Lift in Spine Extension’ »
Tags: Arched, armpits, Back Extension, backbend, cue, Cueing, cues, execution, Extension, fan, Fanning, Fitness, image, image visualization, Imagery, Pilates, Pilates Exercise, pilates method, Pilates Teaching, Pilates Workout, Pilates-Teaching Tips, pivot point, proper body position, reducing stress, Reformer, ribcage, ribs, Spine Extension, stretch, swan, Teacher Education, technique, understanding, workouts
Posted in Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on April 21st, 2008.
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Just a quick thought… While improving posture may or may not be on the list of goals Pilates participants, it might be because posture improvement isn’t what they want, but rather the BENEFITS of correcting bad posture, which include: Reduced back and neck pain, less stress on all the body’s joints (spine, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles), easier breathing in daily life & sport activities, shoulders that are no longer wrapped around the ears, ease of movement for daily living - walking, stairs, standing, sitting in front of the computer, driving, enhanced recreational & sports performance, and reduced risk of injury.
Continue reading ‘Improving Posture with Pilates’ »
Tags: body alignment, body posture, correct bad posture, correcting bad posture, fitness activities, functional scoliosis, good posture, how to correct posture, improve posture, knee pain, lordosis, neck pain, Pilates and Posture, pilates method, posture assessment, posture improvement, posture yoga, shoulder pain, tense muscles
Posted in Health, Pilates, Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on March 22nd, 2008.
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If you are a Pilates Studio owner and interested in learning more about how to find, attract, and keep more customers, increase sales & profits, and create effective marketing materials that get results - I highly recommend attending Ford Saeks’ Profit-Rich Marketing Mastery Event in Orlando, FL on April 25-27.
As Pilates Teachers we attend conferences & workshops for continuing education to keep us sharp on our teaching skills, but what have you done lately to continue your education for strategies to effectively grow your business?
Continue reading ‘Pilates Studio Owners - Grow Your Business with Profit-Rich Marketing’ »
Tags: Business, Continuing Education, Ford Saeks, Marketing, Marketing Course, Marketing Seminar, Marketing Workshop, Pilates Studios, Prime Concepts Group, Profit-Rich Marketing Mastery Event
Posted in Business, Pilates-Teaching Tips, Workshops by Aliesa George on March 14th, 2008.
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I’m always looking for great new Pilates Teaching cues. Here’s the one that came to me this week - thanks to a client who had a big number three on the front of her shirt. Good images for cueing can come from anywhere!
Do you remember reading Dr. Suess as a kid? One of my favorite stories was the Starbelly Sneetches. And how wonderful that that star is in the perfect spot to think about pulling the abdominals in for support and Core Control.
Here’s my tribute to the great Dr. Suess from a Pilates perspective!
Continue reading ‘Pilates Core Conditioning - Dr. Suess Exercise Teaching Cue for Ab Workouts’ »
Tags: Ab Strength, Abdominals, Core Conditioning, Pilates Exercise, Pilates Teaching, Pilates-Teaching Tips
Posted in Pilates-Teaching Tips by Aliesa George on March 11th, 2008.
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