Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.It seems evident to me that this author has probably never experienced a Pilates workout!  And in my study of Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and meditation,  I believe that these great mind-body methods are more similar than one might think for improving whole-body health.

Here’s Why:

It’s not just, let’s move the body, but let’s be aware, in-tune, and conscious of what we’re doing, how, we’re doing it, the initiation point, end point, and in-between points for every movement.

I think it’s wonderful that we have options for focused fitness and enhanced wellness for improved mind-body health.   There is a method out there to help meet the needs of each of us as individuals.  And if you want to develop and fine-tune your skills, cross-training and exploring different mind-body methods may give you an increased appreciation for your body, health, and the ancient wisdom that is at the root of each of these techniques.

Look for my series of upcoming posts on the benefits of each of these great mind-body methods.

• Pilates
• Yoga
• Tai-Chi
• Qi Gong / Chi Gung
• Martial Arts
• Meditation

And I’m curious to know… What’s your  #1 favorite Mind-Body Wellness method?  Answer the  survey, and if you have a moment – tell me why it’s your choice in the comment section below.

A great body position on push-ups, makes the exercise so much easier to do! And with great technique you’ll be getting a lot more bang for your buck from every repetition to improve your upper body strength and fitness.

Push-ups in Pilates normally are done at the end of a Mat workout, but they’re a great exercise that you can do anytime, anywhere without any fancy equipment to maintain your fitness.

To Start the Exercise:

• Stand with your feet in a V-position, arms extended over your head.
• Walk your hands down the front of your body while you bend forward to reach the floor.
• Walk your hands out on the mat taking 3-5 steps to get into a long and strong push-up position.

While you are getting into your push-up position…the following things should happen in this order:

1. Heels lengthen away from the head
2. Tailbone tucks under and reaches towards the heels
3. Lower abdominals lift up and in
4. Glutes & Inner thighs squeeze
5. Shoulder blades pull down the back
6. Spine lengthens through the top of the head

To do a Push-Up and keep a great body position, the sequence of what happens is really important.

Inhale to lower the whole-body, exhale, pull the low belly up, shoulders down, then engage the muscles under the shoulders, around the ribcage and into the belly to help lift the body up while straightening the arms.

Here’s a video clip with my fitness tips and a Push-Up demo to help you improve your body position and Push-Up power.

Have Fun Practicing Your Push-Ups!

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are so many different reasons that each of us is inspired to exercise.  And your inspiration might change throughout the year.  Finding the motivation factor to keep fit is one of the keys to success.

I believe that if you know what motivates you, you’ll be more apt to do whatever it takes to stick with your workouts.  And if your reason isn’t important enough…well you might workout occasionally, but not enough to really reap the benefits you’d like to achieve.

So take a moment to answer this question on my poll for the day.  And then on those rare and occasional moments when you’re feeling un-motivated, and un-inspired to “get your sweat on…” perhaps you can think back to your response to this survey and recommit to your self and your health to get your tennies on (or swim suit, or Pilates attire) and make the most of your workout!

If you’re one of those die-hard, “I never miss a workout” types – Congratulations, You are truly inspirational and it shows in your attitude, commitment, and physique.

I’d love to know the WHY behind your #1 reason too, but there’s not a fill-in the blank response on the poll form, so if you’re inspired to comment and share, please pop your thoughts into my comment form below.

Have a Fit & Fabulous Day!

Out of their sample of 230 teenagers studied, 64% of the girls and 50% of the boys reported that they had experienced pain in the last 6 months.  Foot, ankle, and knee pain seemed most prevalent, low back pain was also reported.

The Study Concludes:

“The high prevalence of pain and its effect on daily activities suggests a need for greater focus on health promotion.”

My Thoughts on Health Promotion and Pilates:

I would love to see some research done on Pilates to reduce pain and improve motor function for adolescents with Cerebral Palsy. All I can go by is the actual improvements that I’ve seen with my CP clients!

Over the past 15 years I’ve had the opportunity to work with three CP kids, (2 were short-term clients, one has been consistently participating in Pilates programs for more than 12 years) All three of these amazing kids showed dramatic improvements that they carried back into their daily life activities.

I have seen changes in gait, motor control, balance, flexibility, strength, body awareness, confidence, coordination, and the list goes on…

One of my CP clients has transformed from extreme pigeon-toed gait and tripping over her own two feet on a regular basis, to trying out for the basketball team in high school, taking ballet classes for a while (requires external rotation of the hip and the ability to move in a toe-out position) wearing high-heeled shoes for her school dances without fear of falling, and she even learned to roller-skate!  If you can’t keep your feet both facing forward, roller-skating is not an option.

All these activities she was unable to even consider before Pilates, and the day I knew Pilates had made a dramatic difference was when her grandmother brought her in for a lesson and said to me, “I went to see my granddaughter’s perform in a play last weekend, and I had to go back and see the show twice!  I missed her entrance…  She used to walk with a funny gait and now she walks just like everybody else.”

The combination of strengthening and stretching that is at the core of Pilates equipment training makes it an optimal choice for helping improve balanced muscle development which leads to better body alignment, strength, and flexibility.  The fact that on the Pilates Reformer you start flat on your back and work to stretch and strengthen the hips, knees, ankles, and feet actually targets the most prevalent reported pain that this study brought to light.

The muscles of child with Cerebral Palsy might be a bit more tightly contracted, and more resistant to increasing flexibility, but in my experience,  just like anybody who has a tight muscle, it will require consistency with the right exercises and activities to begin achieving positive improvements.

It’s evident to me that regardless of your physical condition, the right exercises done consistently over time can only lead to one outcome – health improvement! In my experience…Pilates can be an excellent choice to reach this goal.

The cause of most adolescent scoliosis is unknown. It affects 3-5 out of every 1,000 children, and is more common and more severe in girls.

Scoliosis can be:

• Idiopathic – Of unknown cause.
• Functional – From poor posture and body alignment habits.
• Structural – Caused by disease, or birth defects.

So why is bracing used if the experts aren’t positive it’s actually working?

Based on the severity some sort of treatment is required, because if left untreated damage to the spine, heart, and lungs can occur as an adult.  Bracing is less evasive and still allows the option to strengthen the body through exercise and movement to balance and support the spine.  The alternative option of surgery and spine fusion is a permanent and last-resort option to protect the health of internal organs and quality of life.

What else can you do to treat Scoliosis?

While studies so far show that none of these can prevent the progression of scoliosis, they may offer some relief of symptoms.

• Manipulation by a Chiropractor, Kinesiologist, or Osteopathic Doctor
• Electrical Stimulation
• Diet & Nutrition
• Exercise

The benefits of Pilates for clients with scoliosis

Over the years,  I’ve had many clients with varying degrees of curvature of the spine participate in Pilates programs.  And while there might not be documented research to the benefits of Pilates exercises for scoliosis…From my experience, I have seen amazing gains in strength, and mobility.  The curves  don’t  go back to normal, but it is possible to learn how to strengthen the body and retrain some of the weaker muscles to better support the spine and achieve more optimal muscle balance.  Plus increased body awareness of good and bad posture habits is vital to learn how to avoid falling into the poor alignment that the scoliosis curve would prefer.  Spend more time using your own muscles to strive for good posture through Pilates and other fitness exercises, and you’re retraining the body for better health.

Looking at the Difference in Support Options

A brace is an external support for the spine. If the brace is doing the work, our muscles don’t have to work as hard (and in my opinion….may become weaker over time.) But if you don’t have the muscle awareness or strength to properly support the body all day long…bracing may be required to assist.

Spine fusion surgery creates permanent internal support for the spine. (While this might solve one problem, it has the potential to create others) And generally speaking fusion surgery is a last resort option.

Exercise strengthens the core and back muscles so your body can provide it’s own  muscular support for the spine. Pilates  exercises with the focus on core stabilization, and functional mobility of the spine in all directions – flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation, and should be considered as a primary care option to assist in improving health and supporting the spine.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases continues to research and learn more about treatments for scoliosis to determine the best modalities for improved health.  I hope in time, that more documented research into the benefits of Pilates for scoliosis will be conducted.

You don’t have to be plagued by chronic ankle pain and problems. There are lots of great ankle strengthening exercises that can help you get fit, and enjoy all the sports and fitness activities you enjoy participating in.

Here are 4 of my favorite ways to help be sure your ankles are in top training condition!

For Pilates Reformer workouts, find a studio near you. Everything else you can practice on your own at home or add to your current workout!  It doesn’t take a lot of time to improve ankle strength, just a few minutes focused on your feet a couple of workouts a week, and you’re on your way to staying healthy, fit, and injury-free!

You can find all of these great foot and ankle care products at Centerworks.com.  Get a copy of the book Fantastic Feet with the Standing Footwork and Theraband  exercises.  Buy Therabands from super-easy to advanced strengths, and get a Super-Ankle Board all online in the Foot Care Products section at the Centerworks store.

I have personally gleaned many little gems of information that have added deeper dimensions of perspective and awareness to my life, and I’m only half-way through the book on my first read.  Some books I don’t care to read more than once, this book I look forward to reading again, but with a pen and highlighter in hand next time through so I can mark the passages and insights that have relevance to my life that it would be great to quickly find for reference and review.

I have not done much yoga in my life yet, nor am I completely up to speed on the culture and religious values of the people of India, but this book is inspiring me to want to learn more and perhaps discover new insights for my life’s journey to higher states of enlightenment and a deeper connection to my spiritual self.

I can see some of the points of perspective that Joseph H. Pilates may have taken from his studies of Yoga and Eastern Philosophies that have been incorporated into the Pilates Method, system, and exercises.  And although the spiritual aspect of Pilates is not discussed much, I do know for me, as my mind-body awareness and physical health has improved with the practice of Pilates, there has been a positive shift and uplift of my spirit too!

I am looking forward to finishing this book, AND then starting again from the beginning for a second read.  Perhaps the Autobiography of a Yogi will even inspire me to delve into a bit more Yoga and perhaps add some Yoga training to my lifestyle for added growth of my spiritual and physical health and wellness…  It will be interesting to see what evolves!

Many thanks to my friend Deborah for the recommendation, and  I too highly recommend this book!

Neck strain, and occasionally pain, is something that is common during Pilates Matwork and general abdominal conditioning programs.  And while feeling some work in the neck while those muscles are getting stronger, might be a good thing… When you’re really wanting to work on strengthening your abs, it’s a challenge to focus when you’ve got more pain in your neck than work in your belly!

Discover a very important tip that can help you reduce neck pain and improve core fitness for all your Pilates exercises and general fitness abdominal training workouts in this third video from my Core Training Tips series:

Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This modified ½ sit-back exercise is a great one to help gain strength and mobility to roll backwards to the mat with control, AND be able to efficiently roll back up to a sit – articulating through the spine and using the abs.

Discover fitness tips on how to execute a great half-sit back, and how this exercise can help strengthen your abs and improve your core fitness with this second video in my Core Training Tips series:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the question…Are you using more of the fronts of your thighs, or your abs when you’re doing abdominal training exercises like a sit-up, crunch, or curl?  Or on Pilates Mat exercises like the Hundred, Roll Up, Series of 5, or Neck Pull?

Our quadriceps muscles are so used to doing lots of work, gripping to support us, that it can cause the abs to slack off a bit and not have to work quite as hard.  And while our goal might be to do core training to achieve a set of 6-pack abs, or to help keep our lower back injury-free, it’s not going to happen if our legs are doing most of the work on our sit-up exercises!

Check out my series of new core training tips videos on this topic  and discover ways to improve abdominal strength, Pilates exercise technique, and fitness:

Click here to view the embedded video.