I may be a bit behind the times when it comes to enjoying the fun and benefits of all the new interactive video game products on the market – like the Nintendo Wii Fit…  but recently my techno-geek boyfriend purchased a Wii Fit for home.  (He’s had one at work since they first hit the market.)  Being a bit shy about actually getting a computer to do what I want, for me is intimidating, never mind the hand-eye coordination it takes to “win” a computer game…..I was never any good at these games as a kid.

I have to admit my extreme skepticism about the benefits of staring at a TV screen and using a computer game for fitness.  But am always excited to hear about new ways to inspire and encourage people to increase their exercise and activity level, and ANYTHING that people enjoy doing that involves movement can be a great way to improve health and fitness.

After playing with the Wii Fit only a couple of times, I am a happy to report that I am a fan of the fun, interaction, and health benefits that this gadget can provide!  Last night my family spent 6 hours playing Wii Fit games together!!!  Tennis, Baseball, Boxing, Bowling, Golf, balance games, yoga.  I think we explored the gamut of options!  I can honestly say that I can feel my abs this morning – so core muscle strengthening was definitely happening, and I wasn’t one of the folks that spent tons of time playing! So can only imagine how sore a few other people might be today!  We had more fun, spent more time laughing, talking, and encouraging each other in competition that the evening flew by and nobody wanted to stop playing.

While I wouldn’t want to spend all my workout time on the Wii…I think it’s a great option for friendly competition, a way to check-in on your health status with weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), goal setting, and some basic fitness testing for strength, balance, and control.  This gizmo provides instant feedback to see where you’re at, games and skill challenges to improve your health, and a way to do something besides just be a couch potato in front of the TV.  I also think that the balance awareness and assessment tools are excellent.  More about that in an upcoming blog post!

Do you Wii???  If you’re doing or teaching Pilates and haven’t tried this yet…find a friend who’s got one – create your Mii (your own personal cartoon version of you!) and go play!  I’d love to hear what you think about using Wii Fit as a tool to help your clients track improvements with their health and check-in with Posture and being “on center” for balance and body control that is such a key aspect of Pilates training.

Share your Wii Fit experience!

I’m thrilled to see foot-care and foot exercise making national headlines! 

 Did you happen to see or hear the news?  I’m not a regular National Public Radio listener, but fate stepped in and brought it to my attention. So how did I find out?   It was a double whammy….which to me was a sign that I had to check it out. 

First, someone that heard the story on NPR and Googled Pilates & Foot Exercise which led them to my site to order Fantastic Feet and a Centerworks Pilates Foot Fitness Kit.  Bless them for commenting on their order form as to how the found me and my foot fitness products. 

My second wake up and take notice…was from a client at the health club I’m teaching at – who came in for a lesson and said – NPR had a story about the same problem I have with my feet (plantar fasciitis) and Pilates!  She was so excited and encouraged that Pilates was a great thing for her to be doing to improve not only her overall fitness level, but to really help reduce the pain in her feet and get her back to a normal lifestyle.

The information she heard in this story helped lend credibility to her Pilates teacher, that they’re on the right track with her Pilates exercise program and addressing her foot issues.

I think it’s great to have articles like this in the news that help reinforce the variety of benefits that clients can receive and achieve with a Pilates workout program.  I haven’t seen a lot written for the general public about the benefits of good shoes and exercising the feet.  Our feet desperately need more attention and usually don’t get addressed until a problem arises. (Unless someone is regularly participating in barefoot activities like Pilates, Yoga, or dance.) 

People actually think that it’s ok for their feet to hurt, and don’t think too much about the shoes their wearing and how they might be causing foot problems.  So I think it’s great that the NPR story addressed the problems with wearing Flip-flops, and open backed shoes.  There’s also a nice video from Podiatrist-turned-Pilates instructor Colleen Schwartz that demonstrates a few helpful exercises to get you going for foot care that can help reduce heel pain and help stretch the plantar fascia.

How great – A Podiatrist/Pilates instructor encouraging people to exercise their feet!  This is a wonderful tool for Pilates promotion to markets where general exercise is a problem due to foot issues. 

If the excuse is “I can’t exercise because it hurts my feet.” 

The reply is – “You can do Pilates, and over time we may be able to reduce or eliminate your foot pain, are you interested in learning more?”  

I found that so many of my clients benefited from a focus on specific exercises for the feet – that it’s the reason I wrote Fantastic Feet – Exercises to Strengthen the Ankles, Arches, and Toes.  I wanted people to have a resource to help develop a foot exercise program for home and travel.

If you’ve got friends, family or clients with foot issues encourage them to check out the NPR website and read the article “How to Keep your Feet Happy” by Allison Aubrey.  They can also watch the short foot exercise video that’s linked to this story in the Health & Fitness section.  Then if you’d be so kind, please spread the word about the foot-fitness resources available from Centerworks Pilates!