We’re in the middle of the Summer scorching season here in Kansas. The highs this week have been well over 100 degrees! Staying safe and exercising in extreme heat conditions is something that everyone should be aware of. Consider your choice of activities wisely. Do you really need to go out for a run in the heat of the day? Or would an indoor workout be more advisable? If you exercise early, or later in the day it might be a little cooler, but you still need to be careful. (If cooler is 90 degrees instead of 105 – it’s still HOT!) Be sure to drink lots of fluids, and pay attention to the warning signs for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Your life depends on learning to listen to your body and NOT overdoing it in the heat!
I was recently interviewed by my friend Marilyn Suttle who is the resident LBL expert for Poise.com. LBL stands for Light Bladder Leakage, which affects 1 out of 3 women! One out of three women, means there are a lot of folks who could benefit from a better understanding of the benefits of a strong pelvic floor. I’m a firm believer in utilizing Pilates to help with pelvic floor strength, not only does using the pelvic floor better support your body for exercise and movement, but it can also definitely help with LBL. Quite a few of my clients over the years have commented that their LBL problems went away after they started Pilates. Fewer bladder problems is a nice added bonus to better whole-body health with Pilates!
Thought some of you might enjoy reading the blog post Marilyn wrote after interviewing me about Pilates and the Pelvic Floor.
I had a discussion at the end of a session with a very loyal and long-standing Pilates client this week. After the many, many years of consistent Pilates this person was feeling frustrated that they weren’t super flexible yet! “After all this time, why aren’t I any better? Seems like by now I should be like Gumby!”
This got me to thinking how interesting our perspectives are about our own health. By my opinion, this client has made HUGE improvements in flexibility, strength, body awareness, and mechanics. And where I used to have to put ALL my body weight into spotting things and trying to help get things bend better, now I can lightly put a hand here or there and things start moving!
If we spend 2-4 hours a week doing Pilates, we then have 20-22 hours of time to forget (or time to reinforce other habits. (Some of which might be good, and others probably aren’t helping our body mechanics and movement.)
How much time throughout the day do you spend consciously aware of what you’re doing? Is it a couple of minutes, an hour, or most of your day? Or is it hardly ever?
A few years ago, I was working with one of my Pilates students, who had been training with me for quite a while, but never seemed to remember anything that we were doing. He had a routine, but I had to tell him every little detail, from the name of the exercise to how to do it, breath patterns, and equipment set up. Every workout felt like we were starting from scratch – he acted like he’d never seen the exercises before – and this had been happening on EVERY exercise for years!
While I usually am very patient with my students, one day I had a moment of utter frustration… and blurted out, “You know that Pilates is a mind-body exercise program, and using your mind means that you should know your exercises and the order you do them in for your Pilates workout program!”
He looked at me and said, “But I’ve always exercised so that I don’t have to think.” (As was obvious by our “Groundhog Day” experience during our Pilates sessions)
But think about how many people you see walking, running, swimming, lifting weights, or other fitness activities with their headphones on tuned into their music or favorite TV show with no awareness of body mechanics, support, or efficient movement technique.
I was working with a client this week, and we got off on a discussion about the use of mirrors for Pilates exercise programs. In the 3 different Pilates studio locations I’ve owned – I had mirrors everywhere! However, right now, I’m teaching in a space with no mirrors… Well, actually, I’ve got a small, portable full-length mirror that I pull out of the closet occasionally, when we really need it, but I’m finding that I’m having my client’s rely on their eyeballs less, and what they are feeling more – and the result is an enhanced brain-body connection and quicker improvements finding the right stuff to enhance technique for all of their Pilates exercises.
So what’s a positive benefit of having mirrors to watch the body during Pilates exercises?
I received a great question in my in-box this week about exercise for weight loss when you have foot pain. I am sure that there are other people out there with similar issues, so I thought I’d share my reply!
Here’s the Question:
I’ve had foot pain since I was a teenager, so in my weight loss journey I’ve had to do everything so far without exercise. While I’ve had great success, I’ve gained back a little of the weight. Now trying to get back on track. Are there any exercises, low key, that I can do to aid me in reaching my goals that won’t hold me back because of my foot pain?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Advice from Aliesa:
Thanks for your questions and congratulations on your weight loss success! And it’s great to know that you’re actively looking for things you can do that will keep you healthy, active, fit, and safe with a foot problem. I’ve had several clients over the years who have had major foot problems, and have still managed to stay consistent with a Pilates exercise program.
One of the biggest challenges with the Pilates Matwork Side Leg Series exercises is keeping the body still. All of the Pilates Mat exercises that lead up to this point (with your back on the mat) are to prepare you to lay on your side and still be able to hold things together!
The Pilates side leg series exercises have many great benefits!
Increased Hip Strength
Improved Hip Joint Mobility
Leg Flexibility
Improved Core Stability
Increased Body Awareness
Improved Gait Mechanics
Here are 5 things you can practice to help keep your body still and improve the free swing of your legs on all of the hip and leg exercises in this series:
I read an article the other day and it said, “Pilates isn’t a mind-body exercise in the meditative way that Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong are, but it does use your mind to influence and improve your body.”
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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:
All have underlying principles & philosophies behind the exercises. And even meditation (sitting still) is an exercise!
Each Mind-Body method has a system of utilizing the breath, and specific breathing patterns to improve technique and maximize benefits from your practice.
All require, concentration, coordination, and improve whole-body health, balance, and body control.
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.
There is controversy over the use of braces to correct excessive curvature of the spine (scoliosis) in teenagers because research has failed to prove that they work. “Bracing is regarded as effective by some and as useless by others.” According to Stefano Negrini, MD the scientific director of the ISICO (Italian Scientific Spine Institute) in Milan.
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.
The KG Curl exercises is a wonderful warm-up exercise for any Pilates or fitness workout. It can really help you learn how to get more bend out of your body to achieve a good curled up position. The result… more work in your abdominal muscles, and less strain in your neck!
Use the exercise tips on this video to help you improve your ab curl position for Pilates Matwork exercises like the Hundred, Roll Up, Neck Pull, and Teaser. And at the gym, this easy-to-do KG Curl exercise can help improve your technique for sit-ups on an incline bench, crunches on a ball, and with all your ab training exercises during aerobics class.
Have Fun Improving your Ab Strength with the KG Curl!
How much time throughout the day do you spend consciously aware of what you’re doing? Is it a couple of minutes, an hour, or most of your day? Or is it hardly ever?
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