Pilates

It comes as a surprise to clients when they learn that the system of Pilates was originally created as an equipment-based workout. Nearly 100 years ago, Joseph Pilates rehabilitated injured and bedridden soldiers using a variety of large equipment pieces. These pieces allowed users to improve their alignment without gravity. Working out without gravity allows users to strengthen and improve specific parts of their bodies without exacerbating old injuries or reinforcing bad habits.

The Reformer is one of the most important pieces of equipment in Pilates. Using the Reformer challenges the user’s strength and flexibility. The Reformer challenges the body to work in concert, rather than working on individual, very specific parts of the anatomy (as is the case with the Cadillac,) the Reformer works on the body as a whole.

Clients who regularly take Pilates private and group training often notice that they look taller and feel much more comfortable in their own skin.

Regular exercise is important for everyone, but it may be especially critical for seniors. Have you ever noticed that the gap between those who don’t exercise and those who do exercise seems to widen over time? Men and women who work out consistently through their 50s, 60s, 70s and even 80s and 90s look amazing, while their counterparts who don’t exercise can look withered or weak. All the symptoms of a sedentary life, like poor muscle tone, bad posture, hunched shoulders, lower back pain, excess weight, and “spare tires,” worsen significantly in older age. The invisible effects of a life without exercise also increase. Senior citizens who don’t work out regularly are often plagued with aches and pains, poor sleep, bad circulation, stiff necks, loss of bone density, and a lack of energy.

The good news is that exercise can dramatically reverse these ills. Pilates is very safe for seniors to perform, making it a great exercise choice. Once you begin taking your Pilates workouts, you’ll notice some wonderful sensations almost immediately. The first signs that Pilates is working for you will be an increase in energy and a lessening of pain.

Pilates is a mind-body system of exercise like yoga that focuses on coordinating movement with the breath to create a more focused workout.

Depending on which method of yoga you practice, yoga tends to focus more on meditation than Pilates does.

Terisha believes yoga and Pilates are very complementary! Terisha encourages you to experience the benefits of both and discover what combination of the two is best for your body.

If you are just starting out, Terisha recommends you sign up for at least 5 private/solo sessions to understand the techniques and fundamentals. There is a slight learning curve with Pilates, and you will definitely see more results if you try Pilates workouts at least 5 times before deciding it’s not for you! The deeper you work, the more results you see!

If you have been doing Pilates a while, you can do it as often as you like! Just listen to your body and respond to its needs. If it feels good and you are looking forward to it, DO IT! If your back or neck is bothering you because of work, stress, tension and you are dreading it, then by all means, give yourself a break! You’ll enjoy your next Pilates workout so much more!

To see the results you desire, consistency is the key! The workouts created for you come in lengths of 50 minutes with “homework exercises” as short as 10 minutes – so it is easy to “sneak in a workout!”

Every body is different; therefore, every body responds differently to the workout. Some notice differences in their posture and the way they carry themselves in as few as three workouts. Obviously, more significant changes take longer, however, one of Terisha’s male clients report he dropped two belt sizes in a month practicing three times a week – and hadn’t lost a pound! (He also said that he had been working with a trainer for over 20 years regularly and after his first session said this is what he had been waiting for to address his hip/swing for golf, and that there was “nothing like it!”

Please remember: you get out of your workouts what you put into them! People who practice Pilates, even as infrequently as once a week, and concentrate for the full hour and “give it their all,” see more improvements than those who practice more regularly but don’t make the effort when they are working out.

Mat Pilates consists of exercises done on the floor (on a mat) and can be done with or without small equipment (stretch bands, resistance circles, etc.) to add support or increase a challenge. Mat Pilates tends to be more challenging to the abdominals as you are moving your own body weight without support. For clients with lower back issues, Terisha recommends modifying the exercises as necessary as you build strength in your abdominal muscles and discontinue any exercise that causes stress or strain.

Equipment Pilates consists of over 500 exercises using a Reformer and Tower alone. The equipment provides the support necessary to strengthen the abdominal muscles and low back without the risk of injury to the lumbar spine (lower back.)

Equipment work allows for more work on the arms, legs, shoulder and hip joints than does mat work. Again, all equipment work is supported, so you are never jeopardizing the safety of your lower back.

Mat work is an excellent workout and an excellent builder of core strength when done correctly.

Terisha blends traditional mat exercises into her classes, homework assignments and, for customized variations, to use when watching a video at home.

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First and foremost, avoid pain in your neck. Neck tension and pain can be caused by a number of different things, but working through the pain is certainly NOT going to help alleviate it.

Thus, until the pain subsides, avoid doing exercises which tend to cause the neck pain to flare. This might mean avoiding exercises in which you start supine (lying flat on your back) and curl the head and shoulders off the mat, and/or avoiding exercises which start prone (on your stomach.)

As weak abdominals may be the cause of the neck tension, working on strengthening the abdominal muscles is always good. Choosing exercises that start seated on the “sits” bones and roll back from there are more “neck-friendly” than others. In addition, exercises in the all-fours position can really help you connect with your deepest abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis, and this will help your abdominal muscle endurance as well.

Classical Mat Pilates involves neck flexion! So if you’re taking a traditional Mat exercise class and your neck hurts, (perhaps stenosis, an old injury, degenerative disc, etc) you probably need Terisha to work with you to find variations of Mat exercises that are good for YOUR body. It’s true as most clients’ abdominal muscles increase in strength, they’ll be able to curl up higher off the mat so that the head will be more supported on top of the shoulders. However, having the head propped up or even completely down on the mat during “the hundred” for example, is still a great exercise. There are so many great exercises in Pilates that at Lift Total Wellness, if an exercise just isn’t right for you then we move on to the hundreds left to choose from.

Pilates was actually created as a technique for the rehabilitation of injuries. Although Pilates has become very popular in recent years, it is in fact nearly a 100-year old system. Pilates, originally called “Contrology,” was developed by a German named Joseph Pilates while he was living in England during the years of WWI. He invented his exercises to help rehabilitate injured, bedridden soldiers returning from War. Dancers soon discovered Pilates because the precise exercises strengthened their bodies and improved their technique, all while protecting them from injury (a common plight of dancers.) However, checking with your physician before starting is always the best first step.