The Amazing Stickie and Single Leg Stretch

Today the Amazing Stickie is doing the Pilates exercise Single Leg Stretch.  She begins lying on her back with her knees curled into her chest.  She puts one hand on the inside side of the opposite knee and the other hand on the outside side of the same shin.  On an exhale, she curls her spine up, bringing her head toward her knees while extending the leg she is not holding out parallel to the floor.  Then she switches legs and hand positions to the opposite side.  She finds that a good set is ten repetitions.

Basics: Pilates (2 of 2)

Yesterday we talked about what Pilates is and why we might want to do it.  Today we’ll talk about how.

In general, I believe in DIY, which is why I do my best to provide tools for folks to go out and do their own thing.  However, with Pilates it really is best to start out working with a professional.  Here are the things we want to think about in choosing a Pilates class or trainer.

 

Class or trainer is actually the first question.  Those of us who belong to a gym with Pilates mat classes included may find that to be the easiest way to test it out and see if it is a good fit.  Many studios also offer introductory reformer classes so that clients can try the equipment in a safe environment.  Once we’ve tried a class, we can carry on if it is meeting our needs.

 

Those of us with particular needs, however, may need to cough up for individual sessions.  An instructor facing a classroom full of students will of course offer modifications for various things (bad knee, osteoporosis, etc.), but will not be able to tailor the session for any one person’s health or injury history.

 

Whether we decide on classes or individual sessions, we want to choose an instructor who knows how to be present.  We want someone who tunes in to how the bodies in front of her are moving and who has the knowledge and skill to elicit better movement from them.  What that looks like may vary.  We have different learning styles and so an instructor that is great for one person may not be so great for another.  It also helps if we like the person.

 

Try it out!  (And remember, the first session with me is always free!)

Basics: Pilates (1 of 2)

Next in our workout basics, we are turning our attention to Pilates.   Today we’ll discuss some of the whats and whys of Pilates and tomorrow we’ll talk about how.

Pilates is the creation of Joseph Pilates (I call him “Uncle Joe”) and it is both an exercise system and a philosophy.  In that way, it is similar to yoga, although yoga is more inherently spiritual.  After Uncle Joe died, his students took his work in a variety of directions, which is right and natural.  Different Pilates schools will emphasize different parts of the practice.  However, all kinds of Pilates will share some basic principles.  There are six.

 

First, breathing.  If we don’t breathe, we die.  If we learn to breathe better, we can improve our quality of life.  Breath facilitates motion and movement in turn can facilitate our breath.  This is why, when we go to Pilates, our instructors will tell us about when to breathe.  As we practice Pilates, we find that we do breathe more easily and this has good impacts across our lives.

 

Second, axial elongation and core control.  Think of this as countercultural pressure.  We live in a slouched society.  As we work through our Pilates exercises, we find that we feel taller and more centered, more capable of deep breath and clear thought.  (This is also one of the principles that makes us look good!!!)  This also contributes to good balance.

 

Third, spine articulation.  Our spines are there not only to support us, but also to enable us to move freely.  When our spines get too rigid, the rest of our movements are impaired.

 

Fourth, organization of the head, neck, and shoulders.  As I mentioned in the part about axial elongation, we are slouchy.  We hunch over our desks and phones.  This puts our upper body out of whack and contributes to all kinds of problems, including headaches.

 

Fifthy, alignment and weight bearing of the extremities.  Once we have our spine and our upper body straightened out, we want to propagate that healthy positioning and strength out into our arms and legs.  Here’s where we get practical in the activities of our lives.

 

Finally, movement integration.  Isolated movements in any part of the body can improve local function, but in real life, we rarely use just one body part or muscle group.  The Pilates repertoire helps us learn to coordinate movement using our whole bodies with efficiency and grace.

 

Given the principles, it’s not too hard to see why we might want to do some Pilates.  The practice is both empowering and relaxing.  We tune into that mindbody connection space, which can deeply enrich our lives.  We feel taller.  We move more efficiently, which means we have more energy to do the things we want to do.  Our balance improves, as does our posture.

 

It's good stuff.

Monday Workout: Arms

We are doing some extra arm work this week, so your deltoids might want to have words with me tomorrow.  Three rounds.

 

jacks	30
bench press	20
lateral raise	10
woodchoppers	30
kickbacks	20
goblet pour	10
squat raise	30
flies	20
plank	10

The Amazing Stickie and Rolling

Stickie loves to articulate her spine, so she enjoys the Pilates exercise Rolling.  She does not technically have bones and so is not at risk for osteopenia or osteoporosis; those of us who have either of those conditions should avoid this exercise.

To begin, Stickie sits with her weight just behind her sit bones.  She curls her spine in toward her belly and draws her knees up to her chest.  She clasps her hands around her shins to maintain her ball shape and points her toes.  As she inhales, she rolls back on to her shoulders, hips in the air.  She exhales back up, not letting her feet touch the floor.  (Note:  those of us who are not imaginary may want a soft surface underneath us.)  She continues as long as she is having fun.

 

Some of us may find that it is pretty challenging to roll all the way back and forth.  It is all right to begin by rocking and progress to rolling as we get stronger.

 

A variation of this exercise is called Seal.  Instead of clasping the hands around the legs, Stickie holds her heels or ankles with her arms on the inside side of her legs.  She can either put the soles of her feet together or point her toes, whichever feels better.  As in Rolling, she will roll back, but in that position she will clap her feet together a few times before rolling up, where she will clap her feet together a few times more.  (Seal noises are optional.)

 

In both variations of the exercise, it is important not to roll back too far and put pressure on the neck.

Basics: Strength Training (2 of 2)

Yesterday we discussed the why of strength training.  Now we’re going to talk about how.

Pick up weight.  Put down.  Repeat.

 

Just kidding, mostly.

 

We need to make sure we work out our whole bodies.  That means we need lower body exercises, upper body exercises, abdominal exercises, and exercises that work both the back and the front of the body.  A good basic list includes squats, deadlifts, bench press or pushups, rows, pretty princesses, and supermans.

 

When we start out lifting weights, we want to build some endurance and stability first.  That means we lift relatively light weights a lot of times and we incorporate some balance challenges (throw in some single leg exercises or do those squats on a BOSU, for example).  The best way to figure out the right weight is to experiment.  We want a weight we can use with good form for 15 to 20 reps.  As with all strength training, as we get stronger, we will need to increase the weight, dialing the reps back down to the low end of the range and working our way back up.  We can do two or three sets of reps for each exercise.

 

Once we’re more confident about the whole idea of weightlifting, we can choose a variety of goals.  Maybe we want to build big muscles or get as strong as possible.  In the first instance, we want to choose slightly heavier weights and work in the 8 to 10 rep range.  In the second, we want to work in sets of up to 5, continually increasing the weight until we can complete only one good-looking rep.  Another possible goal is power, which means lifting a whole bunch of weight really fast.  We want to do that after we have mastered form and we’ve worked on max strength for a while.  Power strength training is best done with a trainer for safety.

 

For folks just getting started, commit to one strength training workout a week.  When that habit is ingrained, we can add a second weight workout.  That is enough for most people, but those of us who get really into it can add more.  We need to keep in mind, however, that we don’t want to work the same muscle groups two days in a row.  This is why some people do lower body work on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays and upper body work on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, keeping Sunday as a rest day.  (Bad news:  it is ok to do ab work every day.)

 

Still have questions?  That’s what I’m here for!  Ask me!

Basics: Strength Training (1 of 2)

Last week we went over the basics of cardio.  This week, we turn our attention to strength training.

There are a lot of us who, having figured out the cardio thing, don’t really care about strength training.  We go run or dance or swim or whatever and we feel fabulous and why would we want to do anything else?

 

There are a bunch of reasons.  One of them is that time, from our perspective, only flows in one direction, which means that we are all getting older.  As we age, we lose lean body mass even if our weight remains unchanged.  One of the markers of good health is a low body fat percentage and the way we keep that low body fat percentage is by increasing our lean muscle mass.  How do we do that when time is against us?  By strength training.  It helps us keep the sand in the upper half of the hour glass longer.

 

Additionally, we need strength training as we get older to help us keep our bones strong.  Work with weights helps to stave off osteoporosis.

 

Those of us who want to lose weight will do better with strength training because of the aforementioned lean body mass increase.  Muscle burns more calories per pound than fat does, which means that as we add muscle, we fire up our metabolism.

 

Need more reasons?  We’ll look better.  Strength training gives our muscles tone and makes us more shapely.  (Those of us who identify as female don’t need to worry about bulking up; it is actually challenging for women to get bulky.  We’re much more likely to get smaller and tighter-looking.)

 

Even more?  Strength training is practical.  We all need to lug groceries around and shift furniture from time to time and open jars.  Stronger people are more able to be independent.

 

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how we go about this whole strength training thing.