Never Too Young To Benefit From Pilates

For today’s kids, eating fast food, watching TV and playing video games has become the norm.

And while the lack of a diet and exercise can certainly impact their physical health negatively, we must not forget the impact that an unhealthy lifestyle can have on them mentally as well, particularly during those impressionable adolescent years.

The History of Pilates

And this is where pilates comes in. The history of pilates has an interesting lineage; one that enthusiasts are often unaware includes a focus on the wellness of children. While many who practice the exercise are familiar with founder Joseph Pilates’ famous quotes, such as “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness,” one less familiar saying in which he firmly believed was “First educate the child.”

As we know, both good and bad habits begin to form in early childhood. Mr. Pilates believed that if we could introduce his...

Birthday blues? Embrace your age!

I used to always dislike having a birthday. It was my least favorite holiday of the year. Growing up as a dancer with a long career in theatre where youth was in and old was out, kept me lying about my age for years. You see, agents and casting directors were not allowed to ask our real age. They could only ask our age range. Well, that gave me a chance to shave off about 5 years. How fun is that? So when I was 40, I was telling everyone I was 35. This went on for years. It was exhausting.

So about 10 years ago I realized that this was crazy. Age is just a number. The way you live your life is what keeps you young. Pilates and staying active has kept me young. Our bodies are like the ‘Tin Man’ from the Wizard of Oz. If we don’t move we get stiff. And if we get stiff we get old.

I can now say I am a true believer and example that Pilates keeps you flexible, strong and young from the inside out.

So now you are trying to guess my age...

Why it’s All About that Bass!

It’s an awesome new song with great lyrics. Megan Trainor certainly isn’t lying when she says, “it’s all about that bass”, and I’m going to tell you why, from a Physical Therapy stand point, at least. Anyone who takes my Pilates classes knows that I LOVE teaching glute exercises – squats, lunges, bridges – anything to get that “bass” going! … and it’s not just because I live in Miami, where “basses” are… ahem… popular. The Glutes, all three of them, are wonderful, but not just because they fill up jeans.

These three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, are pivotal in not only squatting and lunging, but in walking, standing from a seated posture, holding us upright, providing amazing stability to our hips and spine, standing on one leg and many more. The gluteus maximus, the largest of the three, attaches from the ilium (on the...

Seven Steps to Minimizing Stress

STRESS – that inevitable part of life that can foil any day, week, or month!

With school quickly approaching, stress levels are likely to rise, which can really ruin a healthy lifestyle routine. Whether you have kids in school or not, I think the seven steps I’ve shared below can really keep you on track with life, exercising, and healthy eating.

1) Food organization

If you know me at all, you know I love food – healthy food, in particular. Unfortunately, when a week gets insanely busy, the first thing to go is the healthy meal plan. In order to eliminate (or at least limit) the take out and delivery, the most important thing I do in a week is meal prep. On Sunday morning, I come up with meals I would like to eat during the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I then head to Fresh Market, grab my ingredients and then prep for the week. 6 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are made and packed in individual containers; fruits and...

ROLL IT OUT: Foam Roller Functionality

The foam roller is my favorite at home exercise tool.

It’s wonderful for soothing tight fascia. Fascia is a structure of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, surrounds groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding some structures together while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other.

Below are four more reasons to ROLL IT OUT!

1. It reduces soreness and tightness from working out.

You know that feeling when you wake up the day after a really hard workout and your muscles are so sore it’s hard to move? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But foam rolling right after your workout (or even the next day) can help reduce some of that soreness and tightness.

That’s because foam rolling works by massaging away fascia buildup in your muscles, which often lead to painful, sore muscles. Reducing this means you won’t have to skip your workout because you’re too sore from the previous day’s...

Cycle for your Health!

As a spin instructor and an avid outdoor cyclist I can’t help but love being on a bike.

It’s a great workout indoors providing a great sweat and burning hundreds of calories, and living in South Florida we have year round access to being able to cycle outside in nature. Cycling is not only a great workout, but is environmentally friendly and a great source of transportation providing better scenery than when in a car. For those of us who live in Coconut Grove we know it is a great place to bike just to get from here to there, to run errands, and to get to Pilates in the Grove. But we also have access to over 50 miles of dirt, paved, or gravel bike paths throughout Miami-Dade County. Visit Miami-Dade County’s Bike305 website to find interactive maps that you can use to explore these paths, as well as links to cycling groups and an extensive calendar of cycling events. If you’re thinking of using your bike not only for leisure but...

Body Beautiful 

I spent most of my childhood in front of a mirror dancing. After hours in the studio trying to perfect everyday aspects of my technique it was easy to develop a love hate relationship with my body; the length of my legs, my extension, my arms, my neck. I could go on and on. There were days when it was great and there were days when I could not look at it. I was my own worst critique. This went on for years!

Then one day a friend of mine introduced me to mirror work. Sounds funny right? Here are a few affirmations just between you and your mirror.

Stop all criticism. Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

•     Stop scaring yourself. Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It’s a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you...

10 Ways to Make Your Day More Exciting

I must admit I love change. I realize change frightens some people, but for me, I thrive off of it.  I love living in and traveling to new cities, trying new things, finding new hobbies, and mixing up my routine. Rarely do I shy away from a new experience or opportunity and sometimes it's challenging to stick with anything once the novelty wears off.  But we can’t always just pick up and change houses, or jobs, or go on vacation whenever we want, so I started thinking about all the ways we can make each day exciting without changing any of the big things that need to stay constant.

Here are a few things I’ve come up with:

1. Read about a topic that’s new yet interesting to you or give yourself chances to learn something new even during your routine (and sometimes mundane) activities; whether reading a new magazine while waiting at the doctors office instead of texting, listening to an audiobook in...

STRETCH N’ EXHALE

So you wake up early, tie up your sneakers and head outside for your daily run.

You spend 3 to 5 minutes stretching your hamstrings and quads. And do a few jumping jacks! WRONG! All physical activities should start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. Why are they so important? A good warm up dilates your blood vessels, insuring that your muscles are well supplied with oxygen. It also raises your muscle temperature for optimal flexibility and efficiency by slowly raising your heart rate. The warm-up also helps minimize stress on your heart when you start your workout.

Just as critical, the cool down keeps the blood flowing throughout the body. Stopping suddenly can make you feel light headed because your heart rate and blood pressures drops rapidly. Winding down slowly allows them to fall gradually.

Here is how to do a proper warm-up and cool-down:

DYNAMIC STRETCHING

Dynamic stretching involves stretching while you are moving. It is an excellent full body...

Pilates Stretching for Success

If you are like most people stretching probably ranks on your list of health priorities somewhere below updating a new workout playlist on your iPod and drinking that delicious kale and celery smoothie your trainer keeps suggesting you try.

Pilates stretching can be a valuable part of your health and fitness routine. Although the debate over whether to stretch or not to stretch is ongoing the research shows that the true benefits of stretching are numerous. Below is a list of my top 5 reasons why stretching should be an integral part of your exercise routine.

1. Stretching will Increase your Flexibility and Range of Motion

Improving the flexibility of your muscles actually improves not only athletic performance but also your ability to perform daily tasks. Activities such as bending to tie your shoes, lifting a bag of groceries or running to catch the train home from work all become easier and less tiring. With more flexible muscles you will also...