Top 3 Reasons To Practice Pilates During Pregnancy

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard “Can I do Pilates when I’m pregnant?” YES! And furthermore– YOU SHOULD!

Here are my top 3 reasons why

1. Improved core strength, especially of your transverse abdominis, can help prevent a diastasis recti.  

This condition is when the rectus abdominal muscle or “6-pack” muscle separates along the lines alba. In all pregnancies there is a thinning and widening of this fascia as the uterus pushes up against the abdominal wall- but in many women this separation widens greater than the normal 2 finger width and becomes problematic from both a function and aesthetic standpoint. The stronger the deepest layer of abdominal musculature is (the transverse abdominis), the more the rectus will be supported and less likely to separate. Pilates focuses on this deep abdominal layer and can help teach you how to engage your TA more...

Pilates for a Healthy Spine

“If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old; if it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.”

This is probably my favorite Joseph Pilates’ quote. For many of us, the majority of our day is spent sitting at work, walking forward, sitting in the car, sitting on the couch, and lying in bed. If we’re being good we might run, use the elliptical or stair master, or go to a spinning class. All great options but there’s something missing. All the aforementioned activities are in what’s called the “sagittal plane”, where everything is moving forwards and backwards. There is very little side bending or rotation in the spine- or even the extremities.

Flexibility

A healthy spine is able to move in all directions with an appropriate distribution of movement throughout the entire spine. When we focus on only one direction of movement, usually flexion, we lose both flexibility and stability in all...

Top 10 Pilates Reformer Exercises for Osteoporosis

54 million Americans have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. 

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by too little bone formation, excessive bone loss, or a combination of both, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Studies suggest that approximately one in two women and up to one in four men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis. (National Osteoporosis Foundation [NOF] 2015). Kind of motivates you to try to prevent this disease right? Well, the good news is- the fact that you’re reading a blog on a Pilates page written by a physical therapist means you’re already in the right place to start taking control of your bone density!

Exercises for Bone Density

There are two types of exercises that are important for building and maintaining bone density:  weight-bearing (high or low impact) and muscle-strengthening...

10 Must-do’s in Miami: LOVE YOUR CITY MORE

There’s no argument that we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, if not the world. Miami has amazing weather all year, lots of cultural activities (more and more every year!), great food, a blend of people, and countless others. Unfortunately, just like people in every other city, we need to work and many times, end up in that daily grind and forget to take advantage of our gorgeous city. These are my top 10 must-do’s in Miami – I hope you can get out there and try a few!

#1: Get out on the water

The best place to experience Miami, as far as I’m concerned, is to see it from the water. Go fishing, rent a paddleboard or a boat, take our Pilates H2O class, do anything to get out there!

#2: Explore our many state parks

Oleta, Bill Baggs, the Barnacle, and Matheson Hammock are steps from our front doors and have so much to offer! Coming from the Northeast, I can hardly call it...

When My Life Changed

I am thankful, grateful, and blessed to have an amazing life.

I was born into a phenomenal family, who showered me with love and support. While my parents never had “tons” of money, they made sure that my life was always comfortable, which made for a fantastic childhood. I had all the things I needed and most of the things I wanted. I was spoiled with love and attention from my parents, grandparents, and other family members. I received a wonderful education from preschool all the way through grad school. I had lots of friends throughout all phases of life. I moved to Miami, continued to have amazing friends in my life, I had a blossoming career as a physical therapist. I bought a condo in Brickell and a new car. I had everything!

BUT. I wasn’t satisfied. Something was missing.

I was introduced to spirituality a few years ago, which was helpful. I began to meditate, I got to know myself better, I felt as though my eyes were much more open. Most...

Using a Pilates Jumpboard – Jump For Health!

I started practicing Pilates at a very young age.

I was told it would improve my balance, alignment and strengthen my core. I was also told Pilates would make me an all-around stronger dancer. I respected my mentors and believed everything they told me. But one thing I didn’t tell them was I dreaded going to Pilates. I have to confess. I thought it was boring. But you have to understand, as a teenager I wanted to turn, jump and just move. Then one day our instructor attached the Pilates jumpboard at the end of our reformers and converted it into a horizontal jumping machine. I loved it! Her choreography was fun and energetic, as she incorporated low impact petit allegro (small jumps) combinations to the routine. That young girl who thought Pilates was boring is solely devoted and made it her long life career.

I have clients asking me many times “what else can I do besides Pilates? How can I get more cardio?” I tell...

Pilates: Power Pose Your Way To Success

In 2012 Amy Cuddy gave a TED talk that became a sensation… and is now the second most viewed TED talk that has ever been recorded. It’s become such a sensation because the information she shares might actually change your life.

Amy Cuddy is a researcher out of Harvard who studies posture and it’s impact on your blood chemistry, mood, and how you are perceived by others. In her TED talk she discusses her amazing research on nonverbal behavior, body language, posture and how people can literally “fake it until they make it”- i.e. acting strong and powerful until their brain believes it to be true. She has demonstrated a significant change in hormone levels: increased testosterone (our confidence/dominance hormone) and decreased cortisol (our stress hormone) after just 2 minutes of what she calls, POWER POSING. This means that after doing a power pose, people have more confidence, and feel more assertive and...

What’s the Big Deal about Fascia?

As far as I’m concerned, everyone with a body needs to know about fascia – especially everyone with a body who has pain. 

Fascia can be a complicated thing to conceptualize, so I’ll start with the basics and go from there.

The first question about fascia: what is it?

Fascia is a connective tissue that is comprised of mostly collagen.  The fibers of the fascia form dense bands and sheets that wrap around our muscles and organs to keep everything in neat, little packages.  Essentially, fascia is like a plastic wrap for our body.  In addition to being plastic wrap, fascia also serves as a mechanism to distribute forces of muscles and external stresses and reduce friction in our bodies.

For many years, fascia was thought of as fairly unimportant to how our bodies mechanically function; muscles and bones took the lead in mechanical functioning, fascia just supported the body in a passive way and held stuff...

Myofascial Release

Many clients come to us for myofascial release or “MFR,”  but what exactly is it and why is it such an amazing method for physical treatment and pain relief?

 It is a soft tissue therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle and fascial immobility and pain, and is a safe, gentle and effective means of therapy in providing lasting results.

Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that covers all organs and muscles within the human body.  Like a continuous spider web, fascia supports and protects these structures from head to toe.  However this soft tissue can become restricted due to overuse, trauma, infectious agents, inflammatory responses, surgical procedures, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow. These myofascial restrictions can produce tensile pressures of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain sensitive...

GMO: Why It Should Stand For GO MORE ORGANIC

The two things I look for on the labels of the products I buy are non-GMO and USDA organic – and it’s not because it’s trendy or countercultural…it’s because I care about my health and the health of the earth.

I’ve recently heard some people say, “Oh, they’ve been doing hybridization for years! What’s the big deal?” I’m totally fine with hybridization and mating two like species, but I’m totally against the process of gene splicing; especially when it’s the splicing of a fish gene into tomatoes, or the highly toxic “Round-up” into corn. Yes, I just said splicing toxic pesticides into produce! The idea behind genetic modification is that scientists splice the favorable genes of one organism into another organism that could use some more favorable traits, therefore increasing crop yield. For example, the initial attempts to splice a fish gene into a...