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...

The Foundation of Health: Probiotics

Probiotics have become somewhat of a buzz word lately with food products like yogurt, smoothies, and drinks advertising “great source of probiotics!” 

But what exactly do probiotics do for us? Probiotics live inside and outside of our bodies but most reside in our guts. They create a physical barrier along the wall of our intestines that act like a security guard, choosing to allow in nutrients or keep out invaders. Regardless of how clean we eat and how much we remove chemicals from our homes our bodies are still fighting a war each day against bacteria, toxins in our environment, viruses, fungi, molds and yeast. A healthy gut that is lined with probiotics will be able to identify who should be allowed in and who should be kept out.  Toxins, chemicals, and waste products will be eliminated, while nutrients will be absorbed and delivered to cells throughout our body to maintain healthy cell function.

Probiotics do so much...

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...

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...

Sprout Salad (Adapted from Sprout Salad 2 from Ottolenghi’s PLENTY)

Servings 6

Calories per serving: 196

SALAD

150g Daikon Radish – sliced thinly

150g Radishes – sliced thinly

2 cups Raw Mung Bean Sprouts

2 cups grated/thinly sliced raw Carrots

2 cups Steamed Edemame (I like to use the organic frozen, shelled variety for ease!)

4 tbsp Sunflower Seeds

1 cup Alfalfa Sprouts

1 cup Cilantro- roughly chopped

DRESSING

2 tbsp Sesame Oil

Juice of 3 limes

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Brown Sugar (can also use coconut sugar, raw sugar, agave, honey or other sweetener- your choice!)

2 tbsp Rice Vinegar

To Make

Toss all veggies, cilantro and sunflower seeds together! Feel free to make substitutions based on what’s available.

* I’ve been having trouble finding Daikon so I often substitute regular radishes or kohlrabi for the Daikon.

Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together to incorporate the sugar. Pour over the salad and toss gently.

Conscious Voting and Conscious Eating

Some of us are passionate about voting and make sure to vote not only in presidential elections but also for governors, congressmen, new laws, etc. Whether or not you are a dedicated voter, we can probably all agree on the importance of our right to vote and how our votes, when combined, can bring about change. But have you ever stopped to consider that you are voting at least 3 times a day on an issue that affects yourself, your family, each human being, animals, workers around the globe, the environment, and plant earth! If that’s not a giant privilege (and responsibility) I don’t know what is.

So why should we care about what we eat? Of course we should think about our health. There’s plenty of research to support a plant-based diet to prevent or reverse numerous diseases such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, dementia, coronary artery disease, stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol, etc. But there’s so...

The Best Exercise of All Time

When clients ask me what exercises they can do at home or while traveling; the #1 exercise I give them is push-ups.

Push-ups are my personal favorite exercise, and also one of the best exercises you can do for your body. They seem so basic and sometimes overlooked; yet they’ve been a staple in military fitness, martial arts, and just about every other type of exercise program that’s ever existed. Push-ups are as close to a perfect exercise as you can get, yet are probably one of the least loved exercises (or at least it’s the one where I hear the most moaning and groaning over). Only because they are difficult! The more you do them, the easier they get.

Why are they so amazing? Because they’re more than just an arm exercise! By working your back, shoulders, triceps, abdominals, and chest muscles, simply incorporating more push-ups into your regular routine can help you reach all sorts of fitness goals. Alongside having...