Practicing hanging exercises and handstands can be a valuable part of your Pilates (and Fitness) workouts. We typically spend a lot of time developing strength for the arms and shoulders. Are we really making progress with this goal? We may have nicely toned arms,...
Functional Movement
Twisting Exercise Tips – Improve Core Rotation for Strong Abs and A Healthy Back
Rotisserie Pulse: A Core Training Exercise from Pulse Power™ The Daily Dozen – 10 Minute Workout This is one of my favorite twisting exercises to strengthen the oblique abdominal muscles and improve body awareness for efficient, sequential rotation of the spine. A...
Getting Ready for Gardening Season: The Importance of Deep Squat Exercises and Lunges in Your Pilates Training Program
As I was writing my Top 5 Tips for Gardening without Back Pain article, I realized how important talking about squatting and lunging is for gardeners. You can’t safely get up and down off the ground to dig in the dirt without being able to get up and down off the...
3 Benefits of Using a Foam Roller Warm-Up for Your Workouts
One of my favorite things to do to wake up my deep core muscles, improve balance, the brain-body connection and feel the independent movement of my hips and shoulders is to do a quick 5-15 minute foam roller warm-up before a workout. Whether I’m going to do Pilates...
Toes and Leg Pain – Is It Connected?
Getting to the Root of the Problem for Better Whole-Body Health Have you ever experienced pain somewhere in your body not from an accident or a hard work out, but over time a little ache here, a bigger pain there. It's nothing big enough to “worry” about or...
One Lung Breathing: Creating Balance for Better Breathing and Posture Habits to Look Good and Feel Great!
Most of the time when we breathe the air goes in, the air comes out, and we're not even conscious of how much of our lungs we are using or even which lung we tend to use more. If you have scoliosis, asthma or other physical/health challenges that have contributed to...
Using Percussive Breathing Techniques To Reduce Neck and Back Pain
Learn How To Breathe Deeply & Easily for Better Posture and Better Health There are many different strategies for better breathing. Good breathing habits can significantly reduce neck and back pain and improve body alignment and posture. Percussive breathing is...
Oh My Inner Thighs!
5 Reasons to Find, Feel and Use Your Inner Thigh Muscles for Healthy Movement Habits I picked this title as a topic months ago, and then just a couple of weeks ago offered a “Stretch Class” in the studio that I haven’t taught for about 10 years! It’s been interesting...
A Simple Exercise To Develop Better Breathing Habits with Exercise
Tips to Incorporate Pilates-Style Back Rib Breathing to Movement and Exercise In the last breathing article I shared with you two breathing exercises to help start retraining healthy breathing habits to feel your breath go into the back of your ribcage to lengthen the...
Mobilizing the Ribs: Healthy Spine Movement in Many Directions
Centerworks® “Secret” Training Tips for Mobilizing the Ribcage Part Five: Multi-Directional Movement of the Spine Here it is…the grand finale for our discussion on “secret” training tips to mobilize the ribcage for a healthy spine and get the upper back to move more...