With the summer heat approaching, most of us try to get out of town a bit more. 

On my recent trip to California, I squeezed in some time between my 6ish hour drive and a Pilates lesson (with Diedra Manns) to roll out my feet, do some mat Pilates, and take a nice long walk. It not only helped clear my mind and feel grounded, it also balanced out my body after many hours sitting in the car. The driving is especially uncomfortable for my right ankle, making the foot rolling before the walk really important. 

You don’t need to bring tons of gear with you to take care of yourself while on the go. I usually bring a mat, foot kit, yoga tune up balls, and a resistance band. 


How do you feel about your self care, especially body care, while traveling?
Need some ideas or suggestions? 
I’m happy to help. 

- You can set up private mat Pilates lessons to create a program. We can video and strategize to maximize efficiency of your time. (click here)

or

 -  You can also use any of my you tube videos on their own or in addition to some of your favorites from class. (click here)

​(Keep an eye out for updates on a subscription channel with full length workout videos...)

​

Enjoyed the video, but have questions or need some help? Click here to contact me directly....

I recently read this article through the NPR app on my phone. The overall takeaway is that the risk is still safer than being sedentary. I totally agree!

However, while I think it is awesome that they are doing the research and finding the correlations between who is likely to get a fracture and how it may impact their lives……
I completely disagree with their advice. 


“recognize the limits of your strength, he advises, and maybe work on training the dog not to pull on the leash.”


What?????


I mean, yes- train your dog, but recognize the limits of your strength?


How about any or all of the following:
- improve your balance
- focus on fall prevention
- roll out your feet and do some exercises to improve awareness in your feet
- learn how to safely increase strength and mobility 



I could go on and on, but you get the drift.
Balance is a skill. It gets better with practice.
You can improve your bone density, strength, and gait. 


How?


Pilates! 


Want to know more? Click here
Want to try a one on one Pilates lesson on the apparatus? Click here 
or scroll down to my last post for info on group classes...

New faces are always welcome, returning ones too! 

(If you’re in the group classes and need some extra help, please bear in mind that you can always book a private mat lesson to get some one on one attention and personal corrections. )


The next session starts on 4/3….
Registration is still open!
(There is no class 4/1 for Cesar Chavez Day, there may be some confusion because it is listed differently in a few places.)


Wednesdays 
9:30-10:30am Building Better Bones  4/3-5/22    #60609     $42
($7 drop in)


Mondays
5:30-6:30pm Intro to Pilates 4/8-5/20    #60611    $42
 
6:30-7:30pm Pilates & Stretch 4/8-5/20    #60610    $42
 
 Register Online Today!
www.tempe.gov/brochure
For More Information: 480-350-5200



Current Classes:
Mondays
5:30-6:30pm Intro to Pilates 1/7-3/25    #60608    
 
6:30-7:30pm Pilates & Stretch 1/7-3/25    #60607    
 
Wednesdays 
9:30-10:30am Building Better Bones 1/16-3/27    #60606    
$7 drop in


Have some questions? Click here to contact me directly

Most of us understand the importance or benefits of training for exercise, especially specific practices such as Pilates, Yoga, running, jumping or lifting. We see the direct correlation between good or ideal form and alignment with athletic abilities as well as injury prevention. 


We work our full body movements (squats)  as well as isolated areas. (biceps, quads, abs etc.)


What about the pelvic floor?


How do you feel when you laugh, cough, or sneeze? Is anything else happening?​

Where or what is my pelvic floor?
Imagine the area between your pubic bone and tailbone, then your two sitbones. Then, visualize those 4 points coming in towards center and up towards the sky. That area is your pelvic floor or diaphragm.  Want more detail? Watch this you tube video, it is an anatomically correct 3D tutorial. 


Why is it important? 
This area is responsible for bladder control. bowel control, sexual function, support of the reproductive organs, and is often seen as the foundation or deepest layer of our core. 


Some pelvic floor disorders are overactive bladder (OAB) or urinary urgency, stress urinary incontinence (leaking), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and chronic pelvic pain. 


Are there other parts of our body or activities we could improve by training this area? Yes! Posture, SI dysfunction, chronic lower back pain, gait, and more. 


Do I have to isolate it in order to work or strengthen it? No! In fact when we use facilitated muscular contraction by recruiting other areas such as the glutes, transverses abdominus, or hip muscles we get a much stronger connection. 


Why do we need to add different forms of training?
The pelvic floor muscles are composed of both fast twitch (fast contraction time, fast fatigue) and slow twitch (endurance) fibers. They require different types of challenges to improve fitness, and we ideally want balance in the ability of these fibers. Traditional plyometric training can hypertrophy or enlarge the fast twitch fibers. Too much bracing or static training isn’t ideal either. We want a dynamic, strong, and adaptable pelvic floor so we train for endurance, coordination, and strength. 


How can I tell if I’m doing it correctly?
There are specific ways to measure contraction or activation of this area, but they aren’t always necessary. When we try different exercises (in different relationships to gravity) and work that idea of facilitated muscular contraction (getting other areas involved to feel more of an action) you can usually start to develop a more fine tuned awareness. 


Once you find your most successful exercises to practice, consistency is key.
Just a few minutes every or most days will have a huge impact! 


Want to learn more?
Register for my pelvic floor training workshop. (click here)
Read my blog post on my Pfilates training. (click here)
Contact me to set up a one on one Pilates session. (click here)

Classes start on Monday 9/10! 

Registration opens 8/13 for residents and 8/20 for non-residents. 



Mondays
5:30-6:30pm      Intro to Pilates      9/10-12/10/18    #58571    $70
No Class: 11/12
 
6:30-7:30pm      Pilates & Stretch      9/10-12/10    #58570    $70
No Class: 11/12
 
Wednesdays 
9:30-10:30am      Building Better Bones  9/12-12/12    #59569     $74
($7 drop in) 


 
Register Online Today!
www.tempe.gov/brochure
For More Information: 480-350-5200



Interested in trying a group class but feel a bit intimidated? or not sure it will work for you?
Click here to connect with me and we can figure it out together