Browse: Home » Archive by category 'Feature Articles'

Foam Roller Fun

Foam Roller Fun

Are you incorporating the foam roller into your Pilates exercise routine? We sell them to our clients all the time and they love using them at home. There are so many exciting and challenging options with the roller. It is a great addition to a group class, private session or home routine. Balancing can be difficult because of the small surface area, but the foam roller also helps with modifications for certain exercises, stretching and therapeutic work. Try some of my favorites to change up your routines: Toe Taps/Knee Lifts Bring legs to table-top and hands to the side. Alternate reaching each foot to the floor and returning to table-top, while maintaining stabilization in your torso, pelvis and lower back. Ab Prep Lying... Continue ...

Posted on May 28, 2008 By Kelley Ranaudo

The Link Between the Mind and Body

The Link Between the Mind and Body

It’s something you do every day, every minute, every second yet you wouldn’t give it a thought unless you couldn’t do it and then it would quickly become an issue. What is it? It’s breathing. Without it we die, with it we live and we can enhance our entire being by our awareness of it. It’s interesting to watch people breathe. As Pilates instructors we are keyed into it not only for ourselves but for our clients. We watch them and ask them to be aware of their breath because it will facilitate their ability to exercise and to maximize their exercise experience. It’s amazing how utterly unaware people are of their breath. When a new client comes to you, it’s a good bet that one of the first... Continue ...

Posted on April 22, 2008 By Beth Begelman

Pilates Equipment

Pilates Equipment

What’s better for me, Mat Pilates or Pilates using equipment? This is a common question posed to Pilates instructors and the answer can be pretty straightforward—one isn’t necessarily better than the other, it just depends on your exercise goals and tendencies as well as your wallet. Mat Pilates can be done in group sessions or in private settings and the repertoire can be varied using an assortment of small props such as flex bands, a Pilates ring (aka Magic circle), small or large balls, foam rollers or arc barrels. Pilates apparatus workouts can also be done in private or group settings but are more commonly found in private studios rather than larger gym type facilities. These sessions tend to be more costly due... Continue ...

Posted on February 18, 2008 By Beth Begelman

Why Hire a Pilates Instructor?

Why Hire a Pilates Instructor?

The fitness industry is known for having instructors who are not fully qualified to accurately perform their job functions. Industry standards, while changing, have not been fully established and this has created some problems for consumers as well as qualified instructors. While prevalent in many exercise disciplines, unfortunately it may be more so with Pilates. Interest in Pilates classes has increased dramatically in the recent past and in their haste to get these types of classes on group fitness schedules, many clubs have hired instructors who are not adequately trained. In some cases, in the absence of a properly trained Pilates instructor, clubs will place a group fitness instructor and let him/her teach Pilates. Because... Continue ...

Posted on February 15, 2008 By Beth Begelman

The History of Pilates Exercises

The History of Pilates Exercises

Joseph H. Pilates a man ahead of his time. Some people are surprised that the hundreds of Pilates exercises were designed by a man. It is obviously not an exercise program just for women. The founder of Pilates, Joseph H. Pilates, was born in Germany, November 30, 1880, and began his interest in health and physical conditioning to improve his own personal medical problems. He had asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever as a child. His mother was also a naturopath, which brought him to the health field. He moved to England in 1912 training military police and detectives in self-defense. In 1917, during World War I, he worked to rehabilitate the sick and wounded in a prison camp on Britain’s Isle of Man. Here he began... Continue ...

Posted on February 14, 2008 By Kelley Ranaudo