Surrender: it's not about giving up, its about letting go!

A new year with revised vigor and best intensions (or in other words... Resolutions!)
Resolutions all made with the greatest desire to regroup, reconnect, and refocus
We all have made them; we all have broken them. What's to make this year different?
Nothing.

Nothing that is unless you make a plan. A plan must have a goal. A goal that is specific and measureable.
Specific to include what and how to achieve the goal; Measureable to include a level of accountability.

(Boy I am exhausted just trying to figure out how to do that!)
Ok so, that idea, won't make it in my world (not sure about yours).
It is too complicated (although very successful).

I am all for finding out a way to achieve my goal, with as much efficiency as possible. (or, the least complicated approach; one that does not require a whole lot of effort).
How,  might you ask does this have anything to do with Pilates?

(shhhh don't tell anyone!  I am about to share the greatest secret in Pilates which easily translates into everyday life:) 

In order to accomplish a goal, you must first surrender and let go of how you've always done something and try to do it a different way.

In other words, You need to let go of power in order to allow balance to occur; with this balance comes increased strength and with this increased strength comes greater power; with the greater balance, strength and power you achieve your goal.

How?
By just letting go.

At Woodlands Pilates, it is our mission to help you learn how to let go,; how to create muscle balance; and how to increase strength and power. What a better place to begin than on January 27th as we introduce The Woodlands to Yamuna Body Rolling.  A technique that uses specialized balls  to help you release (or let go) tension in targeted areas of the body.

Just one way we can help you learn the art of letting go, doing less, but achieving more!
A Day of Yamuna will be broken apart into small workshops two in the morning, two in late afternoon, and an amazing Foot Class in the evenings.  Along with our amazingly talented Melanie Nasser, we are hosting some remarkably talented Yamuna Practitioners from Houston to provide the most awe-inspiring, body transforming, Day of Yamuna! 

Come to one, come to two, come to all!  No matter what you choose, Yamuna Body Rolling is a leap in the right direction to physically help you "let go!"
Register by going here:    http://www.melanienasser.com/YBR_paypal_signup.htm

Are You Reformed?  Try Pilates!

Pilates is Magic, IF...

Pilates is Magic, but let me clarify...

Pilates is magic and produces amazing results when done correctly!
In order to be done correctly, it needs to be taught correctly.
In order to be taught correctly, the instructor must have received quality training.

"Of course, that's common sense" you might say.

[now I sigh] as I need to let you in on a well known secret in The Pilates World, but very much hidden from the General Public...

Are you ready?

(drum roll please)

Pilates instructor training is not all equal!
(at least the trainings that have popped up over the last 10 years).

Here's the scoop... (like the tie in to the name of this blog?)

- Unlike Hairdressers and unlike massage therapists, Pilates Instructor Training is not regulated by any public agency. As such any person is free to say they teach Pilates. 

Pilates Instructor Training ranges from 400+ hours of workshops combined with required apprenticeship under a qualified mentor before being able to teach, all the way to attending a weekend workshop of 8-16 hours only and then Monday morning being able to teach.

Scary!

Now, before I get people angry at me for exposing this fact, I need you to understand that this is a matter of safety for you! (some more than others).

You, the potential client must make an educated decision about who to work with.

Consider this:

While there is no official regulating agency for Pilates Instruction, the Pilates Industry as a whole, recognizes Pilates Instructor Training courses which require several hundred hours of Apprenticeship prior to being qualified to teach.  These programs, regardless of the fundamental variances in theory and approach, all require a person to observe, practice teach, and work closely with a highly trained and respected mentor. 

So what do you look for?

• First: make note If the studio or instructor makes it a point to specify what Instructor Training Programs their instructors have gone through. Instructors who have completed a quality program take pride in their training, and make it a point to be detailed and specific about what their training included. 
• Second, find out if your instructor (and Studio) actually practice Pilates on themselves.  Something you would again think was just understood.  Quality instructors believe in The Method. They not only teach it, but they also personally do Pilates themselves.
• Finally,  you will want to consider your current physical state: do you have any on-going medical issues or chronic ailments that may need to be considered?  If so, you will want to be sure the person you are working with has the training and experience to work with your specific situation. If you are otherwise healthy and pain free, you will want to ensure the instructor explains and adjusts each exercise to personally focus on your body's present condition and ability rather than just following a choreography of the workout. 

Quite simply, you need to really do some digging before just jumping into doing Pilates.

Pilates is magic  if done with focused precision, controlled and balanced movements, which consider your unique movement habits, weaknesses, and strengths. If taught properly, the results are amazing!

Why Integrity is so Important!

Integrity: 

According to the dictionary has several meanings:
1.  Adherence to moral and ethical principles;
2.  The state of being whole, entire or undiminished;
3.  A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition

Why, might you ask, am I giving you a vocabulary lesson on the word, Integrity? 
Simple. Pilates is all about Integrity!

While Terms like scooping,  powerhouse, floating, lengthen, breath, and control are usually associated with
Pilates, the word integrity is not the first thing that comes to mind. As such, I would like to explain how and why integirty plays such an important role in the Pilates Method.

First, let's explore how the each of the definitions above apply to The Pilates Method:
1. Adherence to moral and ethical principles: 
Pilates focuses on the adherence to the six key principles of movement referenced by Jospeh Pilates, control, balance, concentraion, fluidity, precision and breath.  When all six principles are adhered to, the body works in its most efficient and effective state, thus reducing pain, injuries associated with overuse, and creates increase in strength, power, and flexibility.  In that sense, it is the integrity at which all these principles work together which make up foundation of The Pilates Method.

Furthermore, in order to correctly apply each of these six principles, the instruction of The Method, also must adhere to similar levels of integrity.  This is accomplished first through the quality of instructor's training through the marriage of these six principles and the application of anatomy, biomechanics and physics to each and every movement that takes place.  It is the adherence to these basic principles which make ensure the results from The Pilates Method.

2.  The state of being whole, entire, and undimished:
Further exploring these principles will lead you to recognizing that Pilates is about "wholism" and not reductionism.  Meaning, every movement that is performed incorporates equally the entire body as opposed to singling out one specific part or muscle.  As such, Pilates focuses on ensuring that only what is supposed ot move, actually moves, and keeping still (or stablizing) those muscles (or areas of the body) that are not supposed to move.  As a result, the Integrity of a movment occurs as long as the movers and stablizers are equally doing what they are supposed to be doing.  

3.  A sound, unimpaired and perfect condition:
Once the body is in balance, and only those muscles that are supposed to be moving, move; and those muscles that are supposed to stay still, do; then the body works in its most efficient state.  Once the body can function effeciently on that movement, the body then moves towards its "perfect" state.  Therefore the integrity of movement is one in which is pain and/or injury free, and more imporant creates that amazing posture,  increases muscle tone, increases power, strength, flexibility and performance.

Posture Series: Head and Neck Placement

Next time you are in your car at a stop light or sign, look at the driver next to you. Notice the position of their head. Observe how their body reclines back and their head juts forward, led by their chin. Think, this forward head mimics that of a chicken pecking for food on th ground. Recognize that you likely hold your head in the same forward position. Reflect on your neck ,Does your chin push forward the same way? Do you feel as though you carry tension in neck and shoulders? Imagine the back of your neck is being pulled back as though a mommy cat were picking you up at the scruff of your neck. Pull your head between your shoulders so it sits gently on top of your spine. Now feel your neck lengthen to the ceiling as though your head was a balloon being pulled to the sky. Make sure you brig your chin with you and avoid having it jut out further. Relax your neck and your shoulders. Practice this head placement daily. At first it will feel awkward. Over time you will improve your posture, decrease your neck pain, and avoid the chicken head! Don't be a chicken!

Tuesday Technique Tip: It's About Control

Pilates is about control. Control is about using muscles to counterbalance the natural force of movement or gravity in the same direction as the force. In other words, purposely using your muscles to resist what wants to happen when you move. Simply put, the machines use springs, springs like to pull you in, you let them pull you, but consciously control the movement by resisting that pull.  OR in simpler terms:  We spend most of our time trying to PUSH against a force in order to move.  We push a door to go inside, we try to lift a heavy object, we even walk into wind in order to get where we want to go.  We do this without thought, and don't realize that the harder we try, the harder we push, the harder it is to move.  So try turning it around.  Walk with the wind, just remember the wind is strong, so control yourself so it does't knock you down.  You'll have more power, more strength, and more speed if you go with the wind than against it. 

New Year New You?

Happy New Year! 
Many people are beginning their New Year with a resolution to start the year better than they ended last year; many of you may have vowed to lose weight, get in shape, and even eat better.  Good for you.

I've personally vowed (now hold your tongue until I am all done)... to Do Less and Expect More!

Now I know you are thinking I must be really lazy, or that we already live in a society which promotes doing little and getting a lot... but hear me out as this applies to your own New Years Resolution to lose weight, get in shape, eat better and more!

Do Less Expect More, relates to using the least amount of time and energy in order to accomplishing your goals.

Do Less, Expect More simply stands for becoming more efficient at what you do!
Simple.

In terms of exercising many of us (including myself) have fallen prey to the "I need to work out as hard as I can for as long as I can so I hurt like crazy the next two days and can feel like I've worked out as hard as I could for as long as I could" mentality!  (Whew, I am just worn out typing that!)

Here's the deal... Pilates has taught me that that mentality is not only unnecessary when it comes to exercise but is actually counterproductive.  Here is why:

When we work out hard (as already described above) we are wearing our body down; as we wear the body down we are more prone to injury and burn out (not wnating to stick to it). 

Jospeh Pilates theory was opposite of that, if you teach a person to purposefully use the entire body every time they do any movement they will have to do less to achieve more results!

hmmm sounds something like my New Years Resolution...

Do Less, Expect More. 

It's the whole "six minute abs" concept.  Basically Pilates can get your abdominal muscles stronger. flatter, and looking better in only 6 minutes a day; oh wait in 5 moves a day!  Seriously cool marketing concept which I stole from the Movie "Something About Mary." 

Really! It's totally true, but you need to know what you are doing to accomplish this.  (more on knowing what you are doing in a later blog).

Here's the deal, over the last 10 years Pilates has taught me how to work out less and see greater results. Just to prove my point, I have not lifted weights in 4 years and can now do 5 unassisted pull-ups, which I never could do before! All because of working on a variety of Pilates Equipment (not just Reformers)

That said, one of the main reason Pilates is so effective relates to the fact that it is something you WANT to do on a regular basis because you feel better when you do it, and your not having work hard, work long, and fatigue yourself into unfunctional pain for two days!

While I have figured that out with exercise, I am now going to attempt to apply this same concept everything else I do.

Wish me luck!

What's the Scoop on Pilates? (aka: what makes Pilates so effective?)

First off, please forgive my tardiness in writing to you all (whoever is reading)... I was in NY City for the past week completing another 40+ course of intense training for Pilates Instruction through Pilates Academy International at Pilates on Fifth.  Alas, writing this Blog took a back seat to the lights and sounds of Manhattan, as I chose to explore Times Square, enjoy Sushi, sit in the Audience of The Corbet Show, instead of writing.  I am sure you all can forgive me for missing a week.

Moving on...

I am often asked, "What is the deal with Pilates?"  Most people want to know if it works; why it works; and how it works.  It is my intention (hope) that I might shed some light on this question. (Please let me know if you still have no clue what I am referring to after you read...)
So What is the Scoop on Pilates? 
(aka what 3 facets of movement make Pilates effective?)

(Sidebar: if you continue to read you will discover how to implement this facets into your own exercise programs)

Facet 1:  Eccentric Muscle Contractions:

1.  Eccentric Contractions:  This is one of the most confusing terms to even the most qualified fitness instructors, so I will try to explain this in as simple terms as I can.

Basically there are three types of Voluntary Contractions that a muscle may undergo (or contractions that we can consciously control):

Those three voluntary contractions include:
 a.  Concentric (shortening of a muscle when it is firing) as in bending the elbow (think lift groceries out of the cart). 

 b.  Isometric:  once a muscle is recruited (working) the muscle length remains the same as it holds steady trying to balance the force against it. (think holding a bag of groceries.  There is no change in the muscle length, just the recruitment of the muscles as they try to hold onto the bag of groceries.)

 c. Eccentric:  (the lengthening of a shortened muscle as it tries to control against force.  (keeping with the groceries, you try to place the groceries down carefully on the floor so as not to drop them inadvertently.)

So now you are an expert on muscle contractions right?  well, probably not. It took me years to full understand what directions the force was coming from and thus determine what eccentric contraction refers to. 

Let me just say this, Eccentric Contraction is not the opposite muscle contraction (as in Triceps working as an opposite (opposing muscle) to biceps.  Instead remember that muscle length determines the Concentric Contraction of the muscle, and Eccentric Contractions refer to the control of original moving muscle moving back to its starting position. (In our example, the biceps muscle straightens the arm eccentrically to control the lowering of the groceries).

Basically in Pilates, the movements are all done focusing on the Eccentric Contraction at equal or greater amounts than the Concentric Contraction. In other words, Pilates is about controlling the movement in the opposite direction the muscle (shortened) in. So rather than focusing on the bending of the elbow in a bicep curl, we focus on the straightening of the arm with control as the bicep returns to its starting point.  

Are you more confused?

Here's the application: Since there is a greater emphasis on the Eccentric Contraction (defined above) your muscles become stronger but the size of the muscle may or may not increase.  (For ladies, that means you can get stronger and  not bulk up;  For Men, that means your muscle strength increases at the same time your flexibility increases without losing muscle bulk).


Moving on to the next VIP facet in Pilates:

2. Transverses and Pelvic Floor Engagement:Who wants flat six pack Abs?  What if I told you that incorporating this Pilates Facet into all abdominal exercises you do can help you reach those 8-10 pack Abs.


Why?

Read on...

You have all heard of CORE TRAINING, but do you really understand what that is referring to? 

From a simple standpoint in the Fitness world it refers to the area of the body between the rib cage and the pelvis on both the front and the back of the body. 

(Most people think of this as the abdominals, and then think of it as the six pack of abdominals). 

Without boring your with too much more detail, it actually incorporates the obliques (side abdominal area), Rectus Abdominals (aka six pack abs), Transveres (see definition below), and muscles of the pelvic floor, along with muscles on the back of the body (such as Quadratus Lumborum, and some argue Glutes.

So in application for today, let's focus in on the main abdominal area that many people fail to incorporate when doing abdominal work, the Transverses (coupled with Pelvic Floor muscles).

For discussion here, let's define the Transverses as a specific abdominal muscle whose purpose is to hold your internal organs (guts) in (for lack of better description).   Basically, you can think of the Transverses as the Control Top Pantyhose of the body. 
These muscles together with the muscles in the Pelvic Floor, aid in balance, strength, and coordination of the entire body as it moves.

A simple way of finding them is to place you hand on your abdominals, and cough. the muscle that moves forward back is the Transverses.  These muscles basically, flatten as they contract. 

Application:

Therefore, when you do any abdominal work (sit-ups, half curls, etc... if you focus on pulling the (Transverses) Abdominals inward as you perform the exercise, you will find you have more power, and your abdominal area will begin to flatten.


And now the final facet of Pilates that make it effective is:

3. Oppositional Mobility and Stability:Have I lost you yet?

Keep focused for another few moments...

Think of mobility as what part of the body is moving and stability as what the anchor for that movement. 

In terms of Pilates and the body, all muscles are working all the time, either as mobilizers (movers) or stabilizers (anchors).  It is the focus on the anchors allowing the movers to move that makes Pilates effective. 

Consider this, if you were to lift your arms to the ceiling, the main muscles involved in lifting your arms (deltoids, rhomboid, trapezius and others around the shoulder blades ) are considered movers.  But in order to prevent your arms from throwing your body backwards as you lift them, the body activates into the front of the body (rectus abdominals, obliques, transverses, quadriceps, and more) as a counter balance to the movement, thereby anchoring the body in place.  (Most of this is done without conscious effort.)

In Pilates, we draw your attention to (making you consciously aware of) what is anchoring the movement.  With this anchoring, you develop more power as the area that is moving (in this case the arms) appears to be floating as the stabilizing muscles are creating the energy for the movement.


OK, so Here's the Scoop:

Pilates involves a purposeful focus on unconventional movement patterns (the opposite of what we are used to focusing on).  Some of the most important facets include eccentric contractions of moving muscles (mobilizers) balanced by anchoring the rest of the body (stabilizers) with emphasizing the core (transverses/pelvic floor) as the prime anchor (or balance point).

All these aspects make Pilates an effective form of exercise resulting in the following areas:

1. Improving Posture
2. Reducing Injuries due to overuse in sport (or under use due to inactivity)
3. Increasing Flexibility while still increasing strength
4. Flattening out the abdominals
5. Decreasing (I am not saying curing) chronic neck and back pain (I did not say it will  
    get rid of the pain in your *bleep*)
6. Improving balance (and Coordination)


All these tenants are what are the foundation which has formed my philosophy of Pilates:

Precision of Movement Remarkable Results. ^SM


Until We meet Again,

Cindy Weller,
Master Instructor Trainer, Pilates Academy International (PAI),
Certified Pilates Instructor Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), and STOTT PILATES