Category: Mobility

Body Audit – How to maximize your workouts!

Fitness information can sometimes be confusing and even conflicting.

How do you know if you are doing the right workout for your body?

Are you doing too much or too little of something? Or missing something altogether?

Here is a simple guide to help you maximize your workouts.

This is based on the recommendations from the National Institute for Health (NIH) and some of my own recommendations.

I hope you find this informative and useful.

The four categories recommended by the NIH are cardio, strength, stretch and balance.*

And I like to add posture to the list.

Cardio: Aim for 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity every week. You don’t have to run a marathon. Walking can count. You could walk 30 minutes daily five days a week. Or whatever works for your schedule.

Tip to maximize: If you have knee issues, biking would be a good choice for cardio. That said, if you are concerned about osteoporosis or osteopenia, walking would be a better choice. Biking and swimming won’t benefit bone building.

Strength: Train for strength two days a week and cover the major muscle groups – chest, back, core, arms, and legs. You want the intensity to be enough that after 10-12 repetitions the muscle is fatigued.

Tip to maximize: You can use traditional weights. Or you can use therabands, isometric exercises or practice exercises with your own body weight. As your strength increases, so does the amount of weight or resistance.

Stretching: Although the frequency and duration of sessions are not specified by the NIH, stretching is recommended. Like strengthening, stretching twice weekly and covering all the major muscle groups would be a good guideline.

Tip to maximize: The best time to stretch is at the end of a workout. Your body is already warm and more pliable.

Please note: static stretching before a workout is not always advisable. You want to warmup the body particularly in movements that prepare for what you are about to do. For example, if you are about to play tennis or golf, you would want to do active motions for the shoulders, arms and spine to gently warmup and get some circulation going before playing the sport.

Balance: For older adults concerned about falling, it is recommended to practice balance exercise three or more times a week.

Tip to maximize: A combination of strengthening 90 minutes and walking 60 minutes weekly along with balance 3 or more times weekly has been shown to be an effective program in reducing falls.**

You could certainly walk more than the 60 minutes but I wanted to point out that particular program and combination of activities for those concerned about falls.

Posture: This is not included in the NIH recommendations but it’s one I recommend. Most people are aware of and have some concern about their posture. Between gravity pulling us down, age and devices that round people forward, posture is something to be mindful of.

Ron Fletcher taught that the spine is the core (like the core of an apple and the head the stem at the top).

And Joseph Pilates would say, “You are as young as your spine.”

I like to suggest doing something daily for your posture.

Tip to maximize:

  • Stretch your pecs.
  • Strengthen the upper back.
  • And extend your spine (as long as there is not a condition that is contraindicated).

You could get this done in a minute. Simply stretch you pecs in a doorframe for 20-30 seconds. Squeeze your shoulder blades together (hold for a few seconds) repeat 10 times. And lift your chest to the ceiling 5-10x.

Hope this “body audit” is helpful to you. One of the many benefits of Pilates is that it already incorporates a lot of these elements – strengthening, stretching, balance, posture and even cardio. Start wherever you are and build up from there.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Wishing you continued good health and joy!

Warmly,

Shannon

*https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf

**https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf p. 31 -32

The 5 Exercises You Need To Be Doing!

Like diet fads, there are lots of exercise trends out there. Sometimes it can be confusing to know what you need to be doing and not doing.

To help, here are the exercises that you want to focus on. If you aren’t already doing these exercises or if you’ve just recovered from a health condition or surgery, this gives you something to mindfully aim towards.

1 – Moderate to vigorous aerobic activity

*Recommended:

150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate activity weekly or

75 minutes (1.25 hour) of intense activity weekly or

A combination of the above

Walking 30 minutes 5 days a week would meet this goal. It’s preferable that the activity is spread throughout the week in at least 10 minute segments. You could break up that 30 minutes into 10 minute segments 3x a day or 15 minutes 2x a day. Going for a 15-20 minute walk in the morning and then parking far from an entrance or taking the stairs could help fill in the last few minutes. 

Other activities, like biking, dancing, swimming could fulfill the aerobic activity requirement.

If you have chronic conditions or joint issues that have kept you from engaging in aerobic activity, don’t overdo it. You can begin in the pool or go for a walk. Go at your own pace. Start walking slowly for a few minutes every other day. The goal might be at first to just build up to a 10 minute walk without pain or discomfort. It’s ok – begin where you are. Take care of yourself and listen to your body. Your doctor and/or physical therapist can help direct you on the best approach for your unique situation.

2 – Strength

*Recommended:

Strength training 2x weekly

There is not a specific amount of time/minutes for strength training. You just want to cover all the major muscle groups and engage them more than you normally would. “…any muscle-strengthening activity counts…(including) done as part of a therapy or rehabilitation program…”**

3 – Stretch

Stretching is recommended, especially for maintaining flexibility with age.*** Again, there is not a certain amount of time recommended but it’s probably a good idea to follow the strength guideline of 2x weekly and to stretch all the major muscle groups.

4 – Balance

*Recommended:

3x or more weekly

An effective program in reducing falls is a combination of strength training for 90 minutes weekly, walking for 60 minutes weekly and incorporating balance 3 or more days weekly.****

If you are walking, strengthen training and stretching as recommended, just add a few minutes of balance exercises before or after your daily walk. 

5 – Spinal extension

Though spinal extension is not on the list from Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S Health and Human Services, it is something most people need to be doing. If you have osteoporosis concerns, spinal extension is going to be important. If you sit, spend time on a computer, cell phone or tablet, a spinal extension program is going to benefit you too.

There is not a set amount of time you need to devote to this exercise but it is something you probably want to incorporate into your workouts. It would also be good to sprinkle in a few spinal extension exercises throughout the day if you find yourself sitting for periods of time.

Summary:

The good news is that your Pilates practice can incorporate all these exercises – aerobic activity, strength, stretching, balance and spinal extension. Yes, even a little cardio (hello 100s)! A Pilates program will often have a few minutes of each exercise woven into the session. If you practice Pilates for an hour 2x a week, walk a little bit and practice some personal exercises based on your needs, you’ll be well on your way to your best health.

*https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf

**https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf p.31

***https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf p.33

****https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/paguide.pdf p. 31 -32

De-stress with Yamuna

Yamuna with student

It is coming up on the one year marker since the in person studio sessions came to a halt on March 11 and online sessions began on March 12, 2020. I remember March 11 clearly and being in the studio. Three things in particular happened that day: the World Health Organization officially declared the pandemic, the first case of local spread and the rodeo was cancelled. (You know it’s serious when that happens in Texas!) 

Obviously, a lot has changed in the world over the past year. While change is often challenging, there is good that can come from it as well. In particular, a positive trend has been the move online and being able to more easily learn from Master teachers and experts across the country and the globe.

You may not be aware but Yamuna is alive and active. She generally taught workshops in exotic locations like India, but since the pandemic she too has gone online.

If you need to de-stress due to the pandemic or due to the recent weather event here in Texas or perhaps you’ve always wondered what a class with Yamuna herself would be like…well, now you can do that! For the class schedule, check out Yamuna Live.

In addition to Yamuna, there is Yamuna Anytime or YBR® Anytime, started by Dianne Glass several years ago. You may not have heard of Dianne, but she is one of Yamuna’s trusted teacher trainers and has been with Yamuna since the beginning. I’ve had the pleasure of learning from Dianne on a number of occasions, and I’m grateful for her expertise and guidance in the Yamuna method. 

Dianne had the innovative idea to hire a videographer and create classes online years before the pandemic. YBR® Anytime has professional quality filming, lighting etc, classes added regularly and a video library. It’s something worth checking out!

As times change, I hope you prioritize what is important, continue to practice good self-care, including Pilates and perhaps de-stressing with Yamuna too!

No Pain, No Gain?

This is a famous mantra in the fitness world and beyond.  In this edition of the newsletter, we are going to look at this concept more closely.  While there is truth to it, this principle can also be taken to extremes that are harmful and result in losses rather than gains.

It is established that the body grows stronger as it is challenged – whether by increasing weights or increasing time on cardio activities etc.  In sports fitness, this concept is used to keep athletes improving. 

That said, a fine tuned athletes point of challenge is different than the coach potato working out for the first time.  If the novice tries to do the same workout at the same level he hears a famous sports figure is doing, it won’t be long until there is pain or injury and the coach potato is back on the sofa.

Even a person who is consistent with working out can develop pain from practicing with improper form.  In Pilates, having good alignment is huge, but good training in other modalities will also emphasize proper form as well.  With Pilates, quality is often emphasized over quantity.  Better to do a few good repetitions of an exercise and strengthen the underused muscles than to do many repetitions with bad form and continue to strain/overtrain the over developed areas.

With fitness, as in life, there is effort and challenge that brings growth.  However, it’s really the use of the word “pain” in the “No Pain, No Gain” mantra that is misleading.  While it is catchy and rhymes, technically real pain is generally not a good thing.  

There are times you may have to work through pain, but that is not the goal.  If you are in pain all the time and the pain increases with working out or certain motions/activities, you don’t want to ignore it.  Pain is the body’s warning signal, a red light that there is something wrong.  Continuing to work through pain when your body is telling you to stop, is ultimately going to end up with loss (an injury, lost time at work, loss in mobility and function) and not gain.

Listen to what your body is telling you.  Don’t ignore the body’s signals like pain.  Seek the appropriate professional help where needed – whether a family doctor or a specialist.  Follow their recommendations.  And when it comes to fitness, rather than thinking “No Pain, No Gain”, instead consider another mantra “Work smarter, not harder”.  

Freedom Of Movement


Since Independence Day is tomorrow, it seems an appropriate time to consider the topic of freedom in movement.  What does freedom of movement mean?  Well, it can actually have different definitions and layers depending on perspective.

To begin, let’s go deep to the level of the joint, where two bones connect together.  If the muscles around the joint aren’t being used evenly, this will create an imbalance in muscular development at that joint.  This happens with repetitive and postural patterns.  If there is an imbalance, this is going to ultimately cause some loss in ability to move freely or optimally at the joint as one side will be overworking and the other side underworking.  

This is one of the powerful principles of Pilates as it helps to balance muscular development. The overworked area begins to stretch and let go while the underutilized region starts to strengthen.  The Pilates principle of balanced muscular development was address in this earlier newsletter.  

One of the other key Pilates principles is Control.  In fact, Joseph Pilates called his method “Contrology”.  It’s interesting to note that while Pilates helps students gain freedom of movement as they balance their muscular development, it is done with control.  During a Pilates class, performing the exercises may not seem like freedom of movement such as in a freestyle or improv dance class where movement is creative and abandoned, but ironically it is the control (moving slowly, training in new patterns) that is ultimately going liberate students from already ingrained patterns.  Thus empowering students to continue to move optimally for years to come.  

On a broader level, freedom of movement relates to quality of life.  Whether being able to get up and down from a chair or the floor or expanding your spinal mechanics to improve your golf game, maintaining as much freedom of movement as possible is an important goal.  As the country celebrates it’s freedom, may you too continue to enjoy freedom of movement of all your joints and quality of life for years to come.