Twenty years ago the mantra of the fitness world was “No Pain, No Gain”. High-impact aerobics was all the rage, and the success of your workout was judged by how whipped you felt at the end of it. Practically no one had heard of Pilates – and those who had didn’t know how to pronounce it.

When Pilates began to appear onto the fitness scene, people scratched their heads. How could a workout that doesn’t leave you red-faced and sweating do you any good?! The idea of controlled movement was unheard of, and no one could identify their core. Diehard aerobics nuts refused to believe that results could be achieved without agony, and Pilates was met with resistance.

Eventually, people came around. As we mentioned in last month’s newsletter, one factor was the number of celebrities that came forward in the early 70’s about their years of Pilates training with Ron Fletcher. As a result, hundreds of articles began to appear, starting with ELLE magazine in October 1991, “The Great Balancing Act.” This major three-page article kicked off a Pilates publicity binge so influential that it helped cancel the fraudulent Pilates trademark. Additionally, by the late 90’s research emerged that confirmed the benefits of the Pilates Method of exercise. It took some time, but eventually the public mindset toward fitness began to shift from no pain, no gain to mind-body balance.

We’re seeing the same thing happen in the weight loss world. For decades, mainstream diets have been obsessed with content. One fad after another has come onto the scene: no-carb, no fat, gluten free, juice cleanses… the list goes on. But just as “no pain, no gain” resulted in injured bodies, the mainstream diet formula has resulted in obese bodies because 95% of all dieters regain the lost weight – and often more weight! It’s clear that the old method is not working.

Just as we promoted the notion of balanced movement twenty years ago, we’re promoting the notion of balanced eating with 80Bites (www.80BitesDiet.com). 80Bites is the “Pilates Diet” in many ways, but getting people to embrace a balanced, relaxed attitude toward food is equally challenging.  We still have a long way to go – old habits die hard, and America is still in the throes of a diet-obsessed culture.

The encouraging news is that mainstream media is finally catching up. Two recent articles from the NY Times (links) shed light on the realities of the broken diet formula. Yo-yo dieters are fed up with big promises and no results. The industry is primed for a shift, and 80Bites offers a new way of thinking about food.  Science is also supporting quantity-based diets with new research. Studies showing that caloric reduction leads to longer life are actually just as affected by quantity as caloric intake (the lab mice are all eating the same diet – the ones eating less just end up living longer!).

As Pilates teachers and practitioners, we invite you to try 80Bites for yourselves. We’ve taken 25 years of research (and a former incarnation as Diet Directives), and created an engaging program that builds lasting habits. 80Bites is a program for anyone who eats – not just those looking to shed pounds. Conscious eating also leads to improved digestion, heightened sense awareness, and freedom from obsessing over nutritional information!

We’re offering a special teacher’s discount of 50% off the program – just use code PILATES at checkout. For clients who may be seeking additional weight management, 80Bites complements a Pilates practice for total mind-body balance. 80Bites can also be used for one continuing education credit, when membership is combined with our Nutrition 101 home-study course.  We invite you to join and welcome your feedback!

Joe and Clara Pilates had helped Semenova recover from a devastating stage accident in Italy during World War II that ended her performing career and left her with a permanent limp. She often acknowledged that she would have been in a wheel chair had it not been for their rehabilitative efforts with her. As it was, she turned out to be a firebrand of energy throughout her life, teaching, choreographing and directing, nonstop. Along the way, like many dancers helped by the Pilates work, she made it a valued part of dance training, promoted it and helped keep it ongoing at a time when it was not yet well known.

There were three of us at the academy who were taught the floor exercises, then called “Contrology,” of course. As scholarship recipients, our duties included functioning as demonstrators for the various classes. Madame Semenova (for we dared not call her anything else) would often fling her trusty cane to the side and jump down on the floor to demonstrate a killer teaser or exquisite boomerang, one of her avowed favorites. She practiced the work regularly herself and renewed it on periodic trips to New York and Joe and Clara’s Studio.

Notice that the expression “Pilates Mat Work” did not exist for us at the time, because we never used mats! All floor work was done simply and without question on the sprung hardwood floor, dressed Russian style in our tights, trunks and sleeveless tunics. For example, in a ballet technique class, we would start our work at the barre with classical ballet warm up and technique. Then we would come to the center, away from the barre, for the Contrology floor work, followed by standing up to do all the centre ballet technique that included adagio, sequences moving across the floor, turns, jumps, etc. This was a time when there was little introspection, analysis or inquiry about the physical work that you were doing. You were shown the Pilates exercise, you learned it, you did it, no questions. There were plenty of times on that floor that our young bodies protested with bruises, rashes and skinned arches, etc., but it never occurred to us to complain. That would have incurred Madame Semenova’s wrath which could be quick, volatile and often deadly, brandished at the end of the big walking stick that she used to assist her strident, energetic walking.

There was no doubt that practicing the Pilates exercises helped us to make rapid gains in our ballet technique and dance performance. Also, during lecture demonstrations that took us to the public schools, Semenova would often encourage participation and challenge the toughest football players with ballet and Pilates, done alongside the lithe and seemingly delicate dancers. Of course, the young men were both immediately humbled and puzzled by their inability to last out a series of the hundred alongside the dancers!

Eventually I took time out from a dance career to go to college, marry and have my son. During my education I was fortunate to be able to spend an entire summer studying Anatomy and Physiology at The Baylor College of Medicine and have the privilege of dissection on human cadavers. Though this may sound gruesome at first, it was really an eye-opener to actually see and learn about the marvelous workings of the body that I had previously been pushing to its limits. Though these first studies were purely science based, they were characteristic of the many investigations of the body and movement that I would eventually undertake.

When I returned to my dancing, the rules had changed, for I was no longer a ballet dancer, but had discovered modern dance and was asked to join a newly forming company. This initiated a new series of movement adventures. Now I was working, in both class and performance, in bare feet and frequently utilizing gravity, speed and momentum for shared partnering feats along with upper body support for more athletic moves. I discovered that many modern dance teachers and choreographers had followed practices similar to those of Hanya Holm, a contemporary of Joseph Pilates, for elements of Pilates, Yoga and Laban work were often incorporated as part of their dance warm up and training techniques. Pilates work frequently became a part of preparation, conditioning and rehabilitation after injury.

As a performer and teacher in several dance companies, I extended myself by working with numerous well known choreographers (and a wonderful manager) in developing a solo repertory and eventually solo concerts that I performed throughout the United States, in Europe and in India. Since solo stage work rarely pays the bills, teaching and choreography skills must be strong to keep you employable. This was a big motivation, along with my natural curiosity about the body, to keep me investigating more body work along with how to experience it, learn it and teach it.

Along the way, I continued to study and take in all the movement experiences that I could discover, usually guided by the familiar curiosity, the need for better body awareness, or pure pleasure. Over time this led to Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Body-Mind Centering, Contact Improvisation, and Yoga studies. The inevitable injuries helped me explore body conditioning and rehabilitation techniques with physical therapy, weight training, and more Pilates.

As an example, at the Modern Dance Department at The University of Utah, I had the good fortune to encounter Dr. Sally Sevey Fitt, author of Kinesiology for Dancers. During two years of graduate school, I studied with her continuously, taking every course that she offered. Along with her Anatomy and Kinesiology course, Movement Behavior Studies course, etc. I took her Conditioning course based on, among other things, the Pilates Mat Work.   Eventually, I was able to demonstrate in classes for her, to her satisfaction. It was a challenging experience for us to do the side leg kick series progressing throughout the year from bare legs, to light ankle weights, to tennis shoes, to ski boots! Yes, the Salt Lake Winter Olympics were still years away, but we were getting ready for the nearby ski slopes!

During residencies throughout the United States, I sought teachers that I could continue to study and learn from, like Carey Twomey, former apprentice to both Master Teacher Deborah Lessen and Anatomist Irene Dowd.  Ultimately, while in Florida and working industriously at my Pilates and Jivamukti Yoga, I sought the missing piece of my Pilates experience. I began looking for a way to do the Pilates apparatus work that I had never had the opportunity to do, since the constant traveling and relocating that a performer and teacher does was never conducive to making a long term connection with a studio. Not really knowing how or where I would be able to do this, I investigated options and decided on The PhysicalMind Institute as my avenue.

Living in the Florida Panhandle, it was actually easier for me to get started on a certification by taking Initiation 101 in Lafayette Louisiana, but before that could even happen, Hurricane Ivan appeared and devastated Pensacola Florida where we were then located. Once we regained utilities and some sense of order, I traveled to the Wise Body Lafayette Studio for Initiation 101 with Alyce Wise. Within five weeks more, still on the move, we had resettled in San Antonio Texas, so I did Initiation 201 in Ft. Worth Texas with Zoe Stein Pierce at the Pilates at Dancescape Studio.

My next big decision was to make the commitment to commute weekly from San Antonio to Ft. Worth for Concentration 101. The lectures,practice,observation and teaching were extremely challenging to coordinate on a schedule via commuting, but paid off in a wonderful apprenticeship and eventual staff instructor position at Pilates at Dancescape. Concentration 101 Test Out was in Austin Texas with Sarah Irwin, a positive learning experience in and of itself.

Pilates has been an immensely rewarding path on my movement journey and part of that continual effort to connect body mind and spirit for myself, my clients and those I hope to interact with in an effective way. The certification program with The PhysicalMind Institute was especially rewarding because it was very process oriented, integrated work on the various pieces of apparatus, provided for the mentor/apprentice relationship, and encouraged instructors, like myself, to bring past experience and teaching skills to the Pilates work. I value this approach and encourage each client that I guide as an instructor, to bring all the variety of their personality, experience and background to the work. Your work is to discover your work. And with all your heart give yourself to it.–Buddha

Anita Lemon is a Pilates Instructor, Yoga Teacher and Movement Specialist with 40 years of teaching experience in both dance and related movement fields. She is certified in The Method Pilates through The PhysicalMind Institute and holds a Comprehensive Certification from Balanced Body University. Her introduction to the work began when the Pilates Mat exercises were still called Contrology and Anita served as demonstrator at the Houston Foundation for Ballet Academy. A former Fulbright Scholar, Lemon holds a B.S. degree from Texas Womans University, the M.P.H. from The University of Texas as well as her M.A. in Dance from Goddard College and M.F.A. in Modern Dance from The University of Utah.  In her current practice based in Texas, she sees private clients in both San Antonio(home) and Houston, and conducts a variety of sessions, classes and workshops as Guest Instructor at The Body Garage in Ft. Worth.

Last year my fitness supervisor and I tried to find a way to market our Pilates program to men.  We decided to try a “drop-in” class format on Tuesday evenings, and called the class “All Sports Pilates”.  We emphasized how Pilates can be an effective method of cross-training that can enhance performance in sports.  The class began the first week in January 2011 to catch the enthusiasm of people looking for a new workout to start the New Year.  What amazing results!  One year later, this class still thrives with many more people experiencing how Pilates can help them enjoy any sport or activity.

The following information was formatted on “All Sports Pilates” cards for marketing. We made sure to use a font and color that was good for both genders.

Pilates offers an effective method of cross-training that can enhance your sports performance.  You will benefit from improved flexibility, body awareness, and breathing techniques, while also improving the strength and stability of your core muscles.  Workouts will be tailored to a variety of sports/activities, but will be relevant to all.

Increase power
Correct muscle imbalances
Minimize risk of injury
Stretching tips for pre and post event

Each week the class highlighted a particular sport or activity.  We started the class with the “Non-Negotiables for the Sports Minded”[1] while standing at the top of our mat:

Your powerhouse is always engaged: “In and Up”
Your chest is always lifted
Your spine is a straight line
Your weight is distributed evenly

We then used the controlled sit-down to enter into our first set of classic Pilates matwork, using the “Basic 10” exercises to establish a good foundation each week.

Hundred
Roll-up
Single Leg Circles
Rolling Like a Ball
Single Leg Stretch
Double Leg Stretch
Single Straight Leg Stretch
Double Straight Leg Stretch
Criss-cross
Spine Stretch Forward

The next segment was called “The Bonus” where we incorporated the use of a prop to take the workout to the next level.  A prop was selected for its relevance to the sport or activity of the week.  Listed below are the highlighted sports and the props used.

Participants were encouraged to request a class formatted for their favorite sport or activity.  It got them invested in the class and provided a great reason to return each week.

After the “bonus” segment of the class, we returned to our mats for more classic mat exercises selected with the sport or activity in mind.  Participants were then exposed to other exercises in a variety of body positions, such a prone or side-lying.

We finished each session with stretches relevant for pre/post event.  Also included was a time for making the mind/body connection – some additional information as to how the Pilates principles can be applied to the sport or activity.  I also included a “homework” assignment for them to accomplish during the week ahead.  They would often share these stories with me at the beginning of the next week’s class.

This class experiment proved to meet our goal of increased participation by both genders.  It also made for lots of fun as we explored the relationship between Pilates and sports conditioning.  There was so much information available to get this message to my participants – my job was to research and pull it all together to present to the class each week.

Donna Ferguson has been certified to teach Pilates Mat/Standing Pilates through The PhysicalMind Institute since December 2003.  This is a second career for Donna, a retired Physical Education/Health teacher with 30 years of experience in public schools.  She enjoys teaching Pilates to participants at the recreation center, the local community college and to people at her church in Littleton, Colorado.

Which brings us to Ron Fletcher, an important teacher and personality, who passed away on December 6^th.  Unlike most of the “elders”, Ron created new techniques such as his Percussive Breathing^TM, which involves movement and sound.  Ron opened his studio, Ron Fletcher Studio for Body Contrology, on May 1, 1972 on Rodeo Drive at Wilshire Blvd with an unlisted phone number.   Just the perfect exclusivity touch to attract celebrities!   And boy did he ever get the boldface names: Candice Bergen, Judith Krantz, Ali MacGraw, Dyan Cannon, Katharine Ross, Barbra Streisand, Raquel Welch and Cher to mention a few.  He was able to keep them coming even while aerobics was dominating the exercise world.  Maybe it was his quick warming Percussive Breathing^TM technique that was key to making clients feel “worked out.”

We all know that without those celeb names we would never have had the amazing publicity run.    And while the Institute is responsible for a number of “firsts” (the first Pilates video, “Working out the Pilates way.”; the certification program; the newsletter; the membership organization; and the home use reformer, the Mini Reformer) NONE of this would have worked without the celebs for which we have Ron to thank. But we did “work” it.  In the early Nineties we regularly sent a letter to editors and journalists that began:

“Candace Bergen and Lou Gossett do it.  Vanessa Williams and the San Francisco 49ers do it. So does Lee grant, Patrick Swayze, Jodie Foster and Paul Reiser.  Eve Gentry at 83 teachers it.  So does Ron Fletcher at a mere 72. It is the Pilates Method of exercise and after 70 years this technique has become an overnight sensation…”

As the years passed and Oprah and Madonna became fans, we added their names to the growing list and by 2000 Pilates was no longer a “cult” but a household name and a major factor in defeating the trademark lawsuit.

What we should learn from Ron is flexibility—and not just in the body!  The Method needs to adapt to stay relevant.  Joe Pilates worked with a small group of dedicated dancers—all intensely body aware, patient and focused until they slowly absorbed the in-depth body mechanics of his complex movements.  But now that there are 10 million fans and lots of competition we have to get further, faster.  That’s the reason for Evolution 101. Affordable and convenient training, the Fundamentals taught in this course provide an in depth understanding of the biomechanics needed to perform the complex exercises that are Pilates. And while Pilates himself never taught any of them, TheMethod Fundamentals are really an efficient way to go deeper without spending long hours in workshops or even taking another certification! Who knows how Joe would approach the challenge, if he were here today and looking at 10 million not so great bodies.   Maybe he too would tie up a body to get it to feel a subtle move. We do know he would be thinking, developing and inventing so that Pilates stays relevant and sustainable while never compromising quality.

To answer the first part, we asked many PhysicalMind teachers in the USA to tell us the exercises they taught all the time and those they avoided. Usually, the ones they used most clients also prefer! From these responses we pulled a list and then tested it.  Since TheMethod does not prescribe an order or a specific Beginner, Intermediate Advanced sequence for teaching clients (in teacher training we list exercises in these sequences for organizational purposes) our choices resulted from looking at bodies, as Joe Pilates did. While starting with the body may seem obvious, I have seen the opposite: teachers pushing an uncomfortable client through exercises like Teaser simply because it was part of a must do sequence.

First we must ask, who is the Pilates client?  Ninety percent are female (in the USA) and a majority is 40 and older.  In addition, 70% of the US adult population is overweight/obese.   Furthermore, many of these Baby Boomer clients have knee and hip injuries from running and other “going for the burn” exercises.    These exercise regimens, which had become less popular in the past 20 years, are experiencing a resurgence with the under 30 demographic; fearful of weight gain they are ignoring the injuries of their parents.

How do we use this demographic information to eliminate exercises from the “Hit Parade”?  We look at the physical body and its routine activity. Take Stomach Massage for example; the Round Back version is not useful for a population that spends most of the time hunched over a computer or a smart phone.  While the Reach and the Twist versions avoid the forward flexion position, they require sufficient hamstring length and body proportions to perform this seated position with neutral pelvis and the string resistance.  Extra weight around the middle makes it difficult to “lift up out of the pelvis” so that there is enough torso space to move. Believe it or not, when I learned this exercise in the 60s, it was always done on 4 springs.  Unlike today, the original springs were all the same strength and heavy by today’s standards.  Can you imagine your client’s doing this seated exercise on 4 heavy springs?!

You should begin to notice that certain positions are not well suited to today’s clientele. We want exercises that counteract the constant seated and forward flexed positions and ones that clients don’t have to struggle with.  Exercises that they feel competent doing and can see in the mirror that they look good.   As for the specific list, this WILL BE part of Concentration 101 in 2012.

Let’s continue this conversation: Eve’s Lunge is one exercise included in the “Hit Parade”.  Tell us, why did we pick this one? Email noel@themethodpilates.com with your thoughts on why this is such an essential exercise, or if you disagree, tell us why.  We’ll let you know what everyone comes up with next month!

Now, 20 years later, the Pilates business has matured. People have taken notice of newer fitness programs while Pilates struggles in this lousy economy. Lately, I’ve wondered what Joe Pilates would advise if he returned to America in 2011. The population is aging and obese. The under 40 demographic is rushing to hyper-demanding regimens that are hurting their bodies and our business. Would he recommend using the Fundamentals to establish a strong foundation of fitness for today’s population even though his dancer clientele did not need them? Would he agree with the decision to put content online in order to optimize valuable studio time for teacher training? Perhaps he would conclude that a streamlined 3-spring reformer is all we need now. He might suggest that no one could possibly teach most of his exercises to a population in this kind of shape.

Joe Pilates was a big thinker-a creative man who loved to invent and experiment. I think that the challenges of today’s environment would excite him.  Creative people embrace change. While some Classical Fundamentalists want to do justice to the purity of Joe Pilates’ traditions, Pilates is not about Master teachers, purity of the exercises or advanced workshops. It’s about the customer.

For this reason, The Method Pilates will emphasize the Fundamentals & the 40 exercises that experienced teachers tell us they use over and over again. The hope is that this will not only build more confident teachers more quickly, but also a more accessible and safe Pilates class for an aging and obese population.  Isn’t that, after all, what Joe would really want?

Joseph Pilates invented the method during WWI as a rehabilitation method for soldiers. From a frail child who suffered from rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever, Pilates developed such a strong body through the dedicated study of yoga, bodybuilding and gymnastics, that he even posed for anatomical charts!

Drawing from elements of dance, yoga and swimming, Pilates is a safe body-mind technique that benefits all individuals, regardless of age and physical condition. The emphasis is placed on strengthening and lengthening the core muscles (deep muscles of the trunk like the abdominals, back extensors and gluteals) and on creating a strong girdle to support and protect the spine. Additional principles include precision, stabilization, and concentration, quality of movement, alignment, flow and control. The benefits of regular Pilates practice are numerous and range from better posture, strong abdominal, back and gluteal muscles, to increased flexibility and range of motion, and enhanced concentration.

By incorporating Pilates into their fitness routines golfers can expect to develop a strong, fit and flexible body that will result in an improved game on the green: hitting faster, more efficiently, farther, more precisely, as well as better mind-body connection. We know that certain postures, such as the golf swing, which require simultaneous and repeated flexion and rotation, put the back in a vulnerable position, and prone to injury.

By teaching the client how to isolate rotation in the thoracic spine (and stabilizing the lumbar spine), we create a solid and safe starting position, promote mobility and limit risk of injury so common to golfers. With specific exercises targeted at releasing tight muscles or joints, we usually obtain very good results in correcting muscle imbalances, improving alignment and creating a movement that is equal on both sides, again greatly diminishing low back pain and/or risk of injury.

Pilates can be performed either on the mat or on specialized equipment like the Cadillac, the Reformer, or the Wunda Chair. A specifically designed Pilates Golf programme would typically include movements aimed at strengthening the core muscles, steadying the hips while rotating as well as stabilizing the shoulders. Exercises may incorporate chest lifts), back extensions (to strengthen the back), leg lifts and side kicks (strengthening gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus and learning to stabilize the hips) as well as flexibility and balance poses.

Two to three sessions per week are recommended to see the benefits of Pilates and an improvement in the game. Amateur golf player and Pilates devotee Victor Stein said,” I used to complain of low back pain every time I played a game. Pilates has helped me become flexible and stable enough to be pain-free during and after a game.”

Joseph Pilates used to say about the method he created that, “In 10 sessions you will feel the difference… in 20 sessions, you will see the difference, and in 30 sessions, you will have a whole new body.”

Golfers are bound to agree.

Sample exercises:

Spine Twist: 5 repetitions on each side
Start: Sitting up tall on the sit bones, legs outstretched, flexed feet together, arms out to side, just below shoulder height.

Movement: Rotate torso to one side (inhaling or exhaling) without moving the pelvis; one small pulse; return to centre and rotate to the other side

Goals: Spinal rotation, stabilisation of pelvis and shoulder girdle

Leg Pull Front Support: 3 to 5 repetitions on each side
Start: Push-up position with hands directly under shoulders.

Movement: Lift right leg off mat and pulse once keeping core and gluteals engaged; switch legs and repeat

Goals: Scapular stabilisation, pelvic stabilisation while bearing weight in the upper body, and isolating movement at hip joint.

Mermaid side stretch with leg lift on the Cadillac: 3 repetitions on each side
Start: Sit up tall on the mat of the Cadillac, with your right hand on the bar and the left palm on the mat.

Movement: Raise left arm up and over while pushing on the bar with right hand and lifting lower body onto the mat. Take three to five leg lifts and return to starting position slowly and with control. Switch sides.

Goals: Strengthen lateral back muscles and glutes, stabilize hips, increase upper body range of motion.

Maya Anjelou has a famous saying: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” From the second the client walks in the door, their experience is in the instructor’s hands. How we speak to them, look at them, and touch them are all part of their experience. Whether our minds are wandering or our patience is running thin, the client senses it. The greatest thing we can do for our clients is to be present and involved every step of the way. If we can make them feel great about what they’re doing for their bodies and great about themselves, they will be naturally attracted to what we can offer them and will keep coming back.

Another key element is our own personal commitment to health, wellness, and balance. What does Pilates do for us? This can be our greatest asset, that we are a walking advertisement of Pilates. If I am the client, I want to go to an instructor who can show me what Pilates can do for me because they live it and believe in it. I have found it incredibly advantageous to write my own instructor philosophy. It includes my personal commitment to health and balance in life and my desire to share that with others. It also includes my teaching philosophy and my desire to help my clients become more in-tune with their bodies and more excited about feeling great. It may sound trite, but walking the walk is our most powerful tool as instructors.

There is so much to be said of effective sequencing. Giving a great workout requires much more than teaching a series of exercises properly. Once the instructor understands how to properly instruct the right exercises for the right bodies, there is a whole new level that can be achieved. Balancing the types of motion the client experiences, the muscles worked, and the areas stretched is large part of this. Then, having the creative skills to organize a session that develops and flows makes the difference between a ho-hum, default workout and a priceless Pilates experience.  Preparing the client’s body for what’s ahead will keep the client safe. Having a focus to the workout will give the client more focus. And this creative aspect will keep things fresh and exciting for the instructor. When the instructor is engaged, it’s much easier to engage the client.

Finally, the way we communicate will make or break our success as instructors. I found this to be my greatest disappointment throughout my observations. Do we sound like we are making it up as we go?  Are we instructors who rattle off a memorized script? Do we give little explanation other than the basic mechanics? Do we talk down to clients? All are equally off-putting. Our tone should reflect our desire to make our clients feel respected and comfortable. Our language should be clear and descriptive. Pilates is a mind-body exercise. We must effectively communicate so their minds and bodies can properly engage. As we explain the benefits, where they are lengthening, where they are supporting, and where they are working it is an excellent opportunity to show them what it’s doing for their bodies. This is our chance to sell them on Pilates.

When we truly examine how we approach an exercise and how we approach our clients’ goals we find there is endless room for improvement and constant adaptation. To finish, I must say I am a great advocate of individuality, especially as instructors. I think every one of us has our unique way of communicating and connecting to clients. That is exactly what makes what we do interesting and successful. When we know our strengths, we can draw on those. And as we learn from others to expand our own boundaries and then we can expand the boundaries for our clients. Ultimately, it’s all about the client. And ultimately, we want every client to receive a great workout for their needs. We want them to learn something and connect to their bodies. And most importantly, we want them to come back!

Jenny Redford has been teaching Pilates since 2005.  She is a true believer in Pilates and is committed to making each session a positive and rewarding experience for every client she works with. Jenny certified in Pilates through The PhysicalMind Institute and Astanga-Vinyasa yoga through It’s Yoga. She turned to yoga and Pilates as a means to condition her body for dance, training for a professional ballet career at Ballet West Academy, Boston Ballet School, and attending American Ballet Theatre’s prestigious summer program in New York City. She grew up skiing, singing, & dancing in beautiful Provo, Utah and enjoyed teaching yoga, dance, & Pilates while she attended the University of Utah, studying Community Health. Jenny married her husband, Ryan, in 2008, which brought her to sunny Los Angeles. Along with Pilates, she enjoys yoga and running. She enjoys blogging about healthy, happy living at delightbytherealgirl.blogspot.com. And she loves being a newlywed & living minutes from the beach.

Figure 1. Christal doing Teaser

That first class launched me into a six-year journey into the Pilates world.  Little did I realize just how personally I would need every bit of knowledge, skill, strength, and body awareness I was gaining as I studied Pilates with John Gossett at Pilates Concepts of Houston. There I practiced Pilates and then practiced some more.   It was a happy day when I was at last certified by the PhysicalMind Institute in matwork and apparatus.  I began teaching reformer and mat classes at a nearby gym.  I purchased a reformer, Cadillac and two MVe chairs and set up shop in my garage.  My studio, Yes You Can! Pilates, was launched and I began training a few clients.  I had no idea that I would soon face the most physically challenging event of my life:  breast cancer.

The Diagnosis

I had a routine screening mammogram.  I was certain that I would be the last person to get cancer.  There was absolutely no family history of any type of cancer.  Longevity runs in the family, not cancer!  My grandmother was nearly 104 when she died.  As a registered dietitian I made it my business to eat a healthy diet with plenty of veggies, fruit, whole grains.  I didn’t smoke, wasn’t overweight, and I exercised for a living! I had breast fed all five of my children.  I had all the bases covered for lowering my risk for breast cancer.  But as the wife of a physician, I knew the value of following the screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society, so I dutifully had my annual mammogram.

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event.  Suddenly life is a series of scans, physical exams, MRI’s, ultrasounds, blood work.  A team of medical specialists pokes, prods, consults, and discusses treatment options.  A plan is formulated, launched and one is swept along, not really knowing what to expect, but understanding that time is of the essence.  Catching it before it spreads is on everyone’s mind, if not their lips. One strangely finds herself simultaneously the central focus and the isolated bystander in this foreign land of cancer. A competent team of dedicated specialists assembles. They have been down this road many times, and this time I must join them.

The Treatment

My surgeon decided that a lumpectomy was the surgery of choice for my cancer.  Unfortunately, the pathologist found that there wasn’t a wide cancer free border all around the tumor, so a second lumpectomy had to be performed.

I was given a month to recover from the surgery then on to the next phase of treatment: the dreaded chemotherapy. While I wasn’t looking forward to the prospects of chemotherapy, neither my doctors nor I were anticipating the enormity of the ordeal ahead.   The infusion of the chemotherapy was uneventful.  I was practicing some of my favorite standing Pilates moves as the chemotherapy agents flowed into my vein thinking that I had been in Pilates mat classes that were more physically demanding than getting this chemotherapy infusion.

Three hours later I was in the emergency room having one seizure after another.  I had to be temporarily paralyzed and was intubated to protect my lungs and keep me breathing.  My sodium level dropped so low that the ER doctor was not sure I would live.  My two daughters who were with me were told to summon the rest of the family. Keeping vigil first in the ER then in the ICU they struggled to comprehend how this could have happened to their strong, relentlessly healthy, Mom.

The Recovery

I was released from the hospital a week later.  I was so weak I could barely walk the few steps from the wheelchair to the car.  Neuropathy in my hands made me feel as though I was wearing baseball catcher’s mitts.  The loss of sensation and dexterity made it impossible to do simple tasks like fastening a button. My feet were so numb it was difficult to maintain my balance. It took every bit of strength and coordination I could muster to climb the steps to the front door that first day home from the hospital.

It was as if I were in a stranger’s body.  This alien body was shaky, weak, feeble. Walking from the bedroom to the living was an athletic event leaving me totally drained. I spent the next 2 weeks alternating between lying in bed and lying in the recliner.  My heart pounded so violently while unloading the top rack of the dishwasher, I had to rest before tackling the bottom shelf.  Had I really been able to do nearly the entire reformer repertory with just momentary rest breaks just a few short months ago?  Returning to normal activities seemed like an impossible dream.

I was shocked at the amount of muscle wasting I experienced in such a brief time. William J. Evans Ph.D., expert adviser to NASA and former head of the Nutrition, Physical Fitness, and Rapid Rehabilitation Team of the National Space Biomedical Institution, has published his research showing clearly that bed rest results in, “rapid and extreme loss of muscle mass.”  Ten days of bed rest can cause a 60 year old to age 15 years – in just ten days of bed rest![i] The muscles first impacted are the postural muscles—all those back extensors we work in pulling straps and swimming.  I wouldn’t have believed such devastating loses could happen so rapidly had I not experienced it personally.

Regaining my health and strength has been a slow, challenging process.  I started with a modified, very modified, Pilates program of 5-7 minutes.  100’s became 30’s, followed by a minute of rest.  Then 2 rollups, another rest, 5 single leg stretch, rest, spine stretch forward, hamstring stretch, and maybe spine twist if I was feeling strong.  I was exhausted after doing these, but I also felt better, as always after a Pilates session.  Back extension work was doubly difficult; just getting into the position to do swimming was a workout.  Moving my arms and legs was out of the question. But slowly I worked up to 15 minutes, and then 30 minutes and eventually I could do a 45-minute mat session. Slowly, I rehabilitated my ravaged body using the same remarkable method that had enabled me to achieve a fitness level capable of withstanding an incredibly toxic onslaught.  This July will mark the one-year anniversary of the completion of my cancer treatment. Reflecting back over this past 18 months, I’ve come to realize that, while unaware of it at the time, my Pilates training was equipping and preparing my body for a life and death struggle.  Clearly without medical intervention I would not have survived the near death situation induced by the allergic reaction to the chemotherapy agent.  But the resilience of my body was also critical to my survival.  Strong diaphragm muscle enabled me to be easily weaned from the breathing machine.  Doctors attributed this muscle capacity to Pilates’ breath work that enhances the recruitment and activation of the intercostals muscles of the rib cage, thereby strengthening these vital muscles[ii].  In Pilates we are trained to “work from the inside out”.  Certainly this experience heightened my appreciation of that concept!  During the most difficult months of chemotherapy I found that balance training, use of breath, core recruitment, employment of proper body mechanics and alignment all played a vital roll in stabilizing my debilitated body.  Stretching also brought relief.  Today I have almost completely regained my strength with the exception of my hands.  And I am happy to report that I am more flexible now than I was before cancer. Russian splits are a bit more doable!

The spiritual and emotional support of family and friends together with the physical and mental training and conditioning of Pilates have been my road back to a healthy body, a tranquil soul and a joyful spirit.   And for that, I am so thankful!

Christal Ferlisi is a PhysicalMind certified Pilates instructor. She has trained extensively in the Pilates Method in Texas and Georgia. She is the owner of Yes You Can! Pilates Studio in Athens, GA. She loves working with clients, helping them learn this method that she personally has found so rewarding and enjoyable. Christal completed her undergraduate and graduate degree at California State University in nutrition and food science. She is a Registered Dietitian as well as a certified personal trainer. Christal is a mother of five and currently lives in Athens, GA with husband Frank and three dogs. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, and hosting dinners and Bible studies for student groups.

Pilates himself seemed to emphasize the feet in workouts. Always starting with footwork on the chair or reformer and inventing interesting gadgets like the toe stretcher and foot corrector, which has saved my flat feet and corrected imbalances all the way up into my hips.

80% of us have foot pain at some point in our lives. The major culprit of foot pain is shoes that do not fit properly or that force our feet into unnatural shapes.

Our feet are very small compared to the rest of our body so the impact of each step we take exerts a huge amount of force on those poor little guys. This force is about 50% greater than our body weight.

On average we take between 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day, this means that our feet support a combined force equivalent to several hundred tons every day!

The foot has many jobs:

• Supports our body weight.
• Acts as a shock absorber.
• Serves as a lever to propel our leg forward as we walk.
• Helps us to maintain our balance by adjusting the body to uneven surfaces.

The foot is a very complex structure of 26 bones, 33 joints, and is layered with an intertwining web of more than 120 muscles, ligaments, and nerves.

I work with an older adult population and when they come to me complaining about feeling insecure walking and losing their balance I focus on footwork.

I find the foot corrector especially helpful in bringing awareness, strength, and flexibility back into their feet. Most of them are not very fond of that torturous little contraption on their flat, bony, and arthritic feet. I make it more comfortable by padding it and using the light spring tension. After just a couple of sessions focusing on footwork and specific balance exercises they definitely walk better and see an improvement in their balance.

Footwork on the Pilates Chair with a split pedal is a great tool for working the feet and legs while working the stabilizing muscles in the pelvis.

Most of us don’t have a sense of where the pelvis is in space when we walk. Focusing on neutral pelvic alignment with good posture while doing footwork on the chair is a great way for clients to learn good posture while walking, which will, in turn, help with their confidence, strength, and balance.

Once a client has enough abdominal strength to hold neutral spine with legs up in the tabletop position then I progress them to footwork on the reformer. I love to watch them do running and to cue them to lift out of the hips keeping the muscles of the pelvis and lower abdomen “zipped up”.

As we age our feet experience major changes. These changes in the feet can affect our whole body if we do not do things to correct and keep them strong and flexible.

1. Women have more foot flexibility due to varied heel height throughout their lives.
2. Men’s feet become more stiff and rigid due to stiff soled shoes and less movement in the foot over time.
3. The soles of our feet lose padding.
4. Arches can drop.
5. Circulation weakens causing neuropathies.
6. Proprioception diminishes dramatically causing decreased balance.

Below are just a few of the exercises I use to help keep my aging population on their feet and well balanced.

KNEE BENDS are especially good for foot and ankle flexibility and for awareness of proper weight placement in the foot.

They also help to strengthen those “getter- upper” muscles, the quadriceps muscles in the upper leg.

Exercise: Sitting on the front edge of a chair, line your feet up so they are spaced hip width apart and directly under your knees. Feel weight equal from big toe to pinky toe and into your heel. Bring weight forward (nose over toes) and press straight up evenly through your feet as you stand up. When you sit put most of your weight back over your heels to slowly lower yourself.

Note: Keep your knees and toes pointed straight forward. If you find the knees want to bow in or out place a small ball or pillow between them to keep your alignment and to strengthen the medial thigh.

HEEL LIFTS is a great exercise as it helps to strengthen the feet, ankles, and calves in the lower leg, while improving flexibility.

Exercise: Standing with weight placement equal from big toe to pinky toe and into the heel. Slowly and deliberately roll your weight forward through the middle of foot to the ball of your foot making sure the weight stays even (no rolling in or out), then continue up to toes as you lift your heel off the floor as high as you can stay balanced. Hold for a second at the top, and then slowly lower.

Repeat 10-20 repetitions.

TOE LIFTS (Dorsiflexion of the foot) is one of the single best exercises you can do to improve your balance!

As we age the muscle on the top of the foot weakens and it causes us to shuffle our feet along. This weakness causes us to trip on cracks, rugs, or whatever else may be in our way because we are too weak to lift the foot over the object.

Exercise: Sitting or standing with heels directly under knees. Tap your toes together or alternating to point of fatigue. You will feel the work on the top of your foot and into the shins.

50-100 taps to the point of fatigue in the muscle.

I also like to do this exercise manually with my clients lying down with knees bent and feet flat. I sit over them with my hands resisting on top of their feet. Then, while they keep their heels anchored on the mat they try to pull their toes and ball of the foot up against my resistance. I have them do this to fatigue.

W ALKING GAIT promotes awareness of the mechanics of walking to correct habits that affect the whole body.

Exercise: Imagine your foot as a lever that propels the body forward. Step forward on your heel first, and then roll your weight through the arch to your toes, propelling you forward.

Pull your toes up as you step so it moves the knee up and forward. The foot acts as a lever engaging the whole leg to move from a fluid hip joint.

FOOT CORRECTOR: Articulates and strengthens the whole foot and ankle. I have found it helps to improve balance by not only strengthening the feet and correcting imbalances, but also by creating proprioception, or awareness of our feet.

It also helps to correct muscular imbalances all the way up the leg into the knees and hips.

Exercise: Line the ball of the foot up equally over the saddle and press down against the spring tension, keep your heel down flat. Then do the same pressing down through the heel across the saddle, keeping the toes spread and flat on the bottom surface. Repeat this to fatigue on both feet, 10-30 repetitions.

—

Jennifer Adolfs, MSS is a co-owner of Serenity Pilates in Green Valley, AZ where she works mostly with an older adult population. She enjoys the challenges of working through musculoskeletal conditions that come with the aging population. She has written ebooks on Pilates modifications for those with musculoskeletal conditions and for those with Shoulder Injuries, as well as, DVD’s. Visit her website, www.pilates-back-joint-exercise.com, for over 400 pages of content on Pilates to help those with back and joint conditions.