Pilates makes P90X Easier

I knew it but this week proved it. Pilates is the athlete's secret weapon.  After making it through Week one of P90X, I have no soreness and more strength. I use the breathing I teach my clients and it really fuels hardworking muscles. At my age, 56, I ought to have bailed out on day two but the extra layer of strength I already had in my small muscle groups powerfully supported me. I feel like a winner. I am so up to this 90 day challenge. I have taught that athletes who take Pilates have an edge over those who don't. They are stronger and much less prone to injury. I'll add that the exercises in P90X can be very hard on the back. Because Pilates strengthens the accessory muscles of the spine on all three planes of movement, I was able to support my spine in a healthy way. A couple of the exercises were too detrimental to  my back so I modified them to take the pressure off my spine. Yoga has captured the national attention but it simply cannot conmpare to the benefits of Pilates. Pilates is intelligent exercise.

Get the Most from Your Pilates Workout

A student asked me yesterday what she could do between Pilates classes to improve her performance in class. I told her to use the 5 point positional protocol we use for the workout. Anyone who goes to a good class knows these. The prototcol consists of breathing in your nose and out your mouth, lifting your ears away from from your shoulders, widening/lowering shoulders, buttoning up the vest of your upper abs, and zipping up your lower abs. These prerequisites do several things while working out: correctly aligns  spine, shapes muscles for strength and beauty, and makes all Pilates movements more efficient. Breathing in your nose gets more oxygen into the lower lobes of the lungs. More oxygen elevates your mood, clears your mind for better focus, and gives you that constant flow of energy that makes the day easier. Lifting your ears away from your shoulders straightens out the cervical spine relieving tension from neck muscles and pain from compressed discs.

Head forward creates pain and tension; notice the forward sloping shoulders in image 3
compared to image 1

Left image ideal alinment; right images poor spinal alignment
both can be correected with Pilates

Widening your shoulders and lowering them (unless otherwise instructed in class) lifts the upper spine back into optimum position for movement and comfort. This adjustment also creates confidence and poise in the same way that sloped shoulders with head jutting out creates a feeling or semi-depression. Yes, your body affects the way you feel and see yourself. Tightening the upper and lower abs lift the entire spine while supporting the back. Few things are more detrimental to the back than weak abs. Strong abs keeps the rib cage and pelvis in optimum alignment with the upper spine. as seen in the left image.  So there you have it. The best way to improve Pilates performance in class is to use the 5 positional protocols all during your day, every day to feel, look and move gracefully and perform well in class.

Always bring your own sunshine with you wherever you go...

Can Pilates Increase My Height?

Yes, this totally true if you suffer from poor posture, back pain, or any spinal condition that causes you to bend over when you could be standing straighter.  There is a lot of talk about calcium deficiency and bone loss but those things tell only half of the story. Weakened muscles that line and support the spine can be strengthened to hold up fragile spinal bones. Of course, strong core muscles are critical as well. As we age, muscles loosen and adapt to our changing bone structure. What if you could cause your bone structure to improve by empowering your muscles? My height has increased. I had lost a half an inch or more and now that I have increased my accessory muscle strength, I stand tall again. Even young people sometimes lose their height to slouching for various reasons. It is cruel to tell someone to stand straight when they don't have the strength to sustain their posture. But with committed Pilates practice, you can regain lost height. One more perk to standing tall: it increases confidence. How we hold our bodies affects our mindset, either postively or negatively.

Perfectly Lovely

For the first time since I began teaching Pilates, I gained significant weight. If you know nothing about that, I both hate you and want what you have. Teaching with extra weight makes it  harder to do all the moves I want. My clothes don't fit nicely. These things, added to an already intense fear of being fat, can cause me to think in a very different and negative way about myself. Before Pilates, I'd panic and do something rash to get rid of it and, that will bring the weight back on  faster that not dieting. There is a difference in the way I feel about my body now. I'll  never forget the moment when I began to love and appreciate my body. After six months or so of  regular Pilates, I had an epiphany. I suddenly realized that I loved my body. I'd seen it change and strengthen but it was more than that.  In Pilates, I had to apply my mind to the work my body is doing so the mind/body connection had healed. My mind was no longer working against my body. Now, the extra weight I carry doesn't make me hate my body. I still don't like it but I feel more patient and caring towards me.  I wish this for every woman on the planet. Other forms of exercise are effective but only on Pilates can you heal the rift between and mind.  I feel perfectly lovely and I like it.