So I went to Toronto a few weeks ago to finish up my training on Post Rehab Protocols with Body Harmonics. This final one was on the spine. Over the last year I have attended both Hip/Knee and Shoulders, and these were fantastic but I was always thinking, "hey I really want to do the spine one!" I always expected this one to be more challenging and complex than the other two... but boy was I surprised. There was a lot to it, of course, but compared to Hip and Knee it was a breeze. The reason is that all the info we learned basically boiled down to a central theme: wake up the local muscles in your body and the spine will be properly supported. 

For those of you who find these terms unfamiliar, it's like this: we can classify muscles into two groups: local muscles and global muscles. Local muscles are buried deep in the body, switch on automatically before movement occurs, and are able to hold and stabilize for long periods. An example of a local muscle is the pelvic floor. Global muscles are located on the surface of the body, and help perform big movements. An example of a global muscle is the bicep in your arm.

I learned many amazing things on this course about the local muscular system. Here's a few for you:

If you activate one local muscle, the others in the system fire up automatically.
Local muscles are less likely to activate during situations of pain, stress or fatigue (ie. your back hurts!)
When your local muscles are working, you are likely to feel relaxed and invigorated.

Now I know why everyone feels better when they leave my pilates classes- it's because I switch on the local system of muscles and they feel great as a result! I always emphasize breathing in my classes and I learned that simply breathing deeply switches on your local system. Isn't that fantastic? 

I'm going to follow up this blog post with a series of simple exercises you can do on your own that will wake up those locals for you. You can try it when your back is feeling a bit sore, or even if you are just feeling tired or fatigued. Taking a minute to wake it up will reinforce those overworked global muscles and make you feel invigorated. Like my fb page and you can see it all over the next few weeks. I'll be putting up videos and photos for you to enjoy and follow along with at home.

Yay for Pilates! It's amazing how everything I keep learning now is just an explanation of what I already knew- it's an absolutely fantastic exercise system... and it will make you feel great. 

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment below!

For years, I shied away from teaching a squat. It was too challenging to get people to do it safely! Without fail, almost everyone seemed to squat in a way that put extra strain on either the knees, the back, or the neck. No matter how many different ways I tried to demonstrate or explain, it just didn't sink in. I'm trying to work on this movement again in my classes now because I'm realizing that a squat- done in a safe and functional manner- is a great foundation for so many other exercises! It's also a fantastic way to strengthen legs, bum and core. 

I think the reason I see so much incorrect squatting is because people have a history with squats. If I asked 100 people if they had ever done a squat, how many would say yes? Probably all of them. If I asked how many had done tons and tons of squats at some point in their lives, there would likely still be a large number of yesses! It's a matter of repetitive muscle memory. Your body learned how you want to perform that movement before, and so that's how it does it- whether it is safe or not!

The basic squat involves 3 main fulcrums. Your ankles, your knees and your hips. Each of these joints should move an equal amount and each of these joints should move at the same rate throughout the movment. I have noticed a number of issues with this over the years. I would have to say that from my observations, the ankle joint is the most likely place to cause an issue. Do you ever find yourself lifting your toes when you squat? That's because your ankle joint is too stiff to bend properly. The feet are so important in helping to maintain stability and to "close" the chain of muscles, and yet are often not grounded on the floor properly. The next most common issue I see is the hips. Usually people seem afraid to move their hips backwards... and end up using their knees much more than the hips. So the poor knees are essentially sandwiched between two joints that aren't moving enough and end up overstressed and overworked! I have bad knees myself and I am amazed now at how I am able to squat- even really deeply- without any knee pain. I've still got issues to be sure- I know it's a weak area- but I am functional again. By functional, I can walk, hike, cycle, squat and bend away. I suspect soccer is maybe a bit out my my league at the moment :-( but hey, I used to have horrible knee ache after a long walk. I'd say that's definite progress!

Here are some suggestions for helping to retrain your body for a safer and more functional squat:

1. Use the wall with a ball behind your back
I taught a squat often this way because it helps take the pressure off the knees and gives you better body awareness. Stand with your feet at least a foot away from the wall and place a ball behind your back- just below the shoulders, in the thoracic spine. Lean against it, really putting your weight into it. Using a soft ball will be more comfortable and you can use a big ball such as a gym ball too. Just stand a bit farther away from the wall. Bend the knees and bring the hips down, while rolling the ball up your back. Don't forget to keep pressure against the ball the whole time. When you get as low as you feel comfortable, look at your knees. If they are in front of your feet, move your hips back towards the wall. If they are still in front of your feet move your feet forwards. Practice breathing in to come down, and out to come up. 

2. Use a chair as a prop to get those hips to move back naturally
This one's easy- get a chair. Sit in it. Now- the hard part- slowly stand up and be aware of your hip positioning. Try to move as though you are sitting back down but hold yourself slightly out of the chair. I often say "Move your bum out behind you" but maybe I should say "Try to sit down in a chair" ;-) You can use your arms in whatever way feels balanced- hold the arm of the chair or reach your arms forwards, whatever works for you.

3. Try to sit on your haunches as often as possible
I really noticed an improvement in my ankle flexibility once I started sitting on my haunches all the time with my son. Kids do this naturally and easily all the time. I simply mean resting with your bum just off the floor and your feet flat- see the little girl below. If you can't get your feet flat, then raise the heel a little- my left heel still has to lift but my right is ok. This is going to increase both ankle and knee flexibility, and, if you practice standing up from this position it's going to do wonders for your leg and bum strength. I now do a "froggy chase" game with my toddler that is hopping off my haunches like a frog. Real dignified but oh so good for those knees!

Give those a try if you can and please let me know how you get on! Have you struggled with squats in the past? I'd love to hear your story- please share in the comments or send me an email :-) Thanks and happy squatting to you!

This one's for all you moms out there with not much time for exercise. I know exactly how that feels! I've had to get pretty creative to work some exercise into my life with my son. Fortunately, he loves being outside and going for hikes. He's a fast runner and only has two speeds: run and stop. If he was slower and less interested it would definitely be harder to get as much exercise. 

So I'm going to share what I do for exercise while I'm with my son- your child might require something different, but that's ok. My best advice to other moms is: don't give up on finding time for a little exercise in your daily routine... keep trying, and take each day as it comes. Some days I have to completely give up on my plans. That's just life with a toddler!

Option 1: In the park

I do A LOT of Pilates in the park. We go almost every day for at least an hour if not two. When we first arrive he's a pretty happy guy so that's the best time to try a few moves while standing at a discreet distance. You gotta have some grit though- and not care what other people might think of you while you are doing your moves! Also I never get more than 3 minute snatches so it's a lot of starting and stopping. 

These are the exercises I do most often, and they are all done while standing:
Squats
Tick Tock
Releve
Standing glute med glide
Opposite arm/leg reaches
Rolldowns
One leg circles
Arm circles
Torso Rotation with a variety of arm positions
Hip Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
Quad Stretch
A variety of one leg balancing exercises

Once I'm warmed up, if things are still looking good with my son, I will try some challenging stuff on the playground equipment. Depending on the park you can try:
Press ups on railings at a variety of angles 
Tricep dips on railings or benches
Monkey bars (this is GREAT for your shoulders)

Don't forget to stretch your shoulders too. I usually do that after any hard shoulder work on the monkey bars!

Of course, the games with my son are pretty good exercise too. We race up ladders, we play the "monster" game- I pretend to be a monster and chase him, or I simply have to bend and reach to keep him safe. It's an active place, and adding in that activity to your daily routine is really good for your health and general fitness level.

Option 2: At home

It's a lot harder to work out at home with an active toddler. Any time I am on the ground he jumps on me. No joke. So instead of making it a "workout" I do games with him that are pretty physically challenging. Here are a few suggestions:

Froggy chase (leaping like a frog and saying "ribbit!")
Bear chase (running on hands and feet- not recommended if you have a bad back!)
Furniture islands (picking him up and lifting him in a high arc from the bed to the chair, etc)
Body drop (lying on my back, lifting him over my chest and holding him there, then dropping him fast!)

Just picking him up and carrying him around is plenty hard. Especially now that he's over 30 lbs. Try to remember to engage your core muscles as much as possible. If you can squeeze in an hour a week for a Pilates class, then please do! We all need a break and some time to ourselves. 

If any local moms out there want to meet in the park to work out with me, please let me know! I'd love to have company :-) 

So I attended a Pilates class as a student a few weeks ago. It was well planned, well executed, and definitely hard work. But, and I hate to admit it, I really didn't enjoy it that much. I'm a Pilates instructor. I love Pilates both professionally and personally, and I relish being challenged. So what gives? 

When the class started, I couldn't believe the pace. We squatted. We lunged. We did press up after press up. We did planks. Then squats again. Then lunges. Then a short break for downward dog. Back to squats. Etc. Etc. You get the idea.

It was like a bootcamp or circuit training, full of traditional calisthenics disguised as Pilates exercises. You can perform any movement with Pilates principles in mind, of course, but it was so fast that it was hard to remember to engage my core. My back started to hurt at one point, which hasn't happened in years. 

I personally find this kind of exercise class both boring and a little scary. My knees and my back are still a little vulnerable to injury, and this kind of class doesn't give me the time to be careful in my movements. 

I've been to plenty of Pilates classes and I know there are lots of different styles out there. Each teacher also brings their own experience, training, and particular emphasis to a class. But now I understand why some people tell me, "Oh, I am not fit enough to do Pilates." I love Pilates because it emphasizes functional strength in unique ways. I like to teach all ages and all abilities - people recovering from an injury, people looking to gain functional strength in their everyday movements - indeed, people much like me!

Joseph Pilates had some guiding principles that I always try to use in my classes. Quality not quantity is one, and I truly believe that it works. That's why people generally do about 8 reps of an exercise in my class. It's so much easier to do an exercise well when you only do a few reps. And you gain more benefit from the ones you do- without the back ache. It also keeps boredom at bay (mine and my clients) because we can do lots and lots of different movements in an hour!

​Control is another principle that I really focus on in my classes. I find it hard to control my body when moving so fast from one thing to the next. Moving slowly and carefully (on most exercises) means the muscles are worked throughout the range of movement, not just at the start and end of a movement. Take, for example, a basic curl. If you move slowly, the abdominals work evenly from a flat position all the way up to the flexed and curled position.

Ultimately the goal is to apply your Pilates-based body awareness to day-to-day situations. I try to explain how each Pilates exercise can help you when performing an everyday movement such as bending or lifting. Then, the next time you bend or lift, you'll remember and squeeze the right muscles to help you. Over time, it becomes automatic. That's a major reason why your back feels better once you practise regularly. It's not just gaining the strength - it's also learning how and when to use that strength.

If you have ever wondered if you could cope with a Pilates class, the answer is YES YOU CAN. Exercises can be tailored to any fitness level. That's exactly why my classes are small: so I can offer modifications and help my clients learn how to do each exercise well. 

I'd love to hear from you in the comments - do you like bootcamp-style classes? Or are they not your thing? Why or why not?

This morning on facebook I read a blog post from a former client about her recovery from an eating disorder. I knew when she came to my classes that she had "recovered" and was healthy again. However I never really spoke to her in detail about it. Reading this blog was a window into her personal thoughts and feelings, and gave me a little jolt of the kind of distance there can be between what we see as an observer and what is actually going on in someone's head. 

I always found her to be confident and full of a dry wit that made me smile. She was one of my most loyal clients, never missing classes and working very hard at the exercises. She was (and still is, I'm sure) very strong and supple!

As a fitness instructor I have a responsibility to all my clients, to nurture and support and encourage. In the case of someone with an eating disorder, this is even more important. Recovery is a long process and it involves so many different facets; the support of friends and family, professional help, time, and learning to create new, healthy habits. If Pilates can help this process then that's wonderful. If it's not the right time, then that's fine too. I would never recommend someone who is currently ill to come to my classes, and you should be wary of any fitness teacher who says otherwise. 

I'd like to finish this rather serious post with a bit of a positive message. Recovery is possible, as my client attests. Making changes in your life, whether you have an eating disorder or not, IS POSSIBLE. I'm applying this to myself right now and realizing that ever since I moved to St. Catharines, I haven't made enough time for my own exercise. There's always a reason... my son is ill... my husband is home late from work.... I'm too tired... I'll do it tomorrow... 

It's time to take that step and decide that change is possible. I am in charge of myself. I can spare 15 minutes of time to work out, after my son is asleep. I can squeeze in a full hour workout when my husband does the bedtime routine.

What would you choose to change in your life right now?

I just returned from an excellent weekend in Toronto training with Body Harmonics. We spent two whole days looking at shoulders! It's an unbelievably complicated area and certainly one that is problematic for a lot of people. And just a quick note here- If you've got neck pain then it is very likely that your shoulders are a big reason why that's the case.

My head is buzzing with ideas and assessment techniques, and I am so excited to start integrating these into my classes. Over the next few weeks I'll record some videos of a few exercises you can try at home, but before that, I'd like you to understand a bit more about the shoulder complex in general and how it works. (I'll try not to get too technical!)

The shoulder complex (or girdle) is an intricate series of muscles working together around two main fulcrums: the shoulder joint (where your arm bone meets your shoulder) and your shoulder blades (or scapula). Your collarbone joint also has a big role to play but I won't focus on that here. 

If your muscles are imbalanced in one section (weak on one side and strong on the other) then it likely impairs the movement in these joints. For example. your deltoids might be strong and your rotator cuff muscles weak. This is quite common, and it makes sense- your deltoids lift your arm and your rotator cuff pulls your arm bone into place in your shoulder socket. So in this scenario your arm is more likely to pull too far out of the socket when you lift your arm.

Once one joint is sticky or doesn't move properly, the others can't move well either. Once you spend a long time like that the muscles get more imbalanced and the problem gets worse. So how to you move these joints properly once that happens? And how to you get those weaker muscles firing when the stronger ones are used to taking over?

This is where the Pilates approach to rebalancing the shoulders is so exciting! Because Pilates is designed to increase body awareness and uses intent and visualization to strengthen and control your body, we are able to help people find and activate these muscles. Pilates also looks at integrating your whole body to work more efficiently together rather than focusing on only one area. Each time you move your arm there is a chain reaction in other parts of your body- your neck, for example. If we can get the whole mechanism working together more smoothly then it can really help with all these issues.

If the above paragraph makes no sense to you (sorry!) then consider this example. You develop shoulder pain and go to a physiotherapist (as an example). They recommend strengthening your rotator cuff muscles. They give you the dumbwaiter exercise:

 Now I have used this LOTS over the years in my classes. It's a great exercise for the rotator cuff. Nothing wrong with it at all. But it only strengthens the rotator cuff if you do it properly! And it only works the rotator cuff in one position. Starting with this is great but there is so much more you can do after you begin feeling stronger.

On this course, I learned a bunch of different positions and exercises for the rotator cuff, and I learned how sometimes, when people do the exercise above, they simply use the shoulder joint to force the movement rather than using their weakened rotator cuff muscles. Like any strengthening work, you want to be sure to do it correctly, to vary your positions and change the intensity to maximize the benefits. Pilates can definitely help you do that!

Pilates is fabulous for keeping you going on the path of rebalancing you with a variety of exercises, and integrating your whole body into a regular strengthening routine. YES! 

Do you have problems with your shoulders? Stay tuned for more info to come on my FB page, and feel free to share in the comments.

 I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like it's too hard to get going and wash the dishes/go out shopping/get my toddler dressed for the day. Life places lots of demands on us, every day, in a never ending cycle. Rinse. Repeat. I'm bored and tired already just writing about it!

I think it's probably because I just moved, but I've been feeling like this a lot lately. I'm usually someone who can balance all the things in life- work, family, fun, relaxation. But right now it's a challenge for me.

If your energy levels are low, there can be lots of reasons for it. Maybe you need to eat, or drink some water. Get more sleep (hah! I wish I could- that's toddler permitting) However I don't think it's any of those for me.

I've been exercising less than normal these last few weeks, and I think it's taken a toll on my energy levels. You know that feeling, when you get home from a day at work (when you sit all day) and all you want to do is veg on the couch? Breaking that cycle can be so hard to do. That's what I'm feeling now. And I don't even go to work at an office!

I know, I ABSOLUTELY know that I will feel better and more energetic if I stir the energy to work out for even 15 minutes. That's how I can usually break this cycle- I tell myself I can do it for 15 minutes, surely? And 9 times out of 10, I end up doing at least 30 minutes, if not more. Once you get going, it's fun! You forget to be tired. Right?

Right. It's time to put into practice my own sage advice. I'm off!

How do you deal with your low energy levels? Please share in the comments, I'd love to hear about it.

I went for a swim yesterday for the first time since the summer. My son goes to a class at the community centre and yesterday- excitement here- he went willingly on his own to play with the other kids so I had a glorious hour and a half all to myself! If you are a parent you will understand that feeling. Oh, the potential- what to do? Be productive? Chill out? Read a book? What I decided to do was go for a swim. I love swimming and was a lifeguard and swim teacher as a teenager. I don’t get the chance to go much anymore but every time is amazing. Now that I am a pilates teacher I really notice a lot of things about my body while swimming.  It really benefits from pilates principles! I’ll break down a few of them here for you:

Core Strength
You are probably tired of hearing about core strength. Sometimes I am tired of talking about it! But it’s so important and offers so much scope for fitness and life in general. In swimming, a strong core means your arms and legs are powered by your torso rather than trying to move using your arm and leg strength alone. Your core is stronger than your arms and legs and allows you to propel yourself more efficiently. Think of it like this: a crane has a base and an arm. If the base of the crane moves around or is weak, the arm will flail around and be pretty ineffective. Same thing when swimming!

Lengthening makes kicking better
If you’ve ever used flippers this will make a lot of sense to you. Have you ever used flippers with a bent knee? That makes it pretty difficult to get anywhere and is utterly exhausting. With a straight leg it’s so much easier and so much stronger and faster. The lengthening aspect of pilates exercises is exactly the same- hold yourself in a long position and you have way more power and efficiency in your movements.

Shoulder positioning
In the front crawl or freestyle stroke you create a windmill with your arms. I used to get pain in my right shoulder and neck after swimming a lot (when I was a teenager) and now I don’t. The simple reason why is that I keep my right shoulder squeezing back and down when I turn my head rather than letting my shoulder creep towards my ear. I didn’t consciously change this, I just started noticing that I could do this stroke for a lot longer than before- I used to change it up when it started bugging me- and I don’t have to anymore. Yes!

Breathing
I also used to get out of breath when doing the front crawl/freestyle stroke for very long. I could have been in worse shape (as a teenager?!?) but I don’t think so. My breaths are just much deeper and longer. I now turn my head on every 4th stroke. I used to do every 2, and I was out of breath even then. That’s an amazing change! I swim so much faster because of this... and it’s definitely due to the lateral breathing practice that pilates has given me. I’d hyperventilate if I tried to breathe the way I did before.

Control
I only noticed this when I really got going with my swim yesterday. When I was thinking about the breath, or my shoulder, or my legs, all of a sudden I was controlling my movements... while swimming. It used to be a mechanical, repetitive activity for me. I’d get in and just rush along to the other side, and drag my body along with me. This time, I was adjusting myself and pausing for a microsecond while moving in order to make slight alterations- such as the timing of my stroke, my breath, or my positioning. What a glorious thing to feel in control of your body!

Needless to say, this is why Pilates is known for assisting athletes in every sport. The principles apply to everything we do- in sport and in everyday movements. I wish my teenaged self could see me now!

If you have experience of how pilates helped in another sport, please tell me about it in the comments below!

 I've been doing some promotion at the Markham Farmers Market over the last 6 weeks and I have started to notice a worrying trend. There are different reasons why people might not want to come out for a free class, but one I have heard a number of times is:

"I can't exercise anymore because I hurt myself at bootcamp."

Now before everyone gets up in arms I want to be clear: I'm sure there are lots of great bootcamps and bootcamp instructors. And bootcamps can be great for lots of relatively healthy and injury-free people. What I want to talk about here is the fact that exercise should not cripple you. Period.

In each instance of hearing this, I was so desperate to say "Pilates can help you recover!" that I was in some cases chasing people around the market like a crazy person. It is so disturbing to me that a poor experience with another VERY different exercise regime has made someone believe that they can no longer exercise. How horrible is that?!?

There is something wrong with the way a lot of people view exercise, and it is made worse by bootcamp-style classes. It's the belief that you should be forcing your body to keep going through horrible pain in order to get results. That is total bullshit. THAT IS HOW YOU END UP CRIPPLED AND UNABLE TO EXERCISE! It is not how you learn to use your body effectively, or how you develop a long-term healthy exercise habit that will be with you for the rest of your life. 

Now I also want to be clear about what I mean by pain. In my classes I use a scale of 1-10 to help people assess what they are feeling. If 1 is at rest and 10 is pain, there is a large range of discomfort and borderline pain in there. In order to strengthen and stretch your body progressively you need to feel that it is working- I usually suggest that a 7 or 8 is good- mild discomfort means you are working hard but not injuring yourself. Please think about this when you exercise- it can help you know when it's a good idea to stop. Or simply try a new position. Or adjust your alignment. It's the basis of developing good body awareness which can help you all the time- not just at exercise classes.

Pilates can be adjusted for every injury and every condition out there. If you are recovering from an injury please consider coming along to a class or a 1:1 with me. Pilates can help you get back into exercising safely. It can also protect you from re-injuring yourself in the future. 

Have you ever been to a bootcamp? What was your experience there? I'd love to hear your thoughts.