Try out the Pilates Foot Corrector !!
Try out one of our new Foot Correctors at the studio!!
This video is a quick tutorial of 3 basic movements you can do to help gain strength and mobility in your feet!!
Who loves to learn new things? (me, me me!!!)
One of the things I love about my own Pilates practice is that I’m always learning. I’m learning how to move better in my body, I’m learning to listen to my body, I learning about the anatomy of how my body works and how I can use that knowledge to feel and move better, I’m learning to use alignment to help my body function better and I’m learning why various movements are so good for me. I think it just motivates me to keep moving, playing and progressing in my Pilates practice and in life….the more I know. I often get similar feedback from clients at the studio and I truly believe this “education” part of moving is what makes Pilates, Yoga and any movement in your life much more than just a workout.
As a studio we decided that we wanted to be able to keep this learning and educating portion of your exercise sessions front and center so that you too would be more motivated to stick with it, more motivated to learn how to do the exercises best in your body and keep excited about your movement practice. So we’ve planned out a whole year of learning for you! Each month we’ll have a different topic or idea that is relevant to movement that we’ll be exploring. We’ll blog about the topic so if you love to learn by reading…you can get some extra knowledge and then your movement teachers will tie in the value of each topic into your class times and session times at the studio.
This August, the first month, we are going to be exploring breath. Breath is an integral part of any mind body movement practice and we’re going to be exploring why! We’ll look at how we breath and the muscle activation, we’ll explore how breathing helps us move better, and we’ll give you practical tips on how you can improve your breathing in the studio and in your daily life. We’re pretty excited about getting the chance to explore breath and other movement ideas in more depth and we hope you are too!! Get ready to learn, play, and be inspired to do more in your body!!
Could an exercise studio really become one of your favorite places?
As a Pilates teacher and movement nut I can tell you I love to talk about mindful movement and the benefits of Pilates in your life. But I can tell you as a studio owner the reason so many clients tell me they love our studio has nothing to do with the quality of our teaching (and our teachers are fabulous!… I have some of the best trained, most amazing movement teachers around on staff.) The number one compliment I get from clients is about the amazing community that exists within our studio walls. That’s right…the community, the tribe of people who consider Rivercity Pilates one of their home away from home places.
You see, very few people actually enjoy exercising (surprise right?). But most of us know how important regular movement and exercise is to living a long, happy life and so we try to incorporate it into our life. So even though I know our clients appreciate our highly trained, knowledgeable instructors, I truly think the the reason they keep coming back and the reason they are so successful at consistently adding movement into their life is because of their RCP tribe. Their Rivercity Pilates tribe gives them support, connects them to others, and makes them laugh every time they are here. Their Rivercity Pilates tribe makes exercising fun!!
We all need a tribe or two in our life. We need people outside of our immediate family and friends who share similar interests, are going through similar things and who are just fun to hang out with. And what could be better than a tribe who is just like you…just trying to live your best life by balancing out healthy habits like exercise while juggling families, juggling careers and just trying to enjoy life.
Personally, our tribe, our community at Rivercity Pilates is probably the thing I’m most proud of when it comes to my business. I absolutely love to come to work and get to check in with clients and see how their week is going, I love that I get a chance to really know clients which in turn helps me to better help them reach their health and fitness goals. I love how friendly everyone is to each other and how supportive everyone is. I love that clients chat and laugh with each other throughout class. I love to see class participants catching up with each other before and after class.
Are you looking for a tribe? Are you one of those people that knows they need to exercise and move more but sometimes just can’t motivate yourself to do it? We would love to introduce you to the Rivercity Pilates tribe!! Get started by scheduling a one on one session with one of our amazing teachers or start with a complimentary group class. We would love to meet you!!
Worried about your plank?
A common question I get from clients new to Pilates is, “Are we going to be doing a lot of planks? They really hurt my wrists or my back or….fill in the blank.” The quick short answer is no. You do not have to be able to do a plank to practice Pilates.
You see Pilates is a system of exercises that is designed to strengthen the entire body from the center out. As you begin your Pilates practice you’ll find that the majority of the exercises are done lying on your back or your belly and focus on you figuring out how to engage from your center.
As your body starts to figure out how to engage from your center the method will continue to challenge you by asking you to do whole body movements the engage, strengthen, and increase balance in your musclature. As you continue to progress in your own strength and balance these exercises will progress to continue to challenge you. You will naturally progress to more challenging exercises. Eventually you may find yourself strong and balanced enough to do exercises that require you to support your body in plank-like or side-plank like position.
I promise by the time you get to these exercises….you will be ready for them and we’ll teach you how to do them without pain or injury.
International Pilates Day
![Mark Your Calendars!International Pilates Day](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Mark-Your-CalendarsInternational-Pilates-Day.png")
Pilates Day is an annual, international, community event celebrated on the first Saturday of May every year. The Pilates Day mission is to foster the public’s appreciation and awareness of the Pilates Method through a network of varied, innovative, and high quality grassroots Pilates events accessible and affordable for all. Pilates Day is a program of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), and Pilates Day events are produced and hosted by PMA members.
Carey is one of five Pilates Instructors in Iowa who are certified the PMA, and Rivercity Pilates will celebrate Pilates Day with both classes and an open house. All classes will be free on Pilates Day, May 7, 2016. All classes are open to the public, and beginners are welcome. Current Rivercity Pilates clients who bring a friend will be entered in a prize drawing AND win a free mat class! New students who come to class on Pilates Day will receive a pass for Pilates Mat, Yoga and Barre for the rest of the month! Bring a friend and we’ll see you there!
![Visit our Rivercity Pilates Tasting Circuit to learn about & try Pilates, Barre, Yoga and Neural Reset Therapy and earn a Sparkle Bag of goodies!! (1)](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Visit-our-Rivercity-Pilates-Tasting-Circuit-to-learn-about-try-Pilates-Barre-Yoga-and-Neural-Reset-Therapy-and-earn-a-Sparkle-Bag-of-goodies-1.png")
Pilates for your heart!!
As you may know February marks American Heart Month, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to heart health and what you can do to keep your heart healthy and strong. Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States? Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. Did you know that Pilates can play a big part in your life to helping you keep your heart healthy and happy?
It turns out some of the most common causes of heart disease include: lack of exercise, being overweight, high blood pressure and stress. All things that a regular Pilates practice can help you with!
Long before heart disease was a common household term Joseph Pilates was talking about the benefits of his method of exercise (which he called contrology) in terms of heart and whole body health. In his book Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states,”Contrology exercises purify the blood in the bloodstream and whip it into instant action with the result that the organs of the body receive the benefit of clean fresh blood carried to them by the rejuvenated bloodstream.” He also stated,” you should be exercising every muscle in your body in order to improve the circulation of the blood so that the bloodstream can and will carry more and better blood to feed every fiber and tissue of your body. These exercises induce the heart to pump strong and steady.”
So how can the Pilates method help you keep your heart healthy?![IMG_6884](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_6884.jpg")
1. Pilates can get you moving! The Pilates method of exercise can be adapted to ANY body and can give you the tools you need to add more movement into your life! Adding safe, efficient movement into your life can help you lose excess weight, get stronger, feel more energized and better condition your entire body. Movement is a key component to creating a healthy body and a healthy heart!
2. Improve circulation! Joseph Pilates specifically designed his exercise method to increase blood circulation and improve whole body health. By learning to breath properly and coordinate breath with whole body movements you will stimulate your body to work more efficiently inside and out!
3. De-stress ( and lower that blood pressure!) Exercise is a natural de-stresser and a mindful movement practice like Pilates that combines breath and movement can be especially effective in helping you create a sense of calm in your life and your body!
Want to learn more about how Pilates can help your heart? Schedule a complimentary Pilates session today!