The Proof is in the Pilates !
15 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in Exercise
Today was a self-affirming day for me. I had a NEW person that had just used the foam roller for the first time the day before tell me that it was the first time in 3 months that she woke up with out leg pain. As a physical therapist I live for comments like that. I am passionate about helping people feel better and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if they are dedicated and actually do the exercises regularly they will work. I studied it, trained in it, practiced it, tested in it and licensed to practice it.
When I was in the clinic I saw wonderful successes with all types of injuries. But did not regularly get to see the long-term effects of a guided exercise routine, done with precision and professional guidance. By long-term I mean years. If any of you have ever had PT you know that you are severely limited in how long you can attend PT. Some times it’s for 6 months, sometimes less. Many times I had to discharge patients before I knew they were strong enough or ready to be exercising without a professional by their side. Sometimes even after as few as 6 visits. Part of the reason that I now practice mainly in the private setting is because I did not feel the patient or myself had enough time to accomplish the goals we set. Insurances and productivity were my boss. Not the outcomes.
What is wonderfully rewarding to me now, is to see a group of clients that have been with me for a few years, prove all the theories, research, and Joseph Pilates himself correct. I see clients that have overcome back pain from severe accidents, postural deformities, joint replacements, and surgeries. I have seen their bodies change. Not only physically with muscular definition and weight loss, but seen changes in flow and ease of movement. I have seen pain syndromes vanish or lesson . I have seen attitudes towards pain and dysfunction evolve to healthy thought. I have seen clients learn that it is not about beating yourself to a pulp to achieve exercise results but about focused, controlled, educated movement that gets results. It’s about knowing WHY you are doing a move and WHAT is happening in the body and HOW your body and mind respond to it.
Successful clients that come to my classes and private sessions have an open mind, they notice that there are improvements that can be made, without taking offense.They let their egos go. They listen and learn about the anatomical descriptions and physiology behind the problems with our bodies. When you understand the processes you can make change happen. We joked today about having a bunch of you show up to a class where people are not performing their best, and scattering you throughout the class so you can inspire people as to how exercise proficiency is achieved. We will do a Pilates FLASH MOB !! Who’s in?
To me this is like doing a long-term research project and seeing my hypothesis proved correct. THE PROOF IS IN THE PILATES. Do it, live it, see it, feel it, work at it and voila’– magic happens. It is what keeps me passionate, it is what keeps me creative, and it is why I got into this field to begin with. Your body is a gift to cherish. Your success is my reward. Thank you to all of you who make what I do a joy and for allowing me to do what I love. I honor your dedication, you inspire me.
Is REST Really What You Need to Heal?
01 Apr 2011 2 Comments
in Mind
When people come to me with pain issues ( which happens multiple times daily) I am always a bit perplexed as to why their physicians tell them to simply go home and- rest. There are so many reasons that we have pain. Most of the time you will know why. Sometimes it is unknown causes. While there are certainly times in our lives when rest is appropriate for healing, my experience and education has taught me that “movement heals” far greater than rest. When have you ever heard of someone having a joint replaced or ligament fixed and told to go home sit and do nothing til it heals? If that were the case us therapists would not have jobs.
The question I would like you to ask yourself is “what do you do for MOST each day?” What I mean is, what activities do you spend most of your time doing? Not just exercise and major activity, but in terms of your job, what you do at home after work, and how do you do it? My opinion is that you are at REST more than you think you are, and these so-called rest activities are many times one of the major culprits of pain for people and the cause of the slow healing.
If you are a chronic pain sufferer or have postural pain like neck and low back. I challenge you to do a log for a few days. Log how many hours you spend sitting, sleeping, driving, laying on the couch, reading, texting, sitting at your computer. I think you will be surprised as to how much “rest” time you are actually doing. What the next challenge is- is to evaluate your postural positions while doing these activities— or better yet have a spouse or family member TELL you how you look doing these activities. I just told my hubby this morning how horribly he was slouching over his Cheerios. You may find that the culprit to your chronic pain is entirely due to your very own- rest position. Poor postural alignment at rest allows some muscles to tighten while others to lengthen. These imbalances cause pain. You are resting more than you think people- and your body is screaming in pain at you trying to get your attention !
Instead of popping several pain killers or using heat/ice etc. Why not get up and move? A short walk, a quick spin on the bike, gentle stretching? Your goal when healing is repetitive gentle, non-harmful movement done regularly. You cannot say-”well , I did aerobics today for an hour” and then be in your rest positions the rest of the day. Movement every 1/2 hour during waking hours is what you need if you have pain. If by chance you try to get a referral to see a professional to help with pain, and your healthcare provider tells you to take Advil and rest for 2 weeks and then maybe they will give you a referral– find yourself a new physician. There is no reason that you should not be in charge of your healing and making things right sooner rather then later. Later is usually when the muscles, your mind and your movement have already gotten into a pain cycle which is usually hard to break and extends the healing process.
If you came to see me in the clinic, you would not be encouraged to cancel your appointment if you had pain. You would come to therapy and work through the pain in a non- destructive way. You are also given a home program to be done throughout your day ( not just for 1 hour and then done) . I tell all my clients that if you are seeing me 3 times a week for an hour– that is about 2-3% of your time. You can’t accomplish much in that time so you need to follow through and keep moving on your own.
So look at your log– do your rest activities FAR out weigh your non-rest activities? Are you moving enough and are you resting in good alignment that promotes healthy bone and muscle positioning? To put a twist on Smokey the Bears theme– only YOU can prevent Pain. So move frequently and rest efficiently !
You Get What You Think About……
07 Mar 2011 3 Comments
in Mind
One of my favorite sayings that I read in one of Dr Wayne Dyer’s books is “You get what you think about, whether you want it or not”. That is a pretty powerful statement when you think about it. They say that every day we have over 60,000 thoughts and that many of them are the same each day. So if you are thinking positive thoughts you are great. If you are thinking mostly negative thoughts or dwell on pain symptoms or think of impending doom–oh boy– not so good for you.
As a fitness trainer and in my role as physical therapist I have many clients come to me with concerns about health. They have a symptom and their minds immediately go to the worst case scenario ( I have cancer, I may need surgery) or they mention their symptoms to a close physician /nurse friend and they respond by saying ”Oh it could be ____ or _____” OR they do go and see a professional and they scare them and say ” We need to rule out ______, _____, ____- etc, Of course the most horrible of diagnoses get mentioned. Immediately your mind returns again to the worst case scenario. This really bothers me since our minds are so powerful, and I have seen first hand how this can move anyone in a positive or negative direction. We can actually manifest REAL symptoms within the body to match what our thoughts are.
Here’s an example– you go to see a scary movie, you watch and it gets to the scary part. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure increases, you start to breathe more rapidly, you swallow hard , even scream. The movie has tricked your mind in to believing that the chainsaw murderer is really after YOU. Even though in reality you know you are not in the actual situation. We do the same in our Pilates classes when we do visualization meditation. Instead you visualize being at the beach or on an island or in your most sacred space. You experience the feelings that come along with being in this scene– however with much more pleasing results. Your breathing , heart rate, blood pressure etc all slow down. We have even done visualizations to change blood flow, which can be used to help with migraine headaches. Either scenario – scary movie or beach scene– you responded to your very own thoughts.
SO what’s my point? IT’S THIS–You have control over your thoughts. You have control over the scenario you choose to envision. So why not pick the more pleasant one? Why not wake in the morning ( those of you with pain) and set your intention for the day as–” today I will feel good, today my body will flow through all my activities with lightness and ease.” Talk yourself into feeling good, see it in your mind, feel it. If you have pain or talk to someone who gives you a negative response or negative idea– change that thought to suit your positive outlook and don’t allow they negative thought to come into your mind. Of course– things do happen, people get sick , joints hurt , injuries happen. BUT even in those situations you are still the one in charge of the thoughts that you think. You are in the driver’s seat. So drive to a nice positive place and keep Dr Dyer’s words close at hand– YOU GET WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT.
Why Not Modify?
24 Feb 2011 1 Comment
in Pilates
My goal during most mat classes is to get most of you to be able to make the proper connections in their muscles, keep proper alignment and to be pain-free while doing so. Usually this all works out well……I say usually because some times I can see that people are struggling out there on the mat with trying to master a Pilates move or they are grimacing with pain. Okay– there I am standing in front of you cueing and cueing- not only every inhale and exhale but also modifications for every fitness level and injury need. I sometimes feel like the comedian that is not getting any laughs ” hello, is this thing on?”
Modifications are not a bad thing, they do not mean you are “wimping out” or not performing Pilates. As a physical therapist, I have trained and rehabilitated people with numerous injuries and dysfunction. The way they get back to full function is by doing modifications and gradually re-training the muscles, nervous pathways and bony alignment. Learning a new movement is a process. Much the same as learning to dance, walk, throw a baseball etc. If not done correctly or in proper alignment things hurt and if you already have injury or inflammation it’s going to hurt worse.
The learning curve of Pilates is much the same, especially if you have low back pain, neck pain or shoulder impingement problems. I will instruct you in the proper way or the modified way to perform the move to gradually ease your body back into a movement or to help prevent further injury. SOMETIMES– due to your body structure or just the way you are made by the great designer, you may never master a move. That is okay. I will say that again— that is okay ! I will never be able to do a back flip due to my height. You may never be able to do a roll-up due to your increased, immoveable lumbar lordosis. No biggie. You can master another move and be great at that. There are over 500 moves that I can teach you:)
Most importantly – you should NEVER work through the pain. If you have pain there is always, ALWAYS a modification that I can give you. When you come to physical therapy we don’t cancel your appointment because you have pain— we modify and find a way to allow you to get the same benefits just in a different way. So know that you are still gaining something from a modification, you are still teaching your body something, you are still progressing– you are just doing it in a smarter way for your specific needs. So come to class when you have pain, come when you are stiff, come when you feel strong….. all are welcome on the mat since Pilates and your highly trained instructor can meet everyone’s needs by giving you MODIFICATIONS. To quote my idol– They are a good thing.
Infinity Health Speaks
23 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
Hi everyone,
I have had many people ask me to keep archives of my articles that I write on my website www.infinityhealth.org and so I thought this may be a better way to do it. If I blog an article then I can keep if for new students to read at a later time. Don’t you love technology? There will still be articles on the website but here I will talk more candidly about topics. Of course, these will mostly be my thoughts and opinions from my experience in the fitness/healthcare field, or information that I really find interesting to talk about.
I would like to have this monthly blog be a “mind /body” blog where I discuss topics that come up in our exercise classes, new fitness trends and topics, exercise misconceptions, and of course topics on your emotional well-being as well. I look forward to starting on this journey and also look forward to your feedback. I am still new to this blogging thing so if there are glitches, I apologize in advance.
