Welcome to the Surprise Pilates Blog! Together we will explore topics related to Pilates, Life, and all things Health, and Wellness. Subscribe to our blog so you will receive new posts emailed directly to you. Feel free to pass this along to friends and family or suggest a topic you would like to see featured here. Thanks so much for reading.
In the world of health and fitness, buzzwords often emerge. Some years ago all the talk was about heart rate monitors and aerobic vs anaerobic workouts. Next up all things ‘bootcamp’ became the rage. Then ‘barre’ became the next new workout, followed by Tabata and interval training … and of course, we can’t overlook Crossfit.
Read MoreIt's been a week since I returned from the McEntire Pilates Summit and I believe I am just now coming back down off the high I've been on from that experience! This is one of my favorite Pilates workshops/trainings/retreats/communes or whatever you want to call it each year!
This was my third year attending and my first year PRESENTING!
Read MoreBreathing – most of us do it every day without much thought. But breathing is essential obviously and in my opinion the second most important element of Pilates.
Read MoreWhen I was a child I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I enjoyed school and loved helping my teachers out. Yeap - I was that kid! My dad was a professor at the University of Cincinnati and I would often ask him if I could help grade his papers. I didn't understand why he never took me up on that. He was a graduate professor of aerospace engineering before retiring ... I get it now!
Read MoreI preach to my students all the time about finding balance, working on muscular discrepancies, being aware of a strength, weakness, or tightness that is not uniform in their body. It's why we do single leg work and isolate one side or muscle group at a time. It is an integral part of Pilates and one of the many benefits of the reformer and Pilates apparatus work in general.
Read MoreI am sure every Pilates Instructor has heard this at one point or another from a potential student. At times it's the student's spouse or parent or friend who is making this observation for them. Agreed - Pilates is not cheap and it shouldn't be! If you simply want to burn calories there are cheaper ways to do that. But PIlates is different - so let's dive in and see why!
Read MoreAll of us have fears. Fear helps to protect us and is our brains way of saying, "Maybe this is not safe and you could hurt yourself." Fear often stops us from doing what we shouldn't do ... Like walking down a dark alley at night by ourselves or getting too close to a fire. In these instance fear is good! But what about when fear holds us back?
Read MoreWe are our own worst critics. We think and internally say things to ourselves we would never say to a friend. We are just plain hard on ourselves! Not convinced ... listen in to your internal speak. How do you feel about your body? How are you managing life and all your commitments? How dedicated are you to working out? Are you getting a healthy and exciting meal on the table for your family every night? My guess is your answers to these questions are rather negative! (I hope not ... but I hear what you say out loud so I have a clue or two as to what you may be thinking on the inside.)
Read MoreThis past weekend was just about perfect. Sunny, warm, clear skies and some free time to soak it all in. When the weather is like this, I just want to get moving and feel motivated to do more! It's an ideal time to think about some Summer goals!
Read MoreOne of my Pilates mentors wisely told me some years ago, never give a student an exercise you aren't sure if they are ready to do. She went on to explain that with each movement, we can break it down into smaller movements or building blocks. If we begin with the building blocks mastering these, then when we approach a bigger movement we know we are ready for success! I've tried to adopt this philosophy with my teaching.
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