Pilates Can Help with Lower Back Pain

A research study published in Clinical Rehabilitation focused on people with chronic lower back pain and concluded that improvements in pain, function and quality of life were improved in a 90 day period compared to those who did no exercises.

Researchers from Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo in Sao Paolo, conducted a study with 60 patients who suffered from chronic, non-specific lower back pain. The researchers split the patients into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group practiced Pilates twice per week for 50 minutes over a 90 day period. Both groups continued with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Results showed that Pilates participants improved in pain, function and quality of life and used less pain medication. 

The researchers' conclusion:
"The pilates method can be used by patients with lower back pain (LBP) to improve pain, function and aspects related to quality of life (functional capacity, pain and vitality). Moreover, this method has no harmful effects on such patients."

From Greatist: See How Much the "Perfect" Female Body Has Changed in 100 Years (It's Crazy!)

Maria Hart in a Jan 15, 2015 posting on Greatist, provides an overview (by decade) starting in 1910 of the "perfect" female body. The shifts in "perfection" are huge and unrealistic for most women.

For example, 'The Supermodel' was the "perfect" female body when I was in high school and college and likely one of the reasons that to this day, I feel "short" at 5' 4", although studies show that is average height for most women.  

Scroll to the bottom of her article to see a slideshow of each of the "perfect" figures. And make note of Maria's final sentence:

"The media’s idea of beauty is subjective and changes, but confidence is always in style."

-- Maria Hart, Greatist.com, Jan 15, 2015

MUSC, Medical Research and "Pilates Power"

My good friends, internal medicine doctors at MUSC, forwarded an Email from MUSC's Safety Physician about an article in MUSC's publication "Safely Speaking," entitled Pilates Power:

The article discusses a recent study published on PubMed on the effect Pilates has on older adults and preventing falls. While more research is needed, there does seem to be a correlation between Pilates, improved balance, and reduced falls. 

As a reminder, the benefits of Pilates are: strength, stamina, stretch/flexibility, and stabilization -- this improves balance, but also evens the two sides of the body. Pilates is

all about controlling the body with the mind, while using all the muscles at once, in concert with breathing. Using body weight and spring tension, one can successfully complete a weight-bearing exercise program while seated or lying down (on sofa-height equipment). Individuals with vertigo or other balance issues, obese clients, older adults or anyone who has issues with getting up and down off the floor usually find this much safer and more appealing. 

At Any Body's Pilates, we believe Fitness is for ANY Body! We enjoy working with older adults, and those who have difficulty working out. Our equipment is sofa height (there are NO Yoga Mats on the floor), and we believe in personalized instruction, even in a Mat class environment. For more information, see our web site or contact us. 

Happy New Year's Resolutions!

Most people make resolutions, most fail by the end of the year. Some set unrealistic goals, some focus on the negative, some use improper measurements (or don't measure progress correctly), some try to do too much too fast -- and the result is discouragement and eventually abandoning the goal.

If your goal is focused on health and wellness, any progress is positive, so how you set and measure the goals really is key.

Here are a few tips for making achievable resolutions:

• Make realistic goals
• Focus on the positive
• Make small changes progressively (not all at once)
• Measure (and reward) your progress
• Don't be discouraged by setbacks 

Make sure the goal and the measurement accurately reflect what you're trying to achieve as your higher level goal. 

If you'd like help in setting realistic and achievable goals, developing a plan to achieve them, coaching and support, assistance with establishing proper measurements and measuring them over time, Any Body's Pilates can help. We offer Health Coaching, Personal Training, Health/Wellness Education Workshops, in addition to Pilates. 

Happy New Year and good luck with your 2015 Resolutions!

Resolutions: Obesity is a Global Issue with $2 Trillion Annual Impact!

A new report from McKinsey Global Institute, entitled "How the world could better fight obesity," names obesity as one of the three most critical global issues -- 

#1: smoking, 

#2: armed violence, war, and terrorism 

#3: Obesity 

Obesity affects 2.1 billion people (two and half times the number of people who are undernourished), has a global impact of $2 billion per year and results in 5% of all deaths worldwide each year. If this trend continues at its current rate, nearly half the world's adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030. 

In our reality TV, celebrity focused culture, we tend to get caught up in how our bodies look, rather than in how well they feel, how well they work, or the underlying health of the components. As we become more accustomed to instant gratification, people search for an instantaneous solution to what is obviously a more serious problem. 

Take a moment to consider how your body feels, how able you are to function daily, and how healthy you are overall -- weight, muscle tone, joints, cardiovascular, aches and pains, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. 

Since we're at the time of year where people start making resolutions, rather than making an unrealistic New Year's resolution to lose XX pounds, why not make a resolution to gain health and wellness in 2015? Make one change each month to improve your health.

Examples: January - give up sugary drinks. February - go for a walk each day. March - eat a healthy breakfast every day. Add one healthy activity per month. Something simple, something do-able, something that will contribute to your overall health. 

For New Year's look for an upcoming blog on how to set yourself up for success by making achievable resolutions.

Antonio Brown of Pittsburgh Steelers Cross-Trains with Pilates

Antonio Brown
WR, Pittsburg Steelers

The Stack (in association with Yahoo Sports) named Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, its "NFL Beast of the Week," for an amazing catch in the Steelers' Week 15 NFL Game win against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. 

Brown credits his amazing footwork and ball handling skills to cross-training with -- you guessed it -- Pilates. 

Watch the video -- to see Antonio's amazing catch, and watch him do Going Up Side on the High Chair. 

Anyone, even professional athletes, can benefit from Pilates. At Any Body's Pilates, we believe fitness is for ANY body!

Progress

Common questions we hear about Pilates:
 Q1. "Where will I feel it?"
 Q2. "Where will I see a difference?"
 Q3. "How soon will I see a difference?"
 Q4. "Can I lose weight?"

The answers can vary based on individual circumstances, but in general:
 A1. Pilates uses the whole body on every exercise, so clients feel the work everywhere
 A2. Clients see changes in posture, abs, and shoulders...but some also see big changes in legs, arms, and/or glutes
 A3. Some clients feel it immediately, others take longer. I like the Joseph Pilates quote:

"10 Sessions until you FEEL a difference, 

20 Sessions until you SEE a difference, 

30 Sessions until you're on your way to a whole new body..." 

Most clients see results before 20 Sessions -- other people will notice after 20!
 A4. Yes clients can lose weight doing Pilates - see these earlier posts: 
          US Waistlines Growing - Especially Women's
          The Beauty of the Power House Challenge - Weight Loss
          Pilates for Weight Loss - Part 1
          Pilates for Weight Loss - Part 2

Would you rather see photographic evidence of the changes that are possible?

Photos taken from May 1-Oct 2, 2014   These photos were taken May 1 2014, June 10 2014, July 19 2014, October 2 2014. She was not dieting, took 2-3 Pilates Mat Classes per week (shhh...don't tell - she's over 65). Notice how much straighter her spine is, how much more relaxed her shoulders are, and how much more shapely she's become -- in just 5 months! We took her measurements today - since July 1 she's lost over 9 INCHES, including 1 inch off each of her upper arms and 3 inches off her hips!