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Abs Aren’t Just for Show

10/13/2022

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Contrary to what Instagram might be showing you, there are so many benefits to having a strong core that have nothing to do with “six pack abs”. A strong and stable midsection can help you avoid back pain, improve posture and balance, feel stronger, and become more agile.

Why our Core Strength is Important

Abs are one of the most important groups of muscles in our whole body. Beyond aesthetics, strong abdominal muscles help us perform everyday tasks better and improve our overall fitness level. Think of your core muscles as a foundational link in a chain connecting your lower and upper body. Whether you’re vacuuming the house or practicing an advanced Pilates exercise, your core is working. No matter where the body motion starts, it travels through your core to your other muscles. This means that a weakness or imbalance in your abdominals can impair how well every other muscle in your body moves!

Injury and Fall Prevention

Correctly and consistently building a strong core enhances balance and stability, a fact that is increasingly important as we age. A strong core helps prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities.

Everyday Activities

But a strong core is important for everyone, whether you are involved in sports or not. Having strength and flexibility in our core helps improve everyday acts like bending over to tie our shoes, picking up a child, turning to look behind us in traffic. Even showering, dressing, and sitting in a chair require use of your core! Any work or home task that involves lifting, twisting, and standing all rely on core muscles. For those who do office work, sitting at a desk for hours puts a lot of pressure on our spine and back. If you have a strong core, however, and keep your core engaged while sitting (which you’ll learn to do through Pilates), your back is much less likely to give seat-dwellers a problem.

Posture and Mobility

Strengthening your core is also imperative for our posture and mobility. Good posture not only projects confidence, it lessens the wear and tear on other parts of our bodies (like mentioned above), helps you take deeper fuller breaths, and helps you gain full benefits from the effort you put into exercising.

No matter the reason, having a strong core is so important, and there truly is no better way to achieve this outside of Pilates. Pilates not only strengthens your core, it strengthens and lengthens your muscle simultaneously. The ultimate result is a more balanced and mobile body that can accomplish what you want it to with more ease!


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Pilates During Pregnancy: Is it Safe?

10/5/2022

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We have many clients who come to us either preparing to get pregnant, are already pregnant, or are post pregnancy. You can DEFINITELY do Pilates during pregnancy- in fact, I strongly encourage you to do so! As always though, check with your doctor before adding exercises to your routine while you are pregnant.

Practicing Pilates during pregnancy can:

  • Calm the nervous system, thereby lowering blood pressure
  • Help build the mental and physical stamina needed for labor and delivery
  • Aid postpartum recovery and lower rates of c-sections, episiotomies, and preeclampsia
  • Increases body awareness and prepares you for pushing
  • Decreases back pain and improves sleep

Here are my top tips for doing Pilates during pregnancy:

  1. Aim for 2-3 sessions a week, and with one day of rest between sessions. Don’t be hard on yourself when and if you feel more tired or uncomfortable working out– even doing exercises you could do easily when you weren’t pregnant! Self compassion will go a long way during your pregnancy.

  1. If you can, and especially if you are just starting Pilates, opt for private sessions. This is important for all of our clients, but especially important when you are pregnant. Your body is going through a lot during pregnancy. Your joints and ligaments are moving and changing (becoming more lax/flexible), so you will benefit from the one on one attention you get from having your own experienced instructor. Our instructors are experienced in working with prenatal clients and know how to modify the exercises to work for you!
  2. Wear light, comfortable clothing, have snacks on hand just in case, and be sure to drink plenty of water.
  3. The Reformer is your friend! Not only does the machine offer modifiable resistance, being up off the floor is often more comfortable for pregnant clients than those trying to do mat Pilates.
  4. Have fun, and listen to your body.
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    Heather Gradke

    I'm BASI Faculty and Certified Pilates Instructor by day, somewhat competent mom by night. I am married to the love of my life and somewhat charismatic Rustin Gradke. I have 4 kids that are wonderful sometimes but mostly they just eat a lot. I'm a lover of God and movement and the occasional bowl of queso.

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