I am back - phew! Bands and muscles!

I havent posted anything here for a while, mainly due to being tied up in nutritional training and starting up fitcamp sessions for clients wanting to lose weight , shape up, asess their diet and be healthier and fitter.

But today, I was in Truro holding Two Personal training sessions, one client had just returned after recovering from a hysterectomy, we went gently, but she did some great glute medius work, (side lying legs and oyster) shoulder bridges, leg slides, bent knee fall out and shoulders strengthening with the thera band. Im sure her legs will be feeling it later! she did so well and was pleased with what she could do, bless her!

My second session was with a lady who plays tennis once a week, had a knee replacement a couple of years ago, and due to the Dr .telling her not to put weight on it, has developed a side ways lean, all her weight is now resting on the right side,the left shoulder is raised and the ankles are tight, especially the left one. So in her first ever Pilates session, we concentrated on ankle and hip mobility, thoracic stretching and mobility, side lying legs, glute work in the shoulder brisge as well. The hour flew by and she was very pleased she could do the moves and stretches we went through, so was I!
Theres a modification and moves for everyone , no matter what brings you to Pilates.

Thats the beauty of it.Thats why I love it!

Mel
 www.pilatesmad.co.uk

Bank Holiday

The suns out! get outside before it changes its mind! get your Vitamin D intake for the day.

I was up early, fed the chickens, let them out for a run and a peck amongst the weeds, picked up 2 eggs and poached them for breakfast with swedish rye bread and organic plum tomatoes.

Went for a walk around the village and on the beach which was starting to fill up with windbreakers and ice cream .
Now Im home, practicing Pilates for this weeks classes and correcting the internal domes, which is such an easy portable way to check your posture and muscular inbalances as you go through your day.

Align Pelvic floor,  diaphragm, breast bone(Sternum) soft palette of the roof of your mouth..think of them as your internal domes or spheres and balance them on top of each other. Each time I do this its usually my head thats too far forward, this creates tension in the shoulders and the lower back, all the way down the chain to the knees and the feet.

Balance yourself out x

Busy doing lots of stuff

As the classes are pretty much stuffed to overflowing, I needed to find another place to teach. My sister always was the lucky one, opportunities just landed in her lap,  and I always had to go out looking for mine!
Not so this time! I am a member of Network Cornwall, a FREE (Yes..FREE!) site that has about 4k members (all female too) advertising businesses, looking for people to help them fix things, recommending people(builders, massage, whatever!) and a general forum for a chat,also on FACEBOOK under Lets Link Up where a few of us say Hi !! and put a face to a name and advertise our wares. Why don't you join it? Its an eye opener to whats going on in Cornwall and how many people are working for themselves or asking for your assistance or advice, where you can ask for assistance or advice as well, its like having heaps of real Friends in cyberspace but you know they are on your doorstep, so to speak.
One of these members runs Blue Lotus Therapy Centre at Scorrier House, and got in touch after reading my emails on Pilates, Boot Camp & Stretch classes. She has a spare room for hire, so looks like I can have more Pilates classes available on Thursday mornings , Tuesdays as well, but going to start on one day a week and see how it goes. Ive got to fit in Boot Camp classes as well, as it seems you all want to lose Fat and be healthier, have more energy & know the truth about your food and metabolism to get that sluggish feeling a kick up the backside.
Looking at the calendar, I may need a few extra hours in the day, but those hours I would like at night so I can sleep for a couple more hours!
Im now preparing like mad for Saturday Mornings FREE Pilates for Charity.
Check details on www.pilatesmad.co.uk
Hoping for a great turnout, but it seems Ive picked a Saturday when most cannot make it due to Holidays or Kids being around, never mind, another one in September will follow for a different charity, got to do what you can, and if you can do it, then why make excuses, just get on with it!

Running & Pilates

If your passion is for running, you are dedicated to your sport, out training in all weathers and all times of day, I admire that! I always think of that when I pass a runner in the cosiness of my car ..

You also are open to injuries in the lower limbs, calves, ankles, achilles tendon..and the precious lower back..uneven surfaces, poor technique, incorrect footwear, excessive training all contribute.
So how do simple slow precise Pilates moves help? Its for flexible dancer type Females isnt it?? This is a myth..!!

 If you already do Pilates, you will know its not easy, as you have to concentrate , actually think about what you are doing and think about your body..from the inside..something you dont do in other classes!

Common Injuries.. Sciatica, poor posture is one of the causes, leg length difference is another. Tight Piriformis muscle..this can irritate the Sciatic nerve, you get pain in the buttocks and possibly down the back of the leg.

Iliotibial Band..a main cause for lateral knee pain, its thick tissue on the outside of the thigh from the outside of the Pelvis, over the hip & the knee, so you can see the many issues you get if its tight. It will bow the knees, and pronate the feet, the lower legs turn inwards creating issues above the knee in the hips as well, then the back as well.

Hamstrings..back of the thigh, insert at the sit bones and run down to the back of the knee..3 muscles..warming up before you run helps reduce strain , especially in winter..stretching them effectively reduces strain on these 3 very important muscles.


Calf strain..the calf is the Gastrocnemius, what a cool name!
Plus the smaller Soleus muscle. They get tight and need stretching, again warming up before running is helpful to reduce strain, as is stretching after the run..

Achilles Tendonitis..the largest tendon in the body! connecting the calf to the heel..it gets inflamed through overuse or through degeneration of the tendons. If you turn the foot whilst running..you will get tendonitis..a change in footwear, calf weakness, tight Gastroc, excessive pronation of the ankle pulls it off centre..

 Plantar fasciitis...causes the heel to ache, feel hot or swells..the fascia is inflamed. Poor foot posture, prolonged sitting or excessive running can be causes, wearing shoes with inadequate arch supports, a tight achilles doesnt help either.

Can you see that a tightness in all these muscles leads to injury, incorrect technique is a major factor..foot muscle strengthening is important good flexibility in the lower limbs is important..and great footwear is a bonus.

Theres many Pilates moves that help all of the above, but dont expect a class to me fast, furious and dont expect to "feel the burn" Its not a hard workout class, well, not in the beginning anyway...starting with the foundation and working your way up..bit like running really, you wouldnt start your running career by buying a pair of cheap shoes and running a Marathon the next day and expect a time of 2 hours 15 minutes, so why expect to go to a Pilates class and expect to see a result immediately and understand whats going on in your body in under 60 minutes in a class of 8 people who have totally different needs to you..they may just be going to a class to get flat abs!
So, find a great Pilates teacher, if your budget cannot be stretched to personal training once a week , see if you can sign up for one a month, or just one hour and pay for a personal programme for you to do at home whilst attending the classes...this information is invaluable to improve your muscle function..reducing injury..spend more time running effectively ..isn't that what you want to do..?