Pilates Tips

I’m often asked how I ended up where I am…..like many others in the fitness world, I’ve had personal injuries that have led my interest in specific trainings to find healing. On my path, I was led to Polestar Pilates. I was drawn to them because of their mission to create life changing movement experiences. Polestar Pilates’ philosophy has been an integral part of my work for several years. – Polestar Educator Amy Dixon, NCPT

God made us so marvelously complex and yet so simple at the same time! Moving the body as it was designed brings strength and healing.

Positive movement experiences are always the mission! We focus on how the body moves and functions to be in the best shape in order to live life to your fullest potential. Helping you find your inner strength is truly our goal. I’ve been so blessed to be a part of many others journey on their path to wellness. Over the past 23 years I have seen clients overcome various obstacles.

Here are 9 inspiring examples of client success with Pilates:

Clients that have been able to reduce or eliminate medications
Pro athletes adding Pilates to balance out their training programs
Chronic pain clients that are so fearful to move when they begin, then realizing freedom of movement when function is restored
Post operative and post rehab clients that learn how Pilates can bridge the gap to wellness during recovery
An 87-year-old great-great grandmother who is as spunky today as she was 17 years ago when we began working together
Spinal cord injury client that has gained range of motion
Clients that have seen an increase in bone density to the effect that they’ve been removed from the label of osteoporosis
Clients with MS that have been able to maintain independence and movement even through flares of their condition
Clients suffered from strokes using Pilates for functional rehabilitation

Pilates changes lives. To some it is simply another form of exercise to add variety to ones routine, to others it is a groundbreaking revelation that blows their mind!

What client successes can you add to the list? Share in the comment section below!

Amy Dixon is a Polestar Pilates educator in Winston Salem North Carolina. Discover her studio Inner Strength Pilates here.

Becky Phares, PMA®-CPT is a Polestar Pilates Graduate, Practitioner and contributor to the Polestar Life Weekly Blog. With more than 10 years of teaching Becky teaches at her studio The Body Initiative Pilates Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. Find Becky and her Studio on Facebook: The body Initiative Pilates Studio and Instagram @the_body_initiative_ .

“The Constant”

I have a new theme… “The Constant” . This term shows itself in multiple different ways throughout society. The dictionary defines it as occurring continuously over a period of time or unchanged through time and space. In math constants are parts of algebraic expressions that do not change. In science it is referred to as properties that do not change. If you were to google the word constant you may come up with: a constant burden, constant bickering or constant chatter. Constant is even a name given to babies; in 2016 it was ranked #16,656 for popularity for girls and #13,558 for boys. But what in the world does that have to do with Pilates? Well, it shows up EVERYWHERE in our system. Let’s take a look: In the exercise the hundred, the shape of your spine and legs stay constant as your arms pump. In foot work your spine stays in a constant shape as your hips and knees flex and extend, even though it is moving with the carriage. In rolling like a ball, the whole shape of the body is constant even though the shape changes orientation. But why is it important? I feel that this gives some of my clients feedback if I give them “the constant.” For example during long stretch the spine and pelvis stay constant. The first part of long stretch, the plank position, is fairly easy to keep the shape. However, once you stretch your body back and your arms forward, your spine and pelvis want to change. Because of where gravity is sitting, I get a lot of people who like to create a bigger, lordotic curve in this exercise. It’s understandable because the body goes in the path of least resistance. So could an instructor benefit from cueing the constant? Absolutely! It could help the client understand that the shape does not change even though the spine is in a greater challenge. The constant may change orientation, like tendon stretch and thigh stretch. Sometimes the constant stays in the same orientation but moves along with the carriage such as in stomach massage and feet in straps. Other times the constant stays absolutely stable in space and time but progresses in difficulty because of outside forces, such as leg pull front and chest lift. **see pictures below So is this a new theory? Absolutely not! I’m just sharing different terms that I am currently using with my clients. I like this word/concept because regular people walking through my door easily comprehend it. Other relatable terms are dissociation and stability. We all use what works for each individual client. Try this on and see if it works for you.