The Magic of MACA

As most of you know I am passionate about exercise and even more passionae about how Pilates can change your body. I love to see the changes in my clients and watch their self esteem grow as they see what their bodies are capable of doing.

I am equally passionate about nutrition and what you put in your body. I am always reading about the newest research and what foods offer the most benefits for our bodies. Recently I have been using MACA in my smoothies. I noticed a difference the very first day I started using it. MACA comes from a root grown in Peru. Actually the Inca's started using it over 2000 years ago for energy and endurance. American Scientists have shown MACA to have properties that are both medicinal and curative. It has been used in place of standard Hormone Replacement and to help balance hormones. It also acts as an adrenal balancer. I highly reccomend you visit this site to read up and learn about all the amazing benefits of MACA. www.macaroot.com

Give it a try ~ let me know if you see changes! I know I have!

New Mat Classes

Beginning Dec 2nd I will be offering Pilates Mat classes here in Foothill Ranch in addition to my reformer classes. Wednesday evenings from 7-8 and Friday mornings from 9-10. Would love to have you come join us!!

Open for Business

Most of you know for the last two years I have been working at Precision Pilates in Rancho Santa Margarita. I have loved every minute of it! Pilates has become a passion for me. As a Registered Nurse I love watching the way Pilates has helped so many of my clients change their bodies. I have had atheletes "better" their game because of their increased flexibility. I have had post op patients able to walk straight and strengthen their muscles. I have watched new mom's who thought they would never get their flat belly back, be amazed at their new found bodies...and many many more wonderful stories. I can honestly say I LOVE Pilates and what it does for EVERYbody!
I have recently extended my Pilates teaching to my home studio. I am very excited to be able to offer one on one classes to those who wish to practice in a more private environment. In addition I will do my best to make Pilates affordable to everybody.

I will still be teaching at my studio in Rancho Santa Margarita and in Foothill Ranch. If you would like more information, please give me a call!

What is PIlates

What is Pilates - The History of Pilates and What Pilates is Today Pilates is a method of exercise that strengthens and tones the entire body. The exercises emphasize the core muscles (primarily abdominals and inner thighs to support the back) while also conditioning and lengthening the whole rest of the body. The movements are flowing, precise and challenging, and require a “mind-body” connection. It’s this mind-body connection that makes pilates effective and define what pilates truly is- not just movements, but mindful movements. The History of Pilates Joseph H. Pilates was born in the late 1800’s in Germany. Throughout his young life, he studied various physical disciplines, such as boxing and yoga, in an effort to build his own strength after suffering from illnesses as a child. It was through these studies that he began to develop his ideas for new exercises, which would later become known as Pilates. As an adult during World War II, Joseph Pilates began trying to rehabilitate injured, bedridden soldiers. When he realized that many of them could not easily perform the strengthening movements he was attempting to teach them, he attached springs and straps to their beds, so they would have some resistance to work against and handles to hold onto. It was this experimental “exercise equipment” that would later undergo further changes and become what we now call the Pilates Apparatus. After the war, Joseph Pilates traveled to New York City where he and his wife, Clara, continued to teach his exercises, which he then called Contrology. He rebuilt his equipment, which still resembled a bed with springs, bars, and straps, and called it the Reformer. They set up shop on Manhattan’s west side and began teaching Contrology to local dancers who lived in the area. Between the years of 1940-1960, Joseph Pilates became more and more famous for his amazing body-changing exercises. Famous and professional dancers, athletes, and entertainers would come to his studio to practice Contrology with Joe and Clara. They found that doing Pilates’ Exercises improved their form, increased their stamina, and helped them recover from injuries. Joseph Pilates invented a series of mat exercises, which were done on a mat with no equipment at all. He took these exercises, and developed many others, and invented ways of doing them on the Reformer. As his students came to him with different needs and/or injuries, he invented movements that he thought would help them, which would then become exercises that he could teach to his other students as well. Today, we recognize over 600 different exercises created by Joseph Pilates! He also created his equipment the same way- as his students’ needs would arise, he would come up with different pieces of exercise equipment. In fact, in his lifetime, Joseph Pilates invented hundreds of different pieces of equipment that aided in better posture and overall body fitness. Today, the major pieces are commonly found in pilates studios, such as the reformer, the Cadillac, the chair, the barrel, and the ped-o-pul. Over the years, some of Joe’s students went on to teach the Pilates exercises on their own, opening their own studios and teaching the exercises that were taught to them by Joe. Before Joseph Pilates passed away, he asked one of his students, Romana Kryzanowska, to carry on his work as he taught it. To this day, at over 80 years old, Romana is still teaching and certifying teachers in the pilates method. In Joe’s day, as he was teaching his students, he would look at each person as an individual, with their own needs and goals. He would develop exercises specifically for each person, or teach an exercise in a particular way (with a specific leg rotation, for example) that would most benefit that individual. As his students went off to teach on their own (in those days, no one would begin teaching without at least practicing pilates for ten years), they taught the exercises the positions in which they were taught. Some stayed in New York City or the east coast and taught, while others traveled to the west coast and Arizona. So over the years, different styles of Classical Pilates have developed, such as East Coast Pilates and West Coast Pilates. There are also a few different manufacturers of the Pilates Equipment, such as Balanced Body, Peak Pilates, and Gratz. Who can do Pilates, and where? While Joseph Pilates was alive, he wrote two books on his method, Your Health and Return to Life Through Contrology. He believed that everyone (not just the elite or professional athlete) could and should practice Pilates everyday, and with the pictures of his exercises in his books, they could. He even designed the Wunda Chair as a piece of home exercise equipment, or a Reformer to fit in a New York City apartment. This apparatus is widely believed to be the first piece of home exercise equipment invented. These days, as pilates has become more known to the public, many people all over the world are experiencing the benefits of the method. The best way to experience pilates and to learn how to do the exercises properly is by going to a pilates studio and taking private lessons from a certified pilates instructor. In a studio, the instructor provides undivided attention to the individual’s specific needs. A studio also makes it possible to use various pieces of pilates equipment which will help with alignment, posture, and will provide resistance to work against during the exercises. Many people say that they love their pilates private lessons so much because they don’t get bored- there are so many different moves on so many different pieces of equipment. It’s unlike any exercise program they’ve ever done before. While 2-3 private pilates sessions per week are the best way to advance in the method, there are also other options for practicing pilates. A once per week private lesson can be followed with a mat class later in the week, for example. This combination is an excellent way to experience a variety of pilates exercises. It’s also a great way to get personal attention at one point during the week, and then to be slightly more on your own in a group class. Currently, there are many books and videos on the market, so that anyone can practice pilates alone at home. Like Joe originally intended, anyone can do his exercises, anywhere. However, it is still always best to attend a few private lessons or group classes in addition to a home pilates routine. Without ever having taken a pilates session with an experienced, certified pilates instructor, it is very possible to do the exercises in the wrong manner, which can possibly lead to injury. A pilates instructor can point out a misalignment, a poorly positioned lower back, etc. An instructor will also teach how to get the most out of the abdominals during the Stomach Series, the legs and waist during the Side Kick Series, and the arms and upper body during the Chest Expansion. And, it can never hurt to spend some time each week with a person who truly cares about your health, strength, and wellbeing!