I’m receiving a lot of questions from all of you readers, including this one: How can I help my clients with balance and body awareness?

I begin by teaching my clients the importance of balance and body awareness, especially as we age. You must have both to achieve true strength. One of the exercises I use to teach balance and body awareness is the Single-Leg Press on a ball.

Ariel demonstrates the advanced position for the Single-Leg Press using a ball on the Reformer.

Let’s set it up:

1. Use one red spring.

2. Have clients lay supine on the reformer, head near the tower and feet facing the footbar.

3. Ask clients to find and maintain a neutral pelvis and neutral spine.

4. Have them place both feet on the ball, with the ball in the center of the footbar.

Now let’s move:

1. Tell your clients to wrap their ribs, then inhale to press away slowly, and exhale as they return.

Tip: The spring is very light so if they push away too fast and with little or no control, the ball will slide up or down. This is where balance and body awareness start to play a role.

2. Ask them to repeat the move about 10 times to build awareness, and after they are able to do it well—with no shaking—have them progress to the single-leg version, with the other leg in tabletop.

Tip: Remember that transitioning from one move to another is in itself a move and should be done using all of the Pilates principles. Don’t let clients get sloppy.

Moving on:

1. Now have your clients walk the ball to the left side, making sure the ball is in line with the left hip. So the alignment is hip-knee-second toe.

2. Have them put the right leg into tabletop (maintaining neutral pelvis and spine).

3. Have them start pushing away with the left leg, slowly and with small moves at first, if needed. As your client develops balance and body awareness, they will be able to straighten the leg completely (don’t rush this process).

Tip: I can’t stress this enough: Just because they can push all the way out at first, doesn’t mean they should. Keep the integrity of the move and stay true to the Pilates principles.

4. Have them perform the move about 10 times on each side.

As your client improves, have them add more challenge by straightening the leg that is in tabletop toward the ceiling.

You can challenge them more, later on, by asking them to close their eyes.

Keep the questions coming. Hope to see some of you guys in Dallas where I will be teaching for DCAC April 12-14.

Be well.

“I’ve been high, I’ve been low, I’ve been people that I don’t know,” sings Jeff Bridges in the movie Crazy Heart. Indeed, each of us is a high and low crazy quilt of possibilities that we explore in many ways as we perform our Pilates day after day. Pilates helps us become people today that we wouldn’t have known or imagined yesterday. And in the best possible way, as long as we use our imagination.

Smart exploratory eating also helps us to push our boundaries at mealtimes. Because just as Pilates is not just about flatter abs or more flexibility, feeding yourself is not just about filling your stomach and/or amusing your mouth.

If you come to Pilates without imagination and you’re fixated on one take-away—like getting more flexible or flattening your belly—you may not take away all Pilates has to offer. Similarly, if you come to the table to get less hungry or feel less bored, you may miss out on the amazing life-enhancing chemistry that a good meal (or snack) can provide both your mind and body when you are eating imaginatively.

Food in point? Berries. The most nutrient dense of the warm-weather produce bounty are berries—red, black, blue and purple. When you get off the mat, Reformer or Tower, use your bean, and think berries. Here’s why and here’s how.

Juicy Fruit Benefits: Berries, especially blueberries, provide manganese to keep bones strong and vitamin C to strengthen immunity. Thanks to their ellagic acid (and that vitamin C content), cranberries, raspberries and strawberries all help suppress the growth of several cancers and provide cardiovascular protection. Eating more berries can reduce your risk of arthritis, specifically of the knee (where arthritis is most common). And don’t worry about the caloric damage. Most berries, when eaten fresh, deliver between 50 and 70 calories per cup, along with plenty of fiber. What to reach for? Eat raspberries for the most fiber, blueberries for the highest antioxidant content, strawberries for the most vitamin C and fewest calories, and currants and blackberries for the most potassium, a nutrient essential in preventing stroke, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

Boost Night Vision: Bilberries (also called European bilberries) are at the top of the ocular health list, enhancing microcirculation in the capillaries, which in turn strengthens the retina, improving everything from macular degeneration to glaucoma, night vision and cataracts. Take between 400 and 2,000 milligrams daily of standardized bilberry extract. (It takes 100 pounds of bilberries to extract l pound of extract.) Second most therapeutic berry after bilberries? Blueberries, their American cousin.

Blueberries for Eyes, Allergies, and More: During the Civil War, soldiers drank blueberry juice to ward off scurvy. We still drink it for the vitamin C and a whole lot more—to protect eyes from the damaging effects of sunlight, prevent and treat allergies, and help with varicose veins. Blueberries are also known as “the brain berry” because studies have shown that daily consumption dramatically slows age-related impairment in memory and motor coordination. Blueberries also help lower cholesterol, promote urinary tract health, halt cataract progression and protect against glaucoma. Blackberries are a close second.

Take a Strawberry Shortcut Against Arthritis: Strawberries, perhaps our favorite summertime berry, are grown in twenty different varieties and are a good low-calorie (45 per cup) source of quercetin, a flavonoid that fights free radicals. The anthocyanins in strawberries help protect against inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

EMS for UTIs: Fresh or dried cranberries fight urinary tract infection (UTI) by preventing harmful bacteria such as E. coli from adhering to bladder walls and H. pylori bacteria from causing ulcers. The anthocyanins in cranberries (as in oranges, which cranberries partner well with) also help normalize cholesterol and improve blood circulation. (Blueberries provide the same benefits.)

Breakfast Berry Pops

8 servings

1–1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries

1/2 to 1 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate

1/2 cup plain yogurt or plain kefir

Puree ingredients in blender until smooth. Optional: Strain mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Ladle into ice pop molds or small paper cups, and freeze for 4 hours. If using cups, insert small plastic spoons or sticks after 30 minutes in freezer.

Variations

Stir in 1/2 cup crushed walnuts or whole-grain cereal.

Use 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peach slices in place of 1 cup berries.

See more videos like this in our future digital editions and get access by subscribing today!

See more videos like this in our future digital editions and get access by subscribing today!

To achieve overall health, it is important to move the body every day. But did you know that it’s just as important to train your mind-set? According to research—and my own experience—Pilates improves our daily movements and also our psychological well-being.

One Pilates-based study I found fascinating was conducted in Germany and Portugal. Researchers examined whether practicing Pilates as a mind/body exercise would impact an individual attitude toward themselves and their health. The researchers randomly assigned 80 healthy participants, ages 25–55, to either a Pilates group or a control group. No participants had any prior Pilates experience. To remain in the trial, Pilates group members were required to attend 85 percent of the two-hour Pilates classes, which were offered four times weekly for 6 months. Sixty-two completed the study. Control group members received no training but were instructed to maintain existing physical activity levels.

At baseline, after three months and at the program’s end, an assessor (who did not know group member assignments) supervised. Data analysis showed no significant differences between the control group and the Pilates group after three months. After six months however, Pilates group members showed significant improvements in life satisfaction, total self-concept, perceptions of appreciation by others and perceptions of their own physical appearance, functionality and health status.

“The significance of the study is that the Pilates method can be used to improve a person’s quality of life, which contributes to their psychological well-being,” says lead author Ana Cruz-Ferreira, MA, an assistant professor at the department of sport and health at the University of Evora in Portugal. “And, by improving life satisfaction, physical self-concept and perception, health status improved.”

Another story of how Pilates improves quality of life comes to me from a fellow Pilates teacher named Nicole Smith who is the owner of the Classical Pilates studios from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.   She sent me her story based on a 60-year-old client who had many operations on one of her feet. Nicole states, “When she first came to me, she had very poor balance and if she had to walk any distance, she had to use a stick. Her surgeon was also ready to perform another operation. So, we got started with a very normal basic Pilates workout with special focus on footwork on the Reformer. Standing footwork after the mat, standing hand weights focusing on the powerhouse more than where the arms were going and Foot Corrector work using a small ball for homework. Now, 18 months later, the doctor has said she is not in need of any more operations to continue with Pilates as it is the best her feet have ever been and she got rid of the walking stick!”

“That sounds like an improvement in quality of life to me!” exclaimed Nicole’s client.

Not only has this client improved her mobility and daily movements, but she’s gained self confidence and has reclaimed her life back, greatly improving her mind-set. “She’s a very happy person and even happier about being able to walk without a stick,” says Nicole. “She seems to be a very emotionally strong person as she has dealt with a husband with cancer, who now is in a nursing home. So every year she goes on an overseas trip to get away from it all. Being physically better makes her more confident in herself. She did not have to take the stick with her on last year’s trip and she traveled all over Europe alone. All thanks to 18 months of Pilates-based workouts.”

In my many years as a Pilates teacher, I’ve noticed an overall boost of confidence and self-worth with each client I train three times a week for a span of six months. Each student gained physical strength but also a stronger mind-set. Each session, my clients learn proper form and gain core strength, and with that strength opens up more energy, creating a psychological boost of adrenaline.

As Pilates teachers, we must understand the mechanics of proper form that Joseph Pilates has taught us.  But, remember, Joe taught us that the mind plays the key role in advancing students to greater confidence levels, which in turn leads them to their next level of physical fitness. When Pilates exercises are done with true commitment, they can—and will—improve quality of life.

What’s your favorite piece of Pilates equipment?

I receive this question a lot. I have to say that I love everything about Pilates, including the various equipment, but when I’m asked which piece a client should buy first, I always recommend the foam roller. It’s inexpensive and so incredibly versatile. So in this blog and in my next few postings, I’m going to discuss some fantastic moves using the foam roller.

I prefer a medium-density, 6″ x 36″ (15cm x 91cm) roller. You can find this version just about anywhere for about $30. Once you’ve got the roller in your arms, try this first:

Sit on one end of the roller and carefully roll back until you’re completely flat on top of the roller. Make sure your head and sacrum are both on the roller. Now, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be on the floor with your palms facing up so you have a slight external rotation of the shoulder. Reach the base of your skull toward the roller, so you’re in a cervical nod (but don’t jam your chin into your throat!).

Now the hard part. Are you ready?

Do NOTHING for three to five minutes. Just breathe.

There are many beneficial styles of breath, but in my opinion, the best style for this move is to inhale deeply through the nose and exhale deeply from the mouth.

This short time on the roller may feel uncomfortable, but some corrective exercises are not going to feel like a dreamy massage. I do promise that when you are done you will feel taller, broader across the chest, and you will stand straighter.

Most of us have some kind of posture issue—curved back, flat back, sway back—and all of these issues may be combined with a forward head.

So no matter what your posture issues are, you will feel better upon completion of this move.

Once you have completed your breathing exercise, walk your feet in so they are about three inches apart. If that’s easy, bring your feet and inner thighs together and slide your hands closer to the roller. This will challenge your balance and you should start to shake. Don’t freak out. This is normal.

Now, wrap your ribs without rounding your shoulders forward. Maintain the balance about another two to three minutes.

To dismount the roller, I do not recommend rolling up.  Instead, widen your feet so they’re about shoulder-width apart. Then just slowly tip to one side until your butt is on the floor. Let the roller slide out to the opposite side and stay on your back for about two minutes, then take your time getting up.

Now walk from one side of the room to the other. How do you feel? Please try this move and let me know how it worked for you…I want to hear what you think about it.

My next couple of blogs will pick up right here. I will explain wrapping the ribs if that’s something you don’t know about. There are several roller moves I want to share with you. See you next time!

When I found out that Kristi Cooper White and I shared the same birthday, July 25th (not the same year of course, but the day, or as I like to call it, Christmas in July), I knew we were destined to become good friends. With one Leo at the helm, you are sure to be out-shined by the sun sign. But with two, rest assured that the sun will never set!

So, when Kristi, one of the owners and founders of the Pilates site, Pilates Anytime, asked me to come to her studio in Carpinteria, CA, to participate and lead three mat classes, I jumped at the opportunity. I was also honored to be listed in the “distinguished” teacher category on the website.

As a young girl, to me, the term “distinguished” meant “seasoned” or of the “elder “ generation.  Now, as a 35-year veteran of Pilates, I am proud and honored to be considered “distinguished.” Wow, where did the time go?  It seems like just yesterday I was known as “the kid” at Ron Fletcher School of Body Contrology in Beverly Hills. Everyone was so much older and “distinguished,” especially Ron, who at 55, seemed quite the dapper man he was, and continued to be until his death last December at age 90. But who would have thought that I would ever be considered “distinguished”? Time has a way of marching on, and before you know it, you are of another generation, another tree of life, and you have, hopefully, the wonderful opportunity to share with those of another generation your life lessons, what you have achieved, and to impart knowledge that only the years can offer. Youth is wasted on the young, as the saying goes. But when people of any age can learn and grow from one another, you stay forever young just by being inquisitive and open-minded.

So what does this have to do with my experience with Pilates Anytime? Well, for one thing it is a pleasure to be able to share my knowledge and expertise with a family of friends who embrace different ways to express the same “religion,” or Pilates. I for one, am sick of all the petty jealousies and backstabbing I have seen among my peers. For instance: Everyone thinking his or her way is the only way, and that no one else knows anything. And: Being afraid to let anyone have his or her say, for fear someone else will pick it up and run away with it. I have to give Kristi credit for allowing us to be who we are, and not follow the dictates of any particular leaning. As long the form is right (I say, form is foremost), the student comes away with the experience of well-being and health. What a concept!

It was a beautiful Saturday in Los Angeles. I embarked on the 101 Freeway North about 60 miles. It was a wind-blown afternoon with no traffic (what? In L.A. that almost never exists!) I drove along the Pacific Ocean toward Carpinteria. Ah, so relaxing. I forget the simple pleasures sometimes. Like a drive on a beautiful day along the ocean. Bliss.

When I arrived, Kristi met me and took me to lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me she remembered a book I wrote back in 1987, and kept the poster of the cover on her wall. You never know when you touch someone’s life. It can come back many years later. I thought no one even noticed! A book I wrote before anyone ever heard of Pilates. But something in the book touched her, and I feel so honored it was mine. Maybe I did make a difference. Maybe my efforts through the years have mattered. Maybe, I’m so lucky.

I taught two mat classes on boomer Pilates. Why? Being a part of the largest population on earth is a clue. Not to mention I will be doing a DVD with Katharine Ross, the quintessential baby boomer of all time. (Got to plug the DVD, why not?) Plus, not all of us just want a cute booty to show off at the beach. Most of us want to live and move in a body that is agile, pain free and strong. So I know that a large number of people who have never done an exercise program in their life just may be inclined to move with someone they can relate to. Plus, Kristi let me inject all my metaphysical leanings I don’t always talk about. Another feather in her cap, allowing us to express who we are.

Sunday morning I taught a Sheppard Method Pole class, another unique and never-before-done approach to Pilates. It’s also another way to show how we may express ourselves with our bodies and move with grace and agility.

As I said my goodbyes, I told Kristi I wanted to move in, as her studio is right on the beach with a picture window that spells tranquility. But I will be back, and hopefully do more classes for Pilates Anytime. I am reminded how fortunate I am to live in a glorious part of the world, and how lucky I am to be in a career that lets me help others help themselves. I love what I do, and especially when traffic is clear and I can cruise the freeway along the ocean that takes me to Pilates Anytime—and new horizons, both mentally and physically!