Named a first generation Pilates Elder and top Pilates master, Julian was also named as a mentor in Balanced Body’s “Passing the torch” Mentor Program. Aside from being an all around Pilates and dance guru,  our very own David Gensheimer studied and trained under him for a period of time, so his principles and teaching methods are close to home for those of us at Simply Balanced.

Check out Julian’s website to learn more about who he is and take a look at what he’s up to at his California studio.

From Erin:

“Scoliosis is often thought of as simply a lateral deviation of the spine; however, the reality is that it’s multi-dimensional. Through this hands-on scoliosis training, you’ll learn how to correctly analyze and assess the different ways in which scoliosis presents itself. Scoliometer and ribcage measuring, in conjunction with other unique assessment techniques, are taught. You’ll gain an understanding of the anatomy of scoliosis and how to work with the medical community. Scoliotic medical research findings are discussed and put into use through effective movements for scoliosis clients. Exercises are taught on the mat, stool, Orbit, Core Align, and B.A.C. Disc Set. Scoliosis breathing techniques and wedging are also presented. The interesting emotional world of scoliosis is touched upon through case study work. After this course, you’ll be able to create private sessions designed to unwind and exercise each unique scoliotic body.

Saturday, June 2, 2012
10am-5pm with a 1 hr lunch break; $295

Simply Balanced
919 8th Ave S
Nashville, TN  37203

Over the last year I’ve been up to my eyeballs in scoliosis medical research, doing corrective movement therapy on scoliosis clients, and writing my book called The Beautiful Scoliotic Back; Learning to Own Your Scoliosis (which should be ready for purchase in both book and ebook format in June). My passion for corrective scoliotic movements grows with each passing day. As some of you may know, I have idiopathic scoliosis with my major thoracic curve recently measuring at 31 degrees and my compensatory lumbar curve measuring at 23 degrees. I had to take a deep breath and look at the bleak reality that the medical community was offering for my future…spinal fusion surgery. There was no way that surgery was the only option to manage my scoliosis…and I was right. Analyzing the Scoliotic Body is a culmination of my research findings from around the world which have been molded onto equipment that many of us have in our studios.

If you can learn to slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of a client’s scoliosis, you will forever change that client’s life. Not only that, but that client will be yours for life. I have the privilege of experiencing this all the time, and I hope you have the opportunity to do the same in the future. The first step in this process is to learn the basics of how to analyze and work with a client with scoliosis, and I can teach you.

To register for Analyzing the Scoliotic Body go to www.ErinMyers.me, click on the Workshops tab, and scroll down to Analyzing the Scoliotic Body. From there you’ll be connected to Balanced Body’s website where you can sign-up for Analyzing the Scoliotic Body on June 2 at Simply Balanced. If you are having issues with signing up, please don’t hesitate to call me at 615-509-6004 or email me at myerse@me.com. I look forward to working with you on June 2.”

Bridging
Bridging is one of the most common movements that we use in our classes. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Make sure your pelvis is neutral. Your feet should only be as wide as your sits bones–as if you have a tennis ball between your ankles. Imagine you’re lying on a sticky surface with a string tied around your tailbone. If somebody pulled that string, your body would come off the mat one vertebrae at a time, like someone slowly peeling a piece of gum off the floor.

To start bridging, exhale as you roll from a neutral pelvis through a posterior pelvic tilt.

Gradually lift your pelvis until your body forms a diagonal line from your knees through your hipbones all the way through your shoulders.Once you’re at the top of your bridge, take a breath in. On your next exhale, slowly roll back down placing one vertebrae at a time on the mat placing your tailbone down at the very last. Repeat 10 times.

If you want a little extra fun, try the same thing but lifting one foot at a time off the mat at the top of your bridge. You can even try tipping your pelvis from side to side.

*Please note if you have a bulging disk, herniated disk, or osteoporisis, do your bridging with a flat back as you raise and lower your hips in the bridge.

Hundreds
Hundreds are one of the most dreaded exercises in my class! They are simple and effective, a great ab exercise, and a great way to energize your body. Start in the same position you would for bridging. Curl your chin into your chest, and begin rolling one vertebrae at a time off the mat until your shoulder blades are off the ground. Be sure you’re keeping your pelvis in a neutral position.

Begin to pulse your arms up and down at your sides, inhaling for 5 pulses then exhaling for 5 pulses. To enhance the ab work, try doing it with your legs in tabletop position. For an even more exciting challenge, try the same exercises with you legs straightened out on a diagonal, about 45 degrees off the ground.

*Please note if you have osteoporosis, leave your head on the mat for this exercise as spinal flexion is contraindicated for this condition.

Keep checking back for more simple and effective exercises you can do at home!

Making better bodies,
David

You can find more information on STOTT Continuing Ed workshops here.  Email Therese Thomas at STOTT or our studio at Simply Balanced to register.

Not a pilates instructor yet? Looking to fulfill either your Mat or Reformer certification? Check out our Teacher Training page for more information, course offerings, and descriptions. We look forward to seeing you in the studio for this exciting event!

We’re excited to be starting a new 3-part blog post series to show you exercises and stretches you can do at home with the Magic Circle. This is a wonderful prop to add to your home workout routine. Mind you, these are only a few out of hundreds that you can learn and apply to your home workout. The Magic Circle is also lightweight and small enough to take on the plane or in the car, making it a great prop to travel with.

I.T. Band

Piriformis Stretch

Don’t have a magic circle yet? Be sure to get one next time you’re at the studio!

Recently, my roommate Jessie wrote a blog about our 8-week sugar-quitting adventure. After reading her post and getting a ton of feedback from friends, I thought I’d join in on the conversation and offer some more little insights.

First of all, can we all agree on the power food holds over our lives? Seriously. Quitting sugar has been hard for Jessie and me, but it has been hard on the people around us too. Questions like, “Why is sugar bad?” “Why is fruit bad?” and “WHAT DO YOU EAT??” ring in our ears. And they are great questions, because food is very important to us physically, emotionally, socially, and psychologically.

The reason I decided to join Jessie in quitting sugar was because I was interested in experimenting. What would happen to my moods, my cravings, my energy level? Would it help my half marathon training? Would it positively affect my hormones, or teach me restraint when in the presence of a gluten-free chocolate cake?? I was interested. And maybe you are too. Obviously, this thing is a great way to reprogram your body if you are caught in a cycle of sugary eating, mood swings, or exhaustion. For Jessie and me, it was an experiment. We wanted to train our bodies not to need or crave sugary treats.

What was the process like?

The first two weeks were smooth sailing. I’m already used to reading labels (I’m gluten-free and mostly dairy-free), so I just got all the sugar out of the fridge and ate the other stuff. Of course, giving up my gluten-free cereal, muffins, frozen yogurt, dried fruit, and fruit was pretty difficult, but I love healthy food…so no big deal, right?!

Week three was a whole new animal. I was really tired. I wanted caffeine, water, and a truck load of chocolate. I had headaches every afternoon. The fun was over and I was getting really bored with almonds for dessert. But we stuck it out, using that time to detox. I took vitamins, probiotics, an herbal formula, Ginko Biloba, and Slippery Elm Bark to calm my system. Jessie did a two week detox kit. By week five, things were steady again, and by week six it was time to start adding some fruit back in!

But what do we eat, you ask? Now, on the home stretch of our adventure, my staples are plenty of vegetables, gluten-free whole grains (buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, millet), raw nuts, seeds (chia, flax), rice cakes, corn tortillas, nut butters, hummus, and goat cheese/yogurt. We cook and bake with coconut oil. I buy Gluten-free pasta, bread, and sugar-free baked goods occasionally, when I can find brands without lots of sugar. I eat blueberries some days, or something sweetened with rice syrup if I need a treat. I adore cinnamon, hot tea, coconut water, and sunflower seed butter.

What differences do you notice, after eight weeks?

Being rid of sugar has made some pretty cool changes in my body. The coolest thing about this journey has been the ability to recognize how my body responds to the food I eat. Everyone will experience the effects of being sugar-free differently; I know some of my changes are different from Jessie’s. For instance, she said quitting sugar reduced her caffeine tolerance, but mine was increased. (Coffee has saved me the past eight weeks!!) Here are some more changes:

• I’ve noticed I get sugar-jitters from carrots now, and simple carbs like rice bread. When I eat a little sugar, I feel it like caffeine.
• Any additional sugar now messes with my training (I’m a runner and some days a cyclist) — makes runs harder and I get cramps.
• My system feels a lot simpler now, and it doesn’t take much for me to notice changes.
• I even notice the weather affecting me now; I get headaches when it’s rainy.
• I have to give in to sleep when I’m tired (I always used to push through the afternoon with sugar!).
• My skin is incredibly clear.
• I can’t tell if I’ve lost weight, since it’s training season and I’m gaining muscle. But I feel like my body is where it wants to be, weight-wise.
• I rarely make food decisions based on uncontrollable cravings anymore. I just eat good food and move on. I can say no to brownies. Freedom!

I hope Jessie and I have inspired you to check out Sarah Wilson’s brilliant book and website on quitting sugar! Or at the very least, we hope it encourages you to remember that what we eat affects how we feel (shameless plug: Pilates does too!)

May you eat well, be well, and steward your body well — it’s a gift.

Check out Sarah’s website and blog here! She has some great recipes for your new sugar-less lifestyle. Buy Sarah’s book here! One of the best parts is, it’s downloadable, so you can take it with you & read it on your iPhone, your iPad, or your laptop.

Making better bodies,

Jordan

Do you find yourself in a slump mid-afternoon, reaching for a cup of coffee or a sugary snack? Do you reward yourself with sweets or eat when you’re emotional? I know I did. My roommate, Jordan (who also happens to be the wonderful Simply Balanced front desk manager) joined me as we embarked on a little 8 week journey of eliminating sugar from our diets. Have you ever thought about quitting sugar, but weren’t sure if there was a good enough reason to? We’ll give you a few.

How did the whole quitting sugar thing start? 

I’m getting married in June, so naturally I want to look great in my dress, but I’m not a crash-dieter by any means, nor do I need to lose 30 pounds. I was browsing Pinterest around the beginning of the year and stumbled across a book called “I Quit Sugar” by Sarah Wilson, the former editor for  Cosmopolitan. I told Jordan about it, and we decided to do it together. Jordan and I are mostly healthy people already–she eats entirely gluten-free, we both work out, eat healthy, and are pretty happy with our bodies.

Sarah tells us to consider quitting sugar “an experiment”–just try it to see how you feel. While I’m awful at sticking to diets (as I think most of us are), I could definitely test out an experiment.

Why quit? 

Our kitchen was always stocked full of organic healthy food. But, when we looked closer, we noticed that there was a lot more sugar than we thought. I for one, love juice and cereal. I also love drizzled honey in my yogurt, in tea, or on toast. Jordan noticed even a lot of healthy-looking gluten-free foods contain loads of sugar. Not to mention, we both have a weakness for Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free brownies.

Over the last several weeks, “fructose” has become a four-letter-word in our little house. Sarah tells us in her book: when we eat fructose, our brains don’t have a mechanism that tells us to stop, thus the cycle of addiction begins. After we have fructose, we just want more.

Quitting sugar means cutting out all sugar–refined sugar, raw sugar, sweeteners, honey, agave, fruit, at least temporarily. For 5 weeks we cut out all fructose. But why are you cutting out fruit?  you may ask. While, it seems crazy to cut out fruit, the truth is, fruit is mostly fructose, and we were training our bodies not to crave it.

Helpful tips: 

Sarah’s book is full of awesome tips for quitting, but here are a few little tips I found helpful through the process:

• Having a buddy. Since Jordan and I are roommates, we became a great support system for each other. The fridge was sugar-free, too, so neither of us were tempted.
• I started putting cinnamon on everything! I found that it helped curb my sugar cravings.
• Instead of ordering a sugary chai lattés made of chai concentrate and milk, I now order a chai tea bag in half water and half steamed milk, then sprinkle it with cinnamon. It feels like a little treat, and I still get the amazing chai flavor.
• Instead of a sugary vanilla lattés, I get decaf lattés sprinkled with cinnamon.
• I started eating Almond Butter, which used to taste bland but now tastes sweet to me (check to make sure the ingredients are just almonds and salt).
• A new love for almonds and pistachios when I need a little pick-me-up snack.

How do you feel now?

Amazing. My tolerance for caffeine (which already wasn’t very high) significantly decreased to the point where even decaf lattés gives me the jitters. I also lost a solid 5 pounds–just from taking sugar out of my diet. Not to mention, I started getting compliments about how good my skin looked and how good my body looked. Along with quitting sugar, I got better about taking my vitamins, drank more water, did a Whole Foods detox kit (only $12.99), and ate more protein & vegetables. Now, I’m eating no more than 2 pieces of fruit a day–usually berries, oranges, or strawberries, and laying off the desserts.

How do I start? 

Check out Sarah’s website and blog here! She has some great recipes for your new sugar-less lifestyle. Buy Sarah’s book here! One of the best parts is, it’s downloadable, so you can take it with you & read it on your iPhone, your iPad, or your laptop.

Why not give it a shot? Experiment to see how you feel quitting sugar.

Making better bodies,

Jessie

Teaser Prep
This is a classical exercise that will help build balance, define your legs and give you that killer six-pack that you always wanted. Begin by lying on your back with your feet in table top position and your arms overhead.

Exhale and reach your arms toward your legs and roll your back off the mat as much as you can or until you are sitting up in a V shape position with your legs bent and your hands reaching toward your feet.

Inhale at the top, and then exhale to roll yourself back down with control back to lying on the mat. Repeat 10 times, rest, and then repeat an additional 10 more times. Avoid if low back pain occurs (If you would like to challenge yourself, try it with straight legs).
Leg Pull Down Prep
This exercise will help tone and strengthen the arms, abdominals, and glutes.

Start in a plank (push up) position with the shoulders over the wrists, the inner thighs together, and the torso in one line from head to feet. Lift one leg toward the ceiling with the foot pointed.

Pulse leg to the ceiling 10 times, then switch legs, rest, and repeat 4-6 more times. Keep your torso in line and hips level throughout the exercise. Avoid if low back pain occurs (If you would like a challenge, bend the arms and keep them bent throughout the exercise).

Making better bodies,

David

Pilates Breath- Kay Creighton-Hays
All movement stems from the center of your body, starting with your breath. The focus of Kay’s class is to teach how to utilize breathing more efficiently in your workout as you move through exercises. By using your breath you gain a stronger center and stability through your body.

Lengthen & Tone- Alessandra Casuccio
Because of Alessandra’s dance background, her goal is always to help you lengthen and tone your muscles helping you gain flexibility and strength without the bulk. Expect a fun class that will challenge you and give you a stronger and better looking body.

Mindful Movement- Jennifer McNamara
Jennifer’s focus is not just to give you a hard workout, but to help you understand how your body is meant to move. In this class expect to focus on the details of the exercises, which will help bring you into proper alignment.

Pure Strength- David Gensheimer
David teaches a fast-paced class that focuses on building strength. A workout with David will challenge you to your limit—whether you are a beginner or an advanced client. Expect to have fun, work hard, and sweat.

Realignment & Stretch- Lisa Brown
With Lisa, you can expect to have fun while focusing on the fundamentals of Pilates. Expect to stretch and release tension, while focusing on proper alignment, moving through exercises at a more moderate pace.

Start in a reverse plank with the wrists under the shoulders and the hips lifted as HIGH as possible. Keep your eyes focused on the wall in front of you.

From there, lift one leg off the ground (without letting the pelvis drop) and pulse it to the ceiling 2 times, then set the leg down and repeat on the other side.

Do this 4-6 times then relax. (If this is too difficult, do it with bent legs and feet flat on the ground!)

The best way to get into the side bend prep is to start in a regular plank (push up position), move one hand to the middle under your sternum and then rotate by lifting the opposite hand off the ground where you are facing the wall. Your wrist should be under your shoulder and the top foot should be in front of the bottom foot (as shown in the picture).

Hold for 5 seconds, and then rotate to the other side and face the opposite direction, hold for an additional 5 seconds.

Relax and then repeat 4-6 more times. (If you would like more of a challenge, try all 4 reps without relaxing).

Once you’re finished with these exercises, take a few minutes to breathe deep, or get into child’s pose. Breathing and child’s pose will also help you to center your body and your mind!

Making better bodies,