Category Archives: News

Exercise For Safe Pain Relief

NIH Studies Pain Relief Alternatives

NIH alt pain relief

Fresh Look At Non-Addictive Methods of Pain Relief

NBC News reports that the National Institute of Health, after an extensive review of alternative methods of pain relief including acupuncture, tai chi, massage, meditation, and yoga, has found that those and other procedures can be just as effective as opioids in relieving symptoms.

The study, which looked at 16,000 patients, focused on the role pain relievers play in our daily lives, and whether or not other approaches could deliver relief without the threat addiction poses when using pharmacological remedies.

Researchers examined the three most common pain complaints: arthritic knees, neck, and lower back, and concluded that, in the case of lower back pain, yoga and acupuncture provided substantial relief. Even though Pilates wasn’t mentioned, I’m assuming that had it been included as a part of the study we’d have been well represented as being both safe and effective.

The research also looked at supplements like glucosamine, and found them to be ineffective in achieving any significant change in joint health, let alone pain relief.

This study began as an effort to find a solution to increasingly common opioid addiction as a result of commonly prescribed pain relief medications, and ended up discovering that safe and effective alternatives, including centuries old exercise based on ancient beliefs, can perform as well or better than modern pharmaceuticals.

This Client Really Gets A Workout!

Ana rides her bike - weather permitting - to every workout

Ana’s Portuguese heritage is right at home as she cycles around the Beaches and mid-Pinellas, doubling up on her Pilates workout benefit by riding to the studio from her Madeira Beach home.

Making The Most of Every Pilates Session

Ana – “Tita” to her friends – is one of my favorite clients. This Lisbon, Portugal, native and former pro basketball player loves our weather and enjoys riding her bike the short distance to the studio from her nearby Madeira Beach home whenever she can.

Ana estimates she rides 20-plus miles daily. Typical trips include the grocery, banking business, and checking her mail at the beach post office, all part of her route around town.

The 2-wheeled commute to her weekly YPL workouts means crossing the intracoastal waterway, with its panoramic post card view of Boca Ciega Bay in front, the Gulf of Mexico behind, and a steady stream of leisure boat traffic passing below the Tom Stuart Causeway bridge draw span.

Ana works out with her friend during a YPL mat class.

Exercise Bonus – A Ride With A View

Not only does Ana add more international flavor to the studio, her Pilates enthusiasm can be contagious. Just ask her workout partner and local friend Vinkica after they teamed up for Classical mat sessions (above). And yes, it is all about the abs! Note the extra challenge holding the ball between the knees.

Although riding bikes for general transportation is much more common in Europe, Ana says she enjoys it here more than when she travels home to Portugal several times a year. She likes that she’s saving gas, helping the environment, and improving her health with this pleasant exercise every time she heads out the door.

While in the U.S. her travels include trips north to Tallahassee to visit her son, currently a business and finance major at Florida State University. Meanwhile her daughter helps run the family’s businesses back home in Portugal.

Pilates Happy Dance

Bluebird Pilates Does The Happy Dance

Some of you might have already seen this but it’s just soooo cool!!! Makes me happy – how about you? Who says Pilates can’t affect your daily outlook on life.

How To Do The Pilates Pushup

Why Pilates Pushups Are Superior to Gym Half Measures

Did you know that there’s a big difference between a regular run-of-the-mill gym pushup and a Pilates pushup? Well, there is! This video, from Brooke Siler, one of the best known Pilates teachers, perfectly demonstrates correct Pilates form.

This Pilates Floor Exercise Works Arms, Chest, Back

Body weight strength exercises are increasingly popular for fitness on the run and as part of a regular routine. This style of pushup goes well beyond the typical butt-in-the-air half dip many mistake for exercise, but in reality falls far short to the point of being counter-productive.

Once you’re able to make Pilates pushups part of your fitness routine, you’ll find you’ve become more flexible, stronger, and more limber. Try just one today, then start building up to a set of 10.

Happy New Year 2014!

stay warm with PilatesPilates keeps you warm on the coldest days!

It’s a brand new year and those resolutions are still warm even if the weather outside isn’t! Make this the year you make fitness part of your daily routine.

How Stress Might Affect You

Stress Affects Everyone Differently

We all live with stress in our daily lives – sometimes more, sometimes less. Do you know what that means in terms of your physical well being?

The American Institute of Stress looks at changes that occur to the body when you’re under stress. All the more reason to exercise, breathe deeply, and calm both mind and body.

Here's how everyday stress can affect your body.

American Institute of Stress