These hot, balmy summer days blend together in a mix of sports (Auburn with a bright blue mouth-guard played point-guard for 80 minutes last night), summer novels (finished "The Shack" and currently entranced by "What the Dead Know" by Laura Lippman), and the blessing of consistent, fun, committed clients....thank you for that!
Sunday I enjoyed Kettlebrook Church and the verse from Acts 13:13 which states, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement to give, then give it." It set a tone to my week that God works through each one of us in our daily interactions. Encouragement is a spiritual act. When we encourage our friends and colleagues in marriage, parenting, work or even sports we share love.
Monday, our pseudo holiday, found me at the Y teaching 6 hours of group fitness and Pilates. I subbed Shape Shoppe for a friend who draws seriously fit, focused clients to her class each week. It certainly challenged my body to give these women an intense program. Fifty-five minutes of interval training primarily with the body bar and interspersing a variety of core moves on the mat left me dripping in sweat...pretty! One of my favorite core moves these days is called "the reptile," in fact I like all animal moves. Google bear walks, tiger walks, inchworms, duck walks, dancing crabs, and monkey push-ups and you will find an array of tough, jungle motions. The reptile is performed in a plank position. Draw one knee to your outside elbow while looking to the same side...alternate this motion side to side. Imagine how an alligator moves its torso side to side and it is this motion which strengthens your obliques while the plank position challenges the circumference of your core. In addition we did many dead-lifts, squats, and lunge combos to strength train the lower body. Never hesitate to work these positions on a single leg to spice up your challenge and results.
As I absolutely love tennis, a wonderful friend/client brought her Tennis magazine to her reformer session today to share an article encouraging tennis players to practice cross training and incorporate Pilates. The article states: "Be flexible. Players who only exercise by playing tennis are at greater risk for injuries says Dr. Neeru Jaynathi, a USPTA-certified teaching pro and medical director for primary care sports medicine at the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. A study he led that analyzed 3,366 matches in USTA junior tournaments found that players who played only tennis were more likely to withdraw from competition for medical reasons, including injuries to joints. It's necessary for tennis players to cross-train to prevent overuse injuries. Jaynathi says you should play other sports, such as basketball or soccer and do exercises that enhance flexibility and core and upper-body strength. Examples include yoga, Pilates, and maintaining aerobic fitness through cardio tennis instead of just playing as usual."
My general belief is we focus too much on training the abdominals in a shortened position as in "crunches" and when "real-life" asks us to perform a motion which requires significant abdominal length and spinal extension like a tennis serve we put ourselves at risk for abdominal injury. My mantra: "To be long, you have to be strong!" Likewise, tennis incorporates many quick, often small shuffle steps to get to the ball. Our body loses the ability to move through its full hip range and we become shortened and tight through this repetitive motion. As I shared with my client today, a wise running coach encouraged me to always end my endurance runs (typically shorter strides) with "bounding" or extra large strides to provide dynamic mobility to the hip joints. This could also be an effective strategy for tennis players to help maintain flexibility. Yes, you may feel silly "leaping and bounding" around the tennis court but it feels good and 30 years from now you will still be able to reach your feet and tie your shoes!
Looking ahead I have a weekend devoted to the Pilates Method and learning from foremost trainers in the field including Olympic coaches, esteemed physical therapists, and professional trainers from the MLB. I consider it a retreat as I go alone and blend into this melee of men and women passionate about Pilates and feeling good. The weekend begins 5am Friday as I drive to Chicago and ends returning home about 9pm Sunday with my new equipment purchase, the "Tower." Note the YouTube video below that highlights NFL player Shawn Springs using the reformer tower.
Be long, be strong. If you have any encouragement to give....then give it! Thank you for reading.
Sunday I enjoyed Kettlebrook Church and the verse from Acts 13:13 which states, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement to give, then give it." It set a tone to my week that God works through each one of us in our daily interactions. Encouragement is a spiritual act. When we encourage our friends and colleagues in marriage, parenting, work or even sports we share love.
Monday, our pseudo holiday, found me at the Y teaching 6 hours of group fitness and Pilates. I subbed Shape Shoppe for a friend who draws seriously fit, focused clients to her class each week. It certainly challenged my body to give these women an intense program. Fifty-five minutes of interval training primarily with the body bar and interspersing a variety of core moves on the mat left me dripping in sweat...pretty! One of my favorite core moves these days is called "the reptile," in fact I like all animal moves. Google bear walks, tiger walks, inchworms, duck walks, dancing crabs, and monkey push-ups and you will find an array of tough, jungle motions. The reptile is performed in a plank position. Draw one knee to your outside elbow while looking to the same side...alternate this motion side to side. Imagine how an alligator moves its torso side to side and it is this motion which strengthens your obliques while the plank position challenges the circumference of your core. In addition we did many dead-lifts, squats, and lunge combos to strength train the lower body. Never hesitate to work these positions on a single leg to spice up your challenge and results.
As I absolutely love tennis, a wonderful friend/client brought her Tennis magazine to her reformer session today to share an article encouraging tennis players to practice cross training and incorporate Pilates. The article states: "Be flexible. Players who only exercise by playing tennis are at greater risk for injuries says Dr. Neeru Jaynathi, a USPTA-certified teaching pro and medical director for primary care sports medicine at the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. A study he led that analyzed 3,366 matches in USTA junior tournaments found that players who played only tennis were more likely to withdraw from competition for medical reasons, including injuries to joints. It's necessary for tennis players to cross-train to prevent overuse injuries. Jaynathi says you should play other sports, such as basketball or soccer and do exercises that enhance flexibility and core and upper-body strength. Examples include yoga, Pilates, and maintaining aerobic fitness through cardio tennis instead of just playing as usual."
My general belief is we focus too much on training the abdominals in a shortened position as in "crunches" and when "real-life" asks us to perform a motion which requires significant abdominal length and spinal extension like a tennis serve we put ourselves at risk for abdominal injury. My mantra: "To be long, you have to be strong!" Likewise, tennis incorporates many quick, often small shuffle steps to get to the ball. Our body loses the ability to move through its full hip range and we become shortened and tight through this repetitive motion. As I shared with my client today, a wise running coach encouraged me to always end my endurance runs (typically shorter strides) with "bounding" or extra large strides to provide dynamic mobility to the hip joints. This could also be an effective strategy for tennis players to help maintain flexibility. Yes, you may feel silly "leaping and bounding" around the tennis court but it feels good and 30 years from now you will still be able to reach your feet and tie your shoes!
Looking ahead I have a weekend devoted to the Pilates Method and learning from foremost trainers in the field including Olympic coaches, esteemed physical therapists, and professional trainers from the MLB. I consider it a retreat as I go alone and blend into this melee of men and women passionate about Pilates and feeling good. The weekend begins 5am Friday as I drive to Chicago and ends returning home about 9pm Sunday with my new equipment purchase, the "Tower." Note the YouTube video below that highlights NFL player Shawn Springs using the reformer tower.
Be long, be strong. If you have any encouragement to give....then give it! Thank you for reading.
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