I thought this would be helpful to many clients.  As instructors, we hear, "Am I in neutral?" or "Is this neutral?".  A few tips to help out.

Thank you to Karyn Staples for allowing us to share her knowledge.

How To Find Neutral Spine

October 15, 2015 - Pilates - Tagged: core, core stregth, neutral spine, pilates - no comments

How to find your neutral spine aka “the optimal alignment for your body”:

• Lie on your back, feet in parallel and about 2-3 inches apart, knees bent. Relax your shoulders and with your next exhale, feel your tummy tone. Keeping your abdomen as firm as possible, maintain a small space between your low back and the mat.

• Draw your ribs down. Think of drawing your ribs away from your clothing.

• Challenge yourself and your ability to stay organized by lifting your arms towards the ceiling. As they lift, keep the tone in your abdomen and your ribs connected.

• If you feel your back arching and ribs flaring, you’ve reached your end range of motion. Practice moving maintaining your neutral spine to build up strength and improve your posture!

 

About the author

Karyn Staples, PT, PhD, OCS

I am a physical therapist, Polestar Pilates educator, wife, mom of 2, world traveler, business owner, and researcher. Helping people move better is my passion and Pilates is the way to make it happen!

Happy New Year!!

One of our instructors posted the following on her Facebook page. 




In light of the New Year, I've had some thoughts on my mind I wanted to share. I do believe in new beginnings, fresh starts. I do however get troubled by what I hear and see at the start of a new year. Being in the business I'm in, I feel like I should tell you my feelings on being "healthy".
As many of you know, I have lost both of my parents. My Father died from Alzheimer's and my Mother died from Dementia, kidney disease and heart disease. They were 68 and 71. Frankly, I got scared. I started to imagine what I wanted the rest of my life to look like, but based my my family history it didn't look to promising. At the time of my Mom's passing my husband Troy was on medication for high blood pressure and he pretty much felt like crap. I had also had a bout with high blood pressure myself brought on by anxiety. Things had to change.
I started practicing yoga. Life changing at the time. Not only did it teach me about the importance of meditation, I heard something that I will never forget. HONOR YOUR BODY. I now had a new perspective and one that needed to be shared.
How does one "HONOR THEIR BODY"?
NOURISHMENT!
Nourishing your mind, body and spirit. So, I decided to start teaching Pilates again. I started learning about disease prevention through whole foods. That's when I was introduced to Juice Plus. Life changing for me as well. The power of fruits and vegetables. Simple and it made sense for my family.
Food is powerful. Food is beautiful. Food is healing.
We as a society are so hyper focused on our outsides, that we forget about our insides! Especially this time of year. What if we made changes for our bones, joints, muscles, organs, our minds and our spirits.
My word for 2016 is NOURISHMENT. I will nourish my body with food, ALL KINDS, but especially with more fruits and veggies. I will nourish my mind through learning, cooking, and meditation. And I will nourish my spirit by trusting God's plan for me and by using the power of prayer to lift others up.
I have been so blessed in my life. I have an amazing family, I have wonderful friends and most of all I am a child of God. May God bless you in 2016 and may you find nourishment. xoxo

Yummy soup to try now that the weather has gotten cold... healthy too!

After having seasonably warm weather on Christmas day, it is finally feeling like winter.... 18 degrees when I woke up the other morning.  Here is a perfect recipe to try on those cold nights.  I also love that it can be frozen for a future dinner.

Autumn Vegetable Soup

Serves 6-8 as a starter; 4 as main course

2T olive oil

3 medium carrots, medium dice

1 large yellow onion, medium dice

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

2C 1/2 inch cubed and peeled butternut squash ~half a 2# squash

1/4 t ground allspice

pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste

kosher salt

1 Quart low salt chicken broth *I use veggie broth*

1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 C lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale *I sometimes sub with spinach*

1 C low salt canned chickpeas

Heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. more.  

Add the squash, allspice, cayenne and 1 t salt and stir to combine.  Add 

the broth, tomatoes with their juice and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the kale and chickpeas and cook uncovered unitl the squash is tender and the kale has wilted, about 10 minutes more.  Discard the thyme sprigs before  serving.  Season to taste with s/p and more cayenne.

Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze for 2 months.

From Fine Cooking Recipes, Sept. 2009

On Friday, Oct. 30 we had the Pilates & Plank for Pink Challenge!  Congratulations to our finalists!

Noelle was the winner with her 8 minute and 25 second plank!  However, she didn't get the grand prize since she is an instructor at ISP!  

Donnie, our star Olympian in training, was the runner-up at 6 minutes and 10 seconds!  He gets a massage since the facial wouldn't be all that good with his facial hair. 

Shandra came in 3rd.  She held her plank for an awesome 5 minutes.  Since she is not a Pilates instructor or a future Olympian, she deserves that prize of a facial.  Great job!!

We had a lot of fun, and raised $740 for Triad Pink Heals. 

Italian Peasant Soup

I was given this recipe from a fellow instructor and it sounded very good and somewhat healthy.  I made it on one of those cold days.  My husband really liked it when he came back from running 3 miles that night.


Italian Peasant Soup


1 lb Italian sausage links with casings removed and cut into 1-inch slices
2 medium onions or 1 large onion chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) chicken broth
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped


- In Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
Add onions & garlic; sauté until tender.
- Add chicken; cook until no longer pink.
- Stir in beans, broth, tomatoes, basil, & oregano.
- Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Add spinach & heat just until wilted.
- Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.


Yield 11 servings.
From Taste of Home


I served the soup with garlic bread.  It was good for dipping and wiping the bottom of the bowl.
Try it and tell us what you thought.

1st post

We are into day 4 of our Pilates and Planks for Pink 30 Day Challenge.  October 1st we kicked it off with a 20 second hold... then 25 seconds on the 2nd... 30 seconds on the 3rd... and now day four takes us to a 35 second hold. Take advantage of the first of our Plank Builder Mat Classes this Tuesday the 6th at 1:00 with Lisa. This class will be FREE to anyone participating in the challenge. Don't miss this great opportunity to get in some great Pilates Mat work and work on your planking skills.
You are growing stronger every day. Focus on a solid abdominal engagement and length and strength from head to heel. Modify to the knees is you need and remember...Everyone Starts Somewhere. We are going to take it slow and steady and strive for that 5 minute hold. Thanks for helping us support Triad Pink Heals and all they do for women of the Triad as they battle cancer.