9:30 PM

It's time for the evening 3-dog walk and it is 47 degrees outside.  Winter coat, hat, mittens, and fuzzy pants to keep my legs warm.  Spring is out there somewhere!  Our cat follows the entourage dodging cars, pedestrians, and enemy dogs.  Occasionally his attention gets pulled away by a bird in a bush that he must stalk.  He doesn't stay out long after we return...it's too cold even for him.  Spring is out there somewhere!

It is warm in our house.  It is warm in the pilates studio.  Come on inside and take a class.  You may receive an invitation to take a mat class during your anniversary week.  The mat classes are fun and can be challenging.  Monday's class worked on the teaser prep and we were all feeling its effects!  Join us.

See you next week.  Maybe Spring will arrive by then!

Jerry

Ahhhh, Extension!

ballerina women

You've all seen it.  The ballerina reaches so far with her arms she looks like she's 10' tall.  It's beautiful to watch!  I don't have THAT much extension but I do love how it feels in my upper back and shoulders.  And it can be beautiful when the clients I'm instructing get just a little bit more extension when performing swan on the reformer!

I talked during my classes this week about practicing your extension so you prevent the dowagers hump.  You've all seen this too.  Maybe your grandmother or the elderly woman crossing a street has that bent over posture.

It's caused by osteoporosis.  Imagine your thoracic vertebra as a marshmellow which is pinched on one side.  Now stack a few together and wahla! you have a hump.

Pilates can help.  To prevent the hump you need to practice weightbearing exercise, perform extension and resistance exercises, and eat a healthy diet.  Annie's jump board class involves resistance and weightbearing exercise and you'll get a strong bootie!  The Heartcore classes on Wednesday and Saturday involve jumping and resistance...strong bones and booties again!  You also get some extension practice in all private instruction and mat classes.

Ahhh, extension!  Try it.