3 Tips To Make Your Holiday Season Healthy and Bright!

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3 Tips To Make Your Holiday Season Healthy and Bright!

1. Just breathe. The holidays can be so stressful. And the first thing "out the window" when stress kicks in is mindful deep breaths. Pause periodically for a moment throughout the day to practice your Pilates breath to fuel your body with energizing O2, check in on places you know you hold tension, and feel your core muscles stretch and engage. Inhale..... Exhale..... Repeat.

2. Squeeze your bum! The holidays are amazing at knocking us off our regular routines and putting us in a bind. Literally. We tend to be less active because of holiday parties, finishing end of the year work, and travel - which almost certainly means we are sitting more. Taking just 5 minutes to do some basic body weight squats or laying down to do some bridges can reignite those powerful gluts on your back side. As a bonus, it will get your blood flowing and automatically wake up those deeper core muscles. Squeeze your bum and it will never let you down!

3. Roll the stress away. No matter plane, train, or automobile traveling can be stressful on the mind and body. We got you - use one of our fascial release balls to roll out your feet or work out a knot in your shoulder. A little bit of rolling can help rehydrate muscles (bright and refreshed), increase mobility (quick like a bunny), and decrease mental and physical stress (jolly as a jelly bean). 

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The Teacher Becomes The Student

Part of our mission at The Co Pilates is to be your go-to nerd! We live to learn and believe that practice as the student improves our ability as the teacher.  Check out some of our biggest takeaways from our most recent workshops. 

"When you think something is lost forever and then you see that it's not - that changes your world.” - client with Multiple Sclerosis

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society Official Certification for Movement Professionals.         

Key Takeaway: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can present quite differently from client to client. Knowing that a client may fatigue more quickly based on environmental factors such as weather or time of day aids in the efficiency of our programing to achieve rehabilitative goals. Understanding how primary symptoms of the disease, such as muscle weakness or spasticity of the muscles, are intertwined with secondary symptoms such as decreased balance creates a safer and more confident environment in which to work. Boosted confidence leads to increased motivation which ensures the likelihood of longevity in activity - our ultimate goal. 

Goal for Application: When it comes to a disease like MS the mobility of a client is their freedom and connection to wellbeing. It is vital that we comprehend all of the tiny details which make the client's experience of this disease somewhat unpredictable. Our person-centered approach in healing through movement is meant to balance the unpredictability of the disease with the diversity that is the human body.

 “You never really know what you’ll decide to do until its your diagnosis.” - Doreen Puglisi, M.S. 

Pink Ribbon Program - Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist Certification

Key Takeaway: Two clear elements exist in this training. First, the physical exercise protocol with the purpose of addressing varying degrees of injury and immobility related to the procedures and treatment plan. Second, the mental health component must be taken into consideration when working with a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Learning how to speak to clients in more depth about what they are facing with breast cancer was so valuable to my practice. It has inspired an upcoming October newsletter featuring two breast cancer survivors and one of their general practitioners.

Goal for Application: Create awareness of the options available to breast cancer survivors to continue to heal through organized, targeted, and effective movement. Provide support and advancement of health by strategically progressing training (including efficient biomechanics, strength, and flexibility) based on the specific secondary complications that can arise from procedures like mastectomies and breast reconstruction. Be a collaborative partner in the continuum of care needed long after diagnosis to aid the client in recapturing control over their wellbeing.

“I’m so excited to be in a classroom again!” - A teacher on being the student

Functional Anatomy for Movement and Injuries (FAMI) Workshop

Key Takeaway: The Co Pilates was founded on the idea of collaboration so we felt right at home being immersed in four days of community and team work for the greater good of the people that trust us with their bodies. The overarching goal of this workshop was to facilitate a much needed conversation between healthcare practitioners and wellness/movement professionals regarding the huge gap that exists between these treatment strategies for clients. In addition, it provided the dedicated participants a more detailed understanding of the human body and how it functions. Approximately 60 movement practitioners (Pilates instructors, yoga instructors, massage therapists, and physical therapists) spent four days absorbed in instruction ranging from in-depth reviews of evolutionary anatomy - the days when we had a tail - to the latest developments in orthopedic surgery. We left excited to know that leading doctors in the field of orthopedics and anatomy can work together with movement experts to provide better care and more useful information to their clientele. 

Goal for Application: There are three major goals. First, is the implementation of a new broader language to communicate with clients and their doctors about what we see week-to-week to best inform their doctors. As we tend to see our clients more often than their doctors, a small detail such as noticing a client has lost the hair on their toes can turn into a major clue for a doctor who could more quickly diagnose peripheral artery disease. Second, increased “x-ray” vision for a clearer understanding of a body’s capabilities and setbacks. Thirdly,  detective-like observation and listening allows us to troubleshoot for a solution, and conversely, to identify when to defer to a specialist if necessary for the resolution. 

Pilates is a foundational exercise in practice for over ninety years that continues to be fused with other types of movement. That's a testament to the power of Pilates to achieve results. If you can't tell we love being a resource for your movement and fitness needs - basking in the details is our sweet spot!

From the heart,

Brittany and The Co