WELCOME TO THE ENCORE PILATES BLOG
Why Social Media is Toxic
Do you ever find yourself in a scroll time warp? Do you have to make a conscious effort NOT to open your social media channel? Do you jump on ‘just to post a quick pic’ and then realise you’ve been scrolling mindlessly for 15, 20, 30 minutes or more? Well, you’ll be relieved to know that you are not alone! Social media addiction is real and [...]
How We Learn New Movement Skills
A major part of a Pilates Instructors’ job (and of many other practitioners in different physical movement fields) is to identify weaker or imbalanced movement patterns, across the whole body, in all different directions (or ranges of motion) and prescribe certain exercises or movements to help teach a client’s body to learn better ones. This might mean teaching, training or retraining a client, (including their [...]
Finding the right Pilates studio for you
As a teacher of teachers I travel interstate to share my knowledge and to create strong, informed communities of Pilates professionals. I meet such amazing, inspiring educators everywhere I go. The level of expertise is refreshing, the desire to learn and do good by our industry is humbling and everywhere I go there are pockets of studios who are paving the way for a bright future [...]
The emotion of pain
Is it possible to identify with your pain so intimately that it becomes a part of your identity? What would happen if you didn’t have the pain, the discomfort or the disease? Would you still be you? Have you become so deeply interwoven into your experience that you actually would not let it go? This is an extremely difficult, sensitive and taboo conversation, and not one [...]
Pilates, Posture, and Wonkiness
Definition: Wonky/ 'wonki'/ adjective not straight; crooked or askew synonyms: crooked, off centre, lopsided, askew, skew, skew-whiff (of a thing), unsteady, shaky, unstable, rocky, not functioning correctly; faulty. "I enjoy good health apart from my wonky knees". https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wonky Definition: Posture/ ' posta'/ noun the position in which someone holds their body when sitting or standing synonyms: position, pose, attitude, stance, particular approach or attitude, attitude, stance, [...]
Pilates for Heart Health
It’s Happy Heart month! February – the month when everyone’s hearts are a flutter with roses and chocolates and vows of true love (or possibly feeling like it’s been run over by a stampede of elephants then left to die and wither alone). Either way it is a wonderful time to raise issues of heart health to ensure this year’s Valentines are in fact fluttering [...]
How Glutes work and why they are so important!
Goldisocks and the 3 Glutes My clients know my love affair with good strong glutes and how much the ‘I found them’ face in a particular Pilates exercise makes my day. Besides keeping their butts toned and strong, and filling up the back of their pants, this work also helps them to stand, walk and run in the best way they can. It also means that [...]
Core muscles and how Pilates can help
‘Strengthen your core’ is a common recommendation from exercise professionals, physical therapists, doctors, surgeons and researchers, for an array physical concerns [1, 2]. It’s also a catch phrase for many exercise programs. But what does it mean? It refers to specific core muscles of the body that essentially work to stabilise, support and protect the spine. The health and movement benefits of strengthening core muscles and [...]
How to Recover from C-section
As a Pilates instructor I just assumed that I would have the ideal birth. I looked after my pregnant body with daily exercise and meditation and I nourished myself from the garden. I hired a Doula to act as my spokesperson and I took the last 3 months off work to prepare myself for the life that lay ahead. My labour came on steadily at home [...]
Exercising with intention
Stuck in an exercise rut? "I am exercising as hard as I can so why am I not getting stronger, faster, better?" This is a common one. A new client starts with us and joins the group classes. Let's call them Jill. We have 3 very distinct levels, with the Intro class teaching correct technique and alignment. Jill is desperate to feel the benefits and doesn’t [...]