Outdoor Adventures: Rowanwood

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends. Celebrating in Ann Arbor on Thursday reminded me of last month when I took advantage of the fact that Canadian Thanksgiving falls in October to visit my sister who lives in hilly, rural Caledon, north of Toronto. I put my spinning workouts to task with a morning bike ride amid the maples, making it up all but one of the hills! I've visited Caledon many times, but with my outdoor adventure mindset I saw new potential in a familiar place.

What are you doing these holiday months to balance the celebrating?

Outdoor Adventures: Boulder

One of the consolation prizes for having my kids far from home is visiting them in beautiful places. The readily-accessible hikes around Chautauqua National Historic Landmark in Boulder and the well-kept trails and majestic views in Rocky Mountain National Park a short drive away provided our family with plenty of opportunity for outdoor adventures in October.


Here is my daughter on the Royal Arch trail behind Chautauqua in Boulder and at the top of the post, my son, me, and my daughter pause for lunch and pose for photos at Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. My husband and I were inspired by the hike and have been able to follow up in November with hikes around Ann Arbor.

Visualizations in Pilates

One of the most important elements to teaching a successful Pilates class is a visual cue. I try to use a wide variety of images and analogies to describe the movement and breathing that will help students get the maximum benefit from the exercises. Students come to Pilates with varying degrees of body awareness. It is very rewarding to witness this body awareness grow and develop the more time the student spends with Pilates! I often begin my classes with some small exercises to locate neutral spine. With the students lying on their backs, knees bent, feet on the floor, I describe the pelvis as a bowl filled with water. When the spine is in neutral, the water in the bowl is level. Then I ask the students to flatten the back of their waists to the mat, tipping the pelvis under, spilling the water over the rim of the bowl towards their bellies. This is called imprinting the spine to the mat. Then we relax the pelvis back to neutral and the water in the bowl is level again. Next the students tip the pelvis forward, increasing the space under the lower back, spilling the water between their legs. I find the bowl of water image really works. What visualizations in your Pilates classes have helped you and which ones have seemed completely odd?"

thanks to Beatnick on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmabum1964/2327581096/

Outdoor Adventures: the Arb

Working out at the gym is a means to an end for me - I want to be fit so I can play outside. Instead of planning workouts, I'm focusing on planning outdoor adventures. It's not always easy to figure out how to get outside, but the rewards are great, especially amid the fall folliage. In the past few weeks I've noticed that finding resources in my own neighborhood seemed more daunting than finding them when I travel. Lisa, my training buddy and great adventure planner, has really helped me see that Ann Arbor has great workout opportunities hidden under our noses.


Circuit Training in Nichols Arboretum - Ann Arbor, Michigan
The hills, meadows, and benches along the trail at the Arb create an ideal outdoor gym. Lisa and I alternated walk/jogs with strength training on the benches. When we came to a bench we paused for dips, push ups, and stretches, making this walk in the woods a real interval workout.


photos thanks to dustytraveller.blogspot.com and yipe.emich.edu/~npolaski

Summer Recap II: Triathlon Results

It's time to get a new race on my calendar! I signed up for the She Rocks all women sprint triathlon last year to celebrate turning 60. I surprised even myself when I signed up again this year [now called Iron Goddesses]. Training for the tri this past spring kept me motivated and created opportunities for some great workouts with my training buddies and de facto coaches. Here's one of my favorite shots of Lisa and me working on our cores:


Last year my splits were 27:53 [swim] 40:58 [bike] and 31:34 [run] for a total of 1 hr and 44 mins. My times this year were 23:49 [swim] 40:45 [bike] and 31:34 [run] for a total of 1h and 40 mins. That's 4 minutes faster than my 2009 times! I think a lot of it was mental - being ready for that big pack of thrashing arms and legs in the water and not letting the anxiety steal my breath. It's nice to see I didn't lose any speed on the run, even though that's the toughest leg for "well-seasoned" joints like mine. And where would I be without spinning class!

How were your races this summer? I'd be happy to post your pictures if you want to submit them!

Today is the first day of fall and you'll find my new schedule posted on the calendar at the bottom on the blog. See you in class!

Summer Recap I: FLIP at Dartmouth

A fit and healthy lifestyle gives you increased flexibility, energy, and strength. That's enough to make me do flips!

Establishing the Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program, or FLIP, at Dartmouth College was part of my first job in the U.S. My role was to create a fitness program for employees, students and the community in Hanover. Dartmouth had become a co-educational institution about 8 years before my arrival and the female students were calling for aerobics (it was the 80s after all!). Starting with just me as an instructor and then building to four instructors, we offered aerobics and stretch and tone in the gym and the “White Church”.

Dartmouth Gymnasium image from Lavallee/Brensinger Architects


On our visit to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth reunion (we have proud members of Class of '70 and '05 in the family), I was happy to learn that FLIP is alive, well, and growing. Many classes are still held in the same brick gym, but with a bright, modern interior thanks to a recent renovation. My daughter and I checked in with current director Hugh Mellert for a bit of "then and now".

Mr. Mellert filled us in on the growth and changes of FLIP over the past 20-odd years. The program now includes over 54 classes ranging from high-energy spinning classes to slow, soulful yoga and courses like nutrition and self-defense. The demand for courses offered has changed through the years. Whereas 8 Step Aerobics classes would fill quickly in previous decades, now 2 seem to suffice. Following what seems to be a national trend in popularity, yoga and spinning classes are now plentiful.

Founder Nancy Meier and Current Director

Hugh Mellert: the then and now of FLIP

About 1/4 of FLIP participants are staff and another 1/4 are community members. The remaining half is made up of students who can receive one credit for participation in FLIP. The recently upgraded fitness facilities are state of the art while still being housed in the original building.

Walking through the big arched doors and up the ancient staircase felt quite the same as it did in the early 80s, except instead of heading to class with my daughter in utero, there she was last week at my side, excitedly telling me "We should get a picture of this for the blog!".

Change and continuity engaged in their endless dance: Hats off to FLIP!

The Last Days of Summer

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly this summer. It's hard to reach the keyboard from my downward dog.

I'll be posting on our reunion trip back to my first fitness job and the summer's triathlon season. If you have any photos from summer fitness, please send them with an anecdote and I'll include them in the post! I'm always happy to hear about your outdoor adventures via the comments section as well. Check back soon!

A dog is a walk's best friend

Even as summer blooms around us, in our busy lives it's not always easy to heed to the call of the great outdoors. But there are members of our families who are deeply dedicated to daily outdoor romps: our dogs!

For the decade that our family dog Max lived with us, he was an avid part of my fitness classes. He adapted readily from the hilly, rural route in Pennsylvania to the circuitous neighborhood loop here in Ann Arbor and even the occasional lakeside park trail on our trips to Windsor. One thing was constant though: every day he wanted to walk. Max was a great workout buddy. He was both the stick of accountability that got me out the door because he was depending on me, and the carrot of companionship that brought variety and enjoyment to our fitness routine.

Is a pet part of your exercise routine? Is your pet a committed walker or a cross trainer who dabbles in frisbee catching, swimming, or hiking as well? Don't have a furry friend of your own? Offer to 'help' your friend walk her dog, balancing out the foot to paw ratio and jazzing up your walking routine to boot. From fitness classes and reformer duets to family walks and tri training clubs, there's no reason to be lonely in the pursuit of your personal best. And sometimes the best companionship is canine!



Our dog models: Link likes to workout at the park in Bellevue, WA while Roomba does her cross-training on the beach in San Diego, CA.

Spring Time Trials

Spring is a time to set new goals and milestones to motivate you towards your best self. Maybe that's stepping up your Pilates to have a strong back for a summer of gardening or sweating it out on the spinning cycle to be race-ready by June. Set your sights on your next goal, then set your stopwatches: it's time for time-trials.


Time trials are a little competition between you and your toughest competitor: yourself. Just as Olympians demonstrate the fruits of their training in a qualifying round before the big race, you can demonstrate to yourself how far your training has brought you and how far you want to go. Perhaps you're working up to a 5K or from 2 Pilates pushups (I mean, elbow bends!) to 10. Step up to the block for a time trial this week and log your results here. Remember, the road to the perfect Teaser starts with a Modified Rollback!



Thanks to Miss Tan and That Edit Girl on Flickr for the great photos.

Health and ReformER in the Capital

D.C. was action packed! I attended the National Marathon to cheer on two Pilates clients and good friends, spinning instructor Eleanor Decker and triathlete Jenny Cotton as they completed the 1/2 marathon a beautiful warm morning. Great job, ladies! Jenny and I later buddied up to sample a private Reformer session at Quantum Fitness near Dupont Circle. It's good for the teacher to sometimes be the student. I've been fortunate to sample classes in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and Boulder.

I will see everyone after my April 12 return from Spain. Keep up your workouts even if in small doses each day. Spring is on the way!

photo courtesy of: acefitness.org/blog

Spring Travel

I'll be globetrotting this spring - which will put to a test how well I take my training to the road. I've got coverage for my WCC classes, but mark your calendars for the following dates if you take classes from the home studio. There's also the calendar at the bottom of the blog, though that's a long way to scroll. If anyone knows a good widget to embed calendar information in the side bar, drop me note.

NO CLASS March 22 and 23

NO CLASS April 5-12

Much credit to staceyviera and Kiki J from flickr for the beautiful photos

I love me.

This Valentine's Day you probably made a special effort for your kids, spouse or friends. But what about you? To cherish one's own life is a love equally as important as love we have for our parents, children, partners, and friends. Developing good self-esteem seems to be a focus through the teenage years, but being over 50 doesn't make anyone immune from the pit falls of not taking the time to appreciate our particular gifts and talents. As we get up in years some of those traits we've often looked to for a boost of self esteem -- whether in the workplace, in sports, or in our bodies -- begin to change, and it's easy to let low self-esteem creep back in. So this Valentine's Day show some love to that very important person in your life....YOU!

How can exercise can help bring back the love? Both the endorphins released through exercise and the improved muscle tone, cardiovascular health, and flexibility will have you feeling confident to face the world. See how taking the time to exercise is a way to honor yourself and to take care of the special person that you are.

Today, Valentine's Day, marks the first official day of my triathlon training for the 2010 triathlon in June with an Epic Races tri clinic at Whitmore Lake High School. I invite all of my students to think about adding some kind of "event" to their exercise life. Working towards a 5K, a triathlon, a charity ride, or any type of big day adds some excitement to the routine of working out and makes the exercise workouts part of a bigger goal. Pilates plus cardio is such a great combo for adding balance to your personal workouts.

Make a date with yourself to pursue some exercise that you love. Tell us about it here!


P.S. Thanks to Kate from Short and Sweets (http://www.etsy.com/shop/shortandsweets). The chocolate cookies came right on time and we ate them all immediately...delicious. Friends, check out Kate's website for yummy gluten-free sweets.

photo credits to janoid on flickr and Lisa of Women in Motion

Reminder: No Classes February 4th

Hello all! Just a quick reminder that I will not be holding my regular Thursday classes this week. Those are 9:15 a (home studio) and 6:30 p (wcc).

Mat vs. Reformer

From a thin piece of foam barely an inch thick to a large contraption of springs and pulleys that could double for an ancient torture device, the Mat and the Reformer seem to belong to two different worlds, yet both support the exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. Personal Best Pilates wouldn't want to be without either one. Are you wondering whether it's time to venture from mat to reformer, or considering coming off the Reformer’s moving carriage and joining a mat class? Read on, and join the Mat vs. Reformer debate by adding a comment below!

photo: http://www.pivotalmotion.com/westlake-about-pilates/history/

When Joseph Pilates worked with wounded World War I soldiers to rehabilitate muscles and increase mobility, he used "found objects as exercise apparatus". The modern Reformer still shows its roots as a bed frame and springs although is designed with a moving carriage regulated by a set of springs that create the resistance the body has to control. In performing mat and reformer exercises, the emphasis is on proper alignment but on the mat you must support your limbs by yourself and on the Reformer there is help from the straps. The exciting aspect of the reformer is the variety of positions you can work from – sitting, reclining, high-kneeling, standing, on or off the box – all on a moving carriage! The Reformer allows us to go a bit above and beyond what our bodies can do alone on the mat, from a really deep hamstring stretch to an elusive teaser adding resistance, movement of the carriage and the height of the box. But summarized up by this studio in Hamilton, Ontario, the mat remains fundamental: "For total body conditioning, Joe used mat exercises as the benchmark. Mastering mat work was his test of true strength and integrated movement. Simply put, there is no assistance from straps or springs when you are on a mat." It's just you!

In terms of availability, mat classes are more widely available and easier to teach to a group, which makes them more economical as well. Having taught mat for years, getting into Reformer work showed me the benefit of variation for both energizing the workout and challenging the body and mind in new ways.

I want to give a BIG thank you to all of you who have taken private and small group reformer classes, exploring with me the potential and fun of Pilates off the mat. I look forward to starting the 4-week, Level 3 Reformer class starting Jan 18th at our NEW time - Mondays at 9am. And continuing on with my private clients into 2010.

What do you love about your Mat or Reformer workout?