Pilates and sports BOTH require:

• Core strength
• Proper body alignment
• Natural flowing movement
• Efficient breathing
• A body-mind connection

Use the Pilates principles for your Tri/Duathlon sports

Swimming

• Use your core (abdominal and back muscles) each stroke so you are not relying on the arms and shoulder joints alone
• A strong core helps in aligning your body so legs do not drop below the hips
• Use appropriate breathing to help you stay focused and calm
• Strengthen your core to help you stay aligned and balanced in the water
• Improve rotary flexibility in hips which is important for proper breathing
• Improve flexibility in shoulder, hips and feet to improve kicking and strokes

Biking

• Create a rhythm of breathing to establish pace, cadence and focus
• Center your muscle engagement in the core and minimize torso movement
• Be precise; quiet in the torso, relaxed in the shoulders, elbows and jaw
• Avoid gripping the handlebars and stay centered over your bike

Running

• Pilates emphasizes proper body alignment, breathing and relaxed shoulders – important for fluid, more effortless running
• Pilates promotes flexibility in the legs, hips, torso and shoulders improving range of motion, and forward lean from the ankles, not the waist
• Pilates improves posture, balance, & core strength to support the low back
• Running recruits the hamstrings, hips, calves, buttocks and IT band
• Pilates exercises work to correct the resulting tightness and muscle imbalance of the strength of the hamstrings to the quadriceps

Pilates core strength and stretching will be incorporated into Lisa Hesse’s Tri Training program Thursday evenings beginning April 12/12.

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!

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!

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

She Rocks! Triathlon

The first all-women's triathlon in Michigan, She Rocks! was a great success. I was so nervous as I waded into Portage Lake with my two friends and daughter...fortunately the over 55 and the under 30 were grouped together in the staggered start. Grey clouds held in their rain for a choppy, but storm-free 800 meter swim. The clouds burned away as we all started peddling through the gorgeous countryside near Portage Lake for 10.7 miles. The 3 mile run threaded its way through a forest trail before a long straightaway on road. The four of us had a great race, and it definitely sparked a fire in us first-timers to do this again. Aren't so many of our fitness challenges like that? At first it seems like an impossible goal, but then - when it's over! - the impossible has melted away and left only motivation to it again. But faster!

Even trainers need trainers. Thanks so much to my guide and inspiration, Lisa Hesse of Women In Motion (http://womeninmotion.us/index.cfm), and to all the WIMmers: great job! Thanks to EST Events (www.estevents.com) for making first-time triathletes feel so welcome and charting a great course. I finished the race in 1 hour and 45 minutes....a personal best!