Last night in class some folks were asking questions that I wasn’t sure of the answers.

I did a little research and here is the scoop:

1) Joseph Pilates was German, not Polish.

2) He moved to England in 1912 and during WWI he and other Germans were detained in a camp by the British authorities. This is where the Pilates method is credited with taking shape. He trained other prisoners in the camp. The camp, on the Isle of Man, housed POW’s and internees.

If you have other questions about Joseph Pilates (the man or his method of exercise), let me know and I’ll try to get the answers. You can comment on the blog or ask me in class.

We all know what they say about assuming.

Every once in a while you need to try something new or try something you couldn’t do before. If you never give it a shot you really wont know whether or not you are capable of it. You may think you can’t, but you don’t really know for sure.

This is important to remember in Pilates exercises too. I have seen so many people one week not be able to do an exercise and the next week they can do it. It may take time and practice, but if they didn’t try it, they may never have discovered what they are capable of.

Of course, it’s important to listen to your body. If you have a shoulder injury and do push-ups on the wall, you shouldn’t take the leap to military push-up on your toes on the floor. However, if you are working at level where moving to your toes is the next step, maybe it’s time to try. In order to do this though we all need to get past the mental block that says two things:

1) I […]

“Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.”–Joseph Pilates

There is no debating the comment above. Breathing not only keeps you alive, but a deep breath can calm you down, re-energize you, clear your head, and help you focus. So try it out. Whatever you are currently doing for work now–watching the kids, hunching over a computer, running an errand–stop and breathe Pilates style. Inhale into the sides and lower lobs of the lungs as if you are filling an accordion with air. Then exhale out the mouth.

Follow Pilates advice when you exhale and try to get all the air out of your lungs, so you can refill with new, fresh air.

It’s not easy to keep that healthy lifestyle going at picnics and parties, and once in a while it’s good to give yourself a break, but if you’re looking for tips on how to stay on track this weekend, you’ve come to the right place.

• Bring your own water bottle. Keep refilling it with water and stick with H2O instead of a sugary soda. You’ll be saving calories. If soda is a treat for you, stick with the real stuff. Unless your doctor suggests that you should be on diet soda, new research is showing that sugar replacements might increase weight gain rather than reduce it.

• Dessert Share. Grab dessert for everyone sitting around your picnic table. If you’re all friendly, try one bite of everything your might be interested in. Then go back for the one you’d like the most. This will keep you from actually eating one of everything, but you’ll get a little taste of everything.

• Laugh often. If you’re out with friends, just have a great time. Try to make each other laugh. Vanderbilt University did a study that shows laughing […]