Benefits of Mommy with Baby Pilates Classes

Recently, I began teaching a new class I call Mommy with Baby Pilates.  Not only is this class so much fun to teach, but I see so many benefits to the new moms AND the babies.

As a new mom myself, I know there are a number of factors holding us back from fitting exercise into our lives post-partum.  These are real and legitimate issues- not laziness or lack of desire.  Most new moms I know would love an opportunity to get out of the house and take some time for themselves. Some roadblocks to exercise for new moms are:

-guilt for leaving the baby while mom goes to exercise
-who to leave the baby with, often times a paid babysitter while mom exercises feels like a luxury that cannot be afforded
-a fussy baby, or a baby who becomes sick and mom can't leave
-being completely exhausted from the effort it takes to raise a baby, if mom has any time to herself it seems as though resting or chores that need to be done take top priority.
-low back and neck pain from carrying the baby everywhere can prevent new moms from exercising because they don't want to hurt themselves more
-working moms already feel the guilt of leaving the baby all day, and find it hard to justify leaving for a longer period of time to fit exercise into their day
-more than one little kid in the house can make exercising nearly impossible!

Benefits to Moms
My class, Mommy with Baby Pilates, offers a fantastic solution to moms facing any of these dilemmas.  In this class, moms do pilates while their babies play or sit next to them on the floor.  There are other styles of teaching where the baby is included in each exercise.  From my own experience as a mom and a pilates instructor, that method doesn't usually work well for mom or baby.  Changing positions and the uncertainty of what's going on can make for a fussy baby.  Trying to maneuver a baby AND exercise at the same time does little to improve mom's core or the proper form necessary to benefit from pilates. 

Therefore, the majority of exercises done in my class are sans baby.  Of course, moms stop working out whenever necessary to take care of a fussy baby, which is completely fine.  No one gets annoyed when a baby starts to cry- we've all been there!  Its a very supportive and welcoming environment!

The class itself is 45 minutes, and there are reasons for this.  The extra 15 minutes in the hour are great for settling into the classroom, and for packing up, changing the baby, nursing, etc before we all leave.  45 minutes is a good length of time to exercise, and just the right amount of time a baby can tolerate being in the class!

Of course, there are some exercises that we do include the baby in, because we all do want interactions with them and they want to feel included and want to do what mom does.  The best exercises to include the babies are squats and lunges- standing up and holding the baby or putting the baby in a carrier.  Great core work, upper back, and arms.  Not only that, but great practice for how to move around the house while carrying a baby- the squats and lunges keep the torso upright and the legs to the work to lower and lift moms body up and down.  Practice movement like this- instead of bending down to pick things/baby up from the floor- to save yourself lower back strain.

Benefits to Baby

One thing that has surprised me most about teaching this class, is the benefits to the babies.  Socializing a baby can be a challenge, especially during the winter in upstate NY.  All of the babies in class watch each other, or if they're old enough, play together. 

The greatest benefit to baby is seeing mom exercise, take care of herself, and take time for herself.  The moms in my class are setting such a valuable and amazing example to their little ones by doing this. 

One reason why most babies in class are so quiet, attentive, and not fussy is because they are seeing something totally new to their eyes- people on mats, moving around!  A teacher talking and walking around the room, with music playing.  These new sights are stimulating to babies, and apparently quite entertaining!

In my next blog post, I will give a rundown of some of the exercises we're doing in the class.  We're not following the exact order of pilates matwork exercises.  Many are skipped, with other exercises inserted in their place.  There are good reasons for this, so stay tuned!

Read more!

Calling All Pilates Instructors!

I'm working on a new blog post- The Best Pilates Lessons I Ever Learned.  If you're a pilates instructor and would like to contribute, please email me! I'm looking for cues, visuals, ideas, theories, observations about the exercises or how the equipment works, anything- that your own teacher taught you that really brought pilates to the next level for you.


I will compile them in a blog post, and we'll have a nice list of great teaching cues to work with and learn from each other.  If you have your own blog site or studio, please send me links in your email so I can include them in the post.


Thanks!  Looking forward to hearing from everyone....

UPDATE! Thanks so much to all the pilates teachers (from around the world!) who have emailed me their favorite teaching cues!  There's still room for more, so send them my way!  I will have the post written in a few weeks, so there's still plenty of time. Read more!

Guest Blogger Post: The Twinkie Diet

The following post was guest-written by my pilates student- and my friend- Heather Buehl.

I am delighted to write for Heads Up On Your Body. About 2 years ago, I was 15 pounds overweight, in an unsatisfying career, and had very low energy. By making step-by-step, easy to incorporate changes that were right for my body and lifestyle, I was able to achieve my goal – to live a happy healthy life full of authenticity! My own health journey left me inspired to help others achieve their goals – and to achieve happiness. Happiness, to me, is internal and external contentment. Only you can measure what that is for you. I look forward to chatting with you through Elaine’s blog and sharing some food for thought (no pun intended – ha-ha!) around health and lifestyle.

The Twinkie Diet

There are so many opinions of what measures good health. Calorie counting is one. The Twinkie Diet brings this measure to a whole new level. In recent health news, Professor Mark Haub from Kansas State University underwent a 10 week study of calorie restriction. Prepackaged overly processed “food” made up 2/3 of his diet. He did supplement with a multi-vitamin, assorted veggies (eaten only in front of his children so as not to set a bad example – ha!) and a protein shake. His reasoning was in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most - not the nutritional value of the food. Both CNN and ABC News covered his research.

As a health coach, I believe in bio-individuality. No one diet is right for everyone because our bodies, lives and needs are very different. Believing this, I still cannot help but state this study just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel torn because I don’t want to draw any more attention to this study, but my fear is that the media will distort it and people will listen. Prime example is the news reporter in the ABC video clip. She states that people feel if they are eating healthy food, then they can eat more of it, but consequently gain weight. She goes on to say how important calorie restriction is. I feel the body does need to be treated like a laboratory and certain foods whether healthy or not, do need to be tested by an individual for as the saying goes, “One person’s feast is another person’s poison.” But dieting is only a temporary fix. Where is the quality in this diet? Sure Professor Haub lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks, but what other parts of his health were affected? Let’s face it, putting on weight or developing health conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes, does not happen overnight. Why do we expect weight loss or living happy, healthy lives to happen overnight? Read on, there’s more.

Mentioned repeatedly throughout both links were statements not recommending this diet long term. There was also uncertainty as to the effects of doing this diet long term. Haub’s bad cholesterol levels did decrease by 20% while his good cholesterol did increase by 20%. But as stated by a dietitian within the CNN article, any significant weight reduction will improve certain health markers, like cholesterol, but not all. Should Haub have stayed on this diet long term, I have no doubt in my mind that nutritional deficiencies and cravings would start to outweigh the initial benefits he saw.

Throughout this diet study, Haub does emphasize calorie restriction rather than moderation as a key to weight loss. Calorie restriction is such an empty term in my opinion. It brings up the good and the evil, the guilty feelings, the disregard for quality. A great teacher of mine, Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition has a 90/10 rule. Ninety percent of the time, eat whole foods that are right for your body. Include exercise. Live true to who you are. Ten percent of your life can include a Twinkie. This helps people sustain a long term healthy weight and life.

On his Facebook page, Professor Haub remarks that his family threw away fruits and vegetables due to spoilage. He feels this demonstrates people could save so much money if they bought extended shelf life, packaged foods – like Twinkies. He feels these types of foods would be more realistic for those living remotely. All I can comment on here is be empowered to take control of your health and your life. Grow a garden or visit a local farmer or farmer’s market for fresh food. Buy less vegetables and fruits initially to see how much your family is eating and note what your family seems to enjoy the most. Then shop accordingly.

Oh, but then there is the argument that this diet may help people fit into social situations. It may seem that eating any food at a party is liberating as long as you stay within the allotted daily caloric intake. I would imagine the effect would be quite the opposite. I don’t want to be worried about whether I have gone over the caloric limit or embarrass myself by asking the hostess if he used full fat or low fat sour cream in a dip. Let’s look at the party as your 10%. Maybe you can bring a dish of your own and expose your friends and family to something new and healthy. Live authentically; there is nothing wrong with honoring your body and eating well. We are not meant to be carbon copies of one another.

In United States, Americans look for quick fixes to their problems. Yes, losing weight is an awesome thing, perhaps calorie counting helps to do that. I truly believe if you are to lose weight and keep it off, a lifestyle change needs to happen. Eating healthy has to become part of your life. The foods we put into our body become every cell, thought, and feeling we have – that is some powerful stuff when you truly stop to think about it. ALL areas of our life need to be in balance though too. Weight is not just put on because we eat poorly. An unsatisfying career, a difficult relationship, low self-esteem can put weight on your bones too. So ask yourself, have short term fixes worked for you in the past? Or are you ready to make that change that will give you vibrancy? Dr. David Katz says, "One of the things I hope people recognize is that the diets we choose need to be more than just losing weight as fast as possible. We also want to find health and it's combining those two goals that should dictate the kinds of diets we try and the kinds we professionals recommend.”

Would you like to have more energy, feel less stressed, lose weight or have a deeper understanding of food and lifestyle choice that work best for you? Contact me for a free wellness breakthrough consultation. I would love to hear from you at heatherbuehl@mhcable.com. If you are interested in learning more about my approach, please visit my website.

Heather is a board certified health coach. She studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. Read more!

Exercise of the Month- Variations!

This month, we are going to have some fun.  Coming from a pilates instructor, that statement might seem scary.  Don't worry.  The exercise of the month is Variations.

What is a Variation?

A variation of a pilates exercise is usually a version of the exercise that is not "classical"- in that its not exactly as Joe taught it originally.  There is usually an additional coordination element or more complex movement to the exericse.  Variations can also be the same exercise done on a different piece of equipment, such as Knee Stretches with the Trapeze bar, as shown in the photo above.  Variations are just meant to keep things fun and interesting for both the student and the teacher!

Some examples of variations that we'll be playing with are: Bicycle Teaser (my fave!), Rolling Like a Ball "Hang 10" (Ellie Herman showed us this one when she came to Rhinebeck Pilates as a guest teacher), Variations on Push Ups (one armed push-ups, anyone?).... and more. 

Variations can be done on every piece of equipment, and with every exercise.  EVERY exercise has a variation! 

Rules for Variations

-A variation of an exercise should never be given to a student before they learn and basically master the original exercise. 

-Variations should not be given to beginner students, only those with pilates experience and who know how to properly engage their core for stability in exercises (see below). 

-Before teaching a variation, the instructor should have practiced it him/herself to make sure that its doable and safe.  Ideally, the variation was learned in a continuing education workshop, or taught to the instructor by a master trainer, and it has already been deamed safe.  Simple variations (such as Open Leg Rocker without holding the ankles with the hands, but instead with the arms reaching up) are obviously safe. 

-Students should be warey of more complicated "variations" that involve combining pieces of equipment.  The idea behind a variation is to subtley challenge the student somewhat within their comfort zone, not to rearrange their world of pilates!  I actually once had an instructor show me an exercise that combined the reformer WITH the tower at the same time.  Needless to say, I was not excited or impressed, but actually wanted to leave!

Variations vs. Modifications

Variations are typically only given to intermediate to advanced students, for the obvious reason that pilates is complicated enough. When students are first learning pilates, there is enough going on that variations are totally unnecessary, and just become confusing.  To these beginners, we are more likely to give a modification instead of a variation- modifications make an exercise easier to access for beginners and strengthen the body to learn how to do the full exercise.  For example, variation on the Hundred might be to lower the legs on the inhale, and lift the legs on the exhale.  A modification on the Hundred might be to keep the feet flat on the mat with the knees bent.

Are variations and modifications even necessary in the pilates method? 

In my opinion, the answer is yes and no.  Pilates never gets boring, and there are so many classical pilates exercises created by Joe that adding in variations sometimes seems excessive and distracting from true pilates.  However, adding a variation in here and there keeps students on their toes, challenges the mind-body connection, and challenges the core by "surprising" the body with something it didn't expect to come next in the order of exercises.

Some teachers argue that modifications should not be given in pilates. If the student is not ready or strong enough for an exercise, then they are just not ready.  In my teaching, I use modifications to a point- with a very beginner student, when introducing a new, complicated exercise to a more advanced student, or for someone who has an injury that really prevents them from doing a lot of different movements typically found in pilates.

History of Variations
When Joe Pilates was in the process of creating his method, he taught to each individual, unique person.  Therefore, he would teach the same exercises to different people in slightly different ways, depending on their physical needs and strengths.   This fact has caused some controversy over the years as to how an exericise was "really" taught by Joe.  Many different people claim that they are the only ones who know how an exercise should be taught, because Joe showed it to them.  In the end, a conversation like this is mostly about egos because we know that he taught differently from person to person.  So in this sense, Joe did invent the idea of there being variations to his exercises. 

Over time, some of Joe's dancer students changed or added exercises that had a more dancerly element than some of Joe's original exercises.  As these students went out to teach on their own, they taught Joe's versions- and their own versions- of exercises.  As this continued, and still continues today, a sense of what original pilates was like begins to become muddled by some. 

This is why its so important to keep variations few and far between, and to be selective about what variations you give and why.  Keeping with the integrity of classical pilates is most important, adding in variations is just the icing on the cake.

Read more!