I have resisted Pilates since it became popular in the 90’s. It’s not because I didn’t want to look like all those sexy celebrities who swear by Pilates, I just thought it wasn’t for me. I always thought running and lifting weights were enough. Boy was I wrong.

As you know, some things happen for a reason. For quite some time, I’d been thinking I should give Pilates a try to see if it would help alleviate some of the dysfunction in my thoracic spine. One day I woke up and decided that was the day I would find a Pilates Studio and give them a call. Later that morning, I met Jennifer Kries while walking Stella and Jessie in Washington Square. She told me she taught Pilates and I promised I would set up a session with her. After 3 months of emailing each other back and forth, I finally scheduled my first lesson. I knew it would be an educational experience but had no idea:

1. How much I would learn
2. How many misconceptions I had about Pilates; and
3. How incredibly talented Jennifer is

Jennifer is a true healer with an extensive background in mind-body arts and fitness. Her knowledge of anatomy, her verbal cues and her incredible teaching methods impressed me beyond words. She has inspired and empowered women around the world with her award winning Method Series DVDs (which she did not tell me about when I met her).

According to Jennifer, there are six principles of Pilates: concentration, control, centering, breath, flow and precision. When performed correctly, you learn to move with maximum efficiency while minimizing stress on your body. You are able to access new levels in your body and create a deeper, more complete feeling of fitness, energy and vitality that remains with you days after your workout.

Jennifer continues her explanation: “The focus is on the center of the body—the “powerhouse”. These corset muscles—also also known as the stabilizing core muscles of the torso—support the spine. The active collaboration of these major muscle groups creates a solid cylinder around the central spine. Keeping these muscles super strong helps prevent shearing or eroding forces from being applied to the vertebrae, ligaments and discs. Problems in the spine result from acute injuries, repetitive trauma and habitual patterns of movement that are unconscious and unproductive for the body and mind.”

My first day, Jennifer simply asked me to stand and breathe while she observed me. Can I tell you how hard this was? I would have much rather had her tell me to drop to the floor and do 50 push-ups. Because of the restrictions in my mid-back, taking continual deep breaths while standing with good posture is quite difficult.

To make a long story short, Jennifer’s trained eye saw many destructive things about my posture. My “natural” posture is causing a lot of compression on my low back and hips (which can also affect the knees). The tightness in my rib cage is causing me to round my shoulders which will continue to worsen my posture over time if I don’t do something about it now.

After 4 sessions, I’ve learned specific exercises that will help improve both my posture and my rib dysfunction over time. The extreme rigidity in my thoracic spine is improving and I’m definitely sleeping better. The deep breathing is still really hard for me, but it is getting a little easier.

I believe that Pilates is almost a necessity for people like me.  No, I’m not a dancer or an actress; I’m a 46 year old woman with significant issues in my spine and I suffer from sporadic pain in my hips and knees.  I am planning on taking Pilates at least one time per week for the rest of my life!  With weekly classes, I am confident that my posture will be better when I’m 65 than it is today.  I think it’s a good goal.

If you want to increase your core strength, improve your lung capacity and improve your mind-body connection, please give Pilates a try. You’ll learn to connect your mind with your body.  If you’re willing, you’ll also learn to slow down and realize that life is not something we should strive to race through.  We should embrace life every day by living in the moment.

If you’re interested in purchasing one of Jennifer’s DVDs, please visit her site at www.jenniferkries.com.   If you’ve had a “life-changing” experience from performing Pilates, please share your story.

Stand tall and Breathe,

Molly

I’m a firm believer in the old saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true”.  But I’m also open-minded enough to try a new product or gadget out to see if the hype is real or not.  So, I took a leap of faith (and a chunk out of my wallet) and bought a pair of Sketchers Shape-Ups.

If you’re not familiar Shape-Ups, they’re very similar in style and design to MBTs—the pioneers who first created these shoes.  Like many pioneers with great ideas, they often fall behind when a big competitor—with very deep pockets—comes along.  I feel guilty for not doing research the MBTs, but I really didn’t feel like shelling out $250 (or more) for a pair of walking shoes.  Further, when they first came out, the MBTs were just plain ugly.  My friend Sonya bought a pair (and loved them) but we couldn’t help but laugh at her every time she wore them because they made her size ten feet look like fifteens!

Sketcher Shape-Ups make too many promises.  When you buy your shoes, you get a nifty handout that states:  “Get in Shape without Stepping Foot in a Gym™”.  It says they are designed to:

• Promote weight loss
• Tone muscles
• Improve posture
• Strengthen your back and abdominals
• Reduce cellulite and tone your thighs
• Increase cardiovascular health
• Reduce stress on knee and ankle joints

As I searched their website, I thought I would find a great deal of published research backing their claims.  Not so.  I did find some testimonials and a case study on the site but that was it.

When I first bought them, I had Mom try them on.  She walked across the room looking like Groucho Marx.  If only she had a cigar in her hand, I would have sworn she was his long lost (and much younger) sister.  I was laughing too hard to tell her it was okay to STAND UP.   She just couldn’t bring herself to walk upright in these shoes.

My next guinea pig was Vicki (the Queen of Kegels).  She felt like they weren’t stable enough for her and was afraid she might sprain her ankle.  Shape-Ups feature a soft kinetic wedge insert which is meant to cause a rolling motion—similar to walking barefoot in the sand.  But what she didn’t like was the extra lateral motion she felt while standing still.  If someone had very weak ankles, I could see this as a potential problem.  But, I also see how it might help strengthen the muscles that support the ankles as well.

Now it was my turn.  They were comfortable but they’re very awkward at first—partly because they’re so bulky and partly because you do walk differently.  I felt like Shaggy on Scooby Doo but, honestly, it didn’t take long to get the hang of them.

I’ve been wearing them now for over a month and I must admit I really like them.    They are super comfortable and I feel like my posture is better when I wear them.  My hips, which give me trouble from time to time, have been quiet.  I’m not sure if it’s from the shoes or just pure coincidence but either way I’m happy about it.

I have tripped more than a few times while wearing my Shape-Ups.  I’d like to blame it on the cobblestone streets in our neighborhood but I’ve tripped on flat surfaces as well.  Thank goodness I haven’t fallen but I can see how this might be an issue for some people.

I did a little research of my own and talked to a few women who own “Shape-Ups” to see what they thought about them.  Two women are nurses and both SWEAR by them.  Shirley, my favorite Orthopaedic nurse in the world, is on her feet all day long taking care of 60-70 patients per day at Dr. Phil Parr’s busy practice.  She told me that since she started wearing her Shape-Ups, her legs don’t feel exhausted at the end of the day.  I met another nurse outside Thomas Jefferson Hospital who had on a pair.  She echoed Shirley’s enthusiasm with the shoes and said she couldn’t imagine getting through a day without them.  She told me that many of the women who work at the hospital wear them too.  Another woman I met in Washington Square Park said they were the most comfortable walking shoes she’s ever worn.

My plea to Sketchers is to change your marketing message.  People are skeptical if you try to be too many things to too many people.  They are comfortable shoes that seem to positively alter the way you walk.  They’re particularly helpful for people who are on their feet all day long.  They may help relieve pain in different parts of your body, but I doubt if they’ll raise your metabolism, get rid of your cellulite, and get you so fit you’ll never need to go to the gym again.

If you have a pair of Shape-Ups, MBTs or Easy Tones (a similar shoe by Reebok), please post a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Stand Up Straight & Smile,

Molly

Heel pain sucks. 

I first started having excruciating pain in my left foot at the mere age of 18.  I was training for the heptathlon at the University of Tennessee and can clearly remember the morning I got out of bed and couldn’t walk.  Track athletes are used to all kinds of aches and pains but this was different.   I’d had shin splints, pulled muscles, Achilles tendonitis, and a few other bumps and bruises.  But my heel really HURT! 

One of my teammates who I was training with also came down with it (misery loves company).  Before I knew it, I had the pain in the other foot!  We spent hours in the training room with our feet in buckets of ice.  If you’ve never tried this before, let me warn you that it feels like your feet are getting smashed with hammers while simultaneously being stabbed by thousands of needles.  We also performed exercises to strengthen and stretch our feet, got special tape jobs, and more.  We tried orthotics, ultrasound treatments, and more ice.  I later tried cortisone injections that worked for only very brief periods of time. 

Did I mention that heel pain sucks?

My feet got so bad I had to stop running track and playing all other sports.  It was just awful.  I was depressed about it for a long time until I came to the realization that the pain in my feet would go away if I simply stopped playing sports.  Boy, was I wrong.

Twenty-two years later, guess who still had heel pain?  Yours truly.  I had a very common condition called plantar fascitiis .  It’s caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a thick band of fibrous tissue that attaches to your heel bone (calcaneous) and extends up towards your toes.  It sounds like it’s no big deal until you get it and then it makes everything from simply walking around to getting up in the morning a painful experience.  If you’ve never had it, count yourself lucky since approximately 1 in 10 people suffer from it.

At 46 years old, I am happy to finally report that I am almost pain-free and have been that way for 6 years now.  I say almost because it’s always “ there” but as soon as I feel a twinge of pain, I start my own treatment.  Happily (though not 100%) I consider myself cured. 

There are a zillion theories on how to treat plantar fascitis, but I’m only going to tell you what finally worked for me.  Over the years, I had done a lot of these things independently, but it wasn’t until I put them all together (the 4^th tip is critical), that my foot pain finally went away. 

1. Dig deep into where it hurts the most—and not just your affected foot.  Over the years, I had always massaged my foot or gone to massage therapists or physical therapists for treatment.  A massage therapist in Chalfont, PA finally pointed out to me that I had been attacking the pain the wrong way. By only addressing the foot, we missed that the real reason why my plantar fascia was so tight—my calves!  We treated these huge, painful adhesions in my calves with two treatment of deep tissue massage followed by self treatment.  I simply let the weight of my leg break up the adhesions with a foam roller.  It’s painful but it’s so worth it.  To treat the foot, I use a golf ball to massage the fascia.  It breaks up adhesion and loosens up the foot.  I keep a golf ball in every room of my house.  I even keep one in the passenger seat of our car so I can work on my feet every time we go somewhere.
2. Ice.  I know I told you how bad it is, but you can do it.  The good news is that you only have to do this when it gets really inflamed.   If it’s too painful, use a bowl (instead of a bucket) and stick as much of your foot in as you can tolerate.  Just fill it with ice and add a little water.  Keep your foot in the water for 20 minutes.  Ice baths are WAY more effective than ice packs.
3. Constantly stretch your calves and feet.  Every day.
4. Buy these shoe inserts.  I had been doing A LOT of the above (massage, ice and stretching) but the pain didn’t dramatically diminish until I bought these inserts.  They’re cheap enough to put in a few pairs of your shoes and, to me, were nothing short of a miracle.   They have a patented and proven heel bar technology that constantly stretches out the fascia.  What was most interesting was how fast they worked for me.  Within a matter of a week or two, I had substantially less pain.  I haven’t been anywhere without them in 6 years.  Their website is http://www.heel-that-pain.com/.  They also have some great exercise and stretching videos for people with plantar fascitis.

If you or anyone you know suffers or has suffered from heel pain, please send them this article.   It will drastically improve their pain.  You never know, it just may get rid of it for good.

Stay Loose and Pain-Free,

Molly