In our last exercise ?The Roll-Up?, we were working to articulate the spine.  By contrast, in The Single Leg Circles, we are working to stabilize the spine.

Lie on your back with your arms long by your sides, shoulders back and wide.  Think full extension of the body here.  Make sure the chin is not pointing to the ceiling, the neck should be long and the head straight.  The abdominals, or Powerhouse, should be active.  Raise the left leg up straight to the ceiling, or 90 degrees.  The right leg should be in the center of your mat.  Make a circle with the leg by starting to the right, lowering and returning on the left to your home, or start position.  Do this five times, then reverse the circles.  Once completed, hug your knee into your chest for a stretch.  Change legs and repeat.

What to focus on:  Keep the feet relaxed and don?t let your knees rotate inward. As you circle your leg, the hips will want to rock back and forth from side to side.  Use both your abdominals and your arms to help you stabilize or ?anchor? the hips.  Placing your hands on your hips as you circle the leg can help you determine if the hips are moving.  As always, breathing correctly will help your work be more efficient and powerful.  Inhale as you begin your circle, exhale and pull your navel down as you return your leg back to the start position. 

What you?ll gain:  Increased flexibility in the hips comes from the rotation of the leg in the hip socket.  The abdominals get work not only by stabilizing the hips and upper body through the rotations, but also to bring the leg back up against gravity.  Inner and outer thighs are also working.

What to watch out for:  The lower back should not be arching upward.  If it is, you may need to bend your other leg to help you position the pelvis correctly.  And don?t forget to keep those abdominals ?scooped? in. The size of the circle you make initially should be small (6?) until you feel you are ready for more of a challenge.  Tiny circles can be enough work to start. 

Modifications:  If you find it difficult to straighten your legs, it is okay to keep the knees bent.  It may be more comfortable on your lower back to place your hands under your hips. 

Note: If you missed the previous installments of our Get Going series, please visit the Notebook section of our website where we will archive the entire series.

Get Going ? ?The Roll-Up?

In the Pilates version of the sit-up, your goal is to articulate your spine while working your abdominals.

Lie on your back with your arms reaching behind your head.  Pull, or ?scoop? the belly in so your lower back is not in an arched up position.  Reach your arms up to the ceiling and inhale.  Bring your head up between your arms and exhale as you roll your upper body up and over the legs.  Reach long for a stretch as you continue to pull the navel back to the spine.  Inhale as you start to roll back, and exhale as your spine rolls vertebrae by vertebrae back into the mat.  Work to 5 flowing repetitions.

What to focus on:  Keep your arms, wrists, and fingers long.  Shoulders should stay down and legs stay together.  When rolling up, lift the head first and keep it relaxed forward all the way through the roll-down.  Try to resist, or go slowly while rolling down.  Remember, coming back down is half the exercise so working hard here strengthens the abdominals for the rolling up phase.  Keep the inner thighs squeezing together.  And BREATHE! 

What you?ll gain:  Increased flexibility in the spine and even some stretching of the hamstrings (muscles behind the thighs) if they are tight.  You?ll also get some great abdominal work and a chance for some deep breathing. 

What to watch out for:  Don?t try to reach your arms so far behind you that your ribcage lifts off the mat.  Slow down.  If you rush through this exercise, you?ll wind up thrusting yourself forward with your arms and shoulders. 

Modifications:  Start in the seated position and place your feet under a strap or piece of furniture.  Keep your knees bent.  Use your hands to ?climb? up and down the thighs focusing on a round lower back (squeezing the buttocks and inner thighs will help).  Take it slowly.  You don?t have to go all the way down to get some work done!  Work at your level of comfort and challenge yourself when you?re ready.

Note: If you missed the first two installments of our Get Going series, please visit the Notebook section of our website where we will archive the entire series.

Warming up the Pilates way means starting with an exercise called The Hundred. Here are the steps to performing The Hundred correctly and safely:

Lie on your back on a firm, dense mat. Draw your legs in toward your chest and hug them to your body. Raise your head and shoulders up and off the mat while pulling your navel and pelvic floor muscles in toward your back. Simultaneously lengthen your arms toward the foot end of your mat, and your legs toward the ceiling.

Hold this position and begin vigorously pumping your arms up down. The first 5 pumps, you breathe in and the next 5 pumps you breathe out.

That's one set, you'll do 10 sets for a total of 100 pumps. Start out with fewer sets and work your way toward the goal of 100.

What to focus on: Keep the shoulders down and arms long and straight through the wrists and fingers as you pump. Inhale fully and exhale completely. Keep your back firmly on the mat.

What you'll gain: Increased circulation, deeper breathing, core strengthening, concentration and endurance.

What to watch out for: No Pain In Pilates Ever! Pain equals wrong and means that something needs to be modified.

Every Pilates exercise can be modified, but unless you know what the modification should be for you, leave it out. Some people experience neck strain in this exercise.

Solution 1: put something under your head, like a firm pillow, in case you can?t hold your head up.

Solution 2: make sure you?re not looking at the ceiling, look straight ahead at your thighs so your abdominals are working, not your neck muscles.

Solution 3: keep the legs at 90 degrees (straight up to the ceiling) or feet flat on the mat to keep the lower back from arching upward causing back pain and more neck strain.

Note: If you missed our first Get Going installment, The Principles of Pilates, please visit the Notebook section of our website where we will archive the entire series.

The Six Principles of Pilates Concentration
The mind is the conduit for relaying information to the body. The more focus you have, the more determined the effort. Control - Joseph Pilates' exercise method was originally called Contrology. Muscle control is the key to maximizing the effectiveness of your workout and making sure it is injury free. Careless equals dangerous.

Centering: Pilates insures that during every exercise you learn to initiate from your Powerhouse. These are the muscles surrounding the abdomen, lower back, hips and buttocks. Connecting the movements of the extremities to the core muscles is what allows you to make solid, defined, graceful movements.

Precision:  The detail of the movement in each exercise is designed to guide you to optimum efficiency. The entire body is working in every exercise. Each movement has a purpose that adds to the value of the whole.

Flow: The progression of exercises will ultimately flow from one to the next with rhythm and energy. You transition between exercises with deliberate intensity, not speed.

Breathing: Each exercise is energized by a rhythm of motion and breath. The deeper the breath, the more powerful the movement. And the importance of oxygenating the blood continuously cannot be overstated. These are your goals in each and every exercise.

Happy New Year!
If your New Year's resolutions include fitness, we want to help. But, we want you to start off right, and knowing your goals is the fastest way to accomplishing them.

Our new Get Going series will come to you each month by email. In each newsletter, we will feature one of the seven basic Authentic Pilates exercises. Beginning with the warm-up exercise, The Hundred, we will guide you through each exercise, step-by-step. We'll tell you what to watch out for, and have a photo of the correct positioning.

We're very excited to present this series and welcome your feedback, questions and ideas for a future series to keep you inspired. If you know others who might benefit, either email this page/link to them, or place their email address in the window at the left.

*Please note that this information is not intended to replace the individual attention of a professional certified instructor. There are modifications for every injury and issue that can be addressed in our studio. Always consult your physician before beginning a physical fitness program.

Always appropriate, in style, in good taste, no sugar, no fat, no GMO's! And it shows you care. Here are some gift suggestions for all the fitness friends and relatives on your gift list. Introducing our Fast Track Package for new beginners. Get a jump on the new year with one four-week mat class + two private sessions for $170. Or any of the following: One four-week mat class for $48. One private session for $65. Three private sessions for $180. Five private sessions for $250. Make someone happy, and don't forget yourself! Happy Holidays.

Paige had a beautiful baby boy on April 30, 2005. Jack weighed in at 7 lbs. 12ozs. Paige started with us when she first found out she was pregnant, but she was fit and active before that.

She did a combination of privates and group classes 4 times each week and was an inspiration to us all (see pictures of Paige in our new photo gallery).

She worked right up until 3 days before delivering Jack and now has a flat stomach to show for it. And she's already back at it.

Congratulations and welcome back, Paige. You both look fantastic!

Our Photo Gallery is up and ready to view! Take a moment to see some of our clients hard at work. You can visit the Photo Gallery by selecting "About" (above left), then Gallery. Have fun and check back soon. We'll be updating the Gallery on a regular basis.

"Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit."

Now you and a friend can do a Pilates "Reformer" and "Wall Unit" equipment workout together. Share the expense and have fun too. Also available: Trio tower mat classes. Tower mat classes use a specialized piece of equipment called a "wall unit". Spring resistance is used in a variety of exercises to stretch and strengthen the entire body. You'll feel great! Call or email for more details and scheduling. Coming soon: Tower classes for 4 and 5 people. We now accept MC, Visa and Amex