The cost of human health has been very present in the news lately. A plurality of Americans don’t have (or can’t afford) health insurance. Mention “The Public Option” and you’ll hear extremely opinionated – if not misinformed – outcries from either side of the political aisle.

If anyone reading this has ever had an injury (and most of you have), then you’ve probably gone through this mental routine:

To Self: “Ouch! This is not getting better on its own. Maybe it’s time to see the doctor.” checks bank acct. “Hmmm. Maybe I’ll just take a few more Ibuprofen. Try no to put pressure on it. I’ll be all right for awhile longer…”

We’re not going to get political here. Let’s leave that to the “Journalists” on the major news networks. Our goal is to offer you a possible alternative to costly medical procedures & rehabilitation*. If we could potentially save you thousands of dollars, and help you prevent further debilitating injuries, would you continue reading? Yeah, we thought so…

A Familiar Story

Have you ever noticed that the moment we injure ourselves it’s often accompanied by this thought: “Agh! That was stupid!”? Like a moment of clarity, maybe brought on by our brain’s helpful endorphins. We’re suddenly aware that our knee/ankle/wrist/back/etc totally wasn’t meant to do that!

It doesn’t need to take an injury to develop awareness of our body’s limits ~ or its possibilities. Pilates can & will give you this awareness. And body knowledge is body power. So how can this knowledge save you the big bucks?

Who’s Using Pilates, Anyway?

I went to high school in Lake Placid, NY. Not surprisingly, the school was a big draw for aspiring Olympic athletes. Alumni included Stanley Cup winner & 2002 Olympic Silver medalist Mike Richter, and World-Champ skier Thomas Vonn ~ whose wife Lindsey Vonn has recently made headlines, bringing home the Gold in Vancouver. In fact, Lindsey’s medal-winning teammate Julia Mancuso proudly incorporates Pilates into her training regiment. Her personal coach, Kazuko Ikeda, is a certified Pilates instructor.

Though I only skied for fun (c’mon, I’m from South Carolina!), many of my classmates were competitive skiers. I’ll never forget hearing horror stories from athletes, returning after a training accident on the slopes. The first question was always, “Is it a torn ACL?” This fairly common injury was/is a potential career-ending one for would-be Olympians. Serious business, indeed. Vonn’s victories are made more impressive when one learns that she’d sustained similar injuries, yet managed to overcome them, without surgery. An inspiring story, with much to teach us.

How Much To Fix Me, Doc?

The avg. cost of minor ACL surgery is in the neighborhood of $6,000. If you have good insurance, they’ll maybe cover 2/3rds of that. Ask around, and you’ll discover that more serious surgeries on this delicate part of the body can set you back as much as $30-40K! Anyone who’s ever injured a knee knows that it doesn’t take much physical force to do so. Plant your foot the wrong way, shift your balance just so, and, “AGH!!! That was stupid!” Sound familiar? 10Lbs of pressure and you could be out tens of thousands of dollars!

Good News!

Pilates will not only not cost you tens of thousands of $, it very well could save you from needing surgery. Furthermore, Pilates can be one of the best ways to rehabilitate an existing injury after surgery. Do yourself (and your body) a favor ~ check out our rates and compare them with those of even a brief visit to the hospital for a minor surgery (is there even such a thing?). Sound like a better deal? Yeah, we think so too…

*Disclaimer: Always, always, always consult your doctor before beginning ANY type of physical rehab. The more you know about your injury, the more we can do to help you regain strength & function (and maybe even avoid the knife!).

People talk about building “the home of their dreams”. It’s a huge goal, one that is planted firmly in the psyche early on. We want that dream house so badly, we’re even willing to borrow & finance beyond our means to do so. And while it’s always tempting to take (what we think is) the shortcut, the consequences often outweigh the benefits. So, is it wrong to dream of the better life? Absolutely not.

The problem isn’t the size of the dream. It’s (often) how we go about pursuing it. The world is full of stories of people who “made it big”. Who achieved greatness. And doesn’t it often seem like they “made it” overnight? Maybe this is part of the appeal of looking for the quick fix. The easy money. The buns of steel in two weeks! So how can we overcome our self-imposed handicap of “want now (work later)”? We believe the answer is through the Pilates Method ~ a proven way of cultivating strong mental & physical self-awareness, focus and core strength.

A favorite quote of mine, by founding father Ben Franklin, goes something like this: “If I have three hours to cut down a tree, I spend two hours sharpening my axe, and one hour cutting down the tree.” This was a man who clearly understood the concept of developing the right tools to succeed. Franklin was a post-modern multi-tasker before it was cool. Achieving the many things he did in his life took, above all, an ability to focus on the task at hand. Fair enough. But how can Pilates, a strength-training method improve mental focus?

As we’ve talked about before, Pilates is personal. We help you develop focus & balance by beginning your training on a one-to-one basis. No noise. No distractions. No room full of TVs locked on the 24-hr news cycle. Just you and a certified trainer, building the mental & physical foundation you’ll need to succeed in 2010 (and beyond). Here are three ways Pilates will help you make this your best year ever.

Focus Your Mind

Everyone who begins to learn the Pilates Method begins with breathing. By first focusing on the basics of proper breathing, you are preparing yourself mentally to engage in physical activity. Trainers of all disciplines will tell you that initiating a proper breathing technique is crucial to good performance. However, you will also learn to foster a renewed mental clarity. Though this technique is being applied to prepare you for physical training, our clients regularly tell us that they find themselves using the breathing exercises to “feel sharper” during everyday tasks. We say, “Great! Ben Franklin would be proud!”

Focus Your Body

With the mind clear of the day’s distractions, we focus next on core awareness. This means developing greater mental & physical balance. Combining the proper breathing technique with subtle adjustments of your posture, your Pilates instructor will help you develop a better awareness of your body. Which muscle groups are strong? Which are weak & neglected? Which have been injured in the past? This is ultimately how Pilates succeeds where other methods so often fail. By training your mind & body together, the axe of self-improvement is more finely sharpened.

Western conditioning & training tends to focus on the muscle groups most often used by the practitioner. While this makes kind of sense ~ if I’m a cyclist, I should develop lower-body strength, etc ~ targeting specific muscles & training hard on them can have a debilitating effect. The Pilates Method is like building a house. The land is prepared, the foundation is built, the frame is set and then the specifics are worked on. It’s A Core Thing trainers are essentially the architects of what should be our first “dream home”. Our bodies.

Focus Your Life

Don’t be fooled by what might appear to be “Zen-trend language”. Pilates is a very grounded, very physical workout. Building core strength means engaging often-neglected muscle groups. You will sweat. You will be sore (at first). But you will (re)gain control, focus and physical & mental clarity. Whether you want to augment your current exercise regimen, improve your performance on the court, field or golf course, or are just tired of the quick-fixes that fix nothing, Pilates is your answer. Our certified Pilates professionals are ready to help give you the edge in 2010. It’s A Core Thing has made our New Year’s resolution: to give Myrtle Beach residents the sharpest axe in the forest!

For many, the joy of running comes from combining the physical challenge with the experience of exploring our surroundings. The idea of pushing oneself to go a little farther next time. Unbound by the walls of a gym or the lines on a court, the runner can say at the end of a workout that they’d been somewhere. Those who train regularly for distance events tend to augment their running regiment with, well, more running. Makes sense, right? If I want to run farther, I need to run farther! Other than rudimentary stretching exercises, most runners stick to what they know works.

The Problem

Dedicated runners can be spotted by their well-developed thighs & calves, typically thin frames and forward-leaning gaits. And while running is an effective cardiovascular exercise, it focuses exclusively on movement in the sagittal plane. The result: tightness in the hips, lower back & knee problems, and difficulty with overall balance & posture. You’ll notice–especially in distance runners–the tendency to slouch towards the end of a long run. The effect of this is quite debilitating ~ how many serious runners do you know over the age of 50? 60? Competitive or not, everyone who runs, runs the risk of injury.

The Solution

If Pilates has a buzzword, it’s core. Intent on developing strength from our body’s foundation, Pilates workouts are all-inclusive. The aerobic demands of distance running are addressed by Pilates’ focus on breathing & air-flow. More oxygen enters the blood, fueling the muscle groups you’ve worked so hard to train. Pilates also addresses the horizontal & frontal planes of movement. Strengthening the associated core areas, normally overlooked in the runners usual workout, a Pilates practitioner becomes better balanced. Most runners who add Pilates to their routine see considerable improvements in posture, decrease in back pain & improved stamina.

Pilates Is Personal

We start all clients on a personal, one-on-one program. The foundation of a successful Pilates workout begins with learning the fundamentals. Results tend to happen quickly for committed practitioners. Toning new muscle groups, your trainer will guide you to developing the kind of core strength that will keep you in the race for decades ahead. Considering participating in the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon next February? Consider the benefits of working with a Pilates professional:

• Improved Balance
• Better Breathing & Airflow
• Improved Posture ~ Rehabilitates Lower Back
• More Stamina ~ Stay In The Game Longer
• Reduces The Risks Of Injury

Pilates is here to help you develop the foundation for health & well-being. It’s A Core Thing brings you this essential method through professional, private sessions. Contact us to find how how we can help you develop the body you need to succeed.

WHY MORE AND MORE PRO ATHLETES, ENTHUSIASTS, AND NEWBIES TO THE SPORT, ARE TURNING TO MIND-BODY FITNESS TO IMPROVE THEIR GAME.

With springtime just around the corner, golf enthusiasts are anxiously awaiting the warmer weather for their “season” to be in full swing. As a result, golfers are looking for pre-season conditioning options to build strength, increase energy and get in shape for their favorite sport.

Golf demands a delicate balance of mental and physical skill and Pilates enables you to focus on both through mind-body awareness by gaining insight into the inseparable connection between the physical and psychological components of athletic performance. Golfers can take their physical performance to a higher level by training their minds in addition to their bodies.

In the last five years fitness has become a huge part of various athletes’ daily routine. From the NFL to the NHL, athletes of all levels are realizing the benefits of “alternative” methods of exercise to increase power, align the body, and work the ‘core’. Not to mention golf pros such as Tiger Woods and David Duval – two top-dollar stars who are known to incorporate Pilates into their regular training regimen. Elite athletes are still training daily, but the focus on conventional weight training has been complemented with the need to work on balance, flexibility, core stability and mental focus.

Read the rest of this entry »

Discover Your Strength by incorporating the principles of Classical Pilates in your life. It’s A Core Thing Pilates is a Stott Pilates Studio in the heart of Myrtle Beach.

We offer Pilates workouts for persons of all fitness levels – from the fitness client to the rehab client transitioning from an injury. There are numerous ways you can start your Pilates practice at our studio.

We want our clients to ALWAYS have fun, not only exploring the strength and stability in their bodies through their practice, but also feel refreshed, empowered and centered in their bodies after each session.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about getting started.
Hope to see ya soon!

It’s A Core Thing Crew 

Pilates Enthuiasts May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball Thursday, playing through a steady and sometimes driving rain to beat China in straight sets and extend their winning streak to 108 matches in a row.

“Ever since the ball dropped in Athens, we’ve wanted to repeat as Olympic champions,” May-Treanor said. “No one’s ever done it.” No one’s ever won 14 consecutive Olympic matches before, either, sweeping away their opponents in both Beijing and Athens without losing a single set.

To compete and prevail against the best in the world their trainers developed a progressive hybrid training program that included plyometric exercises, stretching, isokinetic work ( that gets our fast twitch muscles going) free weights, strength maintenance and their favorite Pilates.

Pilates has become the exercise of choice of the best in the world as a way to develop a strong core, prevent injury and enhance overall functional performance.

Golf and Pilates share the same basic principles, requiring flexibility, rotation and core and gluteal  strength. While the golf pro may help correct swings and take strokes off a player’s game, the Pilates specialist can improve a golfer’s performance, stamina and stability.

According to Golf Weekly,  Camilo Villegas, one of the longest hitters in pro golf, believes that strength and flexibility are both important, with flexibility being the most important for golf.  While other golfers get in shape by lifting weights, Villegas practices Pilates, which he was introduced to at the University of Florida.

Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute in California, notes that the best golfers have strong, stable lower bodies and flexible, mobile upper bodies.  A perfect swing progresses from the lower body to the trunk, the shoulders, and lastly the arms.  Golfers who lack strength and flexibility in their glutemous muscles and their core compensate by using their arms, and this often results in a slice.  Pilates targets the core and develops functional strength needed to play well.

Madonna is probably the most famous and devoted Pilates practitioner, but many other familiar faces are showing up in Pilates studios. 

•  Gisele Bundchen, whose amazing body has earned her well over $38 million a year, keeps her body looking great with diet and exercise, including surfing, Pilates, yoga and dancing. 

•  LeBron James, NBA Rookie of the Year in 2004, has adopted a victory gesture known as “Thrown Up The Rock” named after one of his Pilates Reformer exercises. 

•  Oprah Winfrey practices Pilates two to three times a week because she says “moving out from the center (core), awareness, harmony,  balance, and control help me embody where I’m going with my life. I’m moving from my core. I move differently. Pilates really has changed my life.”

 •  Olympic volleyball champions May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh credit their trainers with developing a hybrid training program which includes Pilates.  

•  Brandon Routh, who portrayed Superman, used a mix of Pilates and yoga designed by his trainer.  “It’s all about core training so I could be flexible on the wires (used to make him appear to fly) and endure long hours.”