City of Ames, IA Ames Parks and Recreation, 5 May 2020

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From YouTube: Healthy Living | Home Workout | Pilates

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Follow along with this Pilates class with Nancy Shaw, Wellness Program Manager with the City of Ames.

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Hi, I'm nancy shaw with healthy living today. I'm going to take you through a short pilates class. Pilates is great for core strengthening working your back muscles everything throughout the body we stretch, we strengthen it, so we're going to go ahead and get started all right. The first thing we're going to do is just take you through a couple of yoga flows to start working, your breathing and getting you warmed up. So just standing.

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Take a nice deep breath inhale we're going to forward fold here coming down. You can modify it by either just letting those forearms rest on your thighs, but the biggest thing is we want your head to hang heavy right here or you can take those hands down to the floor. Whatever works best for you, we're just gonna put one leg back two legs back. This is called a down dog, it's very common in yoga classes.

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So, with this stretch, we feel those hamstrings stretching tailbone is pointed up and then from here we're going to come to what's called a plank hands under those shoulders, all right, nice strong, pushing through the palms of the hands and then we're going to drop those knees down and sit back in a child's pose just nice stretch here, coming back up on all fours tucking, those toes pushing that tailbone back up to that down dog and then walking those hands and feet together and coming back to that forward fold and we're gonna roll up one vertebrae at a time.

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This is the pilates roll up standing up just nice and easy, and up let's go through that. One more time ready. Take a big breath inhale forward fold exhale, you can modify remember reaching down one leg back two legs back heels, pressing down towards the floor, coming to that plank hands under those shoulders, dropping down to those knees, pressing those hips back on those heels coming back up to our down dog, where we tuck the toes lifting again the tailbone up nice stretch and then walking those hands back in forward fold.

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Give your head a little knot here, yes and no shake it and then practicing that pilates roll up one vertebrae at a time inhale and exhale all right. Let's go ahead and get started with our pilates, so we're going to take it down to our mats, we're going to lay down and we're going to start with classic pilates moves. So we have five moves.

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The couple things we want to think about when we practice pilates is pressing that spine into the floor. We want to think about drawing that navel to the spine, really staying contracted through the abdominals.

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This is called a tabletop where our knees are aligned right over our hips, sometimes at the beginning of class. I just have people hold this pose and, as you hold it the longer you hold it the harder it is. So it's amazing. If you press your spine into the floor, you keep your knees over the hips.

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Just holding this and tabletop is a challenge in itself and then we're going to just go ahead and tap one toe down and come back up to tabletop and to the other side, and just do that a few times this whole time. I want you to think about pressing that spine into the floor and back up also. I want you to think about your shoulder blades. Those are pressed into the floor as well.

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We want to maintain good posture, even when we're on the floor and one more and then we're going to just draw the knees in the chest. ah You can relax just a second here, so the first move, we're going to do in our plies class is called the pilates 100..

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So I'm going to show it to you in a couple different ways: we're going to start with our legs up to the ceiling. A nice modification can be the knees bent, but we're going to take our legs up to the ceiling.

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I want you to think about rotating your heels together and turning your toes out also known as first position in a dance class right or in a pilates bar class, so we're here- and I want you to think about lowering your legs until you kind of start feeling a little stressed through your spine, then maybe back up a little bit, our hands are by our sides we're going to lift up drawing our navel into the spine, going to pretend you have like an orange underneath your chin holding it in now, our 100s we're gonna breathe in for five exhale through five all the way to the hundred okay.

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So are you ready here? We go inhale one exhale.

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Exhale four exhale.

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And then draw the knees in those: are our pilates 100's really feeling it through that core all right from here we're going to put one foot down one leg straight up and we're going to pretend we're drawing a leg circle down around and center. This is a nice stretch for the leg, but we also think about it as core strength, because our abdominals are actually controlling that leg. So we want to think about this controlling this now.

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Let's reverse that circle down around and center and pilates breath is just nice big breaths into the nose out through the mouth, and let's do one more inhale, exhale all right! Reverse it! Take that leg up here we go nice circle in out good feeling, strong, staying, conscious, abdominals pulling in controlling that leg. Let's do one more and, let's reverse it other way down around and up good inhale, exhale keep the supporting leg, knees straight up to the ceiling and one more and down all right.

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Just a nice stretch, let's bring those feet a little closer to the glutes and just lift up in a bridge. So I want you to think about so the nice stretch for the spine holding those hips up as high as you can and then rolling down one vertebrae at a time really think about one spine or I'm sorry. One vertebrae down your spine comes all the way down until your tailbone comes to the floor and then just a nice stretch here we're gonna just let those knees come in.

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We do a lot of stretching in between exercises and pilates, which always feels good all right from here, I'm going to go ahead and roll onto the side and come up I'm going to place my hands on my shins, I'm going to do what's called the c curve, the partial roll back.

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So I like to think of it as a c, if your hand support here you're going to round back and just pausing that first time, I want you to think about from the top of your head down and around to your knee as a c. So we really think about scooping out the abdominals holding here and then coming straight up long spine and we're going to add that pilates breath we're going to exhale.

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And we're going to inhale up nice and tall and we exhale.

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And come up good: let's take our arms out. Let's do it again, exhale!

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So relax your shoulders come back up to that long spine in between each one, rounding out and coming up try to relax those shoulders as well. Sometimes we get this way with our day and we try to really keep those shoulders relaxed. Let's do one more.

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Now we're going to add a rotation, so we're going to take one arm, we're going to rotate out and come up to the center and then we're going to rotate the other out.

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So we get those obliques as well the sides of the abdominals exhale and come in, and let's do one more and exhale and come in all right, good job, all right we're going to go one more seated position before we lay back down. This is called the saw. This is a classic pilates move.

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When we do plies, we think about bringing those heels up off the floor, flexing those legs and sitting really tall on the spine. Sometimes we want to sit like this. Try not to do that. We try to really stay focused and sit up tall for this exercise. It doesn't matter how far apart your legs are. You don't have to be a dancer and get them really wide, so we actually like them a little bit more narrow.

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I want you to think about pulling up on your sits bone sitting, really tall opening up right here, we're going to rotate we're going to reach our pinky finger past our little toe and back up and center. So it's rotate reach pull back on those toes, and so it's a four count. We move rotate. We reach we pull back and center and again inhale exhale reach, inhale and center.

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Let's do four more inhale, reach up good and here's three reach pull back and up last two reach pull back and up here's our last one rotate reach up and relax and down all right, good job. I'm going to go back to the floor. I'm going to turn this way this time, all right so from here we're going to do some of our pilates moves.

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We call these the classic moves, so we're going to start with, what's called a single knee stretch, so we're going to pull one knee into the chest: we're gonna, lift our torso off the floor and we're going to inhale and then we're going to exhale and.

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Exhale and again inhale and exhale again inhale and exhale.

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Let's do one more inhale and exhale that was called single leg stretch. Double leg stretch, hands by your ankles, we're going to hold here now. What I want you to think about is coming out to a v, but remember how we talked about rotating those heels together: zipping up those inner thighs. That's what we want reach here's our v, so we inhale we tuck navel on the spine and we exhale and again inhale tuck exhale, so notice. My breath, we inhale and we exhale all right.

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Just do the best you can with the breathing, don't get too worried about it. It does come the more you practice. Pilates inhale and exhale pause press that spine of the floor.

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Here's our last one inhale and exhale from here we're going to move to this straight leg stretch, so this knee does bend just a little bit hands behind the shins, we're going to inhale and we're going to exhale nice stretch through the hamstring my torso stays lifted, but I have a little support here with my hands on my hamstring, so we inhale and we exhale and we inhale and we exhale.

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Let's do a couple more inhale and exhale and last one and down all right, just draw our knees in your chest. Rest your neck, a little bit heads get really heavy, so we're going to bring it here for a second and then our last move of the series. It's called the crisscross so hands behind the head. We got to support the neck on this one we're going to rotate, inhale and then exhale and inhale and exhale and again inhale and exhale. So we think about drawing that elbow over and exhale.

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Let's do one more inhale and exhale very good and draw the knees in let's go back to that stretch, feet on the floor bridge pose lifting hips up as high as you can all the way up. Nice stretch the spine, feel it and then roll down one vertebrae at a time all the way down. Good all right, pull those knees into the chest all right. Let's do a little bit of leg work, knowing that when we do leg work, we're still really engaging the core.

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So we're going to start with our legs out at a slight angle. Okay, so we like to have our ear all the way down on our bicep. Not this because think about what you're doing to your spine. So we're all the way down. It's called point flex: it's not a hard one rotating that top leg, we're going to lift that point, and then we flex and we bring it down nice and slow like it's going through thick mud and flex good and, let's point up flex down nice stretch of the hamstring.

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Remember we're still engaging navel to spine point and flex and let's do one more point and flex now: let's reverse it: let's flex up point and down drawing those inner thighs together flex up point.

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A couple more flex and point, and here's your last one flex and point good all right now we're going to bring those legs a little bit back more so where our legs are out in front body, is a little bit more of a long line and we're going to flex and we're going to just lift part way up and down just part way up and down. I want you to still think about staying connected through here, right, always navel to spine.

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If you do it enough, it becomes automatic. That's what we're all hoping for point we're just going to lift and lower we're, not going to go up too high, we're not going to rotate that leg. We keep it low. Now we're going to hold this leg and we're going to bring this leg up to meet it. So we're going to tap up and down up and down, so you start feeling it in the legs.

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Now we hold it here and we tap tap and down tap, tap and down double taps up up and down. Let's go four three two and one: let's do one more: both legs together up and down, lift and lower, and then we can add a little oblique crunch. So we take it here. We crunch that side and down crunch and release feeling it through those obliques crunch.

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And now, let's do two more and last one now we're going to bend that bottom leg we're going to flex to the front and you can add a little kick and back a lot of people love. This implies it's just a good stretch.

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Kick kick take it behind you're gonna fill in your glutes, kick kick and behind couple more kick kick and behind, and now we're going to take it to a nice big bicycle.

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So all the way around you're going to feel it stretch forward, reach around and forward and round, we've got two more and then we're going to reverse the direction and sweep around pull in and stretch sweep around and pull good. We got a couple more and here's your last one and down all right. We have to finish with a little inner thigh, so we're just gonna cross that leg and lift here for about ten nine, eight seven six here it is three two one and good job all right. Let's come on up.

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Take your working leg! Take it in front: let's just take it to a nice stretch here.

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So your leg that did all the work is in front you're to feel the stretch with the glutes and then from here we're going to take it to just a nice inner thigh stretch, and then we prepare for the other side so taking it over to the side. I'm going to move this so taking it here, leg slightly out in front point flex. Remember this we're going to rotate! This is the one the leg's going to come out a little bit in front, we're going to point up flex and slowly down.

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Point flex. Slowly now remember we're thinking about going through thickness. So we come down super slow. Let's do one more now, let's reverse it! So let's come up flexed and then point down flex up point down good, so you're going to feel this. All in your legs, I want your legs to be tight. I got one more you're going to feel it in the inner thighs, the quads for the hamstrings.

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Now we straighten up a little bit. We come up part way. You can flex our point and then we just lift up staying connected right here, enable the spine pull in through here, four four and three and two and hold it up now. Bottom, come up to me and back down, lift lift good. Here's five four three: two: let's have those double taps, tap tap tap tap again. This is a great exercise, inner and outer thigh, and that core stays engaged.

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Let's do one more leg, stay connected down and lift down and lift four three: two: are you ready to add that oblique crunch here we go crunch and release crunch and release good you're, going to feel it in those obliques and, of course the legs are working. We have a couple more last one and down bend that bottom knee. Are you ready for your kick kick so we kick add a little kick go behind us. Kick kick and swing. Kick kick all right, there's that great stretch of the hamstring working, the glute and staying connected.

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Remember the core is controlling the legs, so stay conscious of that. Let's do one more kick kick and then our bicycle in round sweep through it's actually a really natural movement kind of feels good through our hip and our gluteal one more. Let's reverse it.

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Take it back around and squeeze you're gonna feel that in the glute, as you push back, let's do one more and in all right finishing off with that inner thigh for legs lift.

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Here we go so still laying down on our side just let that inner thigh do a little work about five four three, two one and and pushing back up for that stretch on the other side, so crossing the working leg in front, bringing it down just as much as you feel comfortable, stretching forward holding it and back to those inner thighs all right, one more area, we're going to work on in our pilates class we're going to go to the back, which is so important to work.

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We, a lot of us, are really conscious about working. Our abdominals, but we need to work our back as well and keep it flexible and strong. So we're going to come to all fours we're going to start just rounding through the spine and then flexing so just taking your time, rounding through the spine and flexing and let's do one more we round and usually this feels really good to people and then we flex and then we come to that neutral spine.

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So we have navel pulled into the spine and we're going to have that just that slight natural curvature to our spine and we're going to reach opposite hand, opposite leg and we're going to tuck in elbow to knee and then extend back and inhale and exhale. Let's do one more ready, inhale and exhale and hold hold it and down other side ready, reach opposite arm opposite leg hold reach, pull in tuck through exhale, as you extend and in let's do one more.

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And in and then let's go ahead and sit back in that child's pose again taking it to that nice stretch.

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All right to finish up the spine, we're going to come all the way down in our abdominals, okay, we're going to just think about not having our neck here, but our eyes down. So our neck is just a continuation of our spine, we're going to lift and we're going to pulse, pulse and down we're going to lift pulse pulse and down.

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So your abdominals are on the floor right, but I still want you to pull them up contract them. Two three and down now we're going to lift, extend those arms out in and down so draw your navel up off your mat in and down. Let's do two more inhale, reach and release. Here's our last one ready, lift out in and release and then we're going to finish off with a little swimming.

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Everybody loves the main, so we're going to float or kick those legs draw, your abdominals up eyes are down, and then we add the arms for eight seven, six five keep going four three two and one and relax hands are going to come. Underneath your shoulders, we're gonna push up to a child's, pose and stretch.

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And hips back and then we're going to just close this pilates clasp with just a couple of stretches.

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So we're going to come back up we're going to extend one leg out the other knee in bent foot in we're just going to reach out to that leg and extend.

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And coming up hands going to come to the side, we're going to push up all the way feeling a nice stretch, all the way up through side of the body and then release down and let's take it to the other side, extend ready up and over and stretch.

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And then we come up on our hand, ready push up nice stretch, all the way.

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And down taking those legs out in front go ahead, just pull those toes back like we talked about heels lifted up, you can reach, for it doesn't really matter. If you come all the way down or not just a nice stretch of the hamstrings.

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And then coming up, let's cross one leg, I have to actually take the opposite arm and wrap it around and rotate nice spinal twist.

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And let's balance it out by turning the other direction that always feels good and then, let's switch other leg crosses over here we go rotate.

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And then finishing same elbow and in all right take those legs cross or sit. However, it's comfortable and just drop your ear nice stretch through the neck and down and then just let that chin drop down in front and up and let's just take one nice breath, inhale and exhale all right, good job. Thank you so much for joining me in this pilates class. I am nancy shaw with healthy living and remember it's never too late to get.

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