Welcome to Not Strictly Pilates - I'm so glad you're here!

You might be wondering if it's not strictly Pilates, what it's all about.

Pilates is an amazing system of mind-body exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. Joe Pilates himself called his system "Contrology" as the intention was to “develop the body uniformly, correct wrong postures, invigorate the mind, and elevate the spirit”. Perhaps you've heard of, or even been, on a Pilates Reformer, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, or even the Cadillac. These are all specialized pieces of equipment designed by Joe Pilates to "reform" your body - in other words to help your body figure it out. And oh my gosh, they are so much FUN!! But the true heart and soul of Pilates is really and truly a series of 34 mat exercises that once learned well, you could do really anytime, anywhere. On your own. It's ultimately you against gravity.

As an active person over 50, I LOVE LOVE LOVE what Pilates does for my body. I feel very connected to my body. I am strong. I feel agile. I feel very confident in my body. As an orthopedic women's health physical therapist, I LOVE LOVE LOVE what Pilates does for my clients. Integrating Pilates as part of my physical therapy treatment programs has really helped my client to "take their exercises with them" into everyday life. To get more out of any workout or group exercise class they do, and to be more of aware of their bodies for the stuff in life they have to do.

There is often a gap between "done with physical therapy" and "back to where I want to be" for many clients participating in therapy with only in network benefits (those that insurance pays for directly). This can be for a number of reasons - sometimes clients "run out" of their allotted number of visits. Sometimes they have more visits available, but coverage is denied because an insurance reviewer doesn't feel continued physical therapy is medically necessary. Pilates is a great gap filler for helping you get from where you are to where you want to be. It's also a really good choice (when done well) for folks who are managing one or more chronic issues or conditions. The focus on alignment, connection to your body, and breathing and integrating breath back into everyday movements can be AMAZING for postpartum women and women's health and fitness.

No one exercise format can fulfill all of your needs - much like no one food source can fulfill all of your dietary needs. Carrots are great, but even if you don't know much about nutrition you could imagine the Carrots Only Diet wouldn't be a very good choice. While I love Pilates in general and I know Not Strictly Pilates can't fulfill your every exercise need, there are a few things I think it's important to integrate into movement classes so we are ready to handle what live throws at us and and feel good doing it!

Here's what you can expect in a Not Strictly Pilates class:

• Meditation and mindfulness - we start every class with a brief healing meditation (this helps settle your nervous system down which makes you way more receptive to learning and helps build resiliency for the stress of life!)
• Low Impact High intensity interval training (HIIT) 10 minutes (although you are free to add impact if it is safe for your body)
• Tuning In to your body (to get to where you want to be, it's important to know where you're starting from).
• Breath work - there is no ONE correct way to breathe but your body needs the ability to choose the right strategy for the situation. Think of how differently you breathe during a 50 yard dash compared to final relaxation in yoga class!)
• Foundational or corrective exercises - sort of like how you need to be able to hold a pencil before you can write or draw
• Some 'Classical Pilates' exercises - these are full body movements really designed to integrate your body as a whole system and restore balance - kind of like the antidote to life!
• A bit more rotation - we do a lot of rotation (or twisting) and I do find the classical Pilates exercises are a bit light on twisting.

If you're new to me, I highly recommend starting with my 6 week online Pilates Foundations Class, where we will break things down and move at a pace where you can really learn, understand, and integrate. Not only will you feel great, but what you learn will help you in ANY exercise class or activity you participate in, as well as everyday life stuff.

Every Pilates class and every Pilates teacher is a bit different, and many of us have areas of focus. My areas of specialty are filling the gap between done with physical therapy and back to where you want to be; managing chronic conditions; and women's health and wellness. If you tried Pilates once and it wasn't a fit a highly encourage you to try it again. Much like a dentist or hairstylist, or even a date - sometimes you try one and it's just not the right fit for you. You might have to kiss a few frogs.

That's all I've got for now.

If you're wondering if Pilates Foundations or Not Strictly Pilates might be a good fit, email angela@angelamarciano.com

xox

Angela