Pilates Articles write an article

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and a good time to remind ourselves and those women we love to get early diagnosis testing.  It's amazing to say the words, "for those recovering from breast cancer" and for many women this is the case because of the research that has been done due to the fundraising and building of awareness of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  If you know a woman who is recovering, pilates can be a great part of the rehabilitation plan and pilates actually has some history with breast cancer rehabilitation.  In the 1950's Eve Gentry, one of Joseph Pilates' protégés, had a mastectomy for breast cancer and Joseph helped her rehabilitate with his method.  She went on to...

I love to garden as do many of my clients, but I often hear from them that gardening really bothers their back, or their hips or their shoulders. Gardening can be very strenuous, and because there is so much to do at the beginning of the gardening season, we often do too much at once and that is what can cause the backaches! Here are some tips that I give my clients at this time of year:

Work in neutral spine as much as possible. Often what irritates our back from a gardening session is the constant bending over or staying in a flexed spine position for too long. When weeding or preparing the soil, try to squat down as low as possible while maintaining a neutral spine and pelvis. If squatting is uncomfortable, buy a kneeling pad, but again try to...

Developed by fitness innovator Joseph H. Pilates in the 1920’s, Pilates is the fastest-growing exercise method in North America. Pilates uses a unique sequence of movements that blends proper breathing; precision of alignment; development of “core” muscles referring to a person’s abdominals and pelvic floor which includes the glutes, hip abductors and adductors; and balanced conditioning. Suitable for all ages and abilities, Pilates conditions the body from head-to-toe with a low impact approach that requires patience and practice.
Offering a refreshing alternative to the standard gym workout, Pilates can transform the way the body looks, feels and performs, while also providing people with a successful tool for...

Our mission is to empower people to be in control of their own health and well-being through the Pilates Method.

PILATES ON PEARL Studio is dedicated to providing our clients with the highest quality classical Pilates instruction.  Our focus is on the individual.  Sessions are customized to meet our client's goals and needs in a non-intimidating environment.
The Pilates method is a system of movement and therapeutic exercise developed over a span of 60 years by German born athlete and physical therapy pioneer, Joseph H. Pilates. Utilizing the specialized equipment he designed, the method works by toning muscles as well as balancing muscular force at the joint...

If you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, you might already know that weight-bearing and resistance based exercise is key to keeping bone density.  But did you know that Sherri Betz, a PT in Santa Cruz, CA has done a study on osteoporosis and pilates and has seen some individuals gain up to 15% bone density? 
The newest studies have shown that high impact sports like running or aerobics are the best bone stimulates.
Ironically, most...

"The core" is a pair of words that have dominated the fitness industry as well as sports as of late.  Everyone is selling "the core" exercises to cure all your ills.  So what is the core and are you engaging it?  Many people confuse doing pilates exercises with engaging the core.  It is very possible and common for people doing pilates to perform the exercises without engaging their core.  How is that possible, isn't pilates synonymous with core?  It isn't and you have to be taught how to engage your core properly.  Some people do engage the core naturally but even they should be taught to...

 
The popularity of Pilates has significantly progressed the fitness world.  Oh sure, it started out as a fad but now core exercises are here to stay as well as every variation someone can come up with.  But the simplest things are also the hardest.  We've heard this old adage before and it perfectly describes the essence of Pilates.  Why do 5 movements when you can do 1?  It's all about efficiency, and the basic tenets that Joe Pilates wanted his exercises to embody- precision, concentration, control and fluidity.  Each movement in Pilates, including transitioning into and out of the exercise, is to be done in keeping with these tenets so the need for repetition and resistance is reduced.  This is the complete opposite concept from traditional forms of exercise like weight lifting and aerobic activity.  In other...

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes intense pain in the body including but not limited to, muscles, connective tissue and joints.  It affects more than 6 million people in the US.  The symptoms can vary widely from person to person and range from mildly annoying to highly debilitating.  On top of all this, it is very difficult to diagnose because the primary symptoms of pain and exhaustion are so general.  Other symptoms include:
Morning stiffness, sleep disorders, anxiety, cognitive or memory impairment, depression and digestive problems....

You or someone you know may have been diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury.  What does this mean and how can pilates help?  The rotator cuff is made up of the muscles and tendons that attach your arm bone (humerus) to your shoulder blade (scapula). They also stabilize the arm bone firmly in the shoulder joint.  Because the scapula isn't connected to another bone in the shoulder joint, it allows for great flexibility but it also allows instability.  Rotator cuff injuries can come from many sources from repetitive stress such as lifting heavy objects repeatedly above the head to an actual injury incurred by trauma such as falling.  Poor posture in the upper back and shoulders also increases your risk of rotator cuff injury because of the strain this can put on the shoulder joint.  As people age their risk for rotator cuff injury increases usually because they decrease use of the...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and a good time to remind ourselves and those women we love to get early diagnosis testing.  It's amazing to say the words, "for those recovering from breast cancer" and for many women this is the case because of the research that has been done due to the fundraising and building of awareness of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  If you know a woman who is recovering, pilates can be a great part of the rehabilitation plan and pilates actually has some history with breast cancer rehabilitation.  In the 1950's Eve Gentry, one of Joseph Pilates' protégés, had a mastectomy for breast cancer and Joseph helped her rehabilitate with his method.  She went on to create her...