This is why I do not advocate the constant "tuck!" in my Barre classes.  ~Ashley

‘Your Aching Low-Back’

Posted by Core Barre on Mar 12, 2013 in Articles | 0 comments

Nearly 80% of Americans suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives.  As a health & wellness professional, it has been my job to keep up with the latest research on the use of mind body approaches for pain management.   While there is no quick fix or a one-type plan that suits everyone, most people are open to trying a mindful movement approach and are willing to retrain their way of thinking about traditional exercise.  The only good thing low back pain is that it ‘gets our attention’ and is a great motivator to inspire positive change with long-term benefits!

My advice is to always have a medical professional evaluate the cause of chronic pain, as there could be an underlying issue that is well beyond the scope of our practice.  A medical professional is also trained to diagnose the dysfunction and cause for pain and gives us an indicator as to the course of treatment.   Pain management through medication and physical therapy is typically the norm for initial treatment.  The general feedback with pain medication is that most people in that situation know that pain meds are a temporary solution as they only the mask the underlying cause of the pain in the first place.  While they are necessary to manage pain, being able to discover alternative methods for pain management and the ability to regain a freedom of movement is the number one priority of my clients.  We are fortunate enough to have a Clinical Doctor on staff that can prescribe Pilates exercises that address soft tissue restrictions, pain relief therapy and exercise protocols for rehabilitation.
I firmly believe that the easiest thing to first look at is the person’s posture as it is gives us a picture as to the health and structure of the joints.   For instance in the center of the body postural changes are usually characterized by such things as a shortening of the hip flexors, a hiking or tilting of the hip or pelvis, a tightness of the hamstrings.   Muscular imbalances such as tightness and weakness are usually the culprit of postural deviations, which account for extra stress on the joints and the discs.
The most common disturbance in posture is the ‘tucked-in glutes’.  It is characterized by the pelvis being pulled forward and the glute muscles (buttocks) in a constant state of contraction.  Visually you can see that the low back has a flattened appearance, which is not a good picture as the low back (lumbar spine) needs to have a normal lordotic curve to maintain adequate space between the vertebrae.  When that space is compressed, pain and discomfort is usually felt in the lower back  (lumbar spine) where it meets the sacrum.
Because of the loss of that natural curve and the muscular forces pulling the glutes underneath, a trained eye can see that the body also tends to lean back in a somewhat passive position.   This also puts a lot of strain on the low back for the body to remain in that altered state.  People with this kind of posture tend to walk stiffly and with limited movement in their hips.
The person is often so used to standing that way that they have not know it be the source of compression on their low back. Just by pointing out the deviation, the individual can start to make some conscious simple changes to align posture and eliminate pain.   Try this exercise – while sitting in a straight back chair – curl the spine up by tightening up the glutes and bringing it forward.  You can immediately feel the pressure in the low back and abdomen.  You will feel the pressure release as soon as you bring the seat back behind you and sit up tall.
Try the same thing laying flat on a mat with the knees bent and arms by your side.  Push the low back into the mat by way of curling your tail upward.  You will feel how you are overworking the seat, which has now caused the hip flexors to shorten and the abdominals to ‘pooch’ forward.
Now release it by feeling the sacrum lying heavy on the mat and the hips flexors and glute muscles relaxed.  You should feel as there is no muscular effort but a sense of length to the low back, without the pelvis tilting forward or backward.  Not only does it give a more flattened appearance to the abdominals but it is also a pelvic position that allows one to activate the deepest layer of muscles in the abdominals that will in turn aid in stabilizing the whole lumbar pelvic region.
Once that posture is correct, a proper strengthening program can be introduced.  Ideally, light weight exercises are protocol.  Using heavy weights in the initial recovery takes the focus away from the stabilizer muscles that protect the low back.  Those deep muscles are best activated by the ‘neurons’ in our brain telling them to ‘turn on’.  A perfect example in the instance of where ‘less is better’.
Properly stretching tight muscles is also key as it will allow for adequate flexibility at each joint so there is  an equal balance between the opposing muscle groups. ‘Active Isolated Stretching’, which promotes holding a stretch for no more that 1.5-2 seconds over several repetitions is great for this purpose.

Freedom of movement is a beautiful thing and allows us to enjoy health and wellness to it’s full potential.   As our population ages, exercise is no longer a luxury but a necessity to optimal well-being.   Modalities of exercise that really promote safe and healthy movement and are taught well can give a work out than many would be surprised can leave you sweating just as much as cross fit session but without the injuries.   Continue to move well!  Remember that ‘No Pain = No Pain’!

- Monica Hoekstra

Starting today, PoFA is offering an unlimited monthly rate of $99 for all you frequent class peeps!

Lord help me, here we go again…

This is how we are going to try the Wednesday morning and Friday morning Pilates Mat classes (please take note: ONLY the Wednesday morning and Friday morning Pilates Mat classes.) The other classes on schedule are still drop-in, but it is a good idea to check online to make sure the class has not been cancelled for that day. Life happens and sometimes a class will get cancelled. I will always post it on the website schedule page and on Facebook. If you sign up (hint, hint…) I will personally email you to let you know that the class got cancelled.

That said, here’s how we are going to play it with the Wednesday morning and the Friday morning Pilates Mat classes. No more Workshop-Sign-up-for-the-Month format. We will require that at least 3 people sign up the night before the class. For example, if you want to attend the Wednesday morning Pilates Mat class, you need to sign up by Tuesday evening. I will then post it on FB and the website letting folks know that there will be a class. If there is no class, I will not post. I will only post, in bold letters, if a class will be held on Wednesday morning or Friday morning.

I apologize for the runaround, but I’m trying to make this work for the teacher and the students. Hopefully in the near future we can put these two morning classes back on the schedule like all the other classes and get a regular turn-out.

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

*Ashley

What the heck is Fascia? And what does it have to do with Fitness?

  This is Part One of a three part series based on my Interview with Sue Hitzmann, the founder of the MELT Method.I first met Sue Hitzmann at the TSI Summit back in 2003. I took two workshops with her at that conference, in which I was introduced to advanced concepts on fascia. I was so totally blown away by what Sue had to say, that I went on to take two full weekend workshops with her the following year, in what was the beginnings of the MELT Method. At that time, I was recovering from a pretty severe knee injury and had not only been unable to return to dancing fully, but was still experiencing a lot of pain. At those workshops, I began to recognize the value of bodywork in compliment to traditional exercise-based physical therapy as a method of rehabilitating the body after injury and also as a method for maintaining balance, and preventing future injury. I went to a physical therapist, who Sue introduced me to, who used cranio-sacral therapy with profound effects on my body. I credit the cranio-sacral work with helping me recover from an injury that I had suffered from with little result for over a year, ultimately allowing me to get my dance career back on track. Earlier this year, Sue sat down with me and generously gave a full hour of her time for me to interview her about fascia, the MELT Method and trends in the fitness industry. This series is the product of that interview.

Can you talk about your journey into the world of fascia?  How you first learned about it, what it is and why it’s important.

Fascia – Image from www.meltmethod.com

Well it’s actually not that hard to understand.  I think the problem is understanding thatconnective tissue plays multiple roles in our overall wellness and longevity. For years it was defined as a passive packing material as if it were a non-living, accessory tissue in the body.

Over the last 50 years there’s been advances in connective tissue and fascial research.  See, the majority of connective tissue is called fascia. And just so you know, not all connective tissue is fascia.  But all fascia is connective tissue.  So blood could be considered a connective tissue.  But the difference between blood and fascia is that there’s hemoglobin in it.  And so that’s what defines it as blood. Although bones and even blood can be considered connective tissue, what I talk about is the fascial aspects.

What we’re recognizing about connective tissue is that it’s a seamless, integrated system, not just a support tissue.  The connective tissue is a continuous, 3-dimensional system that supports, protects, and stabilizes all aspects of our body.  So it’s kind of amazing that the most abundant material in the body would be so disregarded for so long.  Very little research focused on this tissue until recently. But fascia’s been discussed from the beginning of anatomical research.  It’s not like as if we didn’t know fascia existed.

Fascia is connective tissue. A complex system that supports, protects and stabilizes all aspects of the body.

My first introduction to fascia was in the early and mid ‘90s doing neuromuscular therapy.  The focus was always on the myofascial layer and how the fascia provided head to toe connection and created tensional support throughout the entire muscle system.  It was about how it supported muscles and enhanced my understanding of dynamic movement.

What I’ve learned about connective tissue over the years, is that connective tissue is in fact a renewable resource. Advancements in technology have allowed us to look at connective tissue on a molecular level.  It’s actually a very active system.  There are many active cellular components in connective tissue.  In the early 2000’s, I met Gil Hedley and did dissections with him and he had this concept of doing a layer by layer approach.  Removing the skin and then looking at the superficial fascia and focused on how things connected rather than defining the parts.  I had never seen the superficial layer as a cohesive system nor did I ever consider it to be important, let alone an active system.

When I said, “What is that?”  He said, “It’s the superficial fascia.”  And I said, “What is it doing there?”  And he said, “That’s the system that supports, protects and stabilizes the body” and my head whipped around and I said, “Did you just call it a system? It’s a tissue, right? I mean, it’s not a system. That would mean there are active elements to it.”  And he smiled at me and said, “Oh my, yes there are very active components in connective tissue. It’s a three dimensional matrix that vibrates, translates, and adapts to your movements, emotions… everything.”  And then there it was, a complete shift for me out of the concept that muscles were the dictator of structural deformities and that the connective tissue played a significant role outside of the myofascial layer.

Connective tissue is made up of about 80 percent water.  And the primary components are collagen and elastin. You could even call the connective tissue system the collagen matrix. And the fluids aren’t just water.  It’s hyaluronic acid, macrophages, proteoglycans, andglycosaminoglycans or what’s considered the “ground substance” of connective tissue.  There’s a lot of fancy terms defining the molecular components in connective tissue, however, what’s most important are the primary cells of connective tissue called fibroblasts.  Fibroblasts are the cells that create all of the fluids and all of the fibers that ultimately define the extra cellular matrix – the system outside of all of our cells.  This  is the connective tissue system. And these fibroblasts are very relevant to not only healing and repair, but also how your immune system operates.

And what my education and my understanding of connective tissue has been, at the forefront of research is that when connective tissue is hydrated, it’s flexible, it’s glidable, it’s resilient, it does its job. It’s able to transport nutrients, and most importantly, waste – but only if it’s hydrated.  So when our connective tissue is dehydrated, it gets very inflexible and what could be considered toxic.  It gets stiff like a dried out sponge.  I would say it’s kind of like if you think of connective tissue as being like billions of bubbles, when it lacks fluid, it sort of loses its buoyancy and the bubbles lose their shape and space.  It inhibits other tissues from gliding easily.  It inhibits muscles, organs, and joints to glide and move around each other.  When this occurs – and it is occurring daily for most of us, the architectural supportiveness of this tissue declines.  There is a term called Tensegrity or Biotensegrity that we use to define this dynamic, whole-body architecture the connective tissue provides. When the tissue is hydrated, it manages tension and compression in a balanced way. When we sit at a desk all day long or do repetitive movements, we strain regions of the architecture so the body has to compensate to sustain balance. If you let the compensation persist, imbalance between tension and compression becomes a body-wide issue.  It deforms, misaligns, and compresses joints.  It causes pain.  And ultimately it accelerates the aging process and gives you all the negative effects you would associate with aging.

You mentioned myofascia as being separate from fascia.  Are they two different things?  Are there multiple kinds of fascia?

No, there’s only one type, connective tissue is connective tissue.  The same exact molecular components are literally present from skin to bone in every definable layer.  It is literally a cohesive collagen matrix, like a 3-dimensional mesh suit. It’s like as if you opened up on orange and as you peeled it back, you saw the white that was still on the orange. That’s the superficial fascia.  And then as you start to try to pull that away, you realize that those fibrous elements are actually piercing the orange itself.  And then when you open the orange, you get the pieces of the orange.  And then when you break that piece apart, you see that inside the orange, there are tiny, little bubbles that make little air pockets, you can break them and “pew” water pulls out.

It is literally a cohesive collagen matrix like a 3-dimensional a mesh suit. It’s like as if you opened up on orange and as you peeled it back, you saw the white that was still on the orange.  And then as you start to try to pull that away, you realize that those fibrous elements are actually piercing the orange itself.  And then when you open the orange, you get the pieces of the orange.  And then when you break that piece apart, you see that inside the orange, there are tiny, little bubbles that make little air pockets, you can break them and “pew” water pulls out.

Fascia – Image from www.meltmethod.com

So the connective tissue system is absolutely cohesive.  It’s absolutely seamless.  And again, the molecular components are 100 percent the same throughout the entire structure of our body.  However, in different areas of the body, connective tissue is formed in different ways where there’s a higher or lower deposit of particular molecules or particular fibers.  Like, for example, just under your skin, in dissection, you can actually see the superficial fascia tends to be thick and very spongy.  It has a lot of fatty tissue in it. It’s very dense.  And then as you go into the next layer, we call that deep fascia.  And the deep fascia is a thinner, more fibrous-y layer.  And then you get into the myofascia layers.  And myofascia is more like a grid.  And myofascia is the term to define at what level of the body you are describing the connective tissue.  So myofascia is the tissue that is both around and within muscles that defines muscle shape and gives each muscle its definition so that we can define it through science.

But, you know, something I love that Tom Myers says is “you can think of the entire body as being one muscle with 700 compartments.”  And instead of thinking of it as 700 unique muscles, you really have just one muscle separated by 700 distinct compartments.  The reality is, the brain doesn’t know about your biceps.  It doesn’t know about your gluteus maximus.  When it signals information for muscle contractility to occur, it’s actually a signal that goes through the entire muscle system through the connective tissue.  In other words, connective tissue provides the gateway for that sensory to motor communication to occur on a neurological level.  It’s actually the support neural structures that allow the information to get through our bodies very fast. The connective tissue is the environment our nerves live in. So accurate muscle contraction isn’t just about nerve impulse, the connective tissue does play a role in it’s accuracy.

Bottom line here is, all fascia is connective tissue.  It’s the same molecular components, but we just define connective tissue in different regions of the body so that we know where we are.  Like we can call it visceral fascia to define the region around organs.  We could call it thoracic fascia to define the region around the lungs or ribs.  We could call it, cranial fascia to talk about the skull.  It’s like any anatomy. We define layers or regions so we know where we are in the body.  But fascia is fascia.  It’s absolutely the same tissue – and it’s everywhere.

People always refer to connective tissue when they’re describing ligaments, which are generally talked about as being not vascular and not able to repair easily.

Right.  And that’s the same thing with tendonous structures.  Like they used to say that, tendons were avascular and that theory held sway for many years.  But as surgeries have gotten more refined, Dr. Jean Claude Guimberteau shows a flexor tendon surgery where they released the garret off of the tendon and the tendon bled, which was completely against the avascular theory.  It really depends upon the extent of damage that occurs.  You know, if you were to tear your Achilles tendon and you literally ruptured it, it snaps like a rubber band and coils itself up into your calve.  That then requires a surgical procedure of somebody going in, fishing it out, and then pulling it back down and reattaching it. But that’s an extreme case.

Many of us strain tissue or sprain ligaments but they do repair without surgery.  Connective tissue’s pretty tough and resilient. It can tear, but actually it resists tearing quite aggressively.

How to Get Results From Barre Class

BARRE BREAKDOWN: WHY YOU AREN'T SEEING THE RESULTS YOU SHOULD

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Updated Oct 15 2012 - 10:17am · Posted Oct 14 2012 - 1:30pm by Jaime Young · 1 Comment

Fitness · Strength Training · Barre · Beginner Fitness Tips

Barre class is a highly effective workout and can burn up to 500 calories per session. On top of torching calories, you should have a longer body from barre in no time — that is, if you're doing it right. Many people who take barre class report seeing few to no changes in their body and can't understand why. Here are the top six mistakes people make in barre class to miss out on those results.

• No focus: If you're daydreaming or zoning out in class, you aren't getting the full benefits from the exercises. It's similar to eating mindlessly in front of the TV; when you're distracted, the activity you're doing holds less value.
• Eating habits: Since this workout can exert so much energy, you'll notice an increase in metabolism and your body may need certain foods — like protein — more. While replenishing your body is a must, take careful notice to what you're refueling your bodywith. Steer clear of foods that are high in caloric value so that they don't creep up on you. Remember the mantra "calories in, calories out."
• No cardio: Barre classes tone your muscles to make you look cut, but cardio is essential in helping zap fat. If you've stopped walking as much or aren't doing any type of cardio, you won't be able to see the tone you're putting into your physique. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes, ideally after this strength-training workout.

Keep reading. There are a few more reasons after the break.

• Cutting class: In order to see the results from any strength-training exercise, you need to do it multiple times a week. While you may think you have been attending class often, it's easy to slip up. You can check your attendance by the week or month by asking the someone at the front desk of your studio. To track it yourself, mark it on your personal calendar. This will not only make you stick to a routine, but it will also give you a realistic idea of how often you attend.
• Slacking off: One of the things that surprises people when they become barre enthusiasts is that the class progressively gets more difficult. It isn't necessarily the moves that are changing, but you're understanding your body more to make efficient use of your time. If you don't feel constantly challenged, try to take the more challenging option when your instructor suggests it.
• Not accepting help: By listening to an instructor's corrections during class, you can get more out of each movement. Since barre is so specific, you need to set up properly in order to reap the benefits. Pay close attention to the adjustments around you and try to learn from mistakes so you can correct your form. Also pay attention to the corrections other students are getting in class — it may relate to your own form!

Thank you, Denise!

"I have always been lucky with the gene pool, and was very active as a young woman-I could eat and do whatever I wanted. Once I hit 40, that all changed. On top of that, years of working on my feet and doing awkward lifting and positioning conspired against me; leading to increasing joint and back pain. I have tried the usual route-diet, gyms etc with limited success and total 

boredom. I came to Ashley for private classes to learn how to do the Pilates techniques the RIGHT way; I didn't want to hurt myself, and I want to maximize the benefits. I also want a real person, familiar with the changing female body and challenges of injury-not some young girl in booty shorts. Ashley adapts the workout to my body, focusing on important "need" areas and avoid critical stress areas. She uses great imagery techniques and explains the purpose behind each particular exercise or movement-this really keeps me engaged. I can't get this from a video. I have seen a tremendous health benefits from my sessions, with a nice side effect of compliments on my improved muscles tone. I feel better, and that is the important goal for me."

Denise Altman RN, IBCLC, LCCE
All The Best
FeedYourBaby.com

STUDIO NEWS BULLETIN

 Greetings! And a big welcome to Fall! 

·     We now have a class register link… no more Cut and Paste! Just go to the schedule tab and click … easy breezy!  Two main reasons for having online sign–up is that I want to prevent over-crowding of classes and possibly turning people away, and to also be able to notify people if a class gets cancelled.

·     Please be aware that class cards have a two-month expiration date. Exceptions are made with injuries and emergencies.

·     Groupon people please be aware that the Groupon cards expire on October 31^st. You may also use your Groupon for the yoga classes.

·     For a class to be held, we must have at least two people signed up. If only one person is signed up, I’m letting the teacher have the option of cancelling the class (some of my teachers have a 30 minute commute and I want to honor their time and gas expense.) So please make sure that you have your email and phone number on file with us in case we need to notify you of a cancellation.

·     FRIDAY MAT CLASS! Several folks have requested another Pilates mat class. Jennifer will be teaching an October “workshop” to jumpstart this new morning edition. We need at least six people to pre-register and commit to the four Fridays in October. If you miss one of these classes you can always make it up in her Wednesday class. So, it’s a Win-Win deal! Please go online and click “workshop” on the sign-in page to pre-pay or you can always pre-pay at the studio.  The theme for this workshop? Arms and Tush. Jennifer will be adding some fusion moves with the 3lb. weights.

·     New Mats are here! No more jigsaw, coming-apart-piecing-it-together bit, and, they are cushy!

Thank you all for your support. I welcome any comments or suggestions that would enhance your experience at the studio.

~Ashley