Over the past twenty years I have gotten to watch my mother be a grandmother. And the greatest thing I’ve learned is that my mom KNOWS how to play! One of the stories that has become legend in our family begins when one of my nephews asked, “Grammy, what happens when you put an egg in the campfire?’ My mom, with her curiosity peaked, shrugged her shoulders and put an egg in the campfire. Consequently, the egg exploded, and my brother-in-law erupted from the tent with a crazed look on his face, as should any father who is awoken by an explosion coming from the general vicinity of his 8 and 10 year old sons. Then my mom had to apologize over the hysterical laughter of my two nephews. This story is legend in my family, I think, because it illustrates the amazing roll of grandparents in the lives of children. As a mother, I am pretty sure that my mom might have thought twice before plopping an egg in the fire (we might have needed it for breakfast). In the same way as a mother she would have stopped kids from running around the living room for fear of furniture damage, but as a grandmother she is the one that throws the lamp breaking ball (Which was awesome by the way) As a grandmother my mom’s single responsibility is to play with her grandkids. She doesn’t have to make sure there is food on the table (unless it is animal shaped pancakes); she doesn’t have to make sure the homework is done. She doesn’t have to correct poor behavior. She only has to play.
Unfortunately the irony of grandparenting shows itself at the Pilates Studio when clients tell me that playing with grandchildren, while it is one of life’s greatest rewards, is a little bit more exhausting. Grandparents have already suffered the worries that accompany nurturing their own children. They have said the hard “no’s,” and chosen the right battles, and nurtured even while being despised (even if it is only on the surface). And finally now they are grandparents, they get to have all of the fun; they get to be celebrities in the eyes of their grandchildren! But the toll that parenting, working, and aging have taken on their body impedes playing even when it is all that they want to do.
Ahh now it’s clear this is a blog post about the inevitability of aging…Except that at The Pilates Studio we do not buy into inevitability. The grandparents at the Pilates Studio are thriving no matter what their age. They are continuing to move in all of the Pilates classes. They are strengthening their knees and hips for long hikes and bike rides. They are stabilizing their pelvis so that it is safe on the next road trip. They are doing planks to keep the spine supported. They are stretching their chests and rolling out their ITBS like every other client at the Pilates Studio. Pilates classes aren’t like just any exercise classes, they keep the body in motion in many planes and spirals. The movement isn’t overly repetitive and it is balanced and safe. Alice, the woman I talked about in a previous post, she is a grandparent that can PLAY!
At The Pilates Studio aging isn’t inevitable but wisdom is! There are many times when I have strategized with clients how to get down on the floor. We discuss what muscles need to be strengthened, what muscles need to be lengthened. Homework is designed, and the greatest reward happens when the client comes to the next session and tells me about the games and antics that they have shared with their grandchildren. Pilates does all of the right things. It increases strength and flexibility. It aids in proprioception and balance, it builds muscular endurance, and most of all it helps Grandparents get on the floor to play with their grandchildren.
Katrina Hawley C.M.A, R.S.M.E
Co-owner of The Pilates Studio
Pilates as an anti aging remedy
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