Osteoporosis friendly Pilates Workouts

In the last part of our osteoporosis series, I wanted to share some free resources that The Pilates Studio has for you! With so much information about Osteoporosis out there, you may have heard that Pilates is a great bone building workout, and you may also have heard that spine flexion (Bending forward) is contraindicated for osteoporosis of the spine.  AND If you've seen any of the classic Pilates Repertoire, you may also be wondering how it is possible that I could believe that Pilates is a good bone building option…It’s a conundrum.  Well, I'm here to tell you that the fabulous thing about Pilates is its malleability.  With the proper program design, Pilates can be the best way to stay fit, strong, and to prevent falls and fractures due to osteoporosis.  The following videos are some of the osteoporosis friendly workouts from The Pilates Studio’s Youtube Channel: 

This first video is a standing balance series that was taught to me by Sherri Betz.  Sherri is a physical therapist and Polestar Pilates Educator that has spent the last 20 years researching Pilates and Osteoporosis.  This series will improve your balance and keep your knees strong and stable.

The next video was posted in our blogpost about toning the arms, especially the triceps.  Luckily it's an integrated full body workout that will also build bone in the thoracic spine, and improve posture!

The posture work necessary in this next video is great for bone building in the spine.  It also allows us to practice a sitting posture that is beneficial to a long and strong spine.  Not to mention the fact that it builds functional strength in the arms and creates shoulder stability.

A strong and agile foot is essential for the prevention of falls that can lead to fracture.  Try this video, and enjoy the side effect of loose and supple feet!

The following video shows how core strength can be built without spine flexion, and it also provides many weight bearing opportunities for the wrists

Now there are more osteoporosis friendly workouts on The Pilates Studio's youtube channel.  We even made a playlist for you! Click here to see it!  If you did every video in the playlist, you would spend the next half an hour strengthening your bones!  Check them out, and learn as quickly as I did, that the side effect of a bone building workout is a well balanced and very strong individual!

Katrina Hawley, C.M.A, PMA-CPT

Co-director of The Pilates Studio

Building Bone Mass: The Nutritional Component

Two weeks ago, I started a series on this blog about Osteoporosis.  We’ve discussed three components that need to be in an osteoporosis workout.  We’ve talked about research opportunities at The Pilates Studio.  This week taking full advantage of all of The Pilates Studio’s resources, I sat down with our very own in house Naturopath Dr. Allison Willette of Good Sense Health Care, and we made these videos:

Is dairy the best source of calcium?

This dairy industry certainly wants us to think so, but what about those that are lactose intolerant?  What about people who just don’t like milk?  What choices do they have?

Allison listed plenty:

Is calcium the only mineral you need?  Allison explains the complexity of the bones:

You often say to me that when giving nutrition advice that you contradict what some people say.  Full fat versus reduced fat?  Thanks to Dr. Willette I don’t buy the watered down skim milk anymore and in this video she tells you why:

What about calcium fortified drinks?

I’ve always wondered why we need calcium fortified when we could just be taking in calcium.  I asked Allison if I was missing something:

If someone came to you newly diagnosed with Osteoporosis what information would you need from him or her to help treat him or her?

Dr. Willette has a way about her to make everything seem okay.  I’ve sat in her office with so many questions and she listens and hears and solves problems with you.  Here’s what she had to say about osteoporosis:

What do we need our kids to do to prevent osteoporosis?

And finally if osteoporosis is so preventable, yet so prevalent what about our kids:

What do you want to ASK ALLISON?  Let us know and we’ll make it happen.  (Ask about vitamin D so I can hear Allison say Fishies again!)

Katrina Hawley
Co-Director of The Pilates Studio

Bone Mass Research Opportunity at The Pilates Studio

It’s been a week and nearly everyone at The Pilates Studio has learned the standing balance series that Sherri Betz Physical Therapist and Polestar Pilates Educator taught me in her osteoporosis course.  Last week’s post reviewed three necessary components of a bone-building workout.  It’s been fun teaching with my mind’s eye towards bone health, and I’ve already seen some changes in people’s strength and proprioception.  This week I want to continue our look at osteoporosis by outlining an opportunity for The Pilates Studio!  As a community we could be a part of a research study that is gathering data for a Pilates Based workout and its effects on bone density.  We could as a community not only benefit from the research that has already been done, but we could also contribute to the health and wellness of others.

If you are interested in being a part of this study, please read the following:

1.     Participants must have their Bone Density taken on a DEXA machine within two months of the beginning of the program.

2.     Participants must communicate with their physician regarding desire to participate in this study.

3.     Participants must commit for one year to do a standardized home program along with pilates sessions.

4.     Participants must agree to keep any medications that they are taking consistent, and cannot be taking any bone density medication. 

5.     At the end of the year in this program participants will need to get bone density taken on the same DEXA machine.

Now if for some reason, you are not qualified for the study due to one of the criteria above, there is no reason why you can’t still participate in the program.  We may not be able to use your data as part of the study, but you could certainly learn the bone friendly home program, and focus on the bones in your pilates sessions!

Before the start of the program there will be some basics that need to be covered.  Don’t worry if anything below seems daunting.  It’s my job to understand these concepts and communicate them to you.  If you are a client at the Pilates Studio, you’ve covered these ideas many times over, and if you are new to us all of the following concepts are covered during our Introductory Package.

1.     Participants must have an understanding of neutral spine in all positions.  standing, supine, kneeling, lunge, quadruped and plank (both front and side)

2.     Participants must also understand Ron Fletcher’s centering cues.  (Ron Fletcher is a Pilates Elder, who can be credited with many of the posture cues that are prevalent in the Pilates repertoire.)

3.      Participants must be working through Sherri Betz lunge progression (Don’t you worry we’ve been working on this already and there's a video for practice below!)

4.     Participants must be aware of the role of the transverse abdominals in standing, kneeling, supine, and prone.

5.     Participants must be aware of the shoulder girdle and its role in axial elongation and core control (Fancy words for things you already know)

6.     Participants will practice the side lift exercise.

7.     Participants must understand thoracic extension and spine articulation (More big words for what you already know)

Now to get started, each participant will need to set up an initial appointment.  At this appointment we will start gathering data about your lifestyle and health history, and then lead you through some movement tests.  After this initial appointment your pilates sessions will begin focusing on the home program and the apparatus program.  Your progress will be charted for one year, at the end of which another DEXA test will need to be administered.  

Are you ready to get started????  Why don’t you get ahead of the game by trying this lunge series,  Thanks Sherri Betz again for showing such great information!

I said it last week too! What if we all emerge from the coming winter months stronger and more balanced than ever before?

Katrina Hawley, C.M.A, PMA-CPT
Co-Director of The Pilates Studio