5 Great Toning Pilates Exercises!!

Here is a taste of some great Pilates strengthening exercises!I love this video, it is a great video to show how Pilates works every muscle but also has a stretching and lengthening aspect to the practice. Veronica is a great Pilates Instructor in Dallas, TX. If you are in Dallas, take a class/private at Telos Fitness!

Best Gift for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is coming up very soon! What do you usually give for Valentine’s Day? If you typically wait to the very last second to buy flowers or chocolate, try something different this year and give the gift of a healthy mind and body! Give the gift of pilates classes or personal private sessions and say goodbye to flowers with an expiration forever! The Pilates Gift Certificates are a new way to give the gift of cool. They can be personalized to give any number and any type of pilates classes to the person you love. Here is how it works: What type of class do you want to give, and how many? You could give 2 privates and 5 mat classes, or 10 privates... the list is endless. You can completely customize the number and amount of classes you want to give. Once you decide on what combination you want, call to order. We can then set up a time to pick up the custom certificate. All coupons have a 1 year expiration date. Pilates Certificates are an awesome present for anyone who has never done pilates, but has always wanted to try. The gift of pilates is an excellent gift for anyone who is stressed and needs to relax and reconnect with their body. It is also a great way to treat those who are already coming to our classes. Keep Pilates for You Certificates in mind for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, and any other special occassions!

Going Skiing?

Pilates is a perfect cross training practice!


Pilates is perhaps the best cross training for skiing possible. The benefits of Pilates are balance, flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. By balancing muscles, improving flexibility and balance, you can not only prevent common injuries but also improve your performance enabling you to ski longer with less time in the lodge. If you spend any time in Colorado or Utah where moguls can become monsters, you’ll appreciate the additional core strength gained from Pilates.
Skiers recruit power from the hips and core and skiing relies on a lateral side-to-side hip movement to access the control of the ski. Tapping into a strong core, you’ll improve your balance, agility, and be more in control. Integrating core strength into your ski edging, you’ll transfer energy to your skis. By tightening your core, you’ll reduce impact on your back, hips, and knees. Since core strength improves balance you may also find yourself falling less. Being flexible and agile at high speeds, changing snow conditions, varying steepness of trails, and obstacles such as trees, moguls, and people is common to skiers. As you improve your alignment and core strength your movements become energy efficient, minimize wear and tear on your joints, and more enjoyable. You’ll be more in tune with your body, know your limits, and enjoy your season.
The Wunda Chair, Reformer, Cadillac, Mat, and all apparatus exercises benefit the beginner to advanced skier. One featured strengthening addition to the Reformer is the Jumpboard. The Jumpboard exercises on the Reformer strengthen the small supporting muscles in the feet and ankles, while strengthening the core and legs. There are several variations of movements using the Jumpboard. “Moguls” on the Jumpboard specifically strengthen the lateral leg and hip muscles recruited while skiing. While “Cross-country” strengthens the anterior and posterior leg and hip muscles.

New Jumpboard Class!

Everybody loves the jumpboard! Jumpboard class is a great way to combine a reformer workout and a cardio workout into one! This class incorporates hand weights and fun choreography in a flow pattern that includes core, strength and stretching. You will get an Intermediate/Advanced workout on the studio reformer that will expand your repertoire and challenge you. I will guide you through innovative, creative workout that will work your entire body!
Call for an available spot: 479.462.6839 Previous classes/privates recommended.

Pilates Push-Up and Grasshoppers??

The upper body can be a major weakness in women, and Pilates is a great way to tone and define the upper body. Pilates works all the muscles in the upper torso and arms, but I find it definitely tones and defines the deltoids, triceps, and chest beautifully. One of the many great exercises in Pilates is the push-up. The Pilates push-up is different from other techniques of push-ups for a couple main reasons. First, getting into the plank position you start standing and you end standing. Second, the elbows graze along the sides of your body instead of pointing outward east and west. THINK OF THE ARMS LOOKING AS IF THEY WERE GRASSHOPPER LEGS NEXT TO THE BODY.

To start this exercise:
1.Stand with arms overhead and your powerhouse engaged (draw your shoulders down your back, away from your ears).
2.Initiate from your powerhouse as you roll down until your hands touch the mat (or fingertips if you are working on your flexibility)!
3.Then, walk your hands out in four “steps” into plank position. Align yourself in one straight line, from the crown of your head to your heels. Hands should be directly under your shoulders.
4.After “walking out” into plank form, begin lowering yourself down to the floor with elbows grazing the sides of the body. Press yourself up. Wash, rinse, REPEAT!
5. To end your push ups, lift your hips up to the ceiling, round your head toward your knees, walk your hands back toward your feet in four “steps,” and initiate from your powerhouse to roll yourself to standing.

I like to end a good mat class with this exercise. My mat clients have learned to love these push-ups because the next words out of my mouth when they finish is “ Great job, YOUR’RE DONE!”


Benefits? The elbows tight into the sides of the body creates MORE TRICEP WORK, MORE BALANCE (think: less of a stabilized position with hands closer together), and MORE SHOULDER AND TORSO STABILIZATION...and its JUST PLAIN HARDER! Give it a try!
Want even more of a challenge? Try it while raising one leg, but don’t lift those hips while in plank position!
SO NEXT TIME YOU DROP DOWN AND GIVE 20, THINK PILATES PUSH-UPS!

What is Pilates?

The Pilates Method
Pilates is a method of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900's. Pilates consists of around 500 exercises that focus on STRENGTH, STRETCH, and CONTROL of the entire body. The movements are flowing, precise, energizing, and challenging. Performing these exercises results in long and lean muscle definition, increased flexibility and balance, body awareness, endurance, increased coordination, and one good looking core!

Pilates helps: Golfers improve their game
Runners, cyclists, skiers, and tennis players reduce risk of injury
Women prepare for a healthy pregnancy
Bad backs decrease tightness/tension by building strength in the core muscles
Older adults improve balance and joint health

Experience the benefits of Pilates for yourself! Call 479.462.6839 or email barryn1@cox.net. Mention this blog and receive a $30 introductory session for free!