OK… Had enough about the pelvic floor? Look at your own back in the mirror. Not an easy task, I know, but what do you see? Do you see definition? Any special bumps? Raises? (and i don’t mean in your salary!) Well, we know that’s not happening today…. Anyway, most people I meet at the first Pilates lesson cannot move through many vertebrae but lift the spine as one piece…. not good! Our 29 (5 fused to create the sacrum) vertebrae were intended for movement. Each one has a joint between (except the sacrum) and should move at least a little!! This feat is accomplished in Pilates and GYROTONIC, taking some more time than others… but from my experience, just accomplishing articulation of the vertebrae has helped many students relieve back pain, knee pain, hip pain, joint pain…. Once articulation is accomplished, the muscles can develop from bone to bone and this creates the sinewy, defined muscle tone.

Think I am exaggerating? The results are in the hundreds of clients who have come back to Mind Your Body Pilates and GYROTONIC for the past fourteen years to keep their spines healthy and flexible…. Sure we all want to LOOK good but I can assure you that looking good starts with articulation, full range of muscle control and alignment of the bones and muscles. Moving your body as a whole unit; articulating the spine…. Pilates. I’ve been booked solid, five days a week for fourteen years. Pilates. It works!

Now that you have all found your pelvic and core muscles, I will share with you  how engaging them feel to me.  I exercise with one Pilates lesson, one GYROTONIC lesson and road bike about 100+ miles a week.  I would say the pelvic floor should be engaged in every exercise in Pilates and GYRO but during a run, bike or walk?   Well, I say YES!    Maybe not the entire time but certainly occasionally whenever you need something to think about to relieve you from boredom or when you are feeling a little achy in the back, neck and/or shoulders.  When standing, feel your weight equally distributed into the floor with an energy lifting up through the center of your feet. Gently wrap the hamstrings toward each other, feeling the sit bones pull toward each other. Keep in mind the 3-d body. Now pull the pubis and coccyx toward one another and stay with this side to side, front to back pulling in for a while. THIS IS YOUR PELVIC FLOOR WORKING….   Go further up to the abdominal area, exhale to engage the deepest abdominal layer, the transverses, which wraps completely around the body and is engaged by exhaling and actively pulling in.  After some practice, you will feel as if you can get your abdominal area to touch your spine. Well, there is a muscle along the front of your spine, the multifidis, which will pull toward the transverses. THIS IS YOUR CORE!!  The core is a shared feeling between the front and the back and the pelvic floor.  (If not standing, the feeling is the same, minus the feet to floor, hamstring connection.)

After a few hours on the bike, if I don’t engage my pelvic floor and core, my back, arms and especially my shoulders, start to ache. Engaging enables my body to have space between the joints and shared weight throughout and allows my body to work as one complete muscle system…..Oh, what a feeling!!!    ~gail giovanniello

In honor of mother’s day, I will briefly discuss the pelvic floor muscles.
The pelvic floor is a larger than expected muscular area and is part of the core
intended for use while performing Pilates exercises. I will not go into detail,
but these muscles are attached at the pubis, coccyx, and two sit bones.
Try this: *Sit on a piece of paper (or 2).
*Make dots at each of the bones mentioned.
*Get up and connect the dots.
You will be amazed at how large the space is and will definitely have more of an
understanding as to why you will want to learn how to engage them and keep them
strong. A strong pelvic floor holds a baby in and keeps everyone engaged up the center of one’s body.
(It is also a proven fact that 70% of our population is put into nursing homes due
to incontinence/weak pelvic floor) Now aren’t they good reasons to keep awareness and strength in that area?
Happy pulling in and up!

Did you draw the dots? What was YOUR reaction?
Respond and receive 10% off any purchase at Mind Your Body Fitness during the month of May.