The Jersey Shore’s Home of Classical Pilates Instruction

MELTing the Pain Away, One Class at a Time

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(MELT creator Sue Hitzmann, courtesy of www.themeltmethod.com)

If you haven’t  yet heard of The MELT Method®, it’s simple self-treatment technique that reduces chronic pain and helps you live a healthier, more youthful, active life.  Utilizing specialized techniques, along with a soft body roller and four different small balls, MELT rehydrates the connective tissue, rebalances the nervous system, and restores space to compressed joints.

“Connective tissue is like the scaffolding of a building”, says MELT Method instructor Janine Bigos. “If the scaffolding starts to break down, the building breaks down.  It is the same for our bodies – when the connective tissue is dehydrated, it begins to break down, which begins by causing stiffness when you wake up that eventually leads to pain and if not treated, can become chronic.”

MELT Method instructor, Janine Bigos, teaches weekly classes at The Pilates Project.

Why did you start MELTing?
I was introduced to The MELT Method while in Massage Therapy school.  My knee had been bothering me for quite a while from running, but had gotten progressively worse.  One night in school, I came hobbling and limping up the steps.  One of my fellow students asked me what happened and when I explained she asked if I had ever MELTed.  I hadn’t and so she proceeded to take me through a sequence.  When complete I wouldn’t say I felt like running 10 miles but I certainly saw a significant difference and I was not hobbling and limping the way I had when I came in.  I began to take her classes and then eventually saw the value and thought I could help lots of people if I completed the MELT Method training course and so I did.

How did it help you?
In addition to seeing a difference in my knee, I also saw a difference in my posture and the way I stood.  My legs no longer bowed back.  My sleep and digestion improved.  Additionally my workouts improved along with my recovery.  I had then been diagnosed with Chronic Lyme and while many Lyme patients suffer from joint pain, it is one symptom I have never had.  I am a true believer that its because of my MELT practice that I haven’t had that.  It has helped me so much with my Lyme symptoms.

What are the most common benefits your clients have told you they experienced?
I have had so many clients have so many different things improve.  Sleep is probably the most common change i have heard.  I have had clients that haven’t been able to sleep through the night in years, they take a MELT class or MELT at home and they sleep through the night.  Clients that have improved pain from plantar fasciitis, back, neck, knee, shin splints and shoulder pain.  Posture improvements by some (with no intention of changing that), so much so that family members noticed and didn’t even know they had been taking classes.  In addition to helping those that need to heal their bodies, I have worked with teams of athletes that have stayed injury free and improved their games.

Visit https://www.meltmethod.com for more info about the method. If you are interested in MELTing with us please contact studio@thepilatesproject.net for class times.

Healthy Winter Recipe

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Beat the winter blues with this healthy, hearty recipe from The Pilates Project client and weight loss coach, Joann Bernstein.

Spaghetti Squash and Sautéed Veggies

This is a wonderful alternative to pasta on a cold winter night.

You’ll need…
1 medium spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise with seeds removed
1 large sweet onion diced
3 large peppers (red, yellow, orange) cut in small pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cover in plastic wrap and microwave approximately 15 to 18 minutes until tender. Carefully remove plastic and with a fork scrape out squash. In a sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions and cook 10 minutes on medium heat until they start to brown. Add peppers, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper toss 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Combine with spaghetti squash and enjoy!!!

Be inventive and mix colors and textures of your favorite vegetables!

Pilates and Building Immunity

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The flu is going around and last week I got it. I get a flu shot every year but this year the strains were wrong and I fell victim. Aside from the body aches, chills, and cough I felt like I was run over by a car. Even as my symptoms subsided I wondered which would be the best way I could get my strength up and build up immunity. Here is what I found…

  • Practice. During flu season, practicing Pilates can help keep your immunity up! Joseph Pilates had asthma as well as other health problems. His first priority in creating his method of exercise was not for core strength, posture or flat abs but rather for good overall good health.
  • Move. The rhythmic movements of a Pilates session stimulate blood flow and lymph flow. Throughout your Pilates class, as your muscles contract and release, your body eliminates toxins.
  • Breathe. Pilates breathing is another key factor in good health. One of the first things you learn in a Pilates class is how to breathe better, as most of us breathe far too shallow. You must create space for the ribs to expand, by standing or sitting tall, then breathe wide and deep into your back and sides, thus maximising lung capacity. To breathe correctly you must completely exhale and inhale, always trying very hard to ‘squeeze’ every atom of impure air from your lungs in much the same manner that you would wring every drop of water from a wet cloth. Joseph Pilates wrote that this type of breathing ‘supplies the blood stream with vitally necessary life giving oxygen …and stimulates all muscles into greater activity. Therefore, above all, learn to breathe correctly.’
  • Nourish. According to Jennifer Asfar who owns the Healthy Palate in Little Silver, 1000 mg of vitamin C and a probiotic with 90 billion live bacteria every day will help keep your defenses up.  So will garlic pills if you can’t tolerate fresh garlic, lemon, honey, and one tablespoon of fresh grated ginger per day. Spicy foods, chili, and green tea are also good.
  • De-stress. Julie Simser of Julie Simser Acupuncture in Fair Haven says acupuncture can help people recuperate from a virus and help gain back strength and lessen fatigue. It’s also really great as a preventative as it helps to strengthen the immune system.

Stay healthy and see you at the studio!

 

 

 

Springing Back from a Crash with Pilates

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Ironically, the date was was Friday the 13th of October when I crashed my car on the way to work at 7am. The last clear memory I have is driving past PNC Arts Center and then my mind gets cloudy. I remember looking up to see the guardrail in front of me. Within seconds I was projected forward into the rail. The amount of time in took for my car to flip twice on its side and back upright was very fast. After a few seconds of jostling around and feeling the air bags deploy it was over.

I believe I was protected on that day, somehow. The witnesses that stopped happened to be two nurses and a doctor. The irony of such luck on the unlucky day of Friday the 13th is spooky in my opinion! The doctor was able to check my neck and spine, which thankfully were in working condition. I walked away (well rode away in an ambulance) with a broken upper arm. It hurt like crazy! Eleven screws and one rod later, here I am. No teaching for one month!

The reason why I wrote this post is because I wanted to prove that my consistent exercise regimen of Pilates was and is a huge component of my recovery time. You might be thinking that any active person has the likelihood of healing faster vs. someone who spends most of their time on the couch. And yes, I am not denying that being active in general helps but Pilates has given me the awareness and control that no other exercise has taught me. If you continue to read you’ll see exactly how.

Doctors based my recovery time on my good physical condition and age. Being 26 years old and having young bones helped, but more importantly, Pilates is keeping them this way.

“If, at the age of 30, you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60, you are supple and strong, then you are young.” -Joseph Pilates

I have learned from Pilates to control the muscles in my body. The awareness of these muscles for instance, has given me the ability to FIRST THINK! Here’s some examples:

Drawing my stomach muscles in before standing helps because pushing off something to stand is not an easy task with a broken arm!

Rolling my left shoulder down and engaging my upper back muscles helps me pick things up with my left hand. Any load placed on my hand causes pain in my arm, which is why this helps me.

Lying around has also triggered some lower back and neck pain. In order to relieve this, I have used Pilates mat exercises to help while completely relaxing my broken arm to avoid stress on that area. Talk about control!!

If you have ever been prescribed “nothing but rest”, you may relate to the frustration of not moving. Lets face it, life gets in the way and lying around all day sometimes is just not an option. Dishes need to be done… kids need attention… whatever it may be. Life forces us to move regardless of doctors orders. Avoiding further injury and being safely active requires exactly what Pilates teaches us – MINDFUL MOVEMENT!

It is because of the consistency in my practice of this method that my body is able to do these things sometimes without thinking. It has become a habit of mine to move mindfully. And I am so happy it has! It takes time and again, CONSISTENCY.

It is now November, meaning one month has past, and my range of motion has increased quite quickly. (making progress!)

#DOPILATES

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