She also said, “I was amazed at the end of class how much easier it was for me to sit up straight without effort.”

This is the positive result of consistently taking my Pilates & ELDOA class.

Register by clicking HERE so you too can sit up straight without effort!

EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM ELDOA.

I’ve been practicing ELDOA now for 5 1/2 years (since 2017) and the more I do it, the better I feel. There are many reasons why ELDOA is good for you. Some benefits include:

• Better posture
• Relief of chronic and acute back pain
• Relief of neck and shoulder tension
• Reduced pressure on the spinal discs & increase disc hydration
• Improved athletic performance
• Reduced stress

ELDOA is an exercise method that creates space within a precise joint and at every level of the spine to improve posture and alleviate back pain. In addition, there are ELDOAs for the shoulders, hips, ribs, and skull.

Click HERE to read more details about ELDOA!

ELDOA IS POWERFUL, but in order to achieve the best results, it is important to work with a certified ELDOA Trainer like me to understand the details of each posture and consistently develop awareness of the exercise.

You will develop awareness with each class you take AND be motivated to incorporate what you learn into your daily life!

ELDOA is for you if have back & neck issues, want to improve your athletic performance or simply want to feel better.

SPEAKING OF FEELING BETTER…

Click HERE for one-on-one instruction and begin to transform your spine now! If you’re already working with me, consider taking my Pilates & ELDOA class as a supplement to your one-on-one workouts!

The post The Power of ELDOA appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Personally, my maintenance program includes targeted strengthening exercises, myofascial stretches & specific ELDOA’s that keep my spine healthy & happy.  Plus, I focus on eating healthy foods, always staying hydrated & I try my best to get enough sleep. But that’s not all!

I INCORPORATE MASSAGES to help balance out my body. How often I schedule a massage depends on what I’ve done to my body or even what I have NOT done to keep up with my program.  That said…

Consistency is the key to maintaining your body!

I know what you’re thinking – how will I fit a balanced program into my busy schedule?  I get it! Our daily “to do” list can be overwhelming. But, we have to prioritize.

Prioritizing our workouts and committing to a daily routine needs to be right up there with going to the hair salon.

I consistently get my hair colored – do you? If you’re like me, how is it that we manage to fit in that monthly hair appointment, but sometimes have trouble committing to our workouts? Probably because we don’t want to see gray hair when we look in the mirror!

If fitting in all of your workout is a challenge for you, then pick a few exercises & focus on doing more sets.  Balance that out with myofascial stretches & ELDOA exercises that compliment your short workout that day & you’ll be set.

Click here if you want help with creating that short program that fits in with your busy schedule!

Don’t forget to round out your maintenance program with a great massage therapist!

If you’re already my client then you either know about or see my massage therapist Lu Rigueur in Greenwich, CT. He’s a talented therapist who understands what your body needs from head to toe. He helps me keep my body in check. Click here for more info about Lu.

Don’t wait until you have a problem to schedule a massage! Take it from me –  it’s a big mistake to wait until crisis mode to take care of your body.

You can also start your week with my Monday 9 AM LIVE Virtual Class, where you will learn how to create & maintain great posture, do targeted strengthening exercises, myofascial stretches & specific ELDOA’s for a balanced body!

See you soon!

The post Maintaining Your Body! What Works Best? appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Does your resolution include feeling pain-free, stronger & looking better? Mine sure does!

It seems simple to pick some exercises that help you achieve these resolutions and long-term goals, but are they the right ones for you? Random stuff you find online isn’t the way to go.

I can help you determine exercises that target specific areas that will help you feel physically fit!

Sign up HERE for a one-on-one session to start focusing on a NEW YOU!

If you’re already working with me one-on-one, then get ready to ramp things up! Maintaining our bodies is key, but as we get older we should be increasing our strength with a strong focus on mobility & posture so that our spine is happy!

Speaking of happy spines, The Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine care is hosting a webinar on January 11 entitled “The Pursuit of Happiness: A healthy pain-free spine can also mean overcoming depression.” Don’t worry if you miss it live because you can check out the recording anytime on the YouTube channel. Click here to register for this webinar.

My resolutions are the same in terms of physical fitness, but this year I’m including other activities that make me happy, so that I work on my mental fitness too. I plan to call a friend I haven’t spoken to in awhile, curl up with a good book, watch a fun series I’ve been putting off, and focussing on more quality family time.

Establishing healthy habits is key so let’s do it!

Healthy habit #1 for 2023! Start your week with me by signing up for my LIVE Virtual Class, which is held on Monday’s at 9:00AM.

I include exercises to teach you better posture, mobility & strength. No problem if you’re busy, sign up and I will send you the recording!

Feeling great both inside & out is going to be my focus this year. How about you?

The post NEW YEAR, NEW BODY! Inside & Out appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Now that I learned the proper way to squat, I feel stronger overall and my posture is even better since I’ve incorporated squats regularly into my workout routine.

Shortly after my Dallas trip the New York Times published an article called “The Power of the Squat,” written by Gretchen Reynolds. What a coincidence that I had begun incorporating the squat into my workout routine for only a couple of weeks before this article appeared.

I was so excited to check out this article especially after reading the opening sentence “it’s the one exercise most of us should be doing. But we need to do it right.”

Often times people learn the squat incorrectly with the pelvis pushing back, their head up and the rest of the spine out of proper alignment. Add in a heavy weighted bar for the back squat, for example, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

Bryan Christensen, a professor of biomechanics at North Dakota State University who studies resistance exercise says “for lower-body strength and flexibility, there is no better exercise.” Then I read the following quote by Silvio Rene Lorenzetti, Director of the Performance Sports division of the Swiss Federal Institute of Sort in Magglingen –

“the benefits are not confined to the lower body. It is really a whole body exercise.” Mr. Lorenzetti goes on to say “It requires core stability and trains the back.”

Recently I was working with a client who said they felt their core and upper back muscles helping them to stay in proper alignment. Excellent comment! I couldn’t agree more, especially because I had experienced the same thing with my body when I was training in Dallas. I was shocked that both my core and postural back muscles were sore after squatting. Unfortunately, many people aren’t properly taught how to squat so they end up injured and abandoning the exercise altogether because they say it’s not for them.

That’s a shame, because we need to incorporate squats regularly into our workout routine for general wellness.

Squats are a functional exercise that can help with daily tasks like sitting in a chair, bending down to get something off of a low shelf working in the garden and cleaning house.

Additional benefits of the squat include:

• Strengthening muscles such as the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, abdominals and calves.
• Strengthening tendons, bones and ligaments around the muscles.
• Improving posture and balance.
• Helping you feel and look good!

While I feel this article has many great things about the benefits of a squat, I don’t agree with all of it, in particular the statement regarding no absolute best form for everyone.

The proper position for everyone is with the knees pushing forward and the spine in line from the top of the head all the way down to the tailbone. Ideally when doing a squat, the body should descend to a 90 degree angle prior to ascending to the upright position, but this may be extremely challenging for many people at first, because they have imbalances in their bodies such as tight calf muscles or weak glute and abdominal muscles.

Often times many people, even high level athletes, injure themselves when doing squats, because they are not maintaining the proper alignment of the spine. But, with proper training, anyone can learn to squat.

Check out my short video below to see the proper alignment of the squat and click here to join my weekly Pilates & ELDOA class where I incorporate the squat and other exercises that help to facilitate a great gravity line, which will improve your posture.

If you want to start one-on-one with me learning to properly squat and change your life like I did, then reach out to me for a free consultation.

The post Learn to Squat – CHANGE YOUR LIFE (Part 2) appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Learning about the importance of squatting, the benefit of consistently doing the exercise and then physically experiencing how to do the proper squat with all of the many progressions was truly eye opening and life changing.

I learned how to properly do a basic “gravity line” squat in a wide stance and a narrow stance. I did split squats, tight rope squats, Hindu squats, front squats facing the wall, back squats with a weighted bar, wall sits in various positions, and more.

I must have done over 1,000 squats in 2 days. I felt amazing!!!

I was shocked that both my core and postural back muscles were sore after squatting.

I assumed my leg and glute muscles would be super fatigued and tight, but that wasn’t the case, because we had properly warmed up our bodies prior to doing the various squat exercises, followed by several myofascial stretches and then finished with the ELDOA exercise L5/S1, which is arguably the the most popular and one of the best ELDOA positions for good spine health.

I almost didn’t take this course, because it required me to be away from my family for a longer period of time, plus I had to change my work schedule. Boy am I glad I added this course to my training at Legacy in Dallas.

Now that I learned the proper way to squat, I feel stronger overall and my posture is even better since I’ve incorporated squats regularly into my workout routine.

It takes time to build up your stamina and be strong enough to execute many squats within your workout. Progressions are key to understanding the correct way to squat.

Experiencing these progressions first hand has provided me with the tools to be able to do over 150 squats easily on a regular basis.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my post on the squat where you will view the proper squat alignment and learn about the benefits of this full body exercise that will change your life!

????In the meantime, join my weekly Pilates & ELDOA class where I incorporate the squat and other exercises that help to facilitate a great gravity line.

Also, check out my blogs on how to properly warm-up –  click here and here.

The post Learn to Squat – CHANGE YOUR LIFE (Part 1) appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

I FEEL BALANCED!

My body is stronger, more mobil and more BALANCED than it’s ever been.

Why is that?

How could it be that at my age I don’t have any aches and pains?

What if I said that you too could have a better balanced body that’s pain free like mine? Of course you would want to know how to make that happen.

My special exercise formula to keep my body well-balanced is consistently practicing Pilates, ELDOA and myofascial stretching with a strong focus on awareness.

Awareness is key!

If you don’t know that you have an imbalance or that your posture is incorrect, then you can’t fix it. If your body feels tight, weak and you regularly have aches and pains then ask yourself how much awareness you have of your posture throughout the day.

It’s no secret that exercise is key to feeling your best so activities like walking, swimming and playing tennis are all things that will help keep you healthy, but that’s not all. Focussing on properly warming up, stretching after activities and including exercises to improve your posture “aka” ELDOA, will help you create and maintain a well-balanced body.

Everyone wants to feel strong, flexible, pain free, and look great, but making that happen can be a challenge.

The answer is to consistently exercise, focus on strengthening what’s weak, stretching what’s tight and creating awareness of your body so you can feel your best.

Speaking of feeling your best…..

Click here to join my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class to learn strengthening exercises, myofascial stretches and build awareness so that you too can have a well-balanced body.

The post I Feel Balanced appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

But that’s not all.

???????? ELDOA will enhance your exercise program whether you’re an avid golfer, professional tennis player, swimmer, runner or you simply want to be fit.

???????? ELDOA is for you if you have tension in your neck and back, feel nerve pain or want to gain more mobility throughout your body because you are feeling stiff in general.

The first time I tried ELDOA in 2017 I felt an immediate change in my body.

It was as if I had been stretched apart on a rack.

I had been experiencing chronic neck and back pain for a year and after only 3 weeks of doing a few ELDOA positions for less than one minute each, my pain was gone.

I was shocked!

In addition to being pain free, I felt stronger, taller and more aware of how to change my posture for the better. I knew I needed to add this revolutionary method into my life.

I began researching ELDOA and learned that the method was developed by French Osteopath Guy VOYER in the 1970s because he wanted to cure back pain. ELDOA is a French acronym that translates into Longitudinal Osteo-articular Decoaptation Stretches. “Osteo-articular” means bones and joints and “decoaptation” means opening.

Mobility of the joints is an important part of maintaining a healthy, well-balanced body.

Each ELDOA position targets a precise joint or segment of the spine using muscle contraction and myofascial tension.

The benefits of ELDOA when done consistently & properly include:

• Relief of chronic and acute back pain
• Relief of neck and shoulder tension
• Increased muscle tone
• Reduction of joint inflammation
• Increased blood flow
• Normalized visceral function
• Reduced pressure on the spinal discs & increased disc hydration
• Improved athletic performance
• Reduced stress
• Deep connection to breath
• Better posture
• Better body awareness & overall wellbeing

Everyone can benefit from ELDOA.

ELDOA is appropriate for children and adults and is the perfect addition to enhance any workout. It can be done for general wellness and fitness, athletes, and is a must for people with chronic neck and back pain.

Having a healthy body takes work. If we don’t think about our posture and aren’t aware that there is a potential problem due to postural issues, which may lead to neck and back pain, then we can’t make a positive change for the better.

We need to take responsibility by educating ourselves about programs that will help us feel our best instead of always counting on doctors, physical therapists and medicine to fix us when we are in pain.

I used to take a significant amount of ibuprofen regularly to help manage my chronic pain. Now I don’t need medication for discomfort, because I do ELDOA consistently.

ELDOA exercises, when done regularly, can help offset risk factors that may cause spinal disc herniations or degeneration over time. ELDOAs are not just for the spine. There are postures for the hips, ribs, shoulders sacroiliac joint and skull.

ELDOA is becoming more and more well known, enhancing workout programs of some of the finest professional sports teams in the United States such as the LA Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Chiefs, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, North Carolina Tar Heels and more.

It’s important that you learn the ELDOA method properly, because there are many details and nuances when executing the postures.

???????? I’m a certified ELDOA Trainer who can hep you get started on the road to developing and then most importantly maintaining stellar posture for life! I will teach you postures that you can do on your own regularly, and help you bring awareness to your workouts, which will lead to positive changes for the better.

Ready to feel taller, stronger and learn how to change your posture forever? Let’s do ELDOA!!!

Join me for my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class to learn specific postures that will help you create better posture.

Don’t wait to start doing ELDOA until you’re injured or dealing with chronic pain.

Click here and get started now!

The post What is ELDOA? appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Did you know that “text neck” is a thing? We live in a digital society that requires us to look down way too much. Think about how often you are texting throughout your day, using your tablet or laptop.

If you don’t practice proper posture then eventually your body will start feeling stiff, achy and potentially you could experience nerve pain, which can be debilitating.

That’s what happened to me. Back in 2015 my body began to feel achy, stiff and I was dealing with chronic nerve pain. Without realizing it over the years, my posture and body changed significantly with the demands of my teaching job and being a new mom. It wasn’t until after spine surgery in 2016 that I began to focus more consistently on my posture. Being aware of my posture throughout my day, meaning how I do basic things like wash dishes, do laundry and drive has made a positive impact on my life. Now I’m able to do all of the activities I enjoy with my family without worrying about getting injured.

Awareness of our body throughout the day is key to creating a change for the better.

It matters how we sit, stand, sleep, clean the house, drive, etc. If you sit at your desk all day without thinking about your posture then you are going to feel stiff, achy and most likely have spine issues. But, constantly thinking about your posture during the day will make a huge difference.

You will begin to see and feel results in a positive way even if you only think about proper body alignment once a day or a few times each week.

Recently I had two clients share their experience when driving. One said, “after you asked me to think about my posture throughout my day, I realized that I’m in a terrible position when I drive! I noticed that I was gripping my steering wheel, my shoulders were rolling forward and I was reaching my nose way out in front of me all the time. I’m going to be more aware of how I’m driving so that I can be more consistent with maintaining proper posture.” Another client commented on how grateful she was that we focus on her posture, because on a recent 10 hour car ride she was able to think about how to properly position her body in order to feel her best.

Here are a things to look out for:

• Forward head posture and rounded shoulders. Muscles in the neck, chest, and upper back can become deconditioned and imbalanced due to prolonged forward head posture. This deconditioning can make it difficult to maintain good posture with the ears directly over the shoulders.
• Increased pain with neck flexion. Text neck symptoms tend to worsen when the neck is flexed with the chin and eyes down toward the chest. The muscles around the neck become weak and deconditioned. Proper strengthening and stretching exercises are important to restore the cervical spine to a more optimal position.

Check out my video to see what these postures look like and how you can prevent them from happening.

Click here to join my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class

where you will learn specific exercises and ways to Practice Proper Posture. During my 45 minute class you will learn about the ELDOA method, as well as how to properly warm-up, strengthen the body and stretch! Looking forward to working with you soon.

The post Practice Proper Posture appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Before you check out these exercises I have a quick awareness exercise for you to do right now.

Ready? Let’s do it!

Standing, close your eyes and think about your posture.

• Do you feel straight?
• Is your head too far forward or too far back?
• Are your shoulders rolling forward, making your collar bone narrow or do they feel more even so that your collar bone is nice and wide?
• Is your pelvis arched so that your navel is peeking down at the floor or is it tucked under creating a more flat position for the low back?

What’s the point of doing this you ask?

To create AWARENESS.

Awareness is key to making a strong connection between the mind and the body. If you don’t know or feel that you are not properly aligned then you can’t make a change.

Now let’s get into the specific type of warm-up that prepares you for all activities.

It’s best to focus on movement that is “dynamic” so that your joints, ligaments and muscles are ready to exercise. This means that you won’t hold positions for any length of time as you would when stretching. Each movement targets a specific area of the body to bring blood flow and mobility.

The goal of the warm-up is to focus on the quality of movement.

Mindlessly doing the movement will not provide you with the best warm-up results to prepare for exercise. It’s important for you to be “aware” of how you’re performing the movements and organizing the body in order to achieve your workout goals. In most of the warm-up movements you will create a fixed part of the body in order to mobilize another area. This allows for maximum results in the targeted area you want to focus on.

Taking a few minutes to properly warm-up before you exercise will give you better results.

Consistently thinking about how you’re executing the warm-up will create better awareness, which ultimately will lead to positive changes.

Check out my short video below for a few dynamic warm-up movements that will change your life!

???????? If you want to experience the entire warm-up 1st hand, strengthen your core and other areas of the body, work on flexibility and feel taller, then register for my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class by clicking this link.

The post Dynamic Exercises Before Workouts & Activities appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.

Preparation is the key to success!

Whether you decide to workout intensely, take a demanding bike ride or an easy walk, it’s important to prepare your body to move.

When you’re pressed for time, or just eager to start your workout, it can be tempting to skip a warm-up. But warming up before you exercise, especially before engaging in strenuous activity has many benefits.

Growing up as a dancer I didn’t realize how important warming up was because I was young, flexible and eager to get to the part of class when we would rehearse the dance. To me that was the best part. My teachers would always stress the importance of warming up the body before dancing. Turns out, they were right!

My life now is quite different from the time I was a young girl eager to rehearse my dances. Now, I’m a Pilates Instructor, ELDOA Trainer and a mom of two children with a busy life. It’s important that I warm-up prior to any activity so that I can accomplish whatever it is I’m doing that day.

Whether it’s an ELDOA class, a fun Zumba class or a long walk in the park, it’s critical for me to prepare my body properly.

Some of the most important benefits of a warm-up include:

• Increased blood flow and oxygen to the body.
• Better range of motion.
• Reduced risk of injury.
• Less tension and discomfort in the body.
• Raising body temperature so that the body is ready for activity/work-out.
• Mental & physical preparation so the body performs efficiently.

You’re probably thinking, “ok, I get that it’s important to prepare my body, but what kind of warm-up should I be doing?”

Good question! There are different schools of thought regarding how to properly warm-up – do I stretch as part of the warm-up or do I wait until after I workout?

>> Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series where I talk about simple, yet specific, warm-up exercises for all types of activities and workouts.

Meanwhile, try my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class that will leave you feeling taller and prepared for your week ahead! Click here to learn more about it.

The post Why Warm-up Before Workouts or Activities? Part 1 appeared first on Plus Pilates with Dana.