Everyone has their muscle problem spots that just seem to need a little more attention than others, particularly between massage or Myofascial Release sessions. 

Below are a few of my favorites that I use on a daily basis to keep myself released and my body happy.

• IT band, Quad, and Hamstring releases: I like to use either a foam roller or a stick roller (like a rolling pin).  FYI – the foam roller is going to provided a deeper, but more painful release than the stick roller.

To use the stick: sit comfortably in a chair or standing and, with firm pressure, roll the stick up and down the length of the quads, hamstrings or IT bands from just above the knee to just below the hip bones.

To use the roller: set the roller up perpendicular to you on a mat.  To release the quads, use an army crawl (on your elbows) to roll from just below the pelvis to just above the knees.  To release the IT bands, lie on your side on the roller and use your...

“Love is our basic and most important nutrition and healing power. Without love life is a struggle”  – John Barnes PT

There is magic and healing in touch; In love; In human connection.

I spent 4 days last week completing my level 2 training in myofascial release (MFR) with John Barnes- the pioneer in the field- exploring how using MFR can be used to treat the whole person. Witnessing how the body can heal itself when the client and practitioner are open to the process and are willing to trust one another has been an incredible experience that I am so excited to be able to share with the Pilates in the Grove family. As a practitioner who always struggled with a “traditional” approach to healing I was consistently being told that I needed to “be less intuitive and more scientific” and “don’t work so far outside of the box”.

In my humble opinion, helping people to heal isn’t just about knowing...

Our bodies were designed to be upright.

When we sit down the pressure on our discs increases by 40% compared to standing, and when we sit and slouch the pressure increases by 85%. As a physical therapist, I see the negative effects of sitting on the musculoskeletal system all the time when people complain of lower back pain (LBP), tight hip flexors causing hip and LBP, rounded shoulders causing mid-scapular pain, forward head posture causing neck pain and headaches, weak postural muscles which are needed to support the spine, and decreased gluteal muscle firing which stabilizes the pelvis and supports the back. But sitting not only wreaks havoc on the musculoskeletal system but the cardiovascular, endocrine, vascular, neurological, digestive systems, etc, as well.

So how much time do you spend sitting each day? Think about how our lives are designed around sitting. We wake up and (if we’re lucky) sit down for breakfast, then we sit in the car as we drive to work or...

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast:

Honey nut cheerios (but only on Saturdays as part of cheat day!)

I don’t leave home without:

My beats wireless headphones. I won them as a sales prize at work and never thought I’d love them as much as I do!

If Joseph Pilates were alive today what would you ask him or have him teach you?

The saw/circumduction on the Cadillac—it was my worst enemy throughout my teacher training!

What qualities do you admire in a teacher?

Enthusiasm, Knowledge, Flow, and GREAT music

Top 3 places you have traveled? 

Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Israel

Top 3 places you would like to travel?

AUSTRALIA, Japan, Budapest

How would you describe your fashion style?

Trendy yet comfortable—I keep up and am in the know of the latest fashion styles but my designer of choice is usually Lululemon

3 things you would grab in a fire?

Teddy (my Shih Tzu), my iPhone, and my purse

1. Having a negative or defeatist attitude.

2. Going on a diet that has an eating pattern that you cannot adhere to for the rest of your life.

3. Believing that you can eat cabbage soup—or any other low-calorie, but monotonous food—every day for the rest of your life.

4. Obsessing over counting calories.

5. Weighing-in too frequently.

6. Not drinking enough liquid.

7. Drinking sugar-laden drinks.

8. Eating more white bread and pasta than protein, lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.

9. Consuming processed foods more often than fresh foods.

10. Overcooking vegetables so that they are not appetizing.

11. Not having a plan.

12. Blaming others for your shortcomings.

13. Judging quickly.

14. Not knowing the nutritional content (healthy vs not so healthy) of what you eat.

15. Finishing every last bite of a meal after you already are full.

16. Going back for seconds at meals.

17. Eating at all-you-can-eat buffets and consuming large amounts “to get your money’s...

“Music…gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Plato

We’ve all been there before…. You’re just about to leave that party… just about to end that run… just about to put away that project… just about to turn off the car… but then… THAT SONG comes on over those speakers or through those headphones.

It’s absolutely, indescribably, exactly what you craved at that moment.

Maybe it’s a total throw back to “the good old days” of fond memories and bright spots in your mind’s eye.

Maybe it has words of encouragement you needed to hear that day, or the song shows you that you’re not the only one who feels/thinks that way.

Maybe it’s that song that reminds you of someone you love (so, of course, you immediately turn it up, start lipsync-ing, and send them that goofy...

With the Miami Marathon just around the corner, now is the time that we tend to so see the clients pour in with aches and pains which they usually attribute to overuse. 

Well, I’m here to tell you something…most of those injuries are not because you’re running too much, but rather running with the wrong mechanics!  Any serious runner should be complementing their aerobic exercise with a daily mobility/flexibility routine in order to optimize postural alignment during runs.

Kelly Starrett, physical therapist and co-author of Becoming a Supple Leopard, puts it simply that “one of the things you should be able to do as a runner is, with your feet and knees together, squat all the way down without your heels coming up.”  A good habit to make is practicing this type of squat on a daily basis to ensure that you have hip and ankle range of motion that are within normal limits.

Some key factors in maintaining proper running...

While Pilates as an exercise form has been in the US for almost a century it has only recently become popular practice by teams and athletes in organizations such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA.

They are recognizing that Pilates is one of the best forms of holistic conditioning a top-tier athlete can participate in. The integration of the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle and emphasis on proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment and smooth flowing movement allows athletes to access each part of the body individually, and become familiar with the functional mechanics. With Pilates training, athletes can hit the ball farther, run faster, and jump higher – all while decreasing their risk of injury.

Few sports place greater athletic demands on participants than basketball. Basketball requires the jumping ability to compete for rebounds, shoot over opponents and contest shots. Players must also have the lateral quickness to stay in front of their man on...

At the start of every year, it seems like every marketing campaign switches to the theme “New Year, New You”.. or something very similar.

 With the idea that everyone starts out on January 1st with a new set of goals, expectations and a positive attitude for the upcoming year.

Of course, I am going to do my best to go into 2017 with a slightly different outlook than I am closing 2016 in.. but, I also  know I’m not going to magically be the exact person I want to be on January 1st (even though it would be nice).

My goal for 2017 is to take time to work on myself day by day and little by little. Whether it’s mentally, physically, or both and I encourage you to do the same.

Maybe 2016 didn’t go exactly as you had planned (I know mine didn’t). Maybe you weren’t able to tackle all of the debt you wanted to pay off, or you didn’t loose those 10 pounds you had planned on, or you didn’t get the...