One of the signature abdominal exercises of Pilates.
Purpose: To strengthen the abdominal muscles, develop upper body stabilization and stimulate circulation to warm up the body in preparation for the mat workout.
- Lie on your back; pull your knees into the chest and feel the entire length of your spine on the mat. Lengthen the back of the neck; slide your shoulders down and back.
- Lift your head and shoulders off the mat bringing chin toward chest. Reach your arms long, past your hips and straighten both legs up toward the ceiling. Squeeze your buttocks and inner thighs together.
- Begin pumping your arms straight up and down as if you were tapping water. Keep the movement slightly above the mat and your arms straight.
- Inhale for 5 counts (pumps) and exhale for 5 counts (pumps).
- Lower your legs to a 45 degree angle, or to the point just before your spine arches off the mat. Maintain this position, pumping your arms and breathing for 100 counts (10 full breath cycles).
- To finish, lower your head and bring your knees into the chest.
Checklist:
- Shoulders are down and back while pumping the arms.
- Make sure you are sinking your belly into your spine throughout.
- Don’t bend the wrists while pumping; keep stretching through the fingertips.
- Keep arms synchronized while pumping.
Note:
- If your lower back begins to hurt, bend your knees in toward your chest.
- If you develop neck pain, lower your head.
- A shoulder injury may prevent you from pumping your arms. Simply reach long or pump softly.
Visualization: Imagine your arms beating out the tempo to a piece of music.
SAC Team
Pilates, skiing
Feb. 14th 5:00PM to 6:15PM @ Gentle Flow Yoga in the Mind + Body Studio.
(by Anna Miller)
Invite your someone special for a Valentine’s Day themed Yoga class with Frances at 5:00PM in the Gentle Flow Yoga.. Enjoy more time after the class with chocolates and wine!
SAC Team
February 2017
Wednesdays @ 7PM.
This class combines dance, music, and mindfulness techniques into one holistic and transformative practice. Strengthen your body, mind, and self-confidence as you learn the fundamentals of a strong dance and performance technique. This workshop is perfect for:
Beginner dancers who want to take their practice. Strengthen your body, mind, and self-confidence as you learn the fundamentals of a strong dance and performance technique. This workshop is perfect for:
- Beginner dancers who want to take their practice to a new level.
- Leaders who want to improve their public speaking skills.
- People suffering from excessive stress and anxiety.
SAC Team
Dance Myself Fit
Thursday, March 16th from 5:30PM to 7:30PM.
A bit O’malarkey, lots O’Beer. Make no mistake; you’ll want to be here!
Enjoy Happy Hour with spirited Irish Fiddelin & appetizers. Be sure to wear a wee bit O’green!
You’re invited to join Seattle Athletic Club for our annual St. Patrick’s Day party on Thursday, March 16th. Start your festivities for the night off with us.
Guests are welcome to attend this Member Celebration at our standard guest fee.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Huisingh or Sarah Richardson, otherwise with a bit O’luck, we’ll see you there!
SAC Team
March 2017
Tuesday, February 28th, 2017
Learn the Benefits of Chiropractic Care | Dr. Traci Grandfield DC
From 5:30PM – 7:00PM. SAC lobby.
Dr. Traci Grandfield will be available to perform free Myovision EMG scans on interested participants and learn more about how chiropractic care can benefit your health.
Myovision is a hand held instrument placed over the spinal muscles of the neck and back to identify the exact location of abnormal muscle activity. Originally developed for use by NASA, the test measures the amount of muscle activity (or inactivity) within a particular group of muscles surrounding the spine. If problems are long standing, abnormal muscle fatigue will be present; on the other hand, acute injuries will show up as abnormally strong, denoting overworking or spastic muscles. Spasms typically occur when the muscle has to protect a weakened joint and/or nerve.
The test is quick and painless ~ but most importantly, it helps your chiropractor determine what further evaluations or tests may or may not be necessary.
Stop by and get tested!
Bio of Dr. Grandfield
Dr. Grandfield offers gentle and unique Chiropractic care with a focus on correcting the cause rather than the symptom. Dr. Grandfield utilizes NUCCA, a specialized adjusting technique, to correct misalignment. This focused adjustment is very light and effective to restore normal body balance and function. No cracking, popping, or twisting kind of adjustments. With precision and specificity, NUCCA adjustments last longer, resulting in fewer visits to correct the problem.
Please contact Kendra Kainz at kkainz@sacdt.com to reserve a seat! Reservations are first come first serve.
SAC Team
Health Professionals
Feeling refreshed after the long weekend, I sat down at my desk to compile a list of what measurable, time-based, and realistic action I could take in the first few months of 2017 to take my health practice to the next level.
As I was writing my list, it occurred to me that it might be important to remind all of us in the SAC community that each person’s list will be as different and diverse as the people who write them.
Why? Well if we speak in Eneagram terms ~ because there are at least fifty-four unique internal drivers that shape how we humans move through the world, and each of these is influenced by varying levels of self-development and a hierarchy of needs.
Without detailing here the fifty-four unique ways you might go about coming up with your list, or more importantly, learn to stop judging other people’s lists: let me break down just three different ways one might go about creating a goal list.
The Enneagram points us to three innate instincts that influence where our attention goes on a subconscious level, social, one-to-one, self-preservation. In preparing for the year ahead, each instinct also known as a subtype, might focus their attention in one of three ways:
A social subytype: focus goes to the group. Understanding my place in the group will keep me safe.
What are my friends doing to get healthy? How do I get involved?
A one-to-one subtype: focus goes to intimate connections. Understanding my connection to another person will keep me safe.
What does my partner want to do? I’ll workout with my partner or friend from work.
A self-preservation: focus goes to keeping the preservation of the self. Making sure my basic needs are met.
Let me assure you that all three instincts are equally important. As a strong social instinct, it has been part of my self-development to harness my one-to-one and self-preservation instincts. As you begin to plan for 2017, pay attention to where your attention leads you. Once your personal instinct is satisfied, how could you open yourself up to lessons from the other subtypes? Ask yourself these questions as you set your health goals for 2017:
- Would I stay motivated if I worked out with a group?
- Would I socialize less and train harder if I worked out by myself?
- Am I too rigid in my training regime? Would I benefit from mixing things up or trying something new?
Are you interested to learn your subtype? Contact the SAC Life Coach, Lindsey T. H. Jackson at ljackson@sacdt.com for availability and bookings. Lindsey T H Jackson is a Life Coach, Movement Therapist and Speaker. Contact her at www.lindseythjackson.com for inspiration, list of services, and bookings!
SAC Team
Lindsey's Corner
What is a Primal Health Coach? A coach that is armed with holistic knowledge of how fitness, Primal Nutrition and lifestyle, influence well-being, a health coach works with clients to design an inclusive, flexible, and responsive plan to move daily practices toward healthy choices.
What is a Primal? Living and eating Primal means you eat only real, unprocessed foods of meat, seafood, nuts seeds, vegetables, fruits, and healthy oils and animal fats.
Adriana Brown; $175 or for current training clients $150/month.
What does Primal Health Coaching Entail?
- Knowledge for understanding how your body processes food and nutrients of all kinds
- Meal Planning
- Grocery lists and restaurant tips for maintaining Primal eating
- Recipes and Resources for Primal Living
- Weekly 30 minute meetings to address roadblocks, set weekly game plans, and tailor nutrition for the individual’s needs
- Support and accountability to make life long changes for healthier food and lifestyle changes
If you are ready to make a change, a long lasting change to better nutrition, health, and longevity then contact Adriana Brown at abrown@sacdt.com.
Spaces are limited so please sign up today!
SAC Team
Longevity, nutrition, Primal Health Coach
Did you know that it is possible to detect skeletal misalignment without having to take X-Rays?
In fact, not only is it possible, it’s the first thing I look for when treating an injury ~ particularly if the pain or discomfort is felt in the neck or lower back and pelvic regions. This type of treatment is called Muscle Energy Techniques (MET). It has been used by osteopaths for decades and is far more palatable for the patient to receive than the much more stringent “adjustment” performed by chiropractors. When a misalignment has been observed (or assessed), Hold/Relax stretching is applied (a series of isometric contractions, each followed by a slight stretch) to loosen and lengthen the tight muscle that has been pulling the skeleton out of alignment.
If you are wondering how one goes about finding these deviations, it is by palpation and observation.
For example, there are several bony landmarks in the pelvic girdle that can tell us what is going on with this structure. By palpating and then observing these landmarks, we can discover deviations such as high ileums (one hip will be higher than the other hip), anterior or posterior rotations of ileums, sacroiliac (SI joint) fixations, pubic bone misalignment, and deviations of the sacrum.
By observing from behind the client, it’s also possible to identify side-bending curves and rotations of the spine. We can even detect rotations of individual vertebrae, although one wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at the only bony landmark we can see (the spinous process). The cool part about this is that by close examination of the skeleton, osteopaths discovered that in the lumbar portion of the spine, the transverse processes of each vertebra are located laterally, (about an inch wider on each side), halfway between the spinous process of the vertebrae we are investigating, and the spinous process of vertebra directly above the one we are investigating. So, by placing my thumbs about an inch wide on both sides, half-way between the spinous process I’m investigating and the one directly above it, I can see if one side is sticking out more (or is more posterior) than the other side. Depending on which side is posterior, we would identify it as being either “rotated left” or “rotated right.”
The muscles that control individual vertebrae are very small compared to the bigger muscles (prime movers such as hamstrings, quads, etc) and as such, they need only a tiny effort (10%) when applying the series of isometric contractions used to loosen the tight muscles that are causing the deviation. In either event, one must always re-assess the bony landmarks to confirm that the misalignment has been corrected!
Ultimately, without having to rely on X-Rays, we can assess the entire spine, both in flexion & extension, and this will amount to about one half of the entire protocol known as the Onsen Techniques (developed by Rich Phaigh, renowned massage therapist in Eugene, Oregon). Several massage practitioners at the Club have trained in the Onsen Techniques: Maryann Kuchera has taken all four classes (at least two times), as has Misa Shimizu (one time), and Carrie Nelson and Leo Dilorenzo each have taken at least one class!
Julie Bacon, LMP and Certified Onsen Techniques Therapist, Instructor & Examiner.
Injury Treatment
injury treatment, massage therapy
Golf programs coming this Spring:
Get Golf Ready!
This class is designed to introduce new and returning golfers to the game. The program consists of 5 sessions ~ each 1.5 hours. Every session builds on the previous one to prepare you in being comfortable on the course. In addition to the fundamental instruction, we will include additional information about our facility, preparing to play, etiquette, jargon, equipment, and introduce you to the alternative forms of playing golf.
Couples Golf Clinic!
An opportunity for couples to enjoy golf instruction together. This will be a fun clinic format to allow skill development and social interaction. The clinic will last for 1 hour each session. Sessions will run in conjunction with Parents Night Out.
SAC Team
Golf Season
It’s ski season! The pure joy of skiing down a mountainside of sparkling powder, surrounded by tall evergreens and a brilliant blue sky!
Then, after that first day of tackling moguls, dodging trees and other skiers ~ the fatigue and soreness of the legs and hips kick in. This is partly because of muscle overuse and lack of core strength. If the core is not working enough, your legs and hips have to work harder to stabilize you.
Pilates will stretch tight, overused leg muscles, such as the quads and hip flexors and strengthen underused muscles such as the hamstrings and inner thighs.
Skiers rely on side to side hip movement to recruit the inside and outside edge of the ski. Boarders tilt their hips forward and back to access the front and back edge of the board and use a more rotational movement to change directions. A strong core gives you better edge control. Edge control improves balance, as you navigate the twists and turns of the slope at high speeds, the ever-changing snow conditions and ability to get up unscathed when you take a tumble.
By practicing Pilates, core strength and alignment improves and you become more in tune with your body. Movements are fluid, there is less wear and tear on joints and your sport becomes more enjoyable. You’ll find yourself adapting better to changing snow conditions, challenging terrain, and falling less.
Here are some mat exercises you could start today:
1) The Hundred: core, arms, hip stabilizer
2) The Abdominal Series
- Single leg stretch
- Double leg stretch
- Single straight leg stretch
- Double straight leg stretch
- Criss-cross
3) The Side Lying Leg Kick Series
- Front/Back
- Up/Down
- Small Circles
- Inner Thigh lifts
- Bicycle
- Small Circles
- Inner Thigh lifts
Nothing will improve your skiing faster than a strong core. Cross-train by adding a Pilates mat class to your fitness regime or perhaps a private session with your Pilates Instructor.
Stay strong ~ ski safe!
SAC Team
Pilates, skiing
