The post Safe Return to Fitness: Exercise Without Injury appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

If you’re one of the many who received a new bike this Christmas and want to enjoy cycling without getting injured, this guide is for you. Whether you’re a beginner or getting back into cycling, understanding how to ride safely is crucial.

What Should You Know?

Cycling, especially if new to you, can lead to back pain or injuries if not done correctly. Here’s what you need to know to enjoy your ride without hurting yourself:

• Build Up Gradually
  • Why? Because your body isn’t used to the new activity, jumping into long rides can strain muscles not accustomed to this level of work.
  • How? Start with short distances and increase gradually. Mix in other forms of exercise to build overall fitness, flexibility, and endurance.
• Ride with Proper Form
  • Why? Incorrect posture can lead to back, neck, or arm injuries.
  • How? Maintain a neutral spine to avoid too much arching or rounding, which stresses your lower back. Ensure your shoulder blades are stable to minimize arm pressure. Keep your pelvis and hips stable during the repetitive pedaling motion to reduce lower back stress.
• Ensure Your Bike Fits You
  • Why? A bike that’s too big or small can cause improper body alignment leading to discomfort or injury.
  • How? Consider a professional bike fitting. Adjustments to the saddle, pedals, and handlebars can make a significant difference in how comfortably and efficiently you ride.

When to Act?

Start cycling with these safety tips. If pain hits, look at your form. Check your fitness level. Make sure your bike fits.

Where to Seek Help?

Locally: Look for a licensed physical therapist or a bike fitting specialist in your area who can provide personalized advice and adjustments.

Why This Matters?

Prevent Injury: The right approach can keep you cycling without pain or injury.

Enjoyment: Proper technique and bike fit enhance your cycling experience, making it more enjoyable and sustainable.

Cycling is a fantastic way to stay active, especially during these times, but remember, everyone’s body is different. Tailoring your approach to your personal needs will ensure you get the most out of your new bike while staying safe and healthy. If you’re unsure, seek professional guidance to customize your ride to your body’s requirements.

Feeling Pain or Stiffness While Cycling?

If you begin to suffer any pain or already feel stiff when riding your bike, don’t wait. Call 512-215-4227 now to get started with our physical therapy team at CORE Therapy & Pilates. We’re here to help you enjoy a smooth, pain-free cycling experience. Let’s tailor a solution just for you! Click here to contact us.

The post Cycling Without Getting Injured appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

About Core Exercises

Cultivating a strong core is your key to a happier, injury-free life, regardless of age. At CORE Therapy & Pilates, we're dedicated to your well-being through holistic methods. Strengthening your core not only reduces back pain but also enhances posture and activity levels. It's the foundation for a robust and vital life.

Core Strength

The post Core Exercises appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

When it comes to relieving tension in your quadriceps, think beyond traditional methods. As a holistic physical therapist who combines physical therapy, Pilates, and the GYROTONIC® Method, I recommend using a rolling pin for an effective quad stretch. This unconventional approach allows for precise control and targeted muscle release. Discover the benefits and technique of using a rolling pin to stretch out your quads, and unlock a new level of relief and flexibility.

Tight Quads Issues

The post Quad Stretches with a Rolling Pin appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

Side plank

Quadruped alternating-arm and leg lift

Dead bug

Hundred

The post Mastering Core Strength appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

The post <strong><SPAN STYLE="font-family:'Times New Roman'">GYROTONIC</SPAN></strong>® Exercise for Neck and Back Pain at CORE Therapy and Pilates appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

All right. Hey guys what’s up?

It’s Stephen Dunn with CORE Therapy and Pilates and I have Rebekah helping me today.

And today, I want to answer a quick question that I got last week from one of my clients and it was about doing a calf stretch.

A stretch of the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

Those are the fancy words for them and basically the calf is what we know them as in common language.

There are two muscles, in particular, the gastroc is the one up top that we can see the most it has two heads on it that are sitting here and underneath it is the soleus.

And then we have the Achilles tendon coming down to the bottom.

What we’re going to do is have Rebekah show a calf stretch, we call this a runner’s stretch. And we’re going to differentiate those two different muscles — the gastroc and the soleus.

We’re going to start off at the wall here doing a runner stretch (so pick a calf).

For her, we’re stretching her right calf. It might be backwards on the video, it might look like her left calf.

What’s happening here we got the back knee straight, the heel is on the ground and what we want to do is lean forward by bending the front knee slightly.

Back knee stays straight, the heel stays on the ground and we’re going to hold this for five deep breaths. I’m going to have you hold it for two for time’s sake but at home, you’re going to hold this for five deep breaths.

Now after those two breaths for her and for limited time. And now I want you to bend this back knee slightly. By bending that knee slightly and doing the same thing leaning forward… we’re now isolating the soleus.

The soleus doesn’t cross the knee joint. So if I’m keeping the knees slightly bent, we get into that muscle.

By keeping the knees straight the calf, the gastroc does cross the knee joint. That’s where we get that stretch going.

And again about five deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling… nice and slow.

That is your calf stretches. Do both sides, five deep breaths.

And that’s what we got for you today guys.

You all have a good one!

Call 512.215.4227 to tell us your story and goals…

Want to meet with one of our Physical Therapist in person or on the phone to discuss your tight calves? Find out how tight calves are probably a compensation for something else going on in your body up the chain… Apply Below:

[vertical_spacing height=”10″]

[button_1 text=”Apply%20for%20a%20FREE%20Injury%20Screening%20with%20our%20Expert%20Physical%20Therapist%26nbsp%3B%C2%BB” text_size=”26″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_font=”Open Sans;google” text_letter_spacing=”0″ subtext_panel=”N” text_shadow_panel=”Y” text_shadow_vertical=”1″ text_shadow_horizontal=”1″ text_shadow_color=”#333333″ text_shadow_blur=”2″ styling_width=”20″ styling_height=”15″ styling_border_color=”#000000″ styling_border_size=”0″ styling_border_radius=”6″ styling_border_opacity=”100″ styling_gradient_start_color=”#9ecb23″ drop_shadow_panel=”N” inset_shadow_panel=”N” align=”left” href=”/free-discovery-session/”/]

[vertical_spacing height=”20″]

[blog-social]

Call 512 215 4227 to learn more about CORE Therapy and Pilates in Austin, Texas.

The post How to Stretch my Calves? Try this Calf Stretch. Gactrocnemius and Solues Stretch appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

Hey guys, what’s up? It’s Stephen Dunn with CORE Therapy and Pilates. Today for Mindful Movement Monday, we have Megan teaching a class. What you need is a foam roller, so get your foam roller out.

Tonight, we’re just going to work on the upper body, some drastic lengthening and rotation. I’m already going to go ahead and get down on our mats. We’re going to take that foam roller, we’re going to lay it across the back, and it’s going to go right about mid back.

So if you’re a woman, you’re probably going to go right along that bra line. We’re going to take our hands and we’re going to interlace our fingers and rest them up underneath supporting the neck. Take a moment and lift with your neck supported.

Let the upper body lengthen over the top of that foam roller, taking some nice deep breaths here. On your next exhale, we’re going to push the center of the shoulder blades down into that foam roller and curl up to look at our belly button.

Then as we inhale, we’re going to keep that neck supported and lengthen out over the top of that foam roller again. We’re going to do this about five times, gently exhaling.

Pressing that mid back into that foam roller as we curl up looking at the belly button again, keeping the neck supported and trying to keep the neck away from doing all of this work. You’re engaging into those lats to help bring you up. We’ll do about one more through the center.

We’re going to go ahead and lengthen over the top of that foam roller again. On the next one we are going to curl up and we’re going to look down at our left hip pocket.

So we’re going to curl up almost like you’re going to go take a look right at the side of your belly. Then we’re going to inhale, lengthen out, centered over the foam roller.

Now exhale, we’re going to curl up looking at the opposite side, trying to gently start working that spine and some different plans. We’ll do about one more on each side.

After we get finished with that, we’re going to take that foam roll and we’re going to get rid of it. So after you come up off of the foam roller, you can let it rest to the side. Then we are going to the next position.

We’re going to get into child’s pose. You can have those feet together, knees apart. We’re going to lay down and stretch open, trying to reach our fingertips down towards the end of the mat.

Once you find a nice comfortable position here, we’re going to take an inhale into the ribs. As we exhale, we’re going to try to walk those fingertips out towards the end of the mat.

A little bit more on your next inhale, nice big breath into the ribs and to the low back. Again exhaling, walking those fingers upset a little bit further on the next inhale.

Let’s take this fingertips and start walking them over to the right hand side of the mat. Now we’re getting really long on that left side body. When you get here, I want you to take a nice deep breath into that left, rip. Exhale, try to walk those fingers, hips a little bit deeper.

Taking one more inhale and exhale in this place. Again, trying to lengthen up through that body. Then we’re going to start walking the fingers, hips, reaching for the end of the mat as we go through the center.

Then we’re going to walk over to the left side of the mat, taking a nice deep breath into that right side. Rip and exhale and walking those fingers heads just slightly deeper. Good, one more inhale and exhale here.

On that exhale, find a release through the rib cage. Find the release through the low back. Then we’re going to start walking ourselves back towards the center. Again, lengthening out during this whole entire process.

When you get back to the center, nice deep breath here, inhale. Exhale. Let’s go one more fingertip out. Then we’re going to slowly roll up out of this position.

When we get up to see that we want to have that spine set nice and tall. We’re going to go on to the hands and knees now. So we’re going to be up onto quadruped head. The next thing we’re going to do is we’re going to go into thread and kneel.

Let’s start by taking that right hand. We’re going to reach underneath the left arm and you can do less if you can make it down to the right shoulder. We’re just going to rest there, finding a little bit of tape rotation, then go as far as you’re comfortable.

As you’ll see, we’ve got people in all different kinds of areas right here. Once we get there, nice and gentle, deep breaths to help release and open up through that body. One more in here, and on the next exhale, we’re going to come back to center.

Now we’re going to pick that left hand. We’re going to thread that left hand underneath, trying to reach away from the body as we go into that rotation. Using that breath, letting the exhales decompress the spine.

We’ll do one more in half, and on the exhale, we will go ahead and come up out of that. Then the next position. We’re going to do one more exercise. We are going to be down on the ground, legs extended out in front of us.

The next exercise we’re going to do applies exercise called saw. Let’s reach both hands up initially. We’re going to take an inhale. On the exhale, we’re going to take that left hand and bring it to the opposite side of the right leg. There we go.

Slight reach forward, as far as you’re comfortable, trying to get that rotation through the rib cage, keeping the pelvis stable in front of us. On your exhale, we’re going to come up through the center and lowering down on the opposite side.

Go ahead and drop those hands to either side. Take an inhale and we are done for the day. Thank you guys so much for watching. We hope you have a great week.

Call 512.215.4227 to learn more!

Ready to start your Pilates journey?

[vertical_spacing height=”10″]

[button_1 text=”Apply%20for%20a%20FREE%20Pilates%20Taster%20Session%20Here%26nbsp%3B%C2%BB” text_size=”26″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_font=”Open Sans;google” text_letter_spacing=”0″ subtext_panel=”N” text_shadow_panel=”Y” text_shadow_vertical=”1″ text_shadow_horizontal=”1″ text_shadow_color=”#333333″ text_shadow_blur=”2″ styling_width=”20″ styling_height=”15″ styling_border_color=”#000000″ styling_border_size=”0″ styling_border_radius=”6″ styling_border_opacity=”100″ styling_gradient_start_color=”#9ecb23″ drop_shadow_panel=”N” inset_shadow_panel=”N” align=”left” href=”/pilates-free-taster/”/]

[vertical_spacing height=”20″]

[blog-social]

The post Mindful Movement Monday with Megan. Pilates with a Foam Roller appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

Have you ever been told that you’re overworking certain muscles? Have you ever been told that certain muscles are too tight? I’d like to talk about the mirror muscles.

The mirror muscles are the muscles that we can see in the mirror:  the chest, the six pack, the claws. Those are the muscles that I find with my clients who come to my studio with back pain and shoulder pain and hip pain and neck pain.

The common theme is that everyone is overdeveloped and tight in the front of their body. In particular, the pectoralis minor which sits underneath the pectoralis major, the hip flexors, this six pack, the rectus abdominis and the quadriceps muscles.

They pull the muscle, the body forward with sitting. With our new technology, we’re always texting, driving, and then what do we do? We go to the gym and we work those same muscles that are already overworked, that are already tight.

We’re doing bench presses. We’re doing crunches and planks. We’re strengthening all the wrong muscles.

I have a very simple philosophy at CORE. We release what’s tight. We release the mirror muscles. We strengthen the muscles in the back that are typically weak.

If we create that better balance, we can then strengthen some of the muscles in the front of the body. But we need a better balance, a better coordination of what’s to tighten the front relaxing and what’s to weaken the bag getting stronger.

So lock short and tight in the front lines long and weak in the bag. With that said, if you have any questions about any of this, reach out to 512-215-4227. We offer many ways to get into our world.

We offer free phone consults. We offer free in-house consults with a physical therapist, called a discovery session:

https://therapyandpilates.com/free-discovery-session/

We offer free in-house taster sessions with our Pilates, or Gyrotonic instructor:

https://therapyandpilates.com/pilates-free-taster/

Reach out with more questions. Tell us your story. We’d love to be able to help you more so that you can learn to not overwork the mirror muscles and work the proper muscles.

[blog-social]

The post Mirror Muscles! Are You Overworking Your Muscles in the Front of Your Body? appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.

Hey guys, it’s Stephen Dunn from CORE Therapy & Pilates. We are back for #MindfulMovementMonday. Today we have Megan teaching a class, and we’re calling it “Hips & Hammy’s.”

MEGAN: Hey guys! How’s everybody doing? Today, we are going to do a little bit of hip openers. We’re also going to do some strengthening to help keep those hips supported.

The first thing – we are going to start in standing. We want to find an empty space on the wall, which might be kind of hard here with us today.

If you like, you can use a yoga block because we’re going to be moving that leg forward and backward, side to side. Sometimes a yoga block is nice to stand on because then, you can just let your leg hang. If you don’t have a yoga block, that’s fine. Just be careful not to hit your toes.

Once we get to position on the wall, we are either going to stand up on that yoga block or hold on to the wall to the side of our hand. We’re going to start by moving that leg forward and backward.

We’re going to pick one leg to hang off. You can start with either one, then just moving that leg forward and backward, letting it kick and open up. If you can’t get that leg up that high, that’s okay – just small movements.

We want to feel that hip flexor open as you kick back and find that heel as we kick forward. When you feel comfortable that you can pick up the pace – this isn’t all about tightening the muscles. it’s about letting it swing, letting it open nice and gentle.

We’re kind of pressing down, so it is supporting us. What we’re going to do is take that leg and go in and out. It’s going to cross over the front of the body, nice and gentle, letting it kick across. I like to do these about 10-20 times each.

When we’re done with that, we’re going to do some figure eights. The leg that we’ve been swinging – we’re going to bend it to a 90° angle and we’re going to do some internal and external rotation here. 

We’re going to bring that knee in towards the body, then away from the body. Try to find that space, entering the femur head and the hip socket, moving around and getting that whole joint lubricated.

When we’re done with that, we’re going to turn and face the wall. We’re going to have hands on either side of the wall. We’re going to get that same leg up to a 90° and we are going to kick from side to side. You might want to step off the yoga blocks for this one.

Our hands are going to be on the wall, and we’re going to try to aim those knees for our elbows. That’s another kind of internal/external place. We’re going to cross, letting the hip flexor open as we kick it up to the side.

A couple more of these, having that nice big opening on the side as we kick out to that elbow. Now we’re going to do all these on the other side. Picking up the opposite leg, we’re going to go front and back, nice and gentle. Let that hip flexor open.

Find your support by pressing down to that leg that is firmly planted on the ground. Now let’s bring that leg side to side. Letting that outer side of the leg get nice and long as it crosses over the body, letting the inside of the leg open up as we kick out to our side.

We’re going to go into those figure eights with the knee. Letting the knee lead the movement, but feeling the hips as we’re doing this.

Then we’re going to go back to the wall. Hands on either side, and work on getting that knee up towards those elbows. If you can’t get it all the way up, that’s okay. That’s just where we want to aim for.

Then we’re going to come over to our mats. I’m going to pull out a couple of knee pads. If you have bad knees, you can use a folded up towel for this. Maybe a yoga bolster would help.

What we want to do is start at a lunge position on our knees. Bringing that right foot forward, we’re going to try to have a 90° angle on that foot. That knee is resting on the knee pad, then take those hands and put them on either side.

We’re going to roll forward so that we’re opening up in the hip flexor but we’re supported. We’re not just hanging on to that knee, but we’re finding our heel. Bringing our weight, shifting over to  the right foot as we let that left hip flexor open.

Feel free to take your hands off, or keep your hands down at your side. From there, we’re going to roll back. Now the weight is on our left foot. We’re going to flex the heel and bring the crown of the head down to almost touch that knee.

You should be feeling a pull in the hamstrings there. We’re going to take an inhale here. As we release it, we’re rocking that hip forward and letting that left hip flexor open. It’s like you’re trying to reach that quad down to the floor.

Take an inhale, and on your exhale, we’re going to shift back. Find your heel. Pull those toes back up toward your head. Let the crown of your head tuck to open up that backline of the right leg. Take an inhale.

On our exhale, we’re going to come back to neutral, then we’re going to switch sides. Again, if you need it, find your support. With your hands, if you need it, they are there for you.

You can walk that left foot forward to a 90° angle, then leaning forward and letting that right hip flexor open up. You want to feel nice and supported on the left foot.

Now rocking back, pulling those toes back towards your head, letting the crown of the head almost try to touch the knees. Then let’s rock forward one more time. Trying to stretch that quad, stretch the hip flexor with the head and the chest up.

That’s going to help you find that stretch in the hip flexor as opposed to having that head down in this one. From there, we find that heel. Pull the toes back. Now the head can drop. Now we’re trying to get the crown of the head down to the knee.

Coming back up to neutral, we are going back down on our knees. We are going to lay down for a couple more minutes, and we’ll finish up with another low hamstring stretch.

So laying down on our back, we are going to find resistance bands and towel. Whatever you’ve got lying around the house –  a dog leash would work fine. I’ve done it with that before.

We’re going to start with both legs on the ground. We’re going to take that strap and hook it underneath that right foot. Taking an inhale, we’re going to exhale as we use that strap to help open up that back leg.

Bringing that leg back towards your head, you should feel a deep stretch here. IF you want to find that a little further, pull those toes back towards your head. Reach through the heel and try to straighten out that leg.

Take an inhale. As we exhale, we’re going to come out of that 90° position just slightly. Then we’re going to bring that right leg over the left side of the body.

From here, – be gentle with yourself – you can work that leg up and down. Bring that up towards your head and then getting a little slack, letting it open. When you get finished with this side, you can switch that whole series on your other side.

[button_1 text=”Click%20Here%C2%A0to%20Apply%20for%20Your%20FREE%20Pilates%20Taster%20Session%26nbsp%3B%C2%BB” text_size=”26″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_font=”Open Sans;google” text_letter_spacing=”0″ subtext_panel=”N” text_shadow_panel=”Y” text_shadow_vertical=”1″ text_shadow_horizontal=”1″ text_shadow_color=”#333333″ text_shadow_blur=”2″ styling_width=”20″ styling_height=”15″ styling_border_color=”#000000″ styling_border_size=”0″ styling_border_radius=”6″ styling_border_opacity=”100″ styling_gradient_start_color=”#9ecb23″ drop_shadow_panel=”N” inset_shadow_panel=”N” align=”left” href=”/pilates-free-taster/”/]

[vertical_spacing height=”20″]

[blog-social]

The post #MindfulMovementMonday. Tone and Strengthen the Hip’s & Hammy’s (Hamstrings) with Megan appeared first on CORE Therapy & Pilates.