Lara's Integrative Movement

How do you keep your back fit? Strong yet supple? One of many wonderful ways to
care for your back is to do Pilates. Designed to increase flexibility, strength,
coordination, and posture, Pilates is a series of 500 to 5,000 different, succinct
exercises and flowing movements. Pilates exercises encourage mindfulness, which
leads to increased body awareness and greatly increases the productivity of your
workout. Many exercises emphasize focusing on the spine, bringing greater
awareness on how you use your back. Pilates also places a strong emphasis on
strengthening the "core"- the abdomen as well as the back.

In Pilates the same exercise can have different names, so you may have done these
under an alias.

Pelvic Curls
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet "standing" i.e. hip-width on the
floor. Notice whether there is distance between your waist and the floor. Press your
waist firmly into the floor by either pressing your feet more into the floor or using
your abs or some of both. Notice that your tailbone has moved away from the floor
by curling toward the ceiling. Continue this action of curling the tailbone toward the
ceiling, peeling one vertebra at a time off the floor until your weight is on your
shoulder blades, but keep your waist hanging toward the floor so that it is not
arching. Exhale while you are lifting your pelvis. Once your pelvis is lifted, slowly
reverse the movement, rolling down through your spine one vertebrae at a time while
inhaling. Continue doing this movement six to twelve times keeping your chest, neck
and head soft and feeling which parts of your spine you articulate and which you do
not articulate as easily.

Benefits: Brings your awareness to your back and which parts of your spine you can
articulate. Helps you start teaching yourself how to better articulate in your spine.
Gently rounds some vertebrae in your back. If you use your abs to press your waist
to the floor, you will also be strengthening your abdomen.

Swimming
Lie on your belly with your arms long above your head on the floor. Let your hands
be shoulder width apart and your feet hip width apart. Let your forehead rest on the
floor. (This position looks like a front float in the water). Do this exercise in three
parts:

Lengthen your right leg and your left arm away from each other and return to
resting. Repeat with the opposite sides (left leg and right arm). Lengthening several
times.
Lengthen an opposite side (i.e.: left arm and right leg) and lift left arm and right leg
off the floor and lower. Repeat with other side for several times. It is important to lift
your arm each time from your back. If you lift just from your shoulder, you may
stress your rotator cuff.
Lengthen all 4 limbs and lift them all off the floor. Lift left arm and right leg higher
(toward the ceiling) and lower to original lifted height. Lift opposite side (right arm
and left leg) higher (toward the ceiling) and lower to original lifted height. Continue
switching each opposite side higher in quick, short movements. Let your head be
wherever your head and neck are laziest which may mean keeping the head on the
floor otherwise lift it the height of your arms.
Benefits: Strengthens the back.
Roll-Up
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet "standing" i.e. hip-width on the
floor. Reach your arms above your shoulders on the floor, lengthening in your waist
by reaching your arms away from your torso. Now, keeping your arms long, reach
your arms in front of you, shoulder height, so your fingers are pointing to the ceiling.
Lengthen the back of your neck, bringing your chin toward your chest until your
head lifts. Keep your chin rounding toward your chest as you round your upper back
off the floor. Press your waist into the floor, allowing most of your shoulder blades to
round off the floor. As you rounding forward, allow your arms to follow your shoulders
so that your arms stay perpendicular to your shoulders. And return, unfolding one
vertebra at a time. Rest your head. Your arms should still be perpendicular to your
torso. Now reach the arms above your shoulders to the beginning position. Exhale as
you round forward, inhale as you return. This is a partial roll-up. You could do a full
roll-up if you can keep your feet on the floor as you continue rounding forward to
sitting. If your feet come off the floor, then either do the partial roll-up or place your
hands behind your thighs to help yourself round forward to sitting. Repeat six to ten
times.

Benefits: Strengthens the abdomen. Articulates the spine and rounds the back.

Pilates can be done in a group setting as well as one-on-one with a certified
instructor. Workouts can be done on mats and/or utilizing specially designed Pilates
equipment (the Reformer, Cadillac, and Wunda Chair). Whether in a group or
individual session, Pilates can be useful for strengthening, increasing flexibility and
mobility. and has been found to be effective for relief of back and neck pain,
shoulder tension and more.