Happy Equinox and welcome to fall edition of my on-line newsletter.

I'm just coming back into the swing of things after a fabulous summer vacation. During these past few months, many of my clients have come to me with injuries sustained from their athletic endeavors. And though massage is an excellent modality in which to treat pain, it strikes me that many of their injuries could have been avoided through proper warm-up, training and technique, so I contacted my friend Jennifer Kesler, a certified Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor in the Bay Area and asked to her to help educate my readers about injuries and how to prevent them. Below is her response, which I hope you will consider the next time you go out to hit the gym!

Best,
Tanja Barnes, LMT.

Pilates began in Europe in the early 1900's when Joseph Pilates utilized his method to condition soldiers injured in World War I. Joseph Pilates brought his Pilates method to the United States in the 1920's, where it was discovered by professional ballet dancers in New York City. Dancers first utilized the Pilates method for healing more quickly from injuries, and soon discovered its usefulness in general conditioning and injury prevention.

Pilates exercises educate the body - with the mind - to bring the body's musculature into balance. The client is coached into finding the correct muscles for the exercise, and to "turn down" the overused muscles that pull the body out of balance. If a body is in balance, then injury is less likely.

Focus is given to the "core" muscles - abdominals in particular - to strengthen the spine and avoid back pain. Think beyond the torso though - every joint of your body has a core and every joint of the body can be trained into utilizing the correct muscles to support that joint: knees for skiing, hips for running, ankles for walking, shoulders for throwing and lifting (while also incorporating the abdominals).

Most Pilates sessions begin by bringing awareness through movement to the abdominal muscles, breath and spinal alignment. First sessions emphasize the abdominal control to help better support the spine. Muscle areas that are hard to work - backs of thighs, inner thighs, back of the arms - are also brought into play as a means to balancing out the musculature.

There are mat exercises, and equipment (cadillac, reformer, wunda chair, ladder-barrel). Using both mat and equipment strengthens muscles without adding bulk. Instead, increased flexibility, range of motion and muscle endurance are the goals. This is accomplished by working the deeper core muscles, not the surface muscles of the body. Most of the equipment offers many exercises and unlimited variations; you will never get bored!

Your trainer will gear your machine workout to your specific needs, based on your skeletal alignment and muscle imbalances. Past injuries should be mentioned to help the trainer identify a potential weakness and strengthen it. And your sessions should increase in difficulty as you continue to work out - your imbalances should be corrected over time.

Mat workouts are usually in a group class setting. It is more difficult to get the one-on-one specifics during a mat class, but if you alternate group classes with private sessions on machines you can go into a mat class with confidence that you know how to do the exercises correctly.

My new clients always ask me how often they should work out. I ask them how quickly do you want to see changes in your body? If you do Pilates once a week, you will see changes within 2 - 3 months. If you do it more often, the changes occur more quickly. But more importantly, you want to take the Pilates principles and apply them to your everyday living. Your Pilates workout is not the only place to practice your core strengthening and awareness. Take it outside! You can apply Pilates to your office desk, driving in your car, any sporting activity, any workout. That's the beauty of Pilates: it's a base conditioning system whose principles carry over to every day living as well as any sport - recreational, weekend warrior, and professional athlete.

When deciding on a Pilates instructor, class or studio, ask who they were certified by, and how many apprentice hours they had to complete to become certified. Check on the Pilates Method Alliance's website () to find a certified trainer in your area. The second aspect to deciding on a trainer is whether you would continue with them based on their teaching style. You have to want to continue going to the sessions in order to reap the benefits.

Why not try a Pilates class before you've get an injury? - that way you will learn how to avoid an injury, as well as recuperate from any injury that you sustain. You will also learn some general conditioning that you can use in other activities of your life.

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Certified in both Pilates mat and machine work, Jennifer Kesler teaches private sessions and group mat classes throughout San Francisco. Utilizing her experience in modern dance, gymnastics, rock climbing, and trapeze, she incorporates this knowledge for a deeper understanding of a body's movement and strengthening. Jennifer utilizes Pilates as a means to educate individuals towards a healthy body for life. To contact her, visit her website at: www.jenniferkesler.com.com