Osteoporosis (porous bones) is a topic close to my heart as my previously fit and healthy 72 year old mother was diagnosed with it. What I’ve seen in her, is that she has progressively become more bent over, and experiencing significant changes and disabilities to her lifestyle as her spine crumbles. This led me at age 44, to get my own bone density tested, which isn’t normally recommended until age 60 onwards unless having suffered from specific medical conditions that can impact bone health. And at the youthful age of 44, I have been diagnosed with Osteopenia (low bone density), which is the precursor to osteoporosis. And as someone who considers themselves healthy and active, and was still diagnosed, I thought I’d put together a bit of information and a few tips for optimising bone health for the thousands of people who get diagnosed Osteoporotic/peanic every year.

Having been in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years now, one of the most commons questions I get from a client is either A) what are my pelvic floor muscles, and B) am I meant to be using my pelvic floor muscles now?! And this stems from the fact that about 20 years or so ago, when Pilates was still in its infancy in Melbourne, it became synonymous with physiotherapy in particular, as a support tool for rehabilitating injuries - mainly those of the spine. So it got drilled into not only the practitioners, but anyone who did Pilates that they had to squeeze their pelvic floor to do Pilates! In reality, this is far from the case, and has actually become quite problematic for a lot of people, creating dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles, as well as stiff and tight backs.

Having spent the last 2 years completing my Somatic Movement Therapy training, I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible clients as they bravely unpack the chronic pain or dysfunction they experience. Not all, but many of these journeys have ultimately boiled down to unresolved trauma held within their bodies. Being able to observe and hear real time feedback from these clients about what they feel, sense, imagine and kinesthetically experience, has fueled a passion in me to try and better understand what constitutes trauma. I am especially interested in how it manifests in the body and how to best guide someone through that experience so they can regain their power and confidence.

Running at its most basic is a fundamental skill we all develop as kids and generally maintain through most of our life span, if we want to. It has long been seen as an incredibly effective means of exercise for the masses, or a vital tool for many to complete their hobbies. It’s so effective, that entire industries have been built around helping us run better. We’ve got billion dollar sporting goods stored pumping out runners that are regularly refined (or perhaps just redecorated) in order to provide a more comfortable and sustainable run. And that’s just the shoes - let’s not forget about the clothing that helps hold everything in place, or the technology being developed to help provide more details analysis of your specific running regime.

There are so many old expressions that spring to mind when we are talking about pain, particularly in relation to exercise. ‘Pain is weakness leaving the body’ is the classic one I grew up with in the rugby sheds of New Zealand. These expressions usually revolve around the fact that being in pain creates the opportunity for us to experience growth and pleasure. Now this may have been true to those who originally made those statements, but if we are talking about pain in relation to the human body and movement, there are a few extra things to consider before pushing through to the glory we've been promised.

At its most simple, Osteoporosis basically means brittle bone. Bone is naturally porous, and is a living tissue that is simultaneously being made by certain cells, while being broken down others. Up until around the age of 30, the rate at which bone is being made is greater than it is being broken down. After around 30, the rate it is broken down slowly exceeds the rate at which it is made. This gradually results in our bones becoming more hollow and brittle over time.

You have heard the term Clinical Pilates, or even been referred to do it by your allied health professional at one point or another. But it’s a pretty broad term, which can make it tricky to understand what it actually is, and how it differs to other forms of Pilates e.g. Reformer Pilates, Studio Pilates, Mat Pilates, Group Physiotherapy etc!

It seems as though every corner of Melbourne has got a health or fitness studio popping up, offering some form of hyped-up fitness phenomenon. And the pictures all look ‘amazing’ right?! Sweaty bodies, tight active wear, perfect physiques and the golden smile. It’s all part of their pristine marketing campaign to facilitate huge numbers of willing and ambitious people in to their small but busy studios. Why? Perhaps in hopes of achieving the media influenced, socially-accepted ideal body that’s continually pushed down our throats by mainstream marketing. It’s enough to make you reconsider even starting to exercise, and unfortunately Pilates (particularly reformer Pilates) is right in the mix with the best of them…

However, they aren’t all like that. Some of them actually even know what they’re talking about!

There’s been a lot of questions in our studio over the last few months about what exactly the reforms to private health insurance will mean for our clients. It’s something which has definitely been a concern for almost 12 months, but mainly due to its ambiguity. Now that push has come to shove, and all the information is available, we can safely say that business will carry on as per usual.

So I want you to think about this: you came to Pilates about five years ago with lower back pain or some other ailment that was preventing you from the daily activities you enjoyed. Frustrated and bewildered by Pilates you persevered for the first month or so, not really having any clue why you were doing some of the things you were doing.  Most likely, you enjoyed that often you got to lie down and breathe for an hour... it helped you relax. Your instructor was kind, she/he was encouraging and helped you understand why your back was giving you grief. Soon you found yourself moving more freely as the pain subsided and eventually disappeared completely. Eureka! You were cured and you loved your instructor and Pilates for helping you with that. You began singing the praises of Pilates and vowed to attend every week to ensure the upkeep of your newly found mobility and freedom in your spine.