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 Now this may have been true to those who originally made those statements, but if we are talking about pain in relation to the human body and movement, there are a few extra things to consider before pushing through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.

Online Pilates Classes

If there is one thing this pandemic has shown us, is that technology has provided a fantastic platform to help keep us connected when we can’t physically be with each other. At a personal level, being based in Melbourne and having our families based in WA and NZ has meant that although we haven’t been able to physically see our families, we’ve still been able to share the highs and lows of the last few months, and enjoy casting shared thoughts in to an unpredictable future. Is it ideal? Far from it. Is it okay as a temporary measure? It’s certainly better than nothing - faster than a letter in the mail, and a bit more lively than a phone call.

healthy living, PilatesRobert Carruthers21 July 2020pilates, online pilatesComment

Pilates and Osteoporosis

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.

healthy living, PilatesRobert Carruthers21 July 2020osteoporosis, osteopenia, Clinical PilatesComment

Clinical Pilates

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!

PilatesRobert Carruthers21 July 2020Clinical Pilates, Reformer Pilates, PilatesComment

Pilates and Yoga

Firstly, let me be clear - I’ve done Yoga, and really enjoyed it. I’m by no mean’s a trained Yoga professional, and can only write from the experiences I’ve had in it, and in discussion with other movement practitioners. But I do have a very good insight in to what Pilates offers, and where there may be some obvious comparisons between the two modalities, that are so often lumped in to the same basket. So let’s start with the similarities.

PilatesRobert Carruthers19 May 2020pilates, YogaComment

COVID-19 and Pilates

2020 - what more needs to be said… Having seen Australia battle some of the worst bush fires in history at the start of the year, to then quickly change gear in to a global pandemic has certainly left many feeling unsettled to say the least. And this pandemic has certainly been an eye opening experience, in many ways. In particular, it’s been an interesting social experiment in seeing what happens as a society when we operate from a place of fear. And by fear, we can mean a number of things - fear of death, fear of illness, fear for our loved ones, fear for our rights in society, and fear for our health at an individual, community, and society level. And this fear has bought out the worst in some people - though to hording resources, through to physical disagreements and intellectual abuse, by which we mean manipulation of the mind whether it be by individuals, or at the other end of the spectrum sits media and government.

PilatesRobert Carruthers24 March 2020online pilates, COVID, lockdownsComment

Reformer Pilates - which one is best for me?

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!

PilatesRobert Carruthers21 January 2020Clinical Pilates, Reformer Pilates, Movementality, Group ClassesComment

A Healthy Lifestyle, Revisited

At Movementality, we believe a healthy lifestyle revolves around finding a healthy balance between a strong and nourish body, a sharp and clear mind, and strong but kind spirit. This is not an easy balance to maintain with the many different stressors and lifestyle factors that work against us. But having a positive mindset, and fostering productive habits around clean food, adequate sleep, consistent exercise, plenty of social time and regular meditation can all help with keeping the balance. And when you feel more balanced, you are more likely to feel like you can take control of your own happiness. Creating and paying attention to this mind-body-spirit balance will allow you to feel when things start to go awry, and better prepare you for the myriad of unpredictable daily stressors we all regularly face.

healthy living, PilatesGuest User19 December 2019healthy lifestyle, health, wellness, pilates, richmond pilates, melbourne pilates, clean livingComment

Pilates and self-discovery

Learning is most effective when you are able to discover the learning through your own senses, rather than be told what to do. This type of learning is called implicit learning and although it can be harder to grasp initially, it’s usually the type of learning that ends with the “A-ha!” moment. The A-ha moment is one of the greatest moments for both the teacher and the student in their journey. It is the moment where all the information comes together and finally makes sense. It cannot be taught - the A-ha moment has to be experienced!

PilatesRobert Carruthers19 August 2019pilates, psychologyComment

Fascia and Pilates

Have you noticed that often when you wake up in the morning your body feels stiffer and tighter? Every night when we sleep, we spend approximately 7-8 hours barely moving and during this time the tissue in between our muscles adheres or gets a bit ‘stuck’ in different areas, contributing to that stiff feeling. Movement helps us break down those adhesions in order to improve our range of motion and the quality of our movement.

PilatesRobert Carruthers26 June 2019Pilates, fasciaComment

Private Health Insurance and Pilates

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.

PilatesRobert Carruthers15 April 2019Pilates, Clinical PilatesComment

Breathing for Pilates, and everyday life

Late last year I attended a two day BreatheAbility breathing course with physiotherapist and Breathing Educator Tess Graham. Tess Graham trained with Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko in the early 1990’s. Buteyko is renowned for his work on breathing retraining for asthmatics and founding the Buteyko Institute. Tess herself has over 6500 hours of clinical experience as a breathing specialist and believes she cured two of her children of their asthma. Naturally, being curious and a Pilates instructor, I was eager to learn about her techniques for breathing retaining which, until now, I hadn’t heard of.

healthy living, PilatesRobert Carruthers5 March 2019breath work, pilatesComment

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