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Lynda Lippin ⁽³⁶⁴⁾ United States

Lynda Lippin

Lynda Lippin Pilates, Fitness, Reiki

Preventing Pilates Related Injuries

Posted Friday, February 23, 2007 (2 years 275 days ago.) Viewed 1,033 times.

I received a question from the Ask Experts site yesterday that I feel the need to share, since this is coming up more and more with the advent of mass Pilates DVDs and underqualified instructors.

Question:"Hi, I am a beginner in Pilates, when I try to do the V shape or half way crunch, I get a HORRIBLY painful cramp right below my rib cage on the right side, it stops me cold. I feel like I'll never get rid of this flabby belly that ruins all of my cute outfits. Have you heard of this?"

First, no Pilates beginner should be doing the teaser (the V shape), which is an intermediate/advanced exercise that requires deeper abdominal recruitment to avoid overusing the hip flexors and external obliques.

Second, there is nothing "Crunch" like in Pilates. We do not tighten & compress the midsection like someone who has buttoned his vest to his pants, but seek to strengthen the muscles functionally without compression by using the pelvic floor and transverse abdominus.

While Pilates mat is the most accessible form of Pilates, the equipment is actually more appropriate for beginners. Joseph Pilates invented the apparatus to assist as well as resist movement, enabling people to exercise who otherwise may not have been able to move properly. It is not true that one must do Pilates mat before taking on the machines.

Then I saw an ad for "Cardiolates," a concept that is at once fascinating and horrifying. Note that Pilates is anaerobic exercise, like weight training. To attempt to blend Pilates and cardio into one workout regimen is just plain wrong, is contrary to the whole basis of Pilates exercise, and will most likely result in lots of injured people who feel that they cannot do Pilates because it hurt them.

I hate this mass production of Pilates because it makes Pilates seem simply like a group of exercises (that look like other exercises) that you can do fast, slow, or otherwise. That's just not it! Pilates is about how you exercise; it's about how you move and breathe and get into positions. Pilates is about balance and proper movement, not simply about hauling oneself into a certain position.

Improperly done Pilates can cause--hernias (from bearing down too much); muscle cramps (from improper recruitment)neck & back injuries (from improperly flattening the back and neck causing muscle strain and vertebral compression and from overstretching or over-extending the back and neck--all from improper instruction on how to stabilize the pelvis); rotator cuff injuries (from pushing large range of motion in the shoulder joint without proper ribcage stabilization); osteoporotic spinal fractures (from too much forward flexion and other movements contra-indicated for osteoporosis); and other injuries

Listen up --badly taught and poorly executed Pilates can cause you injuries that will be with you forever, so please please find a certified Pilates teacher to work with and be vocal when things hurt or you are not sure how to do something.

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Pilates, Exercise, and Osteoporosis (Part 2)

Posted Friday, December 22, 2006 (2 years 338 days ago.) Viewed 456 times.

II. Definition of Osteoporosis

Basically, osteoporosis means porous bones. In the Greek it translates as "passages through bones." (This makes perfect sense if you look at images of osteoporotic bone as opposed to normal bone.) Osteoporosis is a silent disease in that there is no physical sensation associated with it. Some people experience back, neck, or joint pain with fractures, but most do not. Even so, Americans experience 1.5 million osteoporotic fractures per year.

Throughout our lives our bones constantly change. This process is actually called bone remodeling, where old bone is resorbed into the body with the help of cells called osteoclasts at the same time that new bone is being laid down by osteoblasts. The human skelaton reaches its maximum bone mass (amount of bone tissue) and density (how tightly it is packed) around ages 20-30, after which bone removal begins to occur faster than bone production.

Bone density is measured by comparison to that of this healthy young adult this is called a T-Score. Normal Bone Density is defined by the World Health Organization as density within -1 standard deviation (SD) of the 20-30 year old norm (10-15% bone loss). Osteopenia, or low bone density, is defined as within -1 to -2.5 SD (15-25% bone loss). Osteoporosis is defined as lower than -2.5 SD (over 25% bone loss). You may also have heard of a Z-Score, which is a comparison to the average bone density of individuals in your age group. Primary osteoporosis is caused by either a natural estrogen deficiency or age secondary osteoporosis is caused by certain medical conditions. Osteopenia should be treated like osteoporosis in terms of preventing future loss.

Once you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you have a documented severe and established loss of bone. Note here that while bone density testing is typically done at several sites such as the hip, wrist, or spine, these findings should be generalized to your entire skelatal system. Many clients have told me that I shouldn't worry about their spines because their osteoporosis was only in their hip--WRONG! If you are losing bone you should be worried, period.

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Pilates, Exercise, and Osteoporosis (Part 1)

Posted Sunday, November 20, 2005 (4 years 6 days ago.) Viewed 3,658 times.

I. The Problem of Osteoporosis

An osteoporosis website opens with this question, "Did you know that a woman's risk of osteo-related fracture is greater than her risk of cervical, uterine, and breast cancer combined?" Then why do people laugh when I tell them that I'm scheduled for a baseline DEXA Scan next week at the age of 38? "Why do you need one, you're so young?" "But you exercise and eat well, why worry?" And my personal favorite, "You are so body aware, wouldn't you know if you had a problem?"

Even with all the media discussion about osteoporosis and the fact that one in two women over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis related spinal fracture people still don't take the problem to heart. Not only am I at high risk for osteoporosis due to early surgically induced menopause, I do a lot of Pilates (at least 2-5 sessions per week) in addition to teaching and teacher training. And there are a lot of Pilates exercises that I will need to stop doing or radically modify if my bones are weak.

The issue of osteoporosis comes up a lot at my Pilates studio. My clients are mostly caucasian women over 50, many of whom are breast cancer survivors. On the whole, these beautiful active women all look pretty healthy. They have decent posture, play tennis and golf, walk a lot, and really try to eat well. They have access to the best doctors, the latest medical treatments, and the most cutting edge gyms, personal trainers, and Pilates studios. Even so, most of them have low bone density--osteopenia and osteoporosis (more on the difference in a minute) and the majority move on a daily basis in ways that put them at greater risk of fracture--EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE GONE TO CERTIFIED PILATES TEACHERS AND PERSONAL TRAINERS. My purpose here is to educate you about osteoporosis so that you will know what to do and not do for yourselves and those you care about.

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Pilates & Reiki Featured On Top Website For Small Business

Posted Sunday, November 20, 2005 (4 years 6 days ago.) Viewed 379 times.

Turks & Caicos Islands resident Lynda Lippin's inspirational approach to working with her clients and teaching the Pilates Method has caught the eye of the Business Owners Idea Cafe, where her Pilates studio is a featured business.

Out of the thousands of businesses that visit the site, fewer than one in ten are selected for Biz Profile Spotlight. Biz Profile submissions are judged on the quality of the owner's personal business insights, advice and tips for others starting a business, and unique business tales.

Lippin started balanCenter Pilates in the Philadelphia suburbs in 1998 to help people of all ages and professions feel less pain and become stronger. In 2005 she relocated to TCI, where she currently teaches high-quality private Pilates Method instruction to residents and tourists alike via individual lessons, mat classes, and PhysicalMind Institute teacher training sessions on the lovely Caribbean island of Providenciales. Lynda is also an accredited Usui Reiki Master and offers energy healing and Reiki attunement training workshops.

Pilates strengthens the core abdominal muscles and aids flexibility of all joints and the back, leading to less pain, better mobility, and improved function. Lippin says the best part of her business is teaching this method to others. "One client with Parkinson's woke up pain free for the first time in seven years this week -- what more could I want"?

Francie Ward, CEO of Business Owner's Idea Cafe, says Lippin was selected because her story "embodies the essence of independence, hard work, and a positive attitude. Lynda's story will inspire and encourage others who come to the site seeking advice on starting and running a business." The site offers a wide variety of Biz Profiles in several categories. Lynda's Pilates & Reiki is the most recent spotlight in the Sports, Fitness, and Recreation category.

Business Owner's Idea Cafe has been using its "Fun Approach to Small Business" (sm) and popular CyberSchmooz Community forum since 1995 to help small businesses get informed, network, and thrive.

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