February 3 2009 by admin.

So, you’ve read about trying the Free Intro Session here at IM=X Pilates Blue Bell. It sounds great! You’ve even taken the initiative and signed up for your Free Intro. What can you expect next?

First, your options. On the IM=X Pilates Blue Bell Fees page, you’ll see that you can take Private or Semi-Private sessions. There’s lots of reasons to take either route, or both in the case of the Private Training Membership. Those reasons will be reviewed and compared to your needs in your Intro. Just don’t assume you need Private sessions just because you’ve never done pilates before!

Most people are familiar with the Class Package, groups of sessions paid for in advance. You can purchase Private pilates sessions individually, or in groups of 10 or 20. You can also purchase Semi-Private sessions one at a time, in 10s or in 20s.

However, here at IM=X Pilates Blue Bell, you have another option- the Unlimited Semi-Private Membership. Almost all new clients try our 1-Month Unlimited Trial Membership. You can do pilates every day! (The IM=X Pilates program has a 24-hour turnaround period.) The more classes you take, the greater the value of your membership. After the trial month, you have the option of a 6- or 12- month membership.

Pennsylvania Health Club laws prevent you from purchasing longer-term options online, but you can still find memberships or packages available in the IM=X Blue Bell online store if you’re ready to get going. All your choices are reviewed during your Intro, so you can also wait until your visit to decide.

Posted in Trying Pilates, Pilates, Article, Studio | Print | 1 Comment »

January 21 2009 by admin.

The September 2008 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal included a fascinating report about the effects of resistance training on people’s DNA. (Resistance training simply uses weight- body weight, free weights, or tubing, bands or springs.) As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass, strength and function; this is called sarcopenia (sar-co-PEEN-ee-ah). There are many possible reasons for this, and researchers “Melov and colleagues (2007) investigated whether resistance training actually affects some of the gene expressions associated with muscle aging, thus reversing the aging process.” Here’s the breakdown of the study:

-All subjects were nonsmokers

The 25 older subjects (around 68 years old) self-reported a very active lifestyle- walking, gardening, tennis or cycling 3 or more times per week

-The 26 younger subjects (around 24 years old) self-reported only modest recreational activity

-“The researchers deliberately chose a relatively active older population and a relatively sedentary younger population because they felt it would help them look at the effects of aging, rather than simple inactivity, if both groups were fairly well matched in terms of how active they were.”

-The study was 26 weeks long, and each participant exercised with supervision, using 12 resistance exercises, twice a week

-They began with 1 set of each exercise at half of their 1-repetition-maximum (1RM); they increased to 3 sets at 80% of their 1RM over the 26 weeks; and they retested their 1RM every 2 weeks to adjust their training loads

-They were also tested for strength in an isometric knee extension (holding the leg straight out from the knee) at the beginning and end of the study

-A piece of their thigh muscle was biopsied before and after to analyze their genes, and to compare differences between the subjects. The researchers were looking for specific genes that were unusually different in the older subjects, due to age

Results:

The researched found 596 genes that were unusually different. After the 26-week study, 179 of these showed a reversal of their expression- the genes weren’t as different as they were in the beginning of the study. It’s important to understand that all cells have DNA, and it gets copied as the cells reproduce. This means that the newer cells (made during the training) didn’t look or act as old as the older cells had (before the training). The researchers also found that the impaired energy-producing ability of the cells, due to inactivity, was reversing in response to the training.

The body’s cells were acting younger and more efficiently as the subjects exercised. This is a great reason to try a FREE Intro class at IM=X Pilates Blue Bell, or to get out of bed in time for that weekend class you’ve got scheduled! Read about the FREE Intro Session

Posted in Fitness, Article | Print | No Comments »

December 23 2008 by admin.

Never! Here is a great way to keep up your workouts- some exercises you can do even without rings, balls, Xercizers, or Jim bouncing around to the music. Hint: read it all first so you know what’s coming before you try it! As a hard-working IM=X Pilates Blue Bell client, you should understand and recognize most of what you read here. If you don’t, skip it. We’d rather you didn’t injure yourself.

Step 1: Do you have a yoga or pilates mat, a ring, a stretch band, a balance ball, or ankle or wrist weights? Go get them. If you don’t, go get a hand towel.

Step 2: Lie on your back, on your mat if you have one or on the floor. Carpet may be more comfortable! Knees in for a hug and a low back stretch. Legs out, stretch through the ribs and hips on one side, then the other, then both to get a neutral spine. KEEP THIS NEUTRAL SPINE!!!

Step 3a: Feet flat on the floor with something between your knees- a ring, a ball, a yoga block, a towel folded a few times. Walk the feet out from your butt to open up the front of your hips. Maintain your neutral spine.  Hold the thing between your knees with your Pelvic Floor (Don’t Pee Muscle), NOT your inner thighs!

Step 3b: This is where you can add the wrist weights, if you want more upper body work. The trick is Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Fitness, Pilates, Article | Print | 1 Comment »

December 22 2008 by admin.

Transition: Roll onto your belly. Head onto your forearm, draw the opposite foot into your butt. Reach for the pant leg/ankle/foot if you can/want to. Now, press up into an arch and kick back into your hand. Do the other side too!

Step 11: Put your hands in a diamond under your forehead,  OR place your arms in front of you like a sphinx. Press up into an arch. If you’re uncomfortable in your back, you’re too high. You only need to be 5 degrees off the floor to engage your muscles. Engage your pelvic floor (Don’t Pee Muscle) and reach your legs out behind you. For comparison’s sake, shrug your shoulders way up to your ears. Now, lower them as far from your ears as you can and feel your lats engage to keep those shoulders down.

Step 12a-b-c: Remember, you don’t need to lift more than 5 degrees. Raise the right leg up and down 10 times, then the left leg, then both legs. Feel your butt and hamstrings working, not your low back throwing your leg(s) up. Also, keep your hips evenly pressed into the floor. If you rock side to side, you need to re-engage your pelvic floor and watch how high you’re lifting.

Step 13a-b-c: Arms out to a T. Lift into the arch- pay attention to your shoulders and pelvic floor and low back! Do 3-5. Then, as you arch, turn the palms thumbs up- get used to the feeling of not pushing with your hands and only lifting from your lats. Do 3-5. Then, as you arch, swim the back of your hands back to your hips; return to the T with control.

Step 14: Arms out in front, slightly open, shoulders away from ears. Right arm, left leg- lift 5 times, then switch to opposite arm/leg for 5. Switch again for 4, opposite for 4. Switch 3, switch 3, switch 2, switch 2, back and forth for 1,1,1,1.

Posted in Fitness, Pilates, Article, Studio | Print | 1 Comment »

December 21 2008 by admin.

Transition: Come to hands and knees. Round your back into cat stretch, reverse to dog stretch by lifting your chin and swaying your back, and into cat stretch again.

Step 15a: Step the right foot forward between your hands, and the left foot back into a lunge (iliopsoas stretch!). Press the hips down and through the left heel, shoulders away from the ears, float the head and engage the pelvic floor.

Step 15b: Move the right hand inside your right foot, and open the right knee to stretch the inner hip.

Step 16: Put the right thigh down on the floor and draw your right foot toward your butt. Reach back for the foot/ankle/pant leg, or not. Keep the thigh down on the floor, not the knee joint. Put the foot back down being very careful of your knee.

Step 17a-b: Find a safe way to sit down. You may be able to roll over onto your right butt and down, or the transition may be more involved. Sit with the right leg bent in, left leg stretched open in half of a V. Stretch toward the left leg for an inner thigh stretch.

Step 17c: Open the right leg to complete the V. Stretch to both sides and the middle; feet pointed Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Fitness, Pilates, Article, Studio | Print | No Comments »

December 6 2008 by admin.

At this time next year, Philadelphia restaurants will be finalizing their new menus. As of January 1, 2010, eateries with more than 15 locations will be required to display nutritional information. Menus will report calories, saturated fat, trans fat, carbs and sodium. Menu boards need only display calories.

The information is required to be printed in a font and size similar to the ones used on the menu or board, and tray liners or table displays are no substitute. This allows consumers a consistent ability to make informed decisions.

Small businesses like family-owned pizzerias and chinese restaurants are exempt, to allow them to stay competitive. Upscale, fast-food, casual, and convenience chains and franchises have 2009 to prepare, and many of them already offer some kind of nutrition information, often online.

The bill passed 12-5 on November 6, 2008.

Philly.com: What’s New on Menu? Labeling
Philly.com: Phila. to require menu labeling
Kimberly Garrison: Philly’s OK with menu label law

Posted in News, Article | Print | No Comments »

October 21 2008 by admin.

Hi, I saw your sign/ My friend told me about you/ I found you online/ My doctor told me to try pilates, and I’m calling to get some information about your studio, your class times, all that. Call me back, Thanks!

This is a very common voicemail message left at IM=X Pilates Blue Bell, and this blog series is here to give an idea about what it’s like getting started with pilates. Whether it’s by phone or walk-in, or even by email, everyone gets the same piece of advice: make an appointment for a FREE Introductory session! We can give you all the information you’re looking for first, but putting the information in the context of trying pilates first will make it come together. There is always an Intro on the Saturday pilates schedule, and others during the week will pop up just by asking for them.

Intro sessions are scheduled for 90 minutes, while all regular pilates classes are 60 minutes. This allows the Intro to be divided into 3 sections: paperwork and background info, learning the Fundamentals and using the Xercizer machine, and asking all the questions you’ve thought of during the Intro.

When you arrive, you’ll fill out a history form and our instructors will ask all about your needs and goals and everything else that can help optimize your experience . You’ll get a brief overview of pilates and IM=X Pilates, and a quick tour of the studio (see pictures of the studio in an earlier blog post, Our Anniversary: January 15 2008). Then you start to work- you’ll learn the 5 Fundamentals of IM=X Pilates to stabilize and support you, then you’ll get on the Xercizer machine and do a short workout! This first workout is designed to demonstrate the flexibility of the Xercizer, and to give our instructors a chance to assess your abilities and make educated scheduling suggestions. You’ll be exercising for 30-45 minutes, so you shouldn’t expect to be as sore as you will be after your first full class.

The last 30 minutes of your pilates Intro is reserved for answering your questions, planning your schedule, setting up your membership, and any other leftover details. As a new client, you’ll receive a Welcome Kit, instructions on scheduling your classes, and information on IM=X Pilates Blue Bell’s referral program.

Call 484-231-8565, stop in at 1320 DeKalb Pike, or sign up online to schedule your FREE Intro session and discover why people rave about IM=X Pilates Blue Bell, the only IM=X Pilates franchise studio in the Philadelphia area.

Posted in Trying Pilates, Pilates, Article, Studio | Print | 2 Comments »

August 26 2008 by admin.

Getting your loved ones, your friends and family members, or your coworkers to join you in losing weight or getting stronger can seem like a waste of time. Changing habits, learning new things and becoming proactive about their health are some of the toughest things for people to do. More and more research, however, is reinforcing the many and varied benefits good health has on everyone.

In an article titled, “How Much Does Physical Inactivity Cost You?,” Entrepreneur.com provides a link to East Carolina University’s Physical Inactivity Cost Calculator. ECU combined research on medical costs, workers’ productivity and workers’ compensation to create this tool useful for quantifying the benefits of a healthy team or community. The calculator computes dollar amounts representing the total costs to a business or community, the per-person cost, medical care, workers comp and lost productivity costs, and the potential savings if only 5% of the group became more active!

Using Census.gov Factfinder data for the Blue Bell area, this is what the numbers look like:

click for a larger image

What could your community do with $2.6 million? The state of Pennsylvania could save $942 million per year- imagine the programs that could benefit from that kind of money! Corporations can run this calculator too- partnering with your local IM=X Pilates Studio franchise for special group rates can be an inexpensive way to cut down on healthcare costs among employees. Don’t underestimate the importance of team building in small-group exercise classes, either- but that’s a topic for another time.

Posted in Fitness, Article | Print | No Comments »

July 9 2008 by admin.

As your pilates instructor, looking out for your health, I ask you: Have you been trying to increase the fresh fruits and veggies in your diet? Are you overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of varieties in your local produce section? Look no further than the CDC’s Fruit and Vegetable of the Month list!

Showcased for the month of July, meet the sweet nectarine and the bold garlic. With information on their selection, storage, preparation and availability, as well as nutritional information and recipies, you have all the facts and figures you’ll need to purchase and enjoy some familiar and some unique foods- cactus (August) or persimmons (October), anyone?

By this time of the summer, you can find great quality fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses and other fare from small farms in the area. LocalHarvest lists farmers markets in Norristown, North Wales, North Hills/Oreland, Conshohocken, Chestnut Hill, Glenside, Skippack and Jenkintown.

Recipies exist all over the internet, from all sorts of sources. One regular site is The Food Network. You should also try the magazine Eating Well, and the more focused Cook’s Illustrated. They each have tasty and different takes on all eating styles.

Your own favorites and experiences are always welcome, both here on the IM=X Pilates Blue Bell blog and at the IM=X Pilates Blue Bell studio. Enjoy!

Posted in Article | Print | No Comments »

July 7 2008 by admin.

We’ve had a few discussions in the IM=X Pilates studio about water bottles, both plastic and metal. I’ve done some digging (mostly at idealbite.com) and here are concise answers to some of your plastics questions:

What is the best plastic bottle to reuse?  #2 plastic- HDPE plastic, soft and opaque. Think “The ants go marching two by two, the little one stopped to tie his shoe…”, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Two Pina Coladas- you get the idea.

What are better choices? Glass and stainless steel.  (Aluminum needs a coating over it.) Sigg bottles, or leftover glass juice bottles are in this category.

What is unsafe? Copied directly from Ideal Bite:

Note: Nalgene does now carry an Everyday brand bottle made without bisphenol-A.

What about recycling? Here is a list, again from Ideal Bite, of plastic numbers and recycling:

Usually recyclable:
1. PET - 2-liter and mouthwash bottles, boil-in-bag pouches.
2. HDPE - milk jugs, trash bags, detergent bottles, some yogurt cups.
Sometimes recyclable:
4. LDPE - grocery bags, produce bags, food wrap.

5. PP - diapers, straws, yogurt containers.

6. PS - CD cases, egg cartons, Styrofoam.
Not so much…
3. PVC - cooking-oil bottles, meat packaging, office binders.

7. Other - other types of plastic, plus things made from more than one type of plastic (see below).
Bioplastics (7, and marked as either compostable or biodegradable):
7. Compostable Plastic - is nontoxic and breaks down as fast as paper in compost.
7. Biodegradable Plastic - may contain toxins, so you have to send it to a special composting facility (enter compost and your zip at Earth911, see below).
Commonly questioned items:
Container Caps - typically different plastics than the container; take ‘em off, check the # inside, and either recycle or throw them away.
Grocery Bags - reuse them first! You usually can’t recycle them curbside, but some supermarkets have bins in-store.
Earth911 - find out if you can recycle specific items in your area.

 So, here’s a summary: we like glass or stainless steel for sipping during your brief pilates breaks, #2 plastic is also ok, and you can recycle most stuff.

Posted in Article | Print | No Comments »