“Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.” Joseph Pilates

I wish I had a glamorous story to tell you about how I started to practice Pilates, but the truth of the matter is that I stumbled upon this class at California Family Fitness and I immediately loved it. At the time, I felt Pilates provided more movement and excitement than yoga, not knowing that over 12 million people practice Pilates worldwide. Nowadays, I practice both Pilates and hot yoga at least once a week, which makes my runner’s body stronger, happier, and less prone to injuries.

Adding the resistance band to the airplane pose makes the workout more challenging.

I particularly enjoy Kate Muir’s gentle Pilates class, because it seems to work wonders on my sore and tight runner’s body. Kate, who has a Master’s degree in history of art with emphasis on Bronze casting, has been teaching Pilates for about a decade. She also teaches cycling and strength training, but she teaches Pilates the most, which is five times a week. From the first time I took Kate’s class, I loved her lovely British accent, her sense of humor, and the fun exercises she had us do, changing up the routine often and providing at least three options to do the poses successfully. Once Kate found out that I was a runner, she teased me that I can run 50 miles, but I moaned and groaned when doing various stretches. Needless to say, Kate was right and her comments made me and the other people in the class laugh.

I even do Pilates on a bench on the Parkway after my run whenever I have an extra five minutes, or so.

Four reasons Pilates is so great for runners

Whole body workout. Developed by Joseph Pilates, the exercises were related to dances designed for people with injuries. Kate pointed out that runners always use forward motion, while Pilates works the body up and down, side to side, front and back.
The breath. We all know that the breath is so crucial in running, which is why the practice of Pilates requires mastering the breathing technique. Kate said that when we inhale and exhale in through the nose and out through the mouth, we expand the rib cage, pull the abs, and zip them up.
Strength. Pilates increases strength in anyone practicing it, which will reduce the risk of injuries. For instance, I am not big on lifting heavy weights, but knowing that I get my core, strength, and stretching done in one 45-minute class gives me confidence that I will get stronger with Pilates. As Kate says at the end of her class, “the more you do, the more you do.”
Flexibility. Like most runners, I am quite stiff and inflexible, which is why I simply can’t touch my toes without bending my knees. Pilates increases flexibility in our body and keeps us from getting injured.

Tree pose with my friend and Arete team mate Leilani Dunmoyer, who is also a big believer in Pilates, strength training, and Yoga.

THREE PILATES MOVES EVERY RUNNER SHOULD DO WEEKLY

Mondays are usually my days off from running, but as much as my awesome coach Jenny Hitchings wants me to take a full day of rest, I cannot do it without Pilates. I have tried the full rest and was stiff the next day, but when I only did Pilates on Monday and no running, I felt loose and my glutes and body were happy. However, if you don’t have access to a fitness club or studio to practice Pilates weekly, Kate suggested that you do the following three moves:

Planks and different variations. We usually do a variation in class and have been holding the pose for two minutes, or longer.

Fun doing side planks with leg raises with my awesome friend and best training partner Andrea Brizendine. We both ran Chicago marathon in 2018, so we are doing a little matching here.

2. Bird Dog pose is extremely beneficial for strength, core, and strong lower back and glutes.

Bird dog pose, one of the best to activate the core and glutes.

3. Single leg glute bridges are simply a must for runners, or anyone who wants to stay injury free. I do them 4-5 times a week and love doing them right before a run or race to activate the glute muscles and run strong.

Single leg glute bridge – the peanut butter and jelly pose – ha!ha! for us runners that we can do before or after a run, or any time we do our strength training routine.

Having lunch at the Pho House with my friend and favorite Pilates instructor Kate Muir.

Besides these three poses highly recommended by Kate, Runner’s World has some more Pilates moves that we can all incorporate into our routines so that we run strong and stay healthy, or as Kate likes to say: “Nice to see you to see you nice.” Namaste!

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The motto of Hot Yoga at Sunrise: “it’s not how flexible and fit you are; it’s how flexible and fit you will become. Be all that you can be – be a hot Yogi!”

There are many ways to cross train for runners, but hot yoga is at the top of my list together with swimming and Pilates. According to the Runner’s World, hot yoga can help you become faster and fitter, so why not roll out the yoga mat?

Last December, I ran with Bobby Carpenter for the first time, as he was introduced to me by my friend Genevieve. We did the hilly trail run from the Fish Hatchery and I noticed right away that Bobby’s breathing was smooth and controlled even when we climbed steep hills. I asked him what his secret was. Bobby replied nonchalantly:
“hot yoga.” To my great surprise, I found out that both him and his lovely wife Robin Carpenter were the owners of the Hot Yoga at Sunrise.

We runners enjoy donuts after a tough track workout. Bobby is the one in the blue T-shirt.

Introduction of Bobby and Robin Carpenter

Bobby and Robin Carpenter, the owners of Hot Yoga at Sunrise

Both Bobby and Robin Carpenter are avid athletes and have practiced yoga for 20 years. They also run, road bike, and kayak. Bobby also likes to do mountain biking. Originally Bobby started to do yoga to prevent injuries. Robin and Bobby stayed with yoga because of the flexibility, balance, strength, stamina, and for the spiritual benefits. They have been teaching yoga for 16 years and are very passionate about it.

I have been practicing yoga at their studio for six months and love it. I try to do hot yoga at least once a week, especially Robin’s yin yoga class, as we hold certain poses for five minutes, which makes me feel rejuvenated and less sore after the class. However, I have tried all their classes, and I also love doing Bikram, Yin, core, fusion flow, vinyasa, and yoga sculpt.

Why Hot Yoga at Sunrise?

The philosophy behind Hot Yoga At Sunrise is community building, which is very important to Bobby and Robin. The spiritual awakening that happens for most people is an added benefit. The fact that the business is family owned and the whole focus is to get yoga into people’s lives makes Hot Yoga at Sunrise unique. Bobby and Robin are not focused on profits but on people and the benefits that come from practicing yoga as often as possible. Most studios are making a living with their studio, whereas Bobby and Robin are not relying on the studio for their income. This allows them much more freedom to truly care about their students.

Top 6 benefits of hot yoga for athletes and everyone who wants to be happier and healthier.

1. Flexibility

When our body and muscles are more flexible, we perform better and reduce the risk of injury.

2. Strength

Without strength we cannot last longer when we run. A runner with a strong body is also going to perform better and avoid injuries.

3. Stamina

The more stamina and energy we have, the more we can enjoy our athletic activities.

4. Balance

Yoga helps athletes develop good balance and coordination.

5. Improved breathing and performance.

Bobby Carpenter said: “Your breathing becomes so much more efficient and your muscles become a lot more pliable, which allows you to go much deeper into the pose with the heat.

6. Overall stronger faster, fitter, better.

Robin pointed out that if you just go to a professional baseball game, you’ll see the players stretching on the field and you realize how flexible they are. Besides their God-given talent, the players do yoga and it helps immensely with their flexibility, strength, and stamina.

Yoga’s Mental Aspect

We all know that running and pretty much most sports are 90 percent mental, which is why yoga is great at calming the busy mind and putting us in the present moment. Yoga also attenuates stress through the endorphins that are released, which is why people come out of class feeling so much better than when they went in.

Although Bobby and Robin believe that doing the poses in a sequence is important, I have three favorite Yoga poses that I like to do when my calf and gluteus muscles are tight.

THREE SIMPLE POSES FOR RUNNERS

The benefits of yoga for runners are great, which is why we should at least start by incorporating three easy poses into our routines.

1. Pigeon Pose

This pose stretches a lot of important muscles for runners, such as the hip rotators, glutes, and the IT band, which are easy to be injured. To perform this pose, sit down, put your right knee behind your right hand and put your right foot in front of your left hip. After that leaning forward in order to rest on your forearms or palms depends on your flexibility.

2. Bridge Pose

I am doing the bridge pose with the weight for extra strength.

If you find hunching forward at the end of a hard run is difficult that means your back muscles need to be strengthened. Repeating bridge pose several times will work the muscles in your back as well as your glutes and hamstrings to make you balanced and stronger in the next run. First, lie down on the mat. Bend both of your knees and place the feet directly below them. Next, slowly lift your back up by pressing into your feet. Keep this for about several breaths and then slowly lower your back down at the first position. Perform bridge Pose for at least 10 times.

3. Downward-Facing Dog

Downward dog pose – my favorite pose to release my tight calf muscles, as well as my glutes.

This stretch will help your hamstrings tremendously, as well as stabilize your shoulders. Use your hands and knees. Spread the fingers wide, lift your body up and straighten your legs so that the balls of the feet are pressed into the floor. Try to align your neck, back, and arms during performing this pose. You can alternate the relaxing between your legs.

And if you are wondering what type of hot yoga is better for runners, then Bobby and Robin have the answer. They believe that
Bikram, Yin, and Core are best due to the deep stretches and strength that all athletes and runners need.

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To search free listings, please go to http://www.dynamicsacramentohomes.com.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!

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Tag Archives: flexibility

Pilates For Runners – Core, Stretches, and Injury Prevention