Author Archives: Align Rochester

Please listen to me, your mental health is directly tied to your physical health. Really!!!!

Exercise keeps the darkness away It is really hard to get people to understand or maybe admit that their brain is directly tied to their body. I keep running into this and it bothers me DEEPLY. I could totally science you all about how physical fitness vastly improves, everything really, but you already know that. […]

Help for my Service Industry Friends

This is an open letter to my service industry compatriots. I bet your body hurts, mine does too. We spend a lot of our time beating our bodies up taking care of the needs of others – literally serving our fellow man. Our career depends on our physical well being completely. Very few places offer […]

The Breeders – Unsung Heroes of 90s Rock

I saw the Breeders on Tuesday night in Buffalo and words can not describe all the feels that I had. So without further ado I’m going to try and use words to attempt to describe my indescribable experience. First off growing up in a very small very rural town (Williamson, NY) my exposure to live […]

Enumerated ways to assist you in achieving a healthy weight

As I mentioned in my previous blog exercise is not the most effective way to lose weight. Now, will it help you lose weight? Sure! Exercise is a nice way to slightly offset calorie consumption. However if it’s the choice between not eating a 300 calorie food and doing high intensity exercise for an hour […]

Please do not exercise to lose weight

Listen, I understand that most people want to lose a few pounds but what makes me absolutely bananas is when people are brainwashed into thinking that if they KILL themselves exercising they will surely lose weight. Seeing magazines and gyms and videos on social media touting phrases like “lose 10 lbs in a month” or […]

Lateral Breathing Can Fix Your Back

What is lateral breathing?! Put very briefly it is a breathing technique used in Pilates where, slowly inhaling through the nose, you fill the sides of your abdomen continuing to keep your abdominals tightly engaged. Upon the exhale you engage your abdominals more then again on the inhale you keep them tight by breathing in […]

Objectification

Objectification is a tricky thing. As a Pilates Teacher I need to look at my client objectively in order to determine what movements need to be done in order to bring the body into alignment. I have had clients apologize for the way their different body parts look and I tell them I don’t care […]

Pilates Education Part 2: Apparatus Apprenticeship

It is no exaggeration or hyperbole to say that an apprenticeship for a certification in Pilates apparatus is exponentially more difficult than a mat apprenticeship. And you can actually calculate the specific exponent by the pieces of apparatus you certify on. So now, without any further ado, let me regale you with this amazing training […]

Teacher Credentials a.k.a. Pilates Education Part 1: Origin Story

Just so you know, when you experience someone teaching a Pilates class in a gym (or club or anywhere that is not specifically a Pilates studio) it is not always a forgone conclusion that they are a certified Pilates teacher. Chances are they are a certified fitness instructor teaching a Pilates class. I think that’s […]

Why are women torsos?

Everywhere you look you see the feminine form which isn’t surprising however more and more often I find a female torso with absolutely no head. I have seen this on the covers of magazines, posters advertising really, anything, and of course our sad headless mannequin sisters. Are we so devalued as a sex and our […]