Hi Sassypie -

I have the same problem with my neck. I really noticed it after I did the tape again. There's another Pilates thread on this forum with a girl named Deberino. She gave some good tips on the thread - question for Pilates Video users or something like that. So I asked her for any advice on the neck thing. This is what she wrote back...

I know about neck pain- I actually do Pilates to keep my upper back and neck pain manageable! But I don't have a bad disc - just bad posture!

Anyways, you can do most of the excercises on which you lie on your back with your head resting on the floor. maybe roll up a little towel and place under your neck. Your neck is trying to hold your body up because your stomach is not quite strong enough. If you are raising the head and shoulders off the floor think of lifting with your sternum (the area between your breasts ) if your neck hurts lift higher with the sternum ( visualizing this really makes a difference). the same visualization works with the bicycle crunches (I really don't love those too much) - try to touch your shoulder or rib cage to the knee rather than your forehead.

Don't do the rolling like a ball or the excercises where you are lying on your back and you lift your legs up and over your head and shoulders- these take a lot of control and it would be too easy to roll back on your neck even if you are not supposed too.

Once your stomach and back are stronger they will be able to lift your upper body without craning your neck and you won't have the pain. Fortuneately for you the stomach is the easiest muscle to stengthen! Good luck - let me know how you do. It breaks up my work day to check out these message boards!

I'm going to try this myself. Hope you don't work too hard on your vacation.

Hi Happy

Wow, it's been a week I hate to say it but I'm actually a little bit glad dh is back to work - now things around here can get back to normal - including my exercizing! I did what I could, compensating all the hard *labor* and interchanging it with my workouts. I think I only did Pilates twice but I really do like it so far. It's one of those workouts that I can do even if I don't really feel like working out.

How often did/do you plan to do Pilates each week? My understanding is that each exercize which targets a specific muscle group should be done approx 48 hrs apart so that the muscle has time to rest. I've often wondered if this was true for the abdominals. If I remember correctly, the literature that came with the videos recommended the 20 min routine 3 days and the 50 min routine 3 days/week. The videos are repetitive so I would be working the same muscles every time.

I'm sorry. I know I ask an aweful lot of questions. It's too bad there's no one else in this thread to help fend me off. It's just that you either live and learn or ask questions first and I choose the latter ha!

I hope you're doing well with your routine and that your neck is not feeling too strained. I'd better get going to work on dinner for the fam. Talk to ya later

Hi Sassy,

Welcome back. I think we all know what it's like to have DH underfoot. My husband has alot more vacation time than I do and I mostly work from home. When he plans vacation time and I can't be off, I go into the office! I love him, but it sure does disrupt the routine!

Hey girl, don't ever, ever, EVER apologize for asking questions. My theory is that nobody knows everything and you only learn by asking questions. Payback comes later on in life when you're the one with experience and someone else asks something then you're the "answer guy".

There's another thread on this forum - Questions for Pilates Video Users. One of the participants - Deberino is who I asked the neck question to. She was very helpful, I don't know how long she's been doing Pilates - longer than me. We might want to jump over to that thread.

As for your abs question. All I can say is that sometimes too much advice is no good. I don't have kids but I remember when my sister was pregnant. She started reading all kinds of baby books as first time moms are prone to do but stopped in her 7th month because she said everything started to conflict with one another. I'm working with a personal trainer right now. He told me that abs were one thing you could do everyday since you use your abs all the time and they recover faster than other muscles you'd exercise - for those you definitely need a rest. However, he was referring to crunches and Pilates works the core or deeper ab muscles. When I was taking a Pilates class last year, the certified instructor said 3 times a week was enough to maintain fitness. We found it so tough at first I'm sure no one would have CONSIDERED doing it 5 times a week. Not seeing your tapes, I'm just wondering if the 20 minute routine focuses on abs and the extra 30 minutes for the 50 minute session works the legs. Then it would make sense for the 5 day sessions - work the abs every day, do the abs and legs combo every other day or so.

My suggestion would be to post a question to Deberino on that other thread. I've been watching that one too.

My final piece of advice would be to do Pilates 3 times a week max. You should also be doing some strength training and cardio for a well balanced workout. You don't want to focus on Pilates and short change yourself on the others. Even the Pilates teacher said to combine a cardio routine a couple of times a week with the Pilates work out - on different days of course!

I'm really glad you like it. Hope we can keep up the conversations...

Hi Happy

I just love your name - what a positive attitude you must have!

Well, did Pilates yesterday and because of the other workouts I do I didn't have *as much* tension in my neck. I really tried to concentrate on keeping my core tight and strong so as not to strain my neck too much. It was better but I still have a long way to go.

Another little thing I noticed was that everyone had their toes pointed throughout the routine. I can do this on some days but on others (like yesterday) I kept getting cramped up. It makes it really hard to focus on form when your toes are in a knot - believe me! So...can you feel another question coming on? Any tips on keeping cramps at bay - particularly in the feet?

I combined Pilates with an upper body routine and it seemed to give me an overall better workout - hopefully, I'll know I'm right in a couple weeks/months. Slow but steady - that should be my motto

See ya later - have a great day!!

Hi Sassy,

Ah, my name... When I was in my 20's I had self esteem issues (still do a bit) and I wished I was prettier, thinner, more outgoing, bustier, etc. When I hit 30 I realized I didn't need those things and I could hold my own with the best of them. 30's were fabulous. Then I hit my 40's and the body starts falling apart (early menopause, thyroid, fallen arches, creaky joints and argh - bifocals!). Add to that tremenous stress on the job, corporate downsizing and no time or energy for anything and most of my 40's have not been a very good time in my life. After getting downsized again the end of 1999, I started doing some serious thinking about my life and reading up on the topic of living the life you love. It totally changed my perspective. Since that time, I have landed a dream job, we paid off our credit debt for good and now I'm working on improving my physical self. I'm happier than I've been probably EVER. I'm going to college and I had to build a website for school. Was trying to come up with a name and everything I thought of was taken. I started thinking about all the years I had compared myself to other people and wished I was different that what I was when I realized that people who seem to have perfect lives very rarely do, in fact most of them have bigger problems than me. And I also realized that I was quite satisfied with my life as it is and that it wasn't so bad after all to be me. So that's how I came upon Happy2Bme. Now that I've put you to sleep, wake up cuz it's time to move!

The reason they are pointing their toes is that the idea of leg work is to elongate and work the entire leg muscle from the hip. It is possible to flex your foot and push the leg out from the hip but it's easier if you're pointing your toes. But like you, sometimes my foot cramps so if it does, I alternate between a point and a flex or between moves point and flex the foot a few times quickly to "shake it out". I've also been told too that potasium is good for preventing leg cramps. You should have a tiny meal before you work out - proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, egg whites) will help fuel and build the muscles you're working to strengthen, high complex carbs (oatmeal, rice, potatoes) will give you energy and so will a small piece of low sugar fruit (plums, peaches, cantalope, nectarines). The best workout food is a 1/2 of a medium banana which provides sugar and potassium. Orange juice is also a good source of potassium. And of course, drink water throughout your entire routine. I never would eat before a work out and now that I do, I find I have much more stamina. Whatever you do, don't eat pasta before working out - your body works too hard to process it. If I work out in the morning I have oatmeal (1/2 cup cooked) with a banana and 1 hard boiled egg white - toss the yolk - too much fat and cholesterol. Day or evening workouts I usually have 2 oz (about 1/2 the size of your palm) of grilled turkey or chicken, 1/2 cup of white rice and a small piece of fruit about 30 minutes before I exercise.

That's a great idea about combining the Pilates with the upper body workout. Takes care of the whole package! I started to notice a difference with Pilates in only 2 weeks. I found without really thinking about it directly, a thought would pop in my head to stand straight, throw those shoulders back, pull the abs in. The first difference was in my posture and that alone can make you look 10 pounds thinner when you don't slouch. I'm still working on the neck strain thing too. Just remember there's workout/muscle fatigue and then there's plain old PAIN. Always stop immediately when you have pain.

I'll be looking for your picture - Sassypie the Amazon girl!

Howdy Happy

I'm glad you have a sense of humor - you made me lol with the last sentence of your first paragraph. As for how you came up with your name, I think it's great. Really, I mean how do we grow as individuals if we don't go through struggle and hardship at some point in our lives? I think most people experience a phase (for some it's longer) of self-doubt and insecurity. We almost need to have that phase in order to find ourselves and become comfortable with who we are. I think women have placed so much emphasis on what we look like that *how we feel* doesn't even factor into the equation.

I'm going to be 30 in January and to tell the truth, I'm loathing it. I really don't feel 30 and wonder where all the time has gone. However, if you look at my life - married, 2 kids, dog, house, 2 cars, etc., you see that I should be *at least* 30. Ever since having kids I have struggled with my weight. I never really commited to a healthy routine. I find it interesting that I will feed my girls more nutricious foods than I will eat. I think part of it has always been apathy. I want to do something about it but never have made the solid commitment - until NOW.

Turning 30 and wondering where all the time has gone has really prompted me to look at who I am and why I'm here. I'm trying to figure out what makes me happy and what I need to do to be a better person. It's a journey everyone needs to make at some point in their lives - I hope to one day very soon be able to say "Happy2bme" and I commend you for making the journey and really working to be a better person. I hope you didn't have to sacrifice too much along the way.

Btw, thanks for the tip on toe pointing - it's one of those minor things that can end up being major if not corrected early. And also btw, if you knew what I looked like you would NEVER use the words "Sassypie" and Amazon" in the same sentence! I am only 5ft tall!! That also made me lol when I read it cause I was thinking if you only knew...

Talk to you soon - have a nice weekend. I probably won't be back til Mon - busy weekend ahead Bye!

Hey Sassie,

Well, I'm 5 feet tall too so we'll be Petite Amazon Women - even more of a novelty

I hear you on the 30 thing. I'll be 50 in 2 years (aaaaaaaahhhhhh - birds have just fallen out of trees as the scream heard round the world was sounded). I've been having a problem with that for a year now because I am just too cool to be 50. My mom's 50 - really she's 76 but I think of her as 50. That's going to be a tough pill to swallow. The only thing that makes it tolerable is that I don't have to work 40 more years but the way things are going with the economy, that's a possibility I don't want to think about. Like you, I've been reassessing myself. Bad enough I have to be old but I don't want to be sick and lumbering on top of that. So, I'll try for the sexy buff chick mature woman image like Raquel Welch or something or maybe I'll just be the bag of fun that I am now, just wearing a smaller dress size. I give you alot of credit for coming to this point while you are so young. It will set you up for a lot of great things in life ahead, believe me. And will set a great role model for your daughters. The point you're at now, it's so easy for life to slide by unnoticed as you're busy with raising a family, establishing a career or whatever. I kind of think of it as sometimes we look back and wish we could turn back time and change things. I'm taking that chance now so I won't have feel that way 15 years from now.

With that, it's off to bed for me. Major committment to some serious housework this weekend. Hope you have a good one too, catch you later on in the week.

Good Day Mates (Hardy har har!)

Flutter - nice to meet you! Australia huh? I just love Aussies! So you're still doing Pilates and have been for a year - that's great! I would agree with you that I don't know if Pilates is really geared to help you lose weight so much as it is getting stronger. I'm doing it in combination with many other exercizes - strength, weights, aerobics, kick boxing, etc. So any weight I do lose will have to be distributed accordingly and credit given to all. Nice to meet you and hope you stay in touch.

Happy - in one word, hysterical! I cracked up when I read your post! I hear ya and I completely understand. You know, I really feel like I'm already having hot flashes - there will be some times when my face gets all flush and I just feel so hot internally. It makes me wonder if I have a shorter biological clock than I thought.

I also find myself making noise when I bend over or get up from sitting. It's like if I don't make the noise, someone might hear my old bones rattling too loudly! I have to wonder why my kids can jump off a 2 ft block and be totally fine; but I will land all stupid on my knees and then be sorry later. Ugh! the perils of getting older. You know, they say you're only as old as you feel; and it's changing your internal dialogue that makes or breaks your happy and healthy life.

Right now, my internal dialogue is telling me to get off this computer, do my workout and go outside with my girls. I think I'll listen. Talk you later!

Hi Flutter, nice of you to fly in. You're right, the BEST way to learn Pilates is with a certified instructor. It's the rage in the States too, but if seems to be offered more in the bigger cities. If you live in a small town, there's not much choice.

Sassy - Hot flashes already? My body decided to go into menopause during the hottest summer ever in Chicago. At the time I was also taking some popular supplement for fat burning that made you sweat even more. I used to stand in front of the freezer - could understand before Hormone Replacement Therapy why ladies would jump naked in the snow when one hit. Then my thyroid died and I'd go from being hot one minute to freezing cold the next. But I dropped the supplements, got drugs and life is good now. I always said tho, better a hot flash than spontaneous combustion tho I'm sure they feel about the same...

Yes your body will start to creak - quietly at first but it seems to get louder as your hearing goes which I can't figure out. I saw on the news years ago that they have determined that old age officially starts at 30. The "glue" that holds your joints together starts to detiorate at 30. Isn't life great? The best part is when one day you're running across the street and there's cars coming when all of a sudden your leg or ankle gives out and you have to do this fast hop thing to avoid getting mowed over by oncoming traffic because you can't step on your leg. We used to see this in downtown Chicago all the time and I would be rolling on the ground laughing when I saw it happen to other people. I am sick and twisted but I didn't mind if they laughed when it happened to me too. The other day I was leaning against the car doing stretches and lunges when I started thinking geez, this is a new car, what the heck is squeeking. It was my knee! And I don't know if there's much of anything you can do about it but to just keep limber. I have done alot of dumb things in my life but one of the classics was when I was demonstrating to a girl how you have to stand for a mamogram (it was her first and she was nervous) and as I got into that goofy twisted position, my knee gave out, I fell down and fractured my leg and tore the ligaments in my knee. I got to haul around this spiffy leg brace for my 40th birthday. Tho I did heal in record time - squeeky knees not withstanding!

I do agree with you, it's all in your head. I see lots of people who I'm horrified when I find their true age. I would have guessed them to be ALOT older than they were. It's especially great when I find out they're alot YOUNGER than me.

Today my trainer's special for the day was teaching me boxing. I must have made such a face when he suggested it, but he's really great so I'll give any suggestion of his a try. I was shocked at how much stamina that takes! It was fun tho tiring and I hope to do it again. Of course after 20 minutes of that he made me do a ton of crunches and 40 minutes of weight lifting. But he is the best motivator I've ever met, I'm fatigued afterwards and can barely turn the steering wheel to drive home, but I do feel pumped for hours and look forward to my sessions. So I am in awe of you that you do kick boxing!

In fact, I'm going to bow to your honor all the way to the bed where I'm about to flop out for the night.

Have a great rest of the week!

Good morning

I am so impressed at what you are doing with your trainer! It sounds like he's gotcha by the heels though - 40 minutes of weight lifting seems like a lot! But if you can handle all that, then I should be the one bowing to you!

Boy this month has been a terrible eating month! I've had way more than my share of cookies and I pigged out on tacos the last 2 nights! I need to find an eating plan that works for my picky habits and work off of that. Do you know of any sites that simply list the fat/calorie contents of individual foods so I could mix and match what I like, rather than having pre-set meals that I will ultimaltely substitute other foods into? I'll have to go check on that after I leave here.

I think I'm going to alter my workout routines also. Right now, I have 3 days of only aerobic and 3 days of only target muscles. I only do Pilates once, maybe twice per week. I'm thinking I need to mix and match a little more but still give my muscles time to rest. It seems like I'm always really working my legs and not my upper body as much. The stomach seems to be at par. Decisions, decisions .

Well, I'm gonna scoot. I want to check on those sites and not be on the pc all day. I'll talk to you soon - stay strong my queen .

Queen Happy to Princess Sassy...

I did some hunting on the Internet in regards to your quest for a site listing calorie contents of foods. Found a great one for the U.K. tho you'd have to do all your shopping there since all the foods they list are particular to their brands

This is the kind of thing that people decided they can make lots of money from. I only found one for free that was quite extensive
www.caloriechart.org
it's really tedious to page through but it may suffice. You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the first page to find the NEXT button to get your further. Good thing you're a picky eater!

That's why I like the plan I'm on. I made a list of the things I can eat grouped by category - proteins, carbs, fruits, veggies, etc. Then I list each meal and portions - for example 2 oz protein, 1/2 cup complex carb, 1 cup veggies, 1/2 cup fruit. I've got it posted by the refrigerator and I just look at the portions, check the list and make my meal from that. Of course this will not work if you eat packaged foods which I don't . But it does make meals easier to pull together. I just find that I have to cook my proteins - chicken, turkey, hard boiled eggs, ahead of time so I've got something ready as soon as I need it otherwise I overdose on low sodium tuna fish all week...

Talk about bad eating - seems to be happening to all of us on the forum over the past week. Today I went to a kid's birthday party to see out of town friends that I haven't seen in a long time. Food menu was kid friendly - 6 foot subway sandwiches, pasta and potato salad, ice cream sundaes, chips and guacamole, potato chips, cake and stuff like that. The most healthy thing there was the cut up melon and fruit salad that I brought. So I was hungry and I ate. Not pigged out but I did eat. After that, the only scale I can go near now is the big ones along the highway that weigh semi-tracker trailer trucks. Guess I'll be doing some extra exercising this week! Picked up the Walk Away the Pounds tapes by Leslie Sansonne today - heard alot of the ladies like them. I've been trying to get my walking time up to 3 miles and tho I made some really good music tapes to march to, it sometimes gets boring. Will let you know if these are as good as they say.

As for strength training, you shouldn't do that more than 3 times a week unless you want to alternate between an upper body workout one day and the lower body the next. Start working with free weights or pick up one of those stretchy rubber tube bands with the handles on it to give you more resistance if you feel you're not getting enough of a workout.

Have a great week and a better eating plan ahead - for both of us...

Hi Happy -

Going to be kind of short today - having dog troubles at the moment. Just wanted to say thanks for the site. I haven't had a chance to look it up yet but I'll get to it. I did get to Kathy Smith's site and she has a board where you can ask her questions and she will respond to them - and quickly too, I might add! I asked her if it was healthy to work out abs every day and she basically said not if doing pilates due to the intensity. She said they shoud be rested just like any other strength-trained muscle. So, that was good to finally know - I don't want to damage anything!

I have decided to re-do my w/o routine so that it's more rounded and not so lower body focused. I have it all mapped out and should start next week.

Your eating habits are so much better than mine. I really need to sit down and list what I like and put them into categories like you have and then go from there. It's not that I can't find the time, it's just that I haven't made the time to find the time - lol! Oh well, procrastination only makes it worse; and Lord knows I am the Queen of Procrastination!

Have a great day and I'll talk to you later

Hi Sassy,

Tooth problems for me this week. An abcess turned out to be caused by a bad crown which required oral surgery. Not at top pace this week but I'm plugging away. Have been doing much better on the exercise than on the eating, no real binges but I'm not eating the mix that I should. Work's been busy and my schedule has been erratic.

Hope your dog problems have been resolved.

Thanks for the tip on the Kathy Smith site. That's a good resource to keep in mind for the future. Better to get answers from an expert when you can.

Did you get your new exercise plan mapped out or are you still thinking about it? I kind of did the same and joined an exercise challenge which is helping me to push myself more than I normally would.

Hope things are going well, catch up with you later...

Hi Lady,

Saw this while crusing the MSN Home Page. It's got some good info on diet and fitness and getting started. In the GETTING STARTED ON WEIGHT LOSS SECTION, Step 3 SELECT YOUR PLAN gives you groupings for particular calorie ranges. At the very bottom of the page there's a link for FOOD LISTS which gives foods broken down by category and portions for each. Looked like something that was pretty easy to mix and match to your tastes - thought I'd mention it if you think it might help. Just click on the link below and it will take you right to the article.

http://homeadvisor.msn.com/features/...ngfeature.aspx