Personal Training | Global One Health NY

Posture | Part 2 by: Lisa Kocsis WHAT CAUSES POOR POSTURE? Here I briefly list the various factors that can result in poor posture. MUSCLE WEAKNESS: In Part 1 of the Posture Blog, I addressed how having weakness in your core and spinal erector muscles limits ability to maintain proper healthy postural alignment. MUSCLE ASYMMETRY/IMBALANCE: Many of us know we're not perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetries can be caused by structural imbalances (e.g. scoliosis), an isolated injury, or by repetitive movement injuries (from industrial labor or sports such as tennis or golf). To use golf as an example... Your downswing will always be on the same side unless you consciously practice swinging the club on the right and left. The longer you continue the sport, or movement, the more exaggerated the asymmetries can result if you don't address them. This repetitive movement pattern has the potential to result in discomfort, pain and possible injury, as ther...

Posture | Part 1 by: Lisa Kocsis One of the primary requests I receive from clients is to help them improve their posture. With the increase of technology and many of us working longer hours, a vast percentage of our population is spending a significant amount of time in a seated position, often in poor postural alignment. What exactly does this mean and how does it impact our lives? Due to the fact that there is an extensive amount of information regarding posture, I broke this blog into separate parts to make it easier to process.  WHAT IS POSTURE? Posture refers to the skeletal positioning we assume throughout the day, whether it be seated or standing. There are two types - static and dynamic. Static refers to a non-moving position, whereas dynamic refers to an active movement (e.g.walking, running or in an exercise). One of the greatest hurdles I encounter as an instructor is training my clients' posture. Over 90% of my client base has an office job an...

http://www.globalonehealth.com/ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KETTLE BELL TRAINING? When discussing the benefits of any strength training modality, it's not uncommon for an overlap to exist. For example, you can say that Pilates can improve muscular strength, flexibility and joint mobility. You can get the same benefits from kettlebell training as well; however, the approach to how you achieve such is quite different. Kettlebells are one of the most effective tools for increasing strength, building endurance and power, improving mobility and cardiovascular fitness. Here I'll expand on the incredible value kettlebell training will add to your exercise regimen. HOW DO KETTLEBELLS INCREASE STRENGTH? Generally speaking, when we add weight to an exercise we increase the load on the body. As we increase the weight of the kettlebell, we put more demand on the musculature, which can result in an increase in strength. However, we're not just strengthening our muscul...

Lisa Marie Kocsis | Certified Pilates Instructor Let's Talk About Breathing! While breathing is an integral principle of the Pilates technique, it is also the most basic component of life. Without breath, we can not live. An individual takes approximately 23,000 breaths per day. WHY IS BREATH AWARENESS IMPORTANT? Aside from the obvious, that it is essential for life, how we breathe directly affects our posture and our ability to activate our core musculature. These aspects are two of the primary reasons why people practice Pilates. While many clients have expressed their desire to improve their core strength and postural alignment, they are, probably unbeknownst to them, needing to address possible breathing dysfunction. Proper posture enables the muscles that comprise our core to engage much more effectively, which results in an improved quality of breathing. In turn, when we think about how we're breathing, we can cue ourselves to increas...