Core-Kids

"The body's nervous system and 200,000 receptors in the soles of the feet provide natural sensory feedback." Vivobarefoot

When you are climbing, if you can feel with your feet, grip with your toes, push in with your heels, then you can climb safely.

Remove your shoes to climb.

The first training for school teachers in "classroom Pilates" was a huge success. Such a beautiful school that wants to help each and every child use their core muscles, develop a greater understanding of body awareness, spacial awareness and the importance of good posture. Going above and beyond what they are required to do, I am privileged to be involved with this school. Excellent feedback from multiple teachers that the classroom Pilates is making a difference. Thanks for the legacy, Jo! Loving your work for every generation!

A huge congratulations to all the Core Kids of 2014. Every single one has improved in core strength, balance, co-ordination, crossing the midline, body awareness, spacial awareness, concentration and confidence.....Pilates is brilliant for all ages, you kids are proof!

Have a great wkend!

Pilates & Our Children : Fitness for the Future

by Ken Endelman

The health of today's children is compromised by a culture of convenience and increasingly sedentary activity. Eating fast food, watching TV and playing video games has become habitual while a nutritious diet and physical activity is on the downslide.

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that approximately 30.3% of children between the ages of 6 to 11 are overweight and that 15.3% are obese. For adolescents between the ages of 12 to 19, 30.4% are overweight and 15.5% are obese. These are startling numbers and much higher than for previous years.

Concerned parents are now looking at exercise programs for their children in an effort to keep them fit and set them up for a lifetime of good health.

A rigorous exercise regimen, however, may not be beneficial for young children and could even be harmful. The concern stems from the fact that a young child's developing skeletal frame cannot handle the demanding forms of exercise in more aerobic-oriented or cardiovascular programs. For these children, a safer, healthier, low-impact workout is needed such as Pilates.

While the popularity of Pilates among adults is well chronicled, the exercise program also offers a large range of benefits to children. Improved posture and spinal alignment are realized as exercises increase the strength and flexibility of the abdominal and inner muscles of the body (the core or trunk). It promotes toned, sleek bodies and improves athletic performance. Through Pilates, children can gain awareness of their body, and learn how to move efficiently and gracefully. As children grow, their bodies are in a constant state of change and development.

Correctly or incorrectly it is here where they will formulate the physical attributes that they will take through life. Posture, the way they walk, the way they bend over, etc. Pilates can help establish correct principles of movement that children will use for their entire lives. It will also create a balanced musculature that can alleviate pain and reduce the potential for injury now and as they continue to grow into adulthood.

Beyond physical fitness, having a strong core can open up other benefits for children-including improved learning. Advocates believe that when trunk, or torso, stability is absent, sitting and standing for extended periods in school can be difficult. If children are expending their energy throughout the day just to maintain stability, their stamina for homework and other after school activities may be depleted. A strong trunk or core conserves their energy and allows them to be more attentive to schoolwork.

Because Pilates is a mind and body discipline, it can guide kids to a stronger body, and a more relaxed state of mind. Working to strengthen their bodies can increase children's selfesteem, stamina, abdominal strength and sleep. That, combined with the focused breathing techniques essential to the exercises, can help kids attain a much more serene and less stressful outlook.

Article courtesy of http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/pilates/library/articles/pilates-for-our-children.html

An awesome article courtesy of Kidz Clinic on Hypermobility... http://kidzclinic.com.au/conditions/hypermobility/

"Identifying and Managing Hypermobility Disorders"

Hypermobility means increased tissue or joint extensibility. The most common hypermobility syndromes are Benign Joint Hypermobility Disorder and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Hypermobility is only of concern if it is causing adverse symptoms that are affecting quality of life.

Hypermobility Disorders are connective tissue disorders, which cause increase tissue extensibility. This causes ligamentous laxity, a propensity for bruising, poor scarring.
This can manifest in a number of ways. The child may have coordination issues, joint pain, greater incidence of growing pains and many small bruises in various stages of healing in “high contact” areas such as shins and forearms.
On the other hand some children are very coordinated but suffer from frequent sprains, strains and/or tendinopathies.

WHAT THE PARENT MAY NOTICE:

Flexibility

• A myriad of symptoms, of which the child may have some or all
• Tiredness, fatigue more than peers or other siblings at the same age
• Toddler – wants to be in the pram a lot
• School age – too tired to walk home or walk to car from classroom
• Exhausted more than peers/siblings at end of day
• Pain
• Night pain
• More frequent growing pains”
• Frequent strains, sprains
• Recurrent subluxations, dislocations or fractures (commonly knee cap, elbow, shoulder)
• “Pulled elbows” in toddlers and babies
• Coordination issues
• Awkward running, difficulty putting clothes on in morning
• Difficulty keeping up with handwriting in early school years (either slow to finish or messy writing)
• Some are very coordinated and some poorly coordinated

WHAT A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL MAY NOTICE

• Beighton Hypermobility Score –(7-9/9 as a determination of hypermobility)
• Body posture in standing- flat feet, femoral anteversion and tibial torsion ( i.e. excessive internal rotation of the legs), incr or decr lordosis, winged scapula
• Muscle weakness
• Lack of muscle tone
• Classic ‘C’” trunk posture in sitting
• Balance/coordination issues
• Running style – often awkward gait, trunk flexion, rigid trunk, excessive movement lower legs or side to side trunk movement
• Sometimes a toe-walker for extended period up to 8 years of age
• Core instability, pelvic instability
• Muscle strength – general lack of muscle tone and often more specific weakness in gluteals and trunk muscles
• Muscle length – frequently tightness in hamstrings and gastrocnemius.
• Tightness in gastroc-soleus can contribute to idiopathic toe-walking
• Bruising – multiple in varying stages of healing
• Poor scarring

Management of Hypermobility Disorders
The treatment for hypermobility is usually a combination of the several areas. Symptoms at the time of presentation will determine the focus of the program.

Pain Relief

• Hydrotherapy
• Taping
• Soft bracing
• Heat
• Massage
• Mobilisation

Proprioception
Proprioception is the body’s awareness of the position of a joint in space in relation to another joint. It facilitates body’s ability to synchronise limb and trunk movements. This reduces risk of dislocation, subluxation, tripping over injuries”.
There are several ways to improve this:

Round Wobble Board
• Wobble board
• Theradisc
• Minitramp
• Multi-stones
• Progress difficulty by multi-tasking

Strengthening Exercises

Strengthen the Chain: Strengthen the weak muscles and the muscles that stabilise body segments.
Stretching Exercises: Stretching of compensatory tight muscle groups. The hamstrings and calves sometimes tighten up as a compensatory mechanism to provide balance and stability. Physiotherapists specialised in the management of Hypermobility Disorders can advise you of exercises that you can incorporate into general family life that will strengthen the child’s core stability.

Stability exercises
• Core stability exercise (transversus abdominus and multifidis)
• pelvic stability exercises (gluteus medius and pelvic floor muscles)
• Postural strengthening

Relaxation exercises

Muscles are fatigued and often prone to spasm by end of day. The muscles are working hard to control movement . When it is time to sleep muscles are still in a state of semi tension. Relaxing before bed promotes muscle relaxation, better sleep pattern and reduces restless legs.

Pacing

Short frequent bursts of activity are always better than longer durations. The length of time dependent on child’s age. Avoid 2 sports on 1 afternoon (eg footy training followed by swimming squad).

Kids can enjoy sport if they "pace" their activity

General Sports Notes

Make exercise exciting and fun!
• Avoid over-scheduling the child
• Allow time for rest periods
• Timing of activities –- younger children have more energy earlier in the day
• Sport specific training – get advice re position on field, suitable sports
• Specific exercises for the area of body most at risk with particular sports eg. ankle- soccer, netball, knee- football, gymnastics- back
• Football- midfield is position where less body contact /impact occurs
• Netball- Goal shooter/Goal attack less running

Sports to Avoid

High impact sports such as rugby, touch rugby, ice hockey, football.

Ideal Sports
• Swimming
• Non contact martial arts
• Kindy gym/toddler gym

Activities for younger children

Recommendations – Kindy gym/toddler gym, indoor climbing gyms in winter (Beach House/Fun Station), local park, baby swim or Aquatic Leisure centres, circuit in own backyard and normal play and exploration for younger child.
Occupational therapy (OT) referral for hand management- hand exercises, pen grips, slope board, hand writing skills.
Successful results with new spiral thigh garment in children with hip, knee pain and pelvic stability (see Straps Bracing).
The aim of a treatment programme for hypermobility is to provide as much information for the parent/carer to enable them to manage symptoms effectively at home. Often five or six sessions are needed in early stages to get symptoms under control.
Parents then continue with the principles of management at home. The family might return to physiotherapy when new symptoms occurs, for example, tendinopathy, back pain, subluxations

Kids reaching out for the power of Pilates

Lyndsey Davis with Whinstones Primary pupils

If you thought that PE lessons were restricted to games of netball and hockey, then think again. These days physical education has taken a contemporary twist. And while traditional sports are still popular, when it comes to keeping fit, youngsters are getting more choice. The latest addition on offer to primary schools in Stockton is pilates.

Dance and fitness coach Lyndsey Davis, who leads the sessions, explains: Pilates is a fun and enjoyable way to teach children correct posture so they stand, sit and lay correctly.

Pilates is a physical fitness system that was developed in the early 20th Century by Joseph Pilates. It focuses on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and are essential to providing support for the spine. A favourite among women and men, it focuses on stretching and moving the body with controlled breathing. It helps develop co-ordination, balance, strength and flexibility.

And, it seems, the kids are loving it.

It is something completely different, says Lyndsey, who works with Stockton Schools Sports Partnership. It helps them with the fundamentals like balance, flexibility and posture and this can help with other sports.

It can also give their concentration levels a boost as Lyndsey says they have to really think about what they are doing.

Among the schools snapping up the Primary Pilates sessions is Whinstones Primary School in Ingleby Barwick.

This sounded like something a bit different, says Carrie Magee, the schools team leader for years three and four. We also thought it would be calming and help focus the childrens minds.

After just two sessions, Carrie says the response has been really positive. You could hear in the corridors afterwards how much fun it was and how much they loved it.

It is good to try these things and give the children as much opportunity to try as many different fitness things as possible. She says it also gives children of all athletic ability the chance to feel that they have achieved.

Beyond physical fitness Pilates opens up other benefits for children...

The Many Benefits of Pilates for Children – Central Hong Kong Pilates   Flexpress Central Hong Kong “Benefits of Pilates for Children” article of the day. A culture of convenience and a sedentary lifestyle have certainly compromised the health of today's ch