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Author Archives: Carla Mullins
Achieving Agility at any Age
Sun,Jul 28, 2024 at 06:34AM by Carla Mullins
Balance is an important system of our body and it is something that as Pilates Movement practitioners we are constantly incorporating into our clients’ program to support their quality of life. At times I see people confuse balance and agility and not appreciate that whilst the concepts are related they are different and both should…..
Grasping the details
Sun,Jul 21, 2024 at 11:57AM by Carla Mullins
Introduction Facilitating quality of life is an essential component of pilates programming and our clients’ motivation for attending classes. Quality of life could be considered the ability to function and perform our daily activities with ease. I have noticed a recent trend to say we do activities now, for example weights…..
Scleroderma – symptoms, concerns and considerations for movement and exercise
Fri,Mar 19, 2021 at 01:52PM by Carla Mullins
Scleroderma, is rare and even more so in males, with the disease most commonly occurring in females between the ages of 35 and 55 years. About 30% of people with the disease will survive for 20 years or more after prognosis. However, males have a poorer prognosis for disease survivorship (Lofgren et al 2016).
Sinus problems- who nose what to do about them?
Wed,Oct 28, 2020 at 09:03AM by Carla Mullins
Sinus – Who nose what you can do about them? The puffy face, bags under the eyes and difficulty breathing is a classic sign of the sinus sufferer. I live with two sinus suffering males, and they joke that my nose is not big enough to have sinus problems. As I push my glasses…..
Hindsight is 2020
Sat,Oct 24, 2020 at 07:35PM by Carla Mullins
Hindsight is 2020, we often wish we also had foresight, but for many of us a functioning visual system would do. Sadly for many of us, our vision is not as it should be thanks to age, ill-health or too much screen time. Poor visual processing can have consequences in neck pain and strain, falls,…..
Chronic stress and its consequences for the immune system
Sat,Sep 12, 2020 at 01:18PM by Carla Mullins
What is stress? “Stress is defined as a process in which environmental demands strain an organism’s adaptive capacity resulting in both psychological demands as well as biological changes that could place it at risk for illness.”(Cohen, Kessler & Gordon, 1995) There are many different theories about stress and about how and why stress affects the…..
The reality of re-entry
Fri,Jun 12, 2020 at 03:00PM by Carla Mullins
Hello and welcome back to the reality of in person clients balancing expectations and needs that may have changed whilst there was a global grounding. During re-entry it is timely to remember that we have all been through a lot whether it be: // through personal experience of disease // social isolation and disconnection //…..
Working prop – erly
Thu,Apr 09, 2020 at 09:35AM by Carla Mullins
In these unexpected times, we are having to learn to think differently. We are doing all sorts of online classes and home programs in order to help clients move at home without our lovely Pilates apparatus. However, props are so important when we are working with clients and this article looks at how to work…..
Hashimoto’s disease – and pilates
Wed,Mar 11, 2020 at 08:48AM by Carla Mullins
Hashimoto’s Disease is now considered the most common Autoimmune diseases and affects the thyroid gland. (Beynon, & Pinneri, 2016). It is a disease that I have, and it took years for me to be taken seriously and receive a proper diagnosis. During that time, my health deteriorated dramatically, and even now I struggle to get…..
We are not Immune
Mon,Feb 10, 2020 at 07:11PM by Carla Mullins
It is often said we take our health for granted, but the reality is that it is our underlying immune system that is the forgotten hero. It is our immune system that is challenged the most in times of stress, particularly chronic stress. Chronic stress is apparent after large scale disasters such as cyclones, hurricanes,…..
Boots and all – ankle & feet fracture
Mon,Dec 30, 2019 at 06:39AM by Carla Mullins
Moon-boots are a common sight in my life these days both at work but also on various friends and family members. Post Christmas parties and post new years resolutions are also a time of moon boots. I do wish they were a little bit more fun than the standard black, but I guess they have…..
Parkinson’s Disease, exercise, medications & pilates
Fri,Oct 18, 2019 at 08:07PM by Carla Mullins
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the most common neurological condition in Australia with 1 in 340 Australians living with the disease, and Queensland is considered a hotspot for the condition. Nearly 1/4 of all Australians living with Parkinson’s disease live in Queensland. The reasons for the increases in numbers, or the higher prevalence in Queensland, are…..
Pilates teacher or pilates instructor – Why does it matter?
Mon,Sep 09, 2019 at 05:39PM by Carla Mullins
Alice is walking along a path when she comes to a fork in the path, and suddenly she sees the Cheshire Cat in a tree. Alice said. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat……
Tennis Elbow – lateral epicondylitis
Wed,Aug 07, 2019 at 08:05AM by Carla Mullins
Tennis elbow is quite a common injury not just amongst tennis players but among many people who have fixed grip positions eg pilates teachers who are constantly changing springs. The conditions other name is lateral epicondylitis, but i must admit everytime I hear the term I think that it is the name of a slavic…..
Balance and falls prevention – Don’t be the fall guy!
Mon,Jun 24, 2019 at 04:00PM by Carla Mullins
“I had a fall” is something that no one wants to hear their older parents or clients say. Balance and falls Falls are sometimes thought of as ‘just one of those things’ that are part and parcel of getting older, with balance and falls issues being all too common. There is no dispute that balance…..
Knee replacement exercises for pre and post surgery
Tue,May 28, 2019 at 11:12AM by Carla Mullins
Knee replacement exercises pre and post surgery can be an important factor for successful rehabilitation Why are knee replacement exercises such an important topic? There were 50,000 knee replacement surgeries in Australia alone in the last year! The most common reason for knee replacements is osteoarthritis, a condition which affects one in nine Australians (AIHW…..
A joint action on Rheumatoid Arthritis with Pilates
Wed,Mar 27, 2019 at 02:41PM by Carla Mullins
I have a distinct memory of a girl in my grade 4 class having Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and how this impacted her. At the time I did not appreciate the pain and the fear that she was experiencing – but I did understand what it was like to be different, and so we became friends……
Wristing all – hand and wrist exercises, considerations in a pilates studio setting
Mon,Jan 28, 2019 at 08:13PM by Carla Mullins
More than two decades ago I started to experience severe wrist and hand pain for the first time, and unfortunately not the last. I must admit it was excruciating and incredibly frustrating not to be able to use my hands for basic living tasks. Probably one of the lowest points of my life was during…..
Plantar fasciitis exercises using Makarlu Lotus
Fri,Jan 04, 2019 at 03:24PM by Carla Mullins
Those who suffer from plantar fasciitis well know that familiar, sharp pain in the heel and bottom of the foot. Taking those tentative first steps when you get out of bed each day can be a less than pleasant experience! Pain is also frequently brought on by bending the foot and toes up towards the shin, making walking painful…..
Pilates strategies for foot drop
Tue,Jan 01, 2019 at 03:28PM by Carla Mullins
Pilates strategies for preventing and treating foot drop This article was written in 2016 and has been updated in 2019 to include additional exercises and information. It is a topic covered in our online Anatomy Dimensions foot course, for those interested in learning more. What is Foot Drop? Foot drop is a simple way to…..
Collared & Tied
Collarbone fracture rehabilitation in a pilates studio setting
Wed,Dec 19, 2018 at 07:12AM by Carla Mullins
The collarbone is an area of the body that is commonly fractured in falls. Collarbone fractures can result from simple activities such as falling off our bicycle, playing tennis, skateboarding, skiing, playing touch football, car accident, or even an accidental trip after a few drinks! This article is about collarbone fracture rehabilitation, of particular relevance…..