Welcome Courtney to Team Long + Lean

Long + Lean Pilates Front Desk Staff Member Courtney

Have you had the pleasure of meeting our new (and amazing) team member, Courtney? Courtney is holding it down at the front desk a few days a week and we are so, so excited to have her on board. Wanna learn a little bit about Courtney? Read on and say hi next time you see her!

Courtney, originally from Rochester, is currently a graduate student at Buffalo State pursuing a Masters degree in speech-language pathology. She is also an urban beekeeper and want-to-be gardener. In her free time, Courtney enjoys being active outdoors with cross-country skiing, hiking and kayaking. Pilates is a new and welcome addition to Courtney’s fitness journey and she is excited to continue learning more about the Long + Lean Pilates method.

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L + L at Home: Hip + Glute Series

Follow along with KerryLyn as she shows us her favorite series to do while she’s out on the road to strengthen and stretch her glutes. Holey socks not required. 😉

KerryLyn loves this series because “it fires my gluteus medius which helps stabilize my S.I. joint.  I have a lot of S.I. joint mobility and I can’t risk it slipping out of alignment while on the road for multiple days of teaching and performances. The “clam” exercise activates my glutes quicker and more efficiently without having to add resistance. My glutes are the most important muscle to me.  Dancing requires a lot of power and I get that from a strong core and base!”

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Team Long + Lean: Get to Know Jacquie

Long + Lean Pilates instructor Jacquie

Long + Lean Pilates instructor JacquieIf you’ve worked with Jacquie you know she gives a super challenging workout and comes up with the most creative ways to strengthen, stretch, and tone. If you haven’t taken class from Jacquie yet, what are you waiting for!? Get to know the (super active) girl behind some of L + L’s best power moves today!

What brought you to Buffalo?
I moved to Buffalo when I was three and my family is still here!

What inspired you to start teaching Pilates?
I discovered Pilates when I was experiencing unbearable low back pain my sophomore year of college. Seeing how Pilates could rehabilitate my body like nothing else could inspired me to learn more about it and help other people achieve the same results.

What’s your favorite activity outside of the Pilates studio?
Ha, too many to list! But to name a few: classes at Rev, hiking/walking with my dogs, horseback riding and dance.

Best thing about living in Buffalo?
Being close to friends and family and the strong sense of community for sure. Living in the Elmwood Village is the best: the shops, dining and cafes, being able to walk everywhere. Also Buffalo architecture is out of this world <3

What is your favorite act of self-care?
Getting a massage (when my budget allows). More regularly, I love going on little walks alone for fresh air, it revitalizes me and just before bed I love to unwind with a few yoga poses and a cup of iced (believe it or not) Yogi tea.

Why do you love teaching Pilates?
I teach Pilates because I love helping people feel good. I found Pilates because my body didn’t feel good and it’s helped me so much so I love to give that others. Whether it’s starting or ending their day on a good note, crushing that new power move, or seeing clients improve week to week it just makes me genuinely happy to see their success. The best is when clients come in and tell me their bodies have never felt better than before they started doing Pilates or when I have clients that are rehabbing an injury, regaining strength from an illness, getting back into fitness postpartum or working out to reach a goal. Client love=job love. Plus I get to work with an amazing team at Long + Lean!

 

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Long + Lean at Hive Closing

It is with great disappointment that we must announce we will be closing our Long + Lean at Hive location. As Hive Lifespan Center has come under new ownership and is undergoing a change in configuration of the gym, there is no longer a designated space for Long + Lean Pilates. We have loved working with everyone and will miss our time at Long + Lean at Hive greatly.

The final date for classes at Long + Lean at Hive is January 13th. Currently, we do not have an alternative space in East Amherst available to us, but we will be pursuing the possibility of opening at a different location in the area. For the time being, Long + Lean will be operating solely out of our Elmwood Village location on Elmwood Avenue at the corner of West Utica.

Thank you so much to all of our amazing clients for providing us with such a wonderful experience at Long + Lean at Hive. We hope to continue to see everyone on Elmwood!

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L + L at Home: The Hundreds

Before she heads off to Boston for an exercise science internship, Rachel shows us her favorite Pilates exercise to do at home, The Hundreds. This classical exercise is a staple in the Pilates Mat workout. Rachel loves The Hundreds because it develops the foundational core strength necessary for the more advanced exercises. Try them yourself to feel strong, long, and lean at home!


Setup

Lie on your back with a neutral spine (maintain natural curves of your back) and bring your legs to a table top position (knees bent and lined up directly over hips). Float the arms up to the ceiling, being careful to keep the arms plugged in to the shoulder joints.

Steps

  1. Inhale to prepare. Exhale to extend the legs on a diagonal as the head neck and shoulders curl up off the mat and the arms press down next to the hips, hovering an inch or two away from the ground.
  2. Begin pumping the arms in small rhythmic motions next to the hips. As your arms move, inhale for 5 pumps and exhale for the next 5 pumps. Keep your breath rhythmic and dynamic.
  3. Hold the head neck and shoulders up off the mat in the abdominal curl position and continue the series of 5 rhythmic inhales and 5 rhythmic exhales a total of 10 times. That makes 100!

Hint: Lift the legs to extend them straight up to the ceiling or keep them in a table top position if you feel any strain in the lower back. Lower the legs closer to the ground for a greater challenge.

 

 

 

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