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I’m a hockey Mom.  Up until this spring, I’d have a great time cheering the kids on at their games.  This spring things changed.   My son, Jake, is in grade 5 (10 and 11 year olds) and they are now allowed to hit.  YIKES! 

Jake is my size.  My husband, Mike, is 6’2″ but I’m a meager 5 feet.  Jake is big on the inside, but he doesn’t even reach the shoulders of some of the kids he play’s against. 

The first game I went to this spring, left me rattled.  I saw Jake go down with every hit.  I saw other smaller boys get flinged up in the air and land like a spagetti noodle on the ice.   I felt fear the entire game that he’d break a leg, collar bone or worse yet get a concussion.

But, Jake want’s to play hockey.  He loves it.  Jake is a great athlete with a lot of potential.  Once I realized my plea to focus on soccer was falling on deaf ears, I realized I had a choice.  I could cringe throughout the games, put my fear of Jake getting hurt onto him, or I could put on my Pilates and Sports Conditioning hat and get to work.

Some of you have seen me in the Studio with Jake and one of his team mates.  We work on balance, stability, core strength, reaction time, agility and control.  In one word, we do Pilates!   I’ve given him a morning routine plus our session at the Studio 1x/week.  I do Trigger Point on any sore spots in the evening to reduce chance of injury and undo any stress in his muscles so each game has a fresh start.

 This weekend, was spent in a hockey rink.  I won’t lie, I’m still working on the stress aspect of watching these kids hit and be hit, but my little guy PLAYED BIG.  He knows how to lean into the hits, get low, move to avoid the hits, and play hard.  He’s strong on his feet,  played with great confidence and showed no fear.  I’m so proud of him and know that rather than projecting my fear onto him, I’ve given him the skills and fitness to go out there and play hard and safely.

Pilates is the best form of conditioning for any sport at any age.  If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you do.  

In health,

Linda 

With many new clients joining us this spring, I’ve had the question of my background, education and experience come up quite a bit.  First off, great job in asking these questions.  Whenever you are entrusting your body and health into the hands of another person, it is critical that you ask about their training, education, experience AND philosophy.

This is exactly the reason we offer small packages, like the Jumpstart, or the 3 complimentary total body vibration trials at the TWC.  It’s a way for you to get to know us, experience our services and see if what we offer is a good fit for you.  If it is, then great!  You can consider an investment of time and money and feel right about it.  If not, then you can walk away without having wasted valuable time or money. 

Now, back to what got me to where I am today….

My education and experience started at the ripe age of 12 years old.   

I was a competitive gymnast at the Phoenix Gymnastics Club in Vancouver, and was invited to start coaching at 12 years of age (grade 7).  My coach taught me how watch and analyze movement and provide specific cues to get children of all ages to move in the exact way required by the sport of gymnastics.  I learned how to instill confidence in my gymnasts that took them into new realms they never thought or considered to be possible.

As we move through life, things happen (usually traumatic on some level) that has us decide on certain things.  That is what forms who we are or where our passion comes from.  When I was 16, I was 4’11″ and 95 lbs.  (Today I am 5ft and 105 lbs to give you some perspective).  My coach (a new coach from my original mentor) had my team step on a scale to determine our “goal weight”.  His goal weight for me was 83 lbs.

I was old enough at that time to know that an already lean frame would be sick and guant at 12 lbs lighter.  I knew that my coach had no scientific or measurable facts that backed is opinion.  It was like he didn’t even know about puberty and the natural changes it brings to a young girls physique.  So, with that I quit.

It was at that time, that I decided I was going to mentor my athletes, not only to be the best gymnast the could be, but to understand about health, positive body image and feel good about who they are.  I developed some strong gymnasts through the years, non of them made national levels, but they were all self-confident, capable people who developed great friendships and had fun doing gymnastics.  

I coached all through highschool and then naturally headed into Physical Education at UBC.  During my first year, I had the opportunity to be the Head Coach and Executive Director of my gymnastics club.  So, I worked full-time while going to university.  I loved it! 

By my 4th year at UBC, I made a shift and decided to work with adults in fitness.  I joined The Fitness Group in Vancouver, with Barbara Crompton, and began teaching fitness classes, working in corporate health and later was the author and teacher of the fitness certification programs bringing aspiring fitness instructors and personal trainers into the industry.  I taught continuing education courses throughout Western Canada; ran health incentive programs at ICBC, BC Transit, BC Hydro, Canadian Airlines, GVRD ;and then finally completed my time at The Fitness Group as Director of Personnel (as they called it back then) for 3 years.

During my University years, I obtained certifications in Group Fitness, Weight Training, Personal Training and studied exercise rehabilitation, back care, sports conditioning just to name a few.

When I had my first child in 1995, we moved to Tsawwassen, where I started teaching at the local fitness centre.  That’s where I met Anne Johnson.  I managed the club for a short time, but always had the dream of opening a boutique Studio where I could directly impact each and every client.  So, after having my 2nd child in 1997, I broke away from the club scene and started personal training around town.

In 2000, Anne too was ready to leave the club scene and wanted to teach more Yoga.  So, we rented space at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre and started the Tsawwassen Wellness Centre.  We did not have a centre as the name indicated, but my dream was coming true in stepping stones.

Pilates was starting to hit mainstream at that point and so we added Pilates Matwork.  We were busy!  We rented space at the Baptist Church, the Library, Art Centre and had over 25 Yoga and Pilates classes running a week.  The demand was huge.  No one else was offering Yoga or Pilates at that time, so it was easy to grow.  Anne and I decided that it was time to get completely certified on all apparatus.

In Winter 2001, I determined that NOW was the time to invest in a space and equipment.  In April 2001. we opened our first space in Tsawwassen.  It was 800 sq feet.  We offered yoga, Pilates matwork and Pilates reformer classes.  Other instructors came and went, but Anne and I always remained adding classes and equipment.

In 2006, it was time again to expand and we moved to our current location on 12th Ave.

Throughout the years, Anne and I have taken many courses in injury rehabilitation, back care, sports conditioning, Pilates methods and more.   Our learning never stops. 

This year has taken each of us to new levels of learning and growth.  Anne and I have added Trigger Point to our repertoire of certifications and our Healthy Back Physio, Trish Prevost, has begun her Pilates certification program.  Each instructor has attended many workshops on shoulder, knee and ankle rehab, teaching the older client, the Feldenkrais Method and more.

The balance of our teaching team is simply phenomenal with:

• Patricia Tufts – Pilates Instructor; certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Yoga Instructor and 3rd age.
• Jodi Butchart – Certified Pilates Instructor
• Joan Littlejohn – BPE, Certified Pilates Instructor; Personal Trainer; Aquasize Instructor; Gyrokinesis Instructor
• Trish Prevost – Physiotherapist, completing Pilates Instructor Program

We are always reading, teaching each other and seeking ways to accelerate your results and create a deeper meaning to your experience with us.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and learn about where the people who teach you come from.

To excellence,

Linda Mallard

Owner, TWC Pilates & Health

KNEE PAIN AND EXERCISE

Often when I’m teaching classes or privates, a client will say that they can’t squat because it hurts their knee(‘s).  Understandably, due to pain, they avoid squatting or lunging all together in hopes the pain will go away.  But, it doesn’t.  In many cases, it gets worse.  Hence we enter the pain cycle: knees hurt when we squat, so we avoid any knee bending, we lose muscle and the knee pain increases.  This affects our ability to move in our daily activities, play golf, go up and down stairs; it affects our balance and our back health.

It’s important to first off address WHY we experience knee pain with squats.   Unless there was impact to the knee causing an injury, knee pain is typically a condition of muscle imbalances and trigger points in the muscles.   A quick assessment will help to determine the exact cause of YOUR pain, but overall if the pain is:

1. Front of the Knee

Look at tightness and trigger points in the quads – rectus femoris (front of thigh), vastus medialis (medial thigh) and adductor longus (long inner thigh)

2. Inner Knee Pain

Vastus medialis (medial thigh), rectus femoris (front of thigh), and inner thigh muscles (gracilis, sartorius and adductor longus)

3. Outer Knee Pain

Vastus lateralis (lateral quad).

4. Back of Knee Pain

Calf muscles (gastrocnemius, soleus), hamstrings (all of them, back of thigh muscles), popliteus & plantarus (small muscles behind the knee)

If muscles are tight, stretching and massage will help to relieve the tension that is putting pressure on your knees.  Then, you need to get to work strengthening the area to support the joint.  There are many variations to squats and lunges that you can try before giving up all together.

In a typical squat, make sure your knees don’t push past your toes.  Sit your hips back.  Bend at your hips first, keeping your spine long, chest up and abdominal muscles engaged.

If that still bothers your knees, do a ball wall squat.  Put a stability ball behind your back against a wall and step your feet way out in front.  When you squat, it will be like sitting in a chair.  Keep your knees over your toes, reaching your tailbone back towards the wall.

If your knees still hurt, check your range of motion.  Modify your squat to a pain free range,  ie: don’t go down so low.

There are also variations to lunges.  If doing a step forward lunge bothers you, try stepping back. 

Whatever you do, don’t stop squatting.  It is our #1 most functional movement in our daily activities.  We use those muscles to sit down, stand up, climb stairs and if our legs aren’t strong enough to support us, then we start to use our back and could potentially end up with an injured back.

JUMPSTART TO KNEE HEALTH PACKAGE

3 – Pilates Personal Training sessions

Receive an assessment, 3 private sessions, home exercises and knees that feel a whole lot better!!!!

Call today to book your Jumpstart to Knee Health Package – only $179.  (save $30)