Pilates on the Ball: A Comprehensive Book and DVD Workout
Author: Colleen Craig
PILATES / EXERCISE
Certified Pilates trainer Colleen Craig offers us a unique and exciting synthesis of the Pilates Method of body conditioning and the Swiss exercise ball, providing a new, low-impact way to get fit. Using the exercise ball, there is no need for the expensive equipment or studio time required in Pilates training.
Developed in the early twentieth century by accomplished boxer and gymnast Joseph Pilates, the Pilates Method--named by many lifestyle and fitness magazines as the hottest workout of the decade--aligns the body, builds long, lean muscles, and develops core abdominal strength. The exercise ball, used by Olympic coaches, dancers, and athletes to heighten body awareness and enhance performance, provides a perfect base for performing the graceful, strength-building Pilates movements.
Throughout her program Craig integrates the mind and body, offering breathing and relaxation techniques that accompany the ballwork. The personal stories and inspirational quotes included in the text illustrate how Pilates can improve your way of life. A handy exercise log makes it possible to track your workouts and monitor your individual progress. And, most important, step-by-step instructions and more than 300 photographs detail the Pilates principles and challenge all ability levels.
Intense enough to engage seasoned athletes yet gentle enough to alleviate chronic pain and help heal injuries, Pilates on the Ball builds strong, flexible bodies and healthy minds in an innovative way.
COLLEEN CRAIG is a Certified Pilates Trainer and writer. She lives in Toronto and teaches workshops throughout the world.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Introduction:
Heaven or Hell? Our Relationship to Physical Activity
--Ingrid's Story
--Movement and You
--Who Can Benefit?
--Movement with Meaning: The Intelligent Workout
--Mind/Body Connection
1. A Formidable Partnership
Pilates and the Exercise Ball
--Coming Home
--What Is Pilates-Physiotherapy or Body Conditioning?
--The Basic Principles of Pilates
--Why Pilates-based Ballwork?
--The Unique Power of the Ball
--Other Uses for the Ball
--Before You Start
--The Right Ball for You
--This Is Your Ride
2. Breathing and Breathers
--Joseph Pilates's Story
--Back Breathing
--Breathing Patterns as Therapy
--The Breathing Exercises
Breathing Observations · Back Breathing · Side Breathing
--Breathers--Cocoons of Readiness
Breather One · Breather Two · Breather Three
3. The Postural Exercises
--Elsie's Story
--Postural Types
--What Is Ideal Posture?
--Inside Out: The Postural Muscles
--The Postural Exercises
Sitting · Bouncing · Spine Stretch Forward · The Saw · Round Back · BodySpheres: Seated Lateral Shift · Spine Twist · Mermaid
4. The Abdominal Exercises
--Edwin's Story
--"Life" and Lower Back Pain
--The Powerhouse and Lower BackPain
--Centering
--The Abdominal Exercises
Navel-to-Spine · Little Abdominal Curls · Full Abdominal Curls · BodySpheres: Upper Abdominal Curl · The Waterfall · The Rollup · Leg Circles · Rolling Like a Ball · Single Leg Stretch · Double Leg Stretch · Obliques · The Rollover
5. The Extensions
--An Average Sunday: My Story
--Be Balanced, Be Sane
--Extension versus Flexion
--The Extension Exercises
The Swan · Swan Dive · Shell on the Ball · More Extensions · Grasshopper
6. Pilates On the Ball Arm- and Footwork
--Jenny's Story
--Physical Fragility Is a Liability
--Inside Out-Benefits for Men and Women
--Resistance = Bone Workout
--Precision and Pace
--The Armwork
Hug a Tree · Open Shoulders and Biceps Curls · Salute · Rowing · Flies and More Armwork
--The Footwork
Parallel Feet · Small Turnout · High Half Toe · BodySpheres: Leap Frog · Lower and Lift · Wide Squat
7. Restoration and Rebuilding
--Susan's Story
--Muscles Do Remember
--Pain Reduction
--The Role of Abdominals in Back Care
--Shoulder and Neck Problems
--The Ball as Therapeutic Partner
--The Rebuilding Exercises
Hip Rolls · Hip Rolls with Balance · Shoulder Bridges · Hip Lift · Bend and Stretch · On the Side · Ball Balance · The Push-up · The Pike
8. The Simplest of Pleasures: Stretching
--Jeff's Story
--The Benefits of Stretching
--The Ins and Outs of Safe Stretches
--The Stretching Exercises
Frog Stretch · Hamstring Stretch · Hip Stretch · Neck Stretch · The Shell · Side Stretches · Psoas Stretch · Shoulder Stretches · The Arch · The Squat
9. Stress Management and Cardiovascular Exercises
--Roseanne's Story
--Stress
--A Visit to a Relaxation Clinic and Other Stress Releasers
--The Cardiovascular Exercises
Bouncing Plus · Bouncing with Arms · Foot Taps · Foot Kicks · Moving around the Ball
--De-stressing on the Ball: Relaxation
Poses 1, 2, and 3
10. Pilates on the Ball For Life
--Journeys versus Arrivals: Lucy's Story
--Honor Your Own Pace
--Accept Yourself as You Are Today
--Three Workouts
--Workout 1: Restorative Ball
--Workout 2: Basic Ball
--Workout 3: Intermediate Ball
Resources
Ball, Video, and DVD Ordering Information
Acknowledgments
Exercise Log
Pilates on the Ball DVD Directory
Books about: Brain Injury Medicine or Perspectives in Nutrition
Lung Cancer: Myths, Facts, Choices--and Hope
Author: Claudia I Henschk
Winner of the 2003 American Society of Journalists and Authors' June Roth Memorial Award for Health and Medical Books. An authoritative book with new lifesaving strategies for those at risk and those already diagnosed. Lung cancer kills more women than does breast cancer, more men than prostate cancer. That's because lung cancer is usually found too late. Claudia Henschke's groundbreaking research on early diagnosis made headlines worldwide. Now, for the first time, she offers specific recommendations based on her latest findings: who needs to be checked, where to be tested, and what to expect. Dr. Henschke and co-author Peggy McCarthy, a leading patient advocate, provide up-to-the-minute information on treatment, with inspiring quotes from survivors. The book describes how the lungs work and how cancer develops. Questionnaires pinpoint risk factors (including past as well as current smoking) and the sometimes surprising symptoms, like back pain or swollen fingertips, that can signal a problem. Henschke and McCarthy explain how to remain healthy, active, and pain-free during and after treatment. They also address emotional and practical concerns, such as coping with guilt and dealing with insurance. 15 b/w illustrations.
Pearl Moore
A must read for anyone with lung cancer or who may develop lung cancer....as practical and up to date [info] as you can find.
LaSalle D. Leffall
Well-written, informative, and compelling.
Harvey I. Pass
This unique reference text is must reading for those confronted withor worried abouta lung cancer diagnosis.
P. Jo An Loren
Innovative educational programs for healthcare professionals and consumers.
Publishers Weekly
The sheer volume of information presented here is the strength of this comprehensive manual on lung cancer. Writing with freelancer Wernick, Henschke, chief of the division of chest imaging at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, provides a medical perspective on the disease, while McCarthy, founder of the Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support and Education (ALCASE) offers support for those afflicted as well as their caregivers. From the outset, McCarthy makes clear that the tendency of family members as well as some health-care professionals to blame smokers (nonsmokers are also diagnosed with lung cancer) when they contract lung cancer not only leads to guilt, but may actually discourage some people from seeking adequate treatment. The authors describe the many forms of lung cancer and their treatments, which include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and alternative therapies. They explain how to apply for clinical trials as well as the benefits and risks of participating. Since earlier detection improves the chances of a cure, the authors recommends the still controversial CT scans for those at high risk for lung cancer (i.e., former or current smokers). This excellent resource details how patients can learn to cope with the physical problems resulting from some treatments, how to sustain themselves emotionally while fighting the disease and ways to navigate the health-care system. An excellent resource. B&w illus. (July) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Lung cancer kills more Americans each year than prostate, colon, and breast cancer combined. The five-year survival rate is an abysmally low 14 percent largely because the disease is symptomless at a stage when most curable. With new developments in CT scanning, early detection, and treatment can improve survival to 70 percent or better. Henschke (Cornell Medical Ctr.) and lung cancer patient advocate McCarthy have written a thorough guide to the basics of how lung cancer develops, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment options, and living well with lung cancer. They address the guilt and stigma felt by smokers (and ex-smokers) and suggest ways to deal with unsympathetic family members and even healthcare providers. Treatment modalities detailed here include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, with additional chapters on alternative therapies such as acupuncture for painand getting access to the latest treatment through clinical trials. Practical issues such as insurance and estate planning, hospice care, caregiver support, and other concerns are very well covered. For a similar book, see Lung Cancer: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Options. Recommended for patient education and consumer health collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/02.] Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp., NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
What People Are Saying
Priscilla Dewey Houghton
A comprehensive, vitally important book that can save thousands of lives in educating people for early detection and treatment.