Hey that thing really works! A Foot Corrector Love Story

Hello Pilates friends!

This week on the blog I’m sharing some Foot Corrector love from across the globe.

Thank you so much for your lovely emails and comments telling me how much you are loving and reaping the benefits of the sweet, sweet Foot Corrector.

Special Subscriber Announcement: My apologies if you received emails containing decidedly off-topic posts which appeared to be from my blog. I believe it was a WordPress glitch of misdirected, but not malicious content. I have since remedied the problem. Please be assured you will only receive Nerd-tastic Pilates content from me. Boo, WordPress…

Welcome new subscribers!

If you’re new to the blog, check out an earlier video on my morning workout including the Foot Corrector here. And thanks for signing on for the long haul/love affair that is our beloved Pilates Method.

A Rose by any other Name would Smell as Sweet?

We mustn’t underestimate the specific names of the apparatus. First and foremost Joe gives us our principle piece of Pilates apparatus to reform our movement.

You guessed it – the Reformer.

What a name, right? Kinda says it all.

Two of Joe Pilates’ smaller apparatus include the word ‘corrector’ in the name:

• Spine Corrector
• Foot Corrector

We must take Joe at his word. He was not kidding!

These apparatus – used with frequency – will change our backs and our feet, respectively.

Need an arch in your foot?

Step up regularly to the Corrector and watch the magic happen.

Fix your Feet and Save your Shoes

Recently I wore a pair of shoes which had been languishing in my closet for years. I had convinced myself I either found them to be unattractive or uncomfortable (or both) and there they were in a tumble on the floor.

Upon further investigation I discovered they were 1) cute and 2) only uncomfortable on my left foot. The right shoe felt fine.

Hmmm…

A little secret about my left foot: it has a saggy arch and only the big toe half of it likes to work…awww… frownie face…

The moment I applied a bit of the Foot Corrector magic I’ve been steadily infiltrating into my workout body the left foot felt amazingly better in my shoe.

Can’t blame the shoe when half your foot doesn’t work I always say…

Dizzy, high marks on the Nerd-o-meter I know. Thanks for playing 🙂

Foot Corrector Basics

In this week’s video tutorial, we look at a few basic exercises. These will well serve you (and your feet) with regular practice.

These 5 exercises follow the same foot positions as our trusty Footwork series done on the Reformer.

Woo hoo!

#itsgoodtohaveasystem

• Ball of Foot on Pedal
• Heel on Pedal
• The Massage…
• Arches
• On top of Pedal with Heel Lifted

Repeat each of your 5 Foot Corrector exercises 3-5 times.

Familiarity is key with the Foot Corrector. Regular practice will illuminate how you’ll control the spring here just like you control all the other springs in the studio.

The Foot Corrector gives great feedback on working both sides of the foot evenly. Maybe the big toe side does all the work?

My main interest currently is how the Foot Corrector teaches us to connect the lower body into our center, our powerhouse. This is one of my favorite bits of Pilates Magic.

My Foot Corrector is made by Gratz. The spring is strong by design. Those new to the Gratz apparatus in general will agree the spring tension on the Reformer and Cadillac, for example, is considerable.

The spring tension offers sufficient support and assistance help us to defy gravity. Quite a noble endeavor and so hard to do on our own.

And by ‘on our own’ I mean the Mat.

GASP!

It’s nearly my favorite time of the year (no not my birthday).

The 1st of March my fancy turns to thoughts of Joe Pilates 34 original Mat exercises!

March MATness is coming.

Tangent over. I know it’s still f**king Foot Corrector February.

Foot Corrector Praise from Around the Globe

From London

My right and left sides of my body are totally different!

When I place my foot on the bar my right low back immediately tightens and I really have to scoop up my waistline and l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n my tailbone down to decompress my back. For someone with a tight low back this really feels gooood! This gives a massive clue as to what I should be feeling in exercises like footwork and frogs and circles…hmmm

from South Africa

I cannot believe how effective the Foot Corrector is. I used it as a “warm up” today before my Footwork. It is very effective in connecting the “feet to the seat and the centre.” I have a weakness on my right lateral chain. It felt so much better after I did my right foot.

From Montana

The part I struggle with, is keeping the hips square and level and totally stable and THEN pushing down. I will cheat so bad on this, hike one hip up or roll back in the hip, etc…and then not get the work out of it….but only because my glutes are WEAK.  Doing it in a mirror helps a lot!

You always tell me, the distance the Spring moves does not matter 🙂

 

My 30-Day Challenge So Far…

In last week’s post I threw down the gauntlet for myself and whoever would like to join me.

Today brings me to Day 9 of my 30-Day Standing-One-Leg-Spring-at-the-Cadillac challenge.

What have I learned so far?

On Day 2 I wrestled a spring from my Arm Chair to use the lightest spring in the studio. I had been using the springs from the Roll Down bar on the Cadillac, but it was overpowering the exercise and causing me to grip my standing leg fiercely.

I don’t need any help in that department.

Oh, Control, where have you been all my life?

Slowly I am discovering new supportive muscles in my weaker leg that would rather lock its little knee and give up.

I’ve also found an excellent exercise pairing: using Going Up Front and Going Up Side on the High Chair as a prelude to the Standing One Leg Springs.

Especially Going Up Side for the standing leg support in the One Leg Springs.

It’s such a new way of looking at the meat-and-potatoes High Chair exercises. They’re my pre-Pilates. I love when everything old becomes new again.

Welcome to the Pilates Method!

This Week’s COLLAB with Lesley Logan

Welcome to our Pilates version of Shark Week.

Sort of.

This week we begin our Swan Month.

See? Just as scary!

Today’s video collab with the Lovely Lesley Logan of Profitable Pilates will be on one of our “nicest” Swans, done on the Mat.

No diving yet, just our basic (ish) Swan.

Stay tuned for all our Swans in the studio over the month of March.

Thanks for watching!

Hello Hong Kong!

Hong Kong, you are getting ever closer! Maybe I should pack…

I’ll be teaching many of my favorite workshops as well as lessons and classes. You know how much I adore the Reformer…

I hope you’ll join me at Flex Studio in March 9-12. Teachers and clients are all welcome!

Workshops will include a Reformer workshop based on my most-viewed posts On the Order of the Pilates Reformer Exercises and Transitions! Transitions!, a Mat workshop based on the posts On the Order of the Pilates Mat Exercises and Transitions on the Mat plus 7 Spot-On Quotes to Keep you Honest and The 3 pilates Barrels.

Register here.

And here’s where else you can find me in 2018.