Reena Vokoun of PassionFit demonstrates four Pilates moves you can do anywhere: plié squat with chest press, curtsy lunge, standing oblique with leg extension, and back lunge with torso twist. She says 10 to 20 minutes most days beats occasional intense workouts for metabolism and long-term health.
Eating well and staying on track with fitness goals throughout the year is a challenge on its own. Now throw in tempting holiday treats and entertainment, and it just got harder. Our friend Reena from PassionFit is in studio with tips to keep us all on track. Reena, when it comes to getting and staying in shape, of course there are countless gyms and studios people can go to, but it's a lot more practical to know some things we can do at home so we can fit them into our schedule. So you have some great suggestions for us?
Yes, Pilates is one of one of the best workouts you can do from anywhere— from home, from the gym or studio, even when you're traveling. And you don't need any equipment, you can just use your own body weight. Pilates was founded by Joseph Pilates in the 20th century, and it encompasses 600 different exercises and variations that you can do. It works core stability, it works your flexibility, your mobility, it's great for spinal alignment, and so much more. So I'm going to show you 4 Pilates sculpt moves you can do to get in shape this fall and into the winter.
Okay, great. And, uh, we don't even need shoes. You're in shape. Yes, for stability. I didn't have any, so we're just gonna move forward with it. So what's the first move we can all work on?
Absolutely. So we're gonna do a ballet and Pilates-inspired move called a plié squat. So you're gonna turn your knees and toes out. You're gonna bring your arms open nice and wide, and you're gonna come down into a squat, keeping your knees behind your toes, tucking in your core, and then using your body resistance to come up. So we're working the pectoral muscles, we're working the inner thighs, the glutes, and the core. Let's do one more. Plié squat and a chest press and release. So that's the first move.
Okay.
The second move is called a curtsy lunge. So you're gonna lunge back. We'll start with our right leg and you're gonna reach down towards the floor with one arm up and then you're gonna come back to the center and then come down. So we're gonna do these Pilates squats keeping our chest lifted, our torso up, and really using our legs and our core.
I like this.
Yeah, you look great.
You're elegant while you're working out.
Exactly. And your heart rate does get up, right? Yeah. And then we're gonna do the third move, which is a standing oblique and a leg extension. So the goal of this exercise is to work the oblique muscles, the sides of the abdominal walls, as well as the outer thighs and glutes. So you're gonna place one hand on your hip, you're gonna place the other hand overhead, and you're gonna bring your knee to your elbow, and then you're gonna tap that leg down and extend the arm and leg and lift. So again, bring that knee to the elbow, really using that oblique, and now lifting and using the outer thigh. We'll do one more. Knee to elbow, work the oblique, and then leg extension. Great job.
I noticed you were pointing your toe. Mine was not as pretty, but I'm getting there. That's okay.
I know it's the dancer in me. I can't help it. But you looked great. And then the last move we're gonna do is a back lunge with a torso twist. Okay. So we'll start again on our right leg. You're gonna lunge back and bring your arms forward, really pulling in your core, keeping that front knee behind your toe. And then you're gonna take the arm of the leg that's lunging back and twist, keeping that toe tucked in and rotating your torso. You come back together, and then you go back on that other leg and same thing with the other arm twist. So do you feel that in your shoulder blades?
Oh yeah.
Yes. And your core. We'll do 2 more. So lunge back, torso twist, feel the obliques and waistline as well. And then 1 more on the other side. Lunge and then twist and back to the center. And it takes some balance as well.
Yeah, I love this. Now in previous conversations, you and I have talked about the importance of consistency. So this seems like something that people could easily work into their routines. Why is it so important to be consistent rather than maybe hitting the gym hard for 1 day and then going on with the rest of your life.
Yeah, that consistency, it's just important, right, for your metabolism, for your caloric burn rate every day, to really keep those muscles from atrophying and keeping them active and working. And it's just a good, healthy lifestyle habit. So that consistency is gonna have long-term health benefits more so than going really hard, as we said, because then you could, you know, risk injury because you haven't done it in a while, you're going too hard, and then if you don't come back to it again for another week or two, you're gonna feel the detriment of that. So I really highly recommend. Again, it doesn't have to be long grueling workouts. Even 20 minutes or 10 minutes a day, trying to do that most days of the week will go a long way in helping you overall in your health and wellness.
Well, this has been a great individual instruction session, but through PassionFit you also go to offices and different businesses for corporate retreats. So how can people get more information on that as well?
Absolutely. Feel free to go to passionfit.com. I do offer livestream Pilates and yoga and high-intensity interval training classes 3 times a week online. I also teach for Crunch Fitness in Carmel Valley. I teach yoga, Pilates, dance, and boot camp there as well. So check it out.
All right, great. Thank you so much as always.
Thank you, Ashley.
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