High blood pressure

[SherryJ]

(This is from an email from Hawkscry; I asked her permission to copy and paste it here in order to get some answers... Sherry)

I have been frustrated alot lately, My doctor told me I HAVE to lose weight. He said my blood pressure will not go down unless I lose weight . I am giving it my best effort . The meds give me horrible side effects. My RSD hurts all the time .I'm trying to do it in spite of those things. My doctor is at my house alot and always bugs me about it. He and my husband are good freinds. They have band practice every Wenesday at our house and then see each other other times . They are both crazy about music. And they are both Christians. Charley is Catholic and bounces alot off of us.
A 42 year old cousin of mine ,Scott, died of a stroke last fall. My dad had his first stroke at 47. Charley is his doctor. Another cousin in my family, Dabbie, had a stroke at 45. It took her months to be able to walk. I don't want to worry about it . I want to prevent it .I see my dad in a chair every day with his right side paralyzed. My mother takes wonderful care of him. I don't want that to be me. I want this PP thing to work for me. I'm 51. I don't want my husband to have to take care of me. I want to go backpacking with my grandchildren and tear up my yard every year and plant thousands of flowers and move all the furniture around when ever I get PMS.
Man am I a big whiner.
I wish I could sit down with Gabe and Billie and Mitra and and pick their brains face to face. ( It would take days)I even took a personal training course thinking I would learn alot and it was all contradictory to PP and I now I am even more confused. Everything I learned seems to be wrong. So now I need to unlearn .It even seems that the weight lifting and cardio training was wrong.!
Calm yourself down. *talking to myself*
Thanks for listening. wheww
wwww.
love ,
Lynn

[Billie]

So what's for dinner, we are leaving now for the face to face!!! Seriously when we go out to Colorado this summer, we will have that meeting!

So obviously Hawk I can go East too, nothing like not reading the first line Lynn and Sherry! Sorry for the confusion--mine!

[meli58]

Although I haven't been posting about it, I'm in the same situation as Hawk, and have been avidly reading Gabe's posts about exercise. I'd like to try the Slow Burn method, but my doctor is adamantly against it--says that despite what the authors write, there are no safeguards that could eliminate the huge danger of stroke. :( So...I eagerly await more commentary, and hopefully...even answers. But I do know that there are some forms of high blood pressure that can't be "fixed" by normalizing weight. :mad: To have the necessary commitment to good health...to be willing to do "anything" and to learn from week to week that everything we are doing to that end is "wrong" is frustrating beyond belief.

[Gabriel Guzman]

This excerpt is from the Protein Power Q&A, which comes from the Eades' own words:

From Protein Power Q&A:
I have high blood pressure, diabetes type 2, high cholesterol levels and am overweight. I take medications for all of my health conditions. How will the diet affect my health problems and will I be able to stop some of my medications?

Approximately 60 percent of people stop, or lower the dose of their blood pressure medicine. 100 percent stop taking their cholesterol-lowering medicine and 90 -95 percent of diabetics are able to stop their diabetic medicine, or at least lower the dose. We do not suggest or recommend people to discontinue any of their medications without the supervision of their doctor. The effects of the diet can be dramatic. People's chemistry and metabolism changes and they need to be monitored if they are on medications. Blood pressure levels, blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels will most likely drop and therefore medication dosages need to be changed accordingly.


As most of us experienced during the first days/weeks on the plan, there was a lot of water loss as a result of decreasing insulin levels. That too contributes to lower blood pressure caused by fluid retention. There are several hyptheses that try to explain high blood pressure and Protein Power LifePlan discuses many possible ways in which this plan helps controlling it.

Yes, exercise helps a lot, but being realistic there are times where people can't do it consistently (injury, traveling, illness, etc.), then is up to the right nutrition to keep us healthy.

If you were to pick my brains (and you can! :) ), I would say the same thing I used to say before the board was hacked... let's do it right and let the body respond as it should... The 'right thing' in this case is following the plan as close as we can, no matter what. That's the challenge but the effort is so little in comparison to the benefits. I think we all agree on that.

[hawk]

I was only cautioned by my MD against doing anything isometric,or holding my breath. He said to make sure I breathe and cautioned to not lift over my head till I normalized my blood pressure. I am very careful to suck all the air in the room into my lungs , breathe and to keep the weights light enough so I do not strain. I do alot of reps to get the burn. I try to be aware of how I feel. Am I getting light headed? Am I breathing? Follow what your doctor says. My doc sees me alot as a family friend and knows what I am capable of. But he does not actually PP himself. If I go in and say.. I am exhusted, he'll put me through a ton of expensive tests and then say"I don't know what to tell you" I can't find anything."Because hedoes not lift weights or have a weight problem, he has a problem keeping weight on.He's a wirey hyper guy.
My blood pressure has improved, I just want it to be normal.
I am going to take Gabes advise and follow this plan as close as I can
no matter what. I just need to be on it longer.
On another board I was told AA's were in egg yolks and in beef and to watch that I did not have too much and I may see a drop in blood pressure.
It did help.
Know anything about this? It was in the first book.

[Gaelen]

Well...I'm not Billie, or Mitra, or Gabe...but I do have a matrilineal history of high BP and heart disease (great grandmother, grandmother and mother.) Although my resting BP right now runs in the 115/75 range, when I'm having BP issues it can spike to 160/110. I had a 30-year history of migraines which ended when I went on PP, and which haven't recurred since I've been eating this way (4 years now.)

I've had and survived without visible symptoms 3 intracerebral hemorrhages--the first in 2000 which was the most serious, and two much smaller ICHs in the few days prior to Labor Day, 2004. The first, when I was 44, was initially misdiagnosed as severely impacted sinuses and vertigo after flying. The two that occurred in 2004, I recognized the symptoms and called 911 myself. The two smaller bleeds were initially attributed to the type of chemo I was on at the time (Avastin can cause strokes) but the doctors all ultimately attributed to the blood thinner I'd been taking because of my chemo port. No more Cumadin for me. ;) Then, things were fine for awhile.

Prior to chemo, while exercising regularly, I had a regular resting pulse of around 60 bpm, and my BP ran around 100/70. Now and then it would spike due to tension, and I would control that with exercise/meditation and with positive exercises to control the anxiety. Also, prior to the first stroke, I loved weight lifting. Once the type of stroke was pinpointed, the neurosurgeon was quite clear...I could walk, and do whatever exercises were supervised by a physical therapist, but no more weight lifting because of conventional lifting's tendency to elevate BP.

Luckily, I'd switched from conventional lifting with either free weights or machines to using a pilates machine about a year prior to the first stroke, and my physical therapist (without knowing I'd done pilates before) had prescribed some pilates mat exerises. He was thrilled to hear that I recognized the exercises and had a performer at home, and started prescribing exercises in a routine on the lowest level of resistance (or no resistance in some cases.) He agreed with the docs that conventional lifting was far too risky, as was too much cardio, but showed me how to use the all-body resistance of a pilates reformer safely. I continued his routines, slowly easing them up, until I was back to my pre-stroke exercise level. I even applied slow burn techniques to my pilates routine, and they were very successful.

I've had a lot of difficulty transitioning back into pilates after the abdominal surgery but I did dig out my old PT's routines, and switched up my equipment to mat work and a balance ball, and was slowly making progress bringing my overall body strength back (until surgery three weeks ago...now, I'm weak as a kitten again, I'm afraid. ;) )

About the high BP... I have one of those neurologists who believes that if a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea is moderating the patient's migraines, then that is better and more likely to produce compliance than a pill. So when I started PP'ing a little more than a year after the first ICH, I was doing pilates and drinking about one to three cups of coffee a day. The migraines vanished, and the BP leveled out to that 100/70 number I mentioned earlier. So I was never on drugs for BP after the first stroke (although my mom has been on BP meds since her early 30s, and she'll be 76 this summer.)

Then, I went on chemo. Things were fine until the two small bleeds Labor Day 2004 when the oncologist the ER called in was worried that the Avastin was causing the bleeds. My own oncologist said, nope...it's the Cumadin she's been on, and she's off it as of now. Okay, fine again. Then, mid November, my BP begins to spike again. The docs started at the lowest possible doses of HCTZ, diuretics, BP meds...but they really had to tweak the meds to get my numbers down from spikes of 160/110. I was on BP meds until May of 2005.

The problem was that the Irinotecan in the second chemo regimen *lowers* BP. After my second or third infusion, my pressure suddenly started dropping without warning the weekend after infusion. I'd be fine on infusion day (Wednesday) but by Friday night/Saturday, my pressure would suddenly drop to 80/60 (not conducive to standing or doing much moving around!) So I came off BP meds, and started using food and caffeine to try to regulate my BP, kind of in reverse of the process people use to lower it. The days immediately after treatment, I'd eat the foods I knew could trigger a rise in my BP (saki ika--salted dried squid; and coffee with caffeine; and smoked lox.) To some extent that worked, but my BP nowadays runs a little bit higher than it used to pre-chemo, and eventually controlling with foods started to get too hard to regulate.

I definitely have food triggers that can aggravate my BP--salt and caffeine are the worst culprits, but chocolate and eggs and beef can cause issues, too. I am far less sensitive to the AA in beef and egg yolks than I am to salt and caffeine. Cinnamon in all of my drinks also helps regulate things, but it's a lowering agent. Off chemo, I can eat these things, but on chemo, I have to be very careful at this point because I'm really sensitive to them. A cup of coffee that is 2/3rds decaf and 1/3rd high-test coffee can bump up my BP 10 points. I'm less BP sensitive directly to salt, although I do retain a lot of water when I eat salty things, which is also not good. I especially have a problem with my diastolic pressure (the bottom number, or 80 in 120/80). So when I'm on chemo now, I only use a little bit of a salty food or a couple of tablespoons of caffeinated coffee in my cup, and only on the days immediately following an infusion, to try to keep things stable. And in between, I put a dash of cinnamon in nearly everything I drink to also keep things stable.

Hawk, I wish I could tell you that figuring out BP issues is easy. It's not. It's taken me months to figure out what specific foods had an effect, how much those foods affected my BP and whether I could rely on the effect they produced enough to use them to regulate things. I hated being on BP meds, but with my stroke history, I agreed with my doctors that meds were the only choice. The bright spot is that I CAN exercise safely (although I don't 'lift' in conventional terms, nor do I overdo cardio either.) The bright spot is that meditation DOES help me relax, which does directly affect my BP and lower it. But I'm not sure those things will work for everyone. I can talk about how they've helped me, though.

Your situation is complicated by the RSD, which I think I remember you posting may possibly have been causing your headaches, and by your allergy/sensitivities. The other issue is that as long as you have the headaches and the RSD and the sensitivities, you're worried about getting a reaction. As long as you know your family history, you're worried about repeating it. And until you can adjust the personality traits that fuel the worry and make those problems worse, you may be bringing a knife to a gunfight in trying to get your BP under control. My neurologist (who, at 80+ is the senior teaching neuro at one of the local hospitals, and is probably sharper than guys half his age) takes a very holistic approach to the resolution of my BP and other neuro issues. He approves of my meditation to control anxiety, and of my use/disuse of foods to moderate my BP. He also agreed both with the seriousness of my elevated BP that justified putting me on meds, and the seriousness of my lowered BP that justified taking me off meds.

I know MaryLauren on the old boards also had BP issues, which she tried to regulate by eliminating all added salt and nearly all processed foods, but I don't know how long that lasted nor how successful she was overall. I think there's plenty of material to explore about this, though. Welcome to the ride.

[meli58]

If you were to pick my brains (and you can! :) ), I would say the same thing I used to say before the board was hacked... let's do it right and let the body respond as it should... The 'right thing' in this case is following the plan as close as we can, no matter what. That's the challenge but the effort is so little in comparison to the benefits. I think we all agree on that.[/quote]

And if that doesn't work...:confused: Sorry...my frustration is showing--I'll go back to my burrow. :( Thank you all for trying to help.

[Billie]

Meli, how long have you been PPing and what is your protein requirement and what carb level are you keeping things at? As well I am kind of in the middle of people here so I didn't take time to look back, you do or don't exercise? Do you work the program strictly, are you here and there on it ? What about water, how much do you drink? Is there a signficant history of BP?

I think it is really really important to always remember that we didn't become the way we are over night. It took years of abuse to our bodies to have the medical problems we do, so if you have not invested some signficant time and again i can't remember off hand, then maybe that is part of it.

Stay tuned, you might get some tips to help so don't you go burrowing on us! WE need you!

[Gaelen]

But I do know that there are some forms of high blood pressure that can't be "fixed" by normalizing weight. :mad: To have the necessary commitment to good health...to be willing to do "anything" and to learn from week to week that everything we are doing to that end is "wrong" is frustrating beyond belief.

Meli, you're absolutely right that normalized weight does not necessarily always equal normalized BP. My mother is 5 feet tall and moving into catabolism (bone density loss, muscle wasting, etc.) She's going to be 76, and she weighs (on a good day) maybe 95 lbs. In fact, the family is talking about an intervention to get a nutritionist in to teach her that it's very very important at this stage of her life to include more fats in her diet.

When she started taking BP meds in her mid-30s, she weighed about 110 lbs. She's never been heavy; if anything, she's been a compulsive dieter as long as I've known her.

On another family line, my sister in law (another 5'2" 100 lb. size 2 wonder) has had high BP since her early 40s. ;)

I can completely understand the frustration you feel; MaryLauren used to express it as well. To do the math from the Eadeses' own words, if approximately 60% of the people who try PP can lower or stop their BP meds, that leaves 40% of the people who try PP who may not be able to do either and may still need BP meds. Yes, the plan can work and can help a great many people in this area, but it's not foolproof where improving BP is concerned. The odds are better that it'll fix it than not, but it's not a magic bullet for everyone. And as our endocrine systems go through the periodic upheavals that come with age, it's reasonable to hypothesize that what once worked may not be as effective in our body's newly revised system...and what didn't resolve the issue when we were younger or first tried it may still not be able to resolve it. I sympathize...and while I do think staying on plan helps some of us with high BP, I know that in the face of diminished effectiveness or outright failure of other body systems, the plan can't solve everything without very careful study of trigger foods and maybe, yes, even meds.

No hiding in burrows necessary...but as I said to Hawk, there are no easy straight-line answers, either. This is a trial-and-error area, Meli...so let's try to figure it out together.

[gator8me]

I"m watching and reading all these Q&A's very carefully. I am PP'ing to try and avoid all the issues on my mom's side of the family. High blood pressure, stokes, heart disease, diabetes, hypglycemia and probably others that I'm missing. lol My mom has problems with High blood pressure, strokes and small blood vessel disease. She also has hypoglycemia. So far so good for me. Although when pregnant I did have problems with blood pressure being too high. All I know is that I want to take every precaution to NOT end up like my mom is now. Have no idea if one can find out if they have small blood vessel disease as I get different answers from different dr's. lol Imagine that! :p

Anyway, thanks all for posting these questions and thanks to all of you more knowledgable people who are answering and making us think. :)

[meli58]

Thanks Gaelen--it helps to know you understand the frustration. Hawk had posted decreasing blood pressure with increased weight workouts, and I was hoping to give that a try. But I have no "proof" to show my doctor that Slow Burn can be done without high risk to the hypertensive, so...no go. I am very tired of having doctors pat me on the back and say, "just keep taking the meds." I have had to give up my profession due to the fuzzy-headedness from the meds. I now take less than the prescribed dose, just so I can have some semblence of a life. So...always hoping for new things to try.

[Gaelen]

Meli, one of the things about doing pilates, whether on mats with resistance bands or on a machine with built-in resistance cords is that you can incorporate resistance, and slow burn techniques, starting slowly and working up to them. Since pilates also relies heavily on and incorporates expansive breathing techniques, that plus the resistance against one's own body weight can get you to the same place as increasing your weight burden in traditional lifting. Results don't necessarily happen as fast, and you won't necessarily add muscle bulk, but in my experience it's a steadier evolution to more difficult moves that's much easier for the user to control. Since pilates works multiple major muscle groups at the same time, all the muscles are bearing and participating in the oxygenation. Yoga done at high levels of intensity and with a dedicated focus on expansive breathing can get you to the same place. It's not traditional lifting, but I was suprised at how easily and quickly I took to it.

From what I understand of the reasons that traditional lifting techniques are often frowned on for people with high BP who are at increased stroke risk, it has something to do with the fact that you CAN isolate certain muscles in lifting, and stress certain muscles, without the total body oxygenation or expansive breathing that is possible in yoga or pilates or other breathing-focused regimens. No idea if there's any written support for that, it's just the answer my physical therapist gave me, and on the surface it makes sense. I'll have to go through the stuff he wrote down for me and see if there are references.

You might have noticed in Fred Hahn's post about Slow Burn that some of the techniques could be adapted to other programs like Total Gym, etc. Now I've done Total Gym workouts, and in many ways, they can be a pilates workout on an incline if you choose to incorporate the pilates breathing techniques and moves to Total Gym equipment. I had great success adapting Slow Burn techniques to several pilates moves when I was healthier. So maybe there IS a way for you to gradually adopt/adapt some slow burn-style moves to your normal routine, if you can avoid muscle group isolation and incorporate expansive breathing techniques that provide some of the full body oxygenation Hawk was trying to describe. Heck, Meli, it's worth a shot. ;)

[meli58]

Now if I can only find a Pilates instructor who "gets it." Thank you for taking me more seriously than my doctors do--I'm not just another little old lady to be put out to pasture. :D

[Mitra]

Meli, I hope you won't be put out to pasture for a long time to come!

In yoga, movements that involve opening or stretching the front of the body are usually done while breathing in, and those that compress the front of the body, or bend forwards are done while breathing out. For high blood pressure, it's suggested that all movements should be done while breathing out. The really important things to avoid are holding your breath after breathing in, or moving while holding your breath after breathing in. (I know one person with low blood pressure who uses these to raise it.)

[Billie]

Meli there just are no pastures around at all :) . Stay close, putting everyone's thoughts together might help, at least you will have a sounding off place, a place to vent and get support. One thing I thought about was Mike's blog, there is a link to it in the welcome section of the board. I am not sure if you read it but on different days he goes into different topics so you also might find something there to bring to the doctors in hand.

[meli58]

The meli report:

Thank you for your supportive replies--you've helped me feel that I have options, and that's a great feeling. Thinking that it might be wise to have a doctor nearby in case all does not go well, I called the university medical center to ask if they have an in-house gym with pilates classes. No such luck, but they did recommend a pilates studio that's less than a mile from me...and in a city of a half-million people, that can only be taken as a good omen, yes? I've called, and will stop in tomorrow to check it out. I have to tell you though, the thought of using a machine called a "reformer" brings visions of black leather, whips, and chains. :eek: I'll let you know how it goes...unless of course, the reformer won't let me go.

[Gaelen]

<snip> I have to tell you though, the thought of using a machine called a "reformer" brings visions of black leather, whips, and chains. :eek: I'll let you know how it goes...unless of course, the reformer won't let me go.

LOL...oh, Meli, you should see the pictures I've seen of Joseph Pilates' original apparatus, which he built from the iron beds (head and foot boards), straps and bedsprings in the European post-WWI hospitals where he devised his methods. Now that stuff looked like s/m equipment, and it's hard to believe it became today's Reformers/Performers (the Performer is one of the home versions.) My Performer is beige and dark brown, with dark brown elastic cords and braided handholds...no leather, unfortunately.

But as far as I know, only the warrior princess carries a whip...

Gaelen, ducking and simulating running ;)

[hawk]

Gaelen, I have printed out all your information so I can really look it over and will not lose it. I am going to experiment on myself with some of these things, salt ,caffine and keep researching the other things. Thankyou. You are a peach,

[laughingW]

Hi, just found this forum live (yay!) and this thread. I too manage HBP with diet and exercise so just wanted to reinforce that there are exercises I can do safely too, with much of the benefits Gaelen points out. I should add that mine is not the hard-core family type but just from being overweight and having put off clean eating and exercise for too long. Mine ranges from 145/95 to 125/80.

I used to do Slow Burn but that kind of sustained high tension wouldn't feel good to me now. The pressure required to do some of the moves would set my pulse pounding in my head if you know what I mean.

For weight training I swing heavy clubs. You get the good breathing automatically (exhale when the body folds, inhale when it opens up). And even 5 pounds, which has 20-lb "perceived" weight because of momentum & torque over a 20 inch club, strengthens muscle without the downside of heavy "actual" weight. Just like Gaelen said, it doesn't build new muscle as fast as something like Slow Burn but just a different approach.

(here's a video of a bunch of us geezers swinging them. )
http://www.conniesclubbellcafe.com/sg_swings2.AVI

[Gaelen]

LaughingW, now that club-swinging looks FUN! ;)

I picked up the April/May issue of EatingWell magazine (the one with the avocado on the cover) on the newsstand yesterday, and in addition to all of the other interesting stuff in there, they ran an article on the role potassium plays in BP management. According to the article, "Because of potassium’s health benefits, the recommended adequate intake of potassium for teens and adults is 4,700 milligrams (mg) daily. (The exception are people with kidney disease or severe congestive heart failure, who may have trouble getting rid of the mineral and must limit their intake.) While getting enough potassium through foods is doable, Morris readily admits it takes plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and “organization” to pull it off. Those who have trouble can ask a doctor to recommend a potassium citrate or malate supplement."

At the end of the article, they included a chart of 'potassium powerhouses' to incorporate into the diet to ensure that we're getting enough--and cautioned that while potassium can be supplemented, potassium from whole, unprocessed food sources is more available to the body and therefore more effective.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.eatingwell.com/news_views/nutrition_news/potassium.html

and here's the list of potassium sources they cited (there are many others...)
Potassium Powerhouses in (MG)
Sweet potato, baked, 1 medium, 694MG
Beet greens, 1⁄2 cup cooked, 655MG
Potato, baked, 1 medium, 610MG
Yogurt, plain, nonfat, 1 cup, 579MG
Halibut, cooked, 3 oz., 490MG
Lima beans, 1⁄2 cup cooked, 484MG
Banana, 1 medium, 422MG
Milk, nonfat, 1 cup, 382MG
Cantaloupe, 1⁄4 medium, 368MG
Orange juice, 3⁄4 cup, 355MG
Source: U.S. Dietary Guidelines 2005

Granted, full servings of some of these things may be too high carb for your current phase of the plan, but almost all of us can accommodate smaller portions--and things like fish, dark leafy greens and yogurt are completely on plan. Besides, if I'm going to spend X amount of carbs on something, I'd rather it be something that also brings a few other nutrients (like potassium) along for the ride.

[LisaS]

1 avocado, 877mg

[Gaelen]

LOL, Lisa...I was thinking the same thing when I read the article. They've sprinkled information about avocados all through the issue--recipes, ways to grow the seeds into plants, legend and lore--and they left them off the potassium list! Huh? :rolleyes:

Other things that came to mind were tomatoes, kale, swiss chard and spinach. In fact, as good as this article was in pointing out the value of getting lots of potassium, the 'powerhouse' list was really small. But at least it was a start...and I do really like the magazine.

[meli58]

I had my one-on-one session this morning, but the instructor spent very little time talking about breathing--mostly form. There is another studio nearby where one of the instructors has training in cardio rehab--do you think I should try an introductory session there too? From your comments (and my DOMS that didn't D very long - lol), I think this is more strenuous than it seems. Have you found a huge variation between instructors?

[Gaelen]

I had my one-on-one session this morning, but the instructor spent very little time talking about breathing--mostly form. There is another studio nearby where one of the instructors has training in cardio rehab--do you think I should try an introductory session there too? From your comments (and my DOMS that didn't D very long - lol), I think this is more strenuous than it seems. Have you found a huge variation between instructors?

Meli, yes, instructors have differnt focuses and can have different approaches, but in all of my pilates experience, form and breathing are taught simultaneously. I am entirely self-taught in Pilates...I learned how to do it by viewing tapes and reading books and watching workout moves over and over, then practicing over and over until I could do each move--and I'm still aiming for 'perfect,' but only achieve that now and then. My method with a tape is to watch the tape several times; pick out the moves I want to try/practice, and then do those moves with the instructor's voice and the tape until I've got it. Instructed learning might have been easier, but when I started nearly seven years ago, there weren't any pilates classes, even mat classes, around here.

My first tape and still one of my favorites is the intro/beginner routine video that came with my Performer, led by Marjolein Brugman (you can buy this from QVC, or check Brugman's website http://www.lighterliving.com ) Brugman concentrates on both breathing and form, and whenever I need a mental refresher for either I either watch the tape again, or watch her demonstrating moves on QVC, where she appears at least monthly. After the stroke, my PT helped out with some of the moves he wanted me to focus on, but he was a PT and pilates practicioner, not a pilates instructor. Then I stepped up my practice by viewing several mat work tapes, picking up pilates-focused magazines and bought a couple books. The mat work tape I liked the best as an intro was Mari Winsor's 20 min. intro tape; Winsor also concentrates on both breathing and form, and in the intro tape, she manually positions the person working out, while describing what you should be feeling as you breathe, and as you move your body.

I don't know if you can learn from the instruction on TV, tapes or dvds (some people can't) but I can put a link in here to an online demo that I like, and you can see if you can get anything out of it.

Advanced pilates IS strenuous, no doubt about that...some of the moves totally kicked the butts of a couple of my nephew's lacrosse teammates--kids who are used to heavy lifting routines and to running for an hour at a time. But it doesn't need to start OUT as a kick-butt routine. It was designed for rehab of people with injuries, so you can start the exercises at whatever level you can handle physically. There are certain moves, like the foundation exercise (the 100) which I couldn't do without modifications, or as 100 continuous armbeats, for a loooong time. But once I'd built up to some level of core strength (back, abs and obliques) I could manage to do more and more consecutive arm beats and I could modify the position less and less, until I could do it start to finish unmodified.

OTOH, I still can't do roll-ups, and after two ab surgeries, I may never be able to do them unmodified. ;)

Brugman starts her beginner routine with a foot-leg series to help teach breathing--something about the in-out rhythm of moving both feet and legs makes the in-out rhythm of breathing come more naturally. They are exercises that translate easily from mat to machine, so you can work on them in between instructor led sessions. I'll try to find and post a link to them, too.

These are samples from KJ Luker's Heart of Pilates specials on PBS. Even in these brief excerpts, she concentrates on both breathing and form. I don't own any of her videos, but if I were in the market, hers would be on the list. Click on 'video excerpts' when the link opens.
http://www.heartofpilates.com/index.html

This is a site that shows various pilates exercises done with different props. The simplest versions use the 'tubes' or stretch bands. All of the exercises have pictures, and while not animated, describe each step (both the form you're aiming for, and how to breath through the moves.)
http://www.sissel-online.com/exercise/pilates_one_leg_circle_with_sissel_fit_tube.php

If the intro lesson at the other studio is free, and you're not happy with the first instructor's focus, by all means try the other studio. You've got nothing to lose, and you might find a practice that can get you into the method in a way that makes you feel more comfortable.

[meli58]

Thank you for the guidance, Gaelen. Nothing is free ;) , but if I need to get the breathing right to avoid sending my blood pressure through the roof, $65 per hour is definitely cheaper than recovery after disaster. I'll check out the links too...thanks again. :)

[LisaS]

Cauliflower - 1/2 lg head - 1273mg potassium, 10 net carbs

[Gaelen]

Meli, I was wondering how your session with the second instructor went? Did s/he concentrate more on breathing to help you control the HBP?

For those who are interested in getting their own pilates home machine, I have a sneaking suspicion that http://www.qvc.com will be offering a deal on a machine on Sunday, April 9. (Those special-customer advance emails are *such* a tip-off!) The machine they will offer will be available starting at 12:01 Eastern time, April 9, and they will also be featuring special prices throughout the day on other equipment and videos. Also, if you've never seen pilates done on a machine, watching one of the shows (check the website for showtimes) is a great way to see how the exercises can and should be performed.

[meli58]

Hi Gaelen ~ Thank you for asking. Yes, I think this one is a keeper. I'll soon be going on the road for six weeks, so I'm concentrating on a few exercises I can do wherever I am--when I return, I'll take more sessions on the equipment. That machine on qvc is tempting... I think the exercises provide sufficient variety to keep me interested, and they feel so good. Thanks for encouraging me not to give up on this when I hit my first stumbling block. Be well.

[Gaelen]

Oh, Meli, I'm so glad the second instructor was a little better fit!
There are about 15 basic pilates exercises that travel very well (they're some of the ones Mari Winsor includes in her mat routine.) The 100 travels very well. Most of the leg/foot series travels very well, as does the arm series. And when I'm on the road, and doing mat work, that's when focusing on my breathing and perfect form is really important. Glad you're enjoying the exercises!

My own HBP has been complicated by yet another new chemo regimen; I'm hoping that when the doctor revises it things will settle back down. But for the last four weeks, I've been doing pilates mainly on the road, and even just a month out from surgery, I can do the leg and arm series (the 100 will have to wait awhile yet...!) At least it's helping me regain my breathing.

[cmcole]

I have a question regarding the opposite.
Last Friday, when I went to give blood/plasma, they said my blood pressure was low (90/?) I can't remember the bottom number. Anyway, it was high enough (just) to give blood, but I am wondering:

Has my closer adherence to the plan brought my blood pressure down? I had been having a bit of carb creep previously, and didn't seem to have a problem.

Could this have anything to do with the light-headed feeling I have had occasionally since Monday, when I go to stand up from a kneeling or squating position?

Should I be adding something to my diet or supplements (of which I take many) that would help, or should I be subtracting something, perhaps?