Product Description Pilates for Pregnancy - Melinda Bryan "Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby" Announcing the world’s first Pilates For Pregnancy fitness video, featuring physical therapist & certified Pilates Master teacher with over 15 years of experience, Melinda Bryan. Approved & recommended by doctors for women of all ages, this program is perfect for before, during & after pregnancy. How Pilates can benefit pregnant women: • Improves balance and coordination as the body changes • Focuses on abdominal and pelvic muscle strengthening • Maintains muscle strength, tone, and flexibility • Reduces incidence of low back pain Enjoy a routine of effective exercises for the woman during her childbearing years. Learn to become better aware of your body as it goes through remarkable changes. By taking just a few minutes a day, you can tone and firm while preparing for childbirth, and ensure a speedy recovery postpartum. Melinda Bryan has appeared on popular TV shows and in numerous magazines, including The Today Show, Leeza, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, Allure, Rosie, Ms.Fit, and Los Angeles Times. Her centers' team of therapists and instructors keep performing artists in shape and injury free. They provide on-site service for many dance companies and Broadway theatrical productions in Los Angeles, including Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Aida, and The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, and Guys and Dolls. Melinda has a variety of academic affiliations with local universities and has lectured internationally on Pilates and performing arts medicine. Now keeping with the tradition of being a leader in her field, she has created the first Pilates for Pregnancy Exercise Program for women of all ages! Review "Devotees say that without conscious effort, they are walking and sitting straighter, and moving more gracefully with stronger..." -- MS. FITNESS, Summer 1993"I highly recommend Melinda's Pilates for Pregnancy video. It is an excellent, easy to follow fitness program for expectant mothers." -- Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, M.D., Ob-Gyn, Beverly Hills, CA"I highly recommend Melinda's Pilates for Pregnancy video. It is an excellent, easy to follow fitness program for expectant mothers." -- Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, M.D., Ob-Gyn, Beverly Hills, CA"Pilates - It's a regimen that stregthens and stretches, engaging body and mind. The 70-year-old method is enjoying a rebirth." -- LOS ANGELES TIMES, December 18, 1996"Pilates - It's a regimen that stregthens and stretches, engaging body and mind. The 70-year-old method is enjoying a rebirth." -- LOS ANGELES TIMES, December 18, 1996"Pregnacy videos are notoriously hit-or-miss when it comes to safty, effectiveness and fun. Here is one that we like..." -- SHAPE Fit Pregnancy, April-May 2003"follow the Hollywood bod buzz and it will take you to The Pilates Studio of Los Angeles, where Melinda..." -- GLAMOUR, April 2001"local athletes, celebrities, and executives feel at home in this no-nonsense space The Pilates Studio of L.A..." -- HARPERS BAZAAR, May 2001 From the Contributor …It was important to do research before developing this video. I found that the only real concern some doctors had was having pregnant women exercise lying on their back. I could not find any significant data to substantiate any great risk of exercise supine, especially if it is for a very short duration, and the "exerciser" continues to move and change position. In conversation with Dr. James Clapp, M.D., who has done extensive research involving pregnancy and exercise, author of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy, copyright 2002, he agreed that research continues regarding many issues, including this one. In fact, his preliminary studies indicate that most woman have no problem with exercise supine as long as it involves motion. Another clinical specialist, Elizabeth Noble, PT who has over 35 years of clinical experience states in her book, Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year, "Ironically, the most vigorous exercise that many women will ever experience - labor- has been "managed" on the back for years!" She recommends that the few women who experience discomfort should limit their exercises on the back at one time for no more than 5 minutes. In my video I have alternated positions through the video to accommodate for this possibility. Dr. Raul Artal, professor and chair of the Dept. of Ob-Gyn and Women's Health at St. Louis University School of Medicine, and ACOG advisor, has stated that "we have learned that women can enjoy a much broader range of physical activity during pregnancy than was previously thought."… About the Actor Melinda Bryan, mother of three, physical therapist and certified Pilates master teacher is sought after as the Pilates fitness consultant by Hollywood’s most elite celebrities and stars. With over 15 years of experience, she is known as the first in Southern California and one of the first in the world to use innovative Pilates techniques to help clients achieve greater strength, flexibility, and endurance during their rehabilitation and fitness programs. As owner and director of Performing Arts Physical Therapy and The Pilates Studio of Los Angeles, she teaches and certifies fitness professionals from all over the world with her traditional time tested Pilates system. Melinda’s combined knowledge in both the medical and fitness fields effectively helps all of her clients improve the quality of their life Melinda Bryan, RPT BS: Cum Laude, Physical Therapy, Temple University ~ Licensed: California & Florida ~ Certified: Pilates Expert Master Teacher (certified by Romana Kryzanowska)~ Director: Performing Arts Physical Therapy/The Pilates Studio® of Los Angeles ~ Director: Creative Arts Physical Therapy/The Pilates Body Studio® Florida ~ Director: Pilates Teacher Certification Program in Southern California/Florida ~ ACE-certified: Personal Trainer ~ Member: American Physical Therapy Association — Orthopedic and Private Practice, Performing Arts Special Interest Group; International Association of Dance Medicine and Science; International Dance Exercise Association; California Private Practice Special Interest Group ~ National lecturer: Performing Arts Medicine ~ Company physical therapist for Jerome Robbins Broadway national tour, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King ~ Physical therapy and Pilates training for Paul Taylor Dance Co.; New York City Ballet; Phantom of the Opera; Cats; A Chorus Line; Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk; Ragtime; Miss Saigon; Guys and Dolls; Sunset Boulevard & more. 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