A Refreshed Mind Nurtures a Pain Free Body with Andrea Brody

Today's guest is Andrea Brody, a former graphic designer who turned to Pilates to alleviate chronic pain caused by long desk hours. Andrea shares practical tips for integrating movement into daily routines, highlighting Pilates' benefits for posture, strength, and flexibility. 

Schedule your free 15 minute assessment with Andrea at https://calendly.com/andrea-234 or connect at https://www.instagram.com/brightly.balanced/

Transcript

Andrea Brody: 0:01

So a few things that I recommend for this are to set timers and take breaks, occasionally throughout the day and get up and take a walk and walk around. So if you can go outside and walk, if the weather's permissible, or you, you know, have time and you can take, you know, like a 10, 15 minute walk, that's ideal just to get some fresh air and to move and get some blood circulating in your system.

Magic Barclay: 1:10

Welcome back to A Magical Life. I'm your host, Magic Barclay, and today Andrea Brody joins us. She started her career path as a graphic designer. She loved the creative work, but the long hours spent sitting at the desk took a toll on her body, and she developed chronic neck pain. Shoulder and back pain, she found relief with Pilates and decided to shift her career to help others. Now, Andrea helps people get stronger and alleviate stress in their bodies and minds with Pilates so that they can live balanced lives. Welcome.

Andrea Brody: 1:44

thank you so much for having me. I'm very happy to be here.

Magic Barclay: 1:48

And I am so happy to have you here. I think we can all relate to sitting at our desks and neck and back pain. And I want to explore a bit more how Pilates helped you do that.

Andrea Brody: 2:05

Absolutely. Pilates helped with that for me because, It's a system of exercises that helps with your posture, strength and flexibility. And for me, I was sitting at the desk all day and that's exactly what I needed. I needed to work on, aligning my body and working on my posture because of sitting at the desk, I was working on my design projects and Especially my right side with my hand on the mouse moving forward, my head was moving forward, I was all out of alignment with my neck and shoulder, and it helped correct that, misalignment in my body on my right side by, Working with my posture and getting my body back in balance because Pilates is a whole system of exercises where you're working your whole body from your center and working on your strength and your flexibility from your center.

Magic Barclay: 2:59

Terrific. Now I ask all of my guests the same three questions. Everyone gives me different answers. So here comes your first one. What can your expertise do to accelerate health, not just the physical, but also emotional and spiritual health?

Andrea Brody: 3:15

love that question. for me, movement is very important to me in my life. And that's part of the reason why I made that transition from being a graphic designer to, um, working and teaching people Pilates because I wanted to help people with Pilates, how Pilates helped me overcome the pain that I had in my body and how much better I felt. So I find that movement, no matter what form of movement you choose, helps accelerate your health. and your emotional health as well. It's kind of like, A moving meditation for me and I just feel so much better Whenever I'm in movement, no matter what form, mainly Pilates because I just, it's just what I'm most connected to. But even if it's walking or yoga or hiking, whatever form you take, I just find, even if you find a little bit of time in your day to do something, it's going to help you, feel better in your body and mentally stimulate you so that you can show up better in life. With yourself and the people around you.

Magic Barclay: 4:31

Great. And next question is around wealth. People think wealth is just the financial, but it's also. Personal and emotional wealth. So what are your top three tips to creating wealth

Andrea Brody: 4:44

I find that, focusing on, what you have, and appreciating it, so a gratitude practice, sometimes things aren't going right in our lives. For example, for me right now, I fractured my foot. And I haven't been able to go on my walks that I love so much and that's disappointing and I can get really upset about that but then I think of other things that I'm grateful for in my life that are going right or that I appreciate and I make a list and that kind of turns things around for me. So every day I kind of sit and focus on positive things and things I'm grateful for and that elevates my mood and that. makes me feel so much better about everything going on in my world and the world outside me. also there's so much going on in the world and you can get distracted and overwhelmed. And for me, staying present in every moment and not letting that happen is key for me. And it's hard. It's not an easy thing to do, but when, if you pay attention to it. And you notice that it's starting to happen, you can work on it and start to take yourself back. And that can just be noticing it and just taking a breath and then just realizing like where you are and just concentrating and staying in the moment that you're in. It will make a world of difference and how you feel with your stress and just being where you are in that moment, not worrying about something that's going to happen in a week or in a month for from today. Um, the other thing I think is just overall just taking care. Of yourself emotionally and physically so that you can bring your best to what you do with your career with your friendships and your relationships and whatever you want to achieve. And also so that you can give your best to others, because if you're not feeling your best, you can't give your best. to others. So just putting yourself first, recognizing when you need to take care of yourself first. that's important as well.

Magic Barclay: 7:10

Great. And our final standard question is around weight. Many people battle their weight and You know, they often look at coaches and wellness workers and think, well, you've never had a problem. How could you understand where I live? So have you ever battled your weight? If so, how did you win that? And what can you offer the listeners who might be on that journey, particularly around their stress? Because we know that's a major factor.

Andrea Brody: 7:40

Yeah, I haven't had an issue with my weight, but I can definitely relate to stress, and I think, I can hold in my feelings, and I feel like we're not alone in things that we feel, but sometimes when we feel really hard things, or we're going through a hard time, we feel like we need to hold it in, hide, not talk to anybody, and that's isolating, and that makes it worse. And, I find that, You should not avoid it because there are people out there that support you and sometimes you don't realize it. So if you can reach out to someone and talk to someone that you trust, or journal, um, Just writing like a letter to yourself about how you're feeling like I call it a brain dump when I do it And just everything that you're feeling and just don't even edit it just kind of dump it all out there Just to get all your thoughts and emotions out there so that you can kind of see what's going on because when you hold it In I feel like it's just floating around in your head and you're not able to see what's happening. but when it's all out there on paper and you've kind of let it go out your head through your hand onto paper, you can see it and kind of recognize things. And then it becomes a little bit more clear and, um, you can kind of see, oh, this is what's happening. And then it's a way to. address it and work on it or, you know, find someone to talk to about it more and move forward.

Magic Barclay: 9:17

Great advice there. Now let's open the floor to you. Tell us about Pilates. Tell us about how it helps the body, how it helps the mind and how it helped you.

Andrea Brody: 9:30

well, Pilates helps the body because, It's good for everyone of all ages, levels, and ability. And, like I mentioned before, it helps with your posture, strength, and flexibility. And it focuses on the foundation of your strength being in your core, and everything else stems out from that. And when you have a strong foundation in your core, you can move from that and lift out of that. And that helps develop your posture. and your ability to move better in all your activities, and that also helps with your balance and your flexibility and your overall strength. So, it helps you move better through life, so if you are an athlete or you swim or you play tennis or you're a golfer, Pilates can help you do those activities better. I always wanted to stand up paddleboard and I never had, and then I did it. About a year and a half ago. And because I do Pilates, I just got up on the board. And I did it right away and I didn't have any issues with being able to stand up on the board and hold my balance and paddle because I had that foundation of strength from all the years of doing Pilates and it helped me do that activity without having difficulty and it made it much more enjoyable and it was really fun. and one of the people I was with said to me, have you ever, You, you've never done this before. They were surprised. and that's why it just, why I said it helps you move through life better and you can start at any age. I have a client that's 90 and she started doing Pilates for the first time in her eighties. So it works for you wherever you're at and you just kind of customize what you need to do for whoever's doing it.

Magic Barclay: 11:28

Now people often think Pilates is difficult, maybe, you know, they've got some lack of mobility issues and they think, well, I can't bend, I can't move like that. how can you tailor Pilates to where someone's at?

Andrea Brody: 11:45

So the way I tailor it is I break down exercises. so when I say breaking it down, I just make it into smaller bite sized pieces for the person, so you don't go into something that's the full exercise. You might condense it down to a smaller digestible piece for that person. So they start with that. And they move in it in that way, and then they build up their strength there, and then you add a next level, and then they go a little bit further into it, and then when they can accomplish that, they go a little bit further into the next level. So it's broken into steps. So you don't want to throw somebody into anything that they can't accomplish. You want people to be safe in their exercises, and you want them to be able to work where their level is at. And feel strong and capable. So, and I work with a lot of injured people and a lot of people that have been through, you know, a post surgery or rehab situation as well, a lot of times. So that's, how I address that.

Magic Barclay: 13:00

So many people are sitting at their desk for maybe six to eight hours or You know, maybe they're trying to stand up desk, but they're still finding they're getting some neck and back pain. What are some exercises that people can do while they're at their desk? Is there some Pilates they can do or some changes they can make to the way they sit or stand at the desk to maximize the health in that time?

Andrea Brody: 13:30

I love that question because this is part of the homework that I give people that I work with, because that's. A lot of the people I work with are dealing with this issue. So, I love when people have the standing desks or the convertible desks so they can sit and stand when they want to. So a few things that I recommend for this are to set timers and take breaks, occasionally throughout the day and get up and take a walk and walk around. So if you can go outside and walk, if the weather's permissible, or you, you know, have time and you can take, you know, like a 10, 15 minute walk, that's ideal just to get some fresh air and to move and get some blood circulating in your system. the other thing I recommend is if you're just at your desk and the timer goes off and you can take a break. Either sitting or standing just simple thing is just to, ground your feet into the floor and stand up, raise your arms up, and then make a little small arm circle so reach your arms out to the side, press them down like you're growing really tall and lift your waist up, and then just do that five to 10 times. and then a third thing that I would recommend. Is just find a wall and take your hands to the wall and make your back like a table and bend your knees so that you can just gently stretch your back and just breathe and reach your tailbone one direction in the top of your head the other direction and keep your belly button pulled into your spine. And then when you come up, you're going to stack up your spine from bottom to top and roll up. So those are just a few things, but the walk I think is most important to move and taking the breaks and not sitting in the same spot. Another thing, one more thing actually, is your head can go forward a lot of times, And I've suggested people put a mirror next to their desk so that they can look and see what's going on, because they might not notice that their head is moving forward into their computer. And if they could turn and look, they'll see, and they'll have a very surprising awakening at what's going on with how they look. and then they will, come back and sit back. And see where your back is on your chair. You know, is, is your back up against the back of the chair? Are your shoulders back or are they rounded forward? You know, just take a moment and keep your abdominals engaged and lift your back up tall. Like you want to touch your head up to the ceiling and ground your hips into the chair so that you're not compressing your spine. and just do a few shoulder rolls in your break as well. Just up forward. And back. And those are just a few tips. Um, I could go on and on about things to do at your desk. Um, but those are a few just to kind of get started. But getting up and moving around is key. You just can't sit there all day. I did it when I was a graphic designer. I would think that I could just be plow through and get my project done and sit there and then I would just be in so much pain and then I couldn't get the work done because I just wouldn't have the energy or the creativity left to do it and it's not good for your body and it's not good for your energy or your career because you're not going to do good work. So it's just really beneficial for your body and your mind and the longevity of your career to take care of yourself.

Magic Barclay: 17:33

I think that's a really good point that you just made. And that is, it's not good for your work and the longevity of your career. If you're at your desk and you're in pain or you're at your desk and you're resenting being there because of the pain. That's going to affect your output. It's going to affect your production and your ability to meet targets and make more money for yourself or whatever your, goal is. So I think that's really key is to make your desk a pain free zone.

Andrea Brody: 18:07

Yeah, it's really important, because I would do that and then I would get stuck and I wouldn't have any ideas and I would get so frustrated and then the moment I got up from my desk and I went outside and I took a walk, all the ideas started flowing because I gave myself that time and space. So it doesn't take a lot, just takes taking that 10 to 15 minute break for yourself, just to get away. And then come back refreshed with new energy and ideas.

Magic Barclay: 18:39

Definitely. Now, we love freebies here. And you've got a client assessment Zoom call. tell us a bit about what people can expect with that.

Andrea Brody: 18:51

Oh, yes, absolutely. I, uh, for a free client assessment, as you mentioned, and we meet on zoom where we will talk about, you know, what the person is dealing with, their struggles. And since we're on zoom, I can see you as well. So I can assess, your posture and then I can give you. Some, you know, personal recommendations, just like we talked about here, but they would be more personalized to the person, like how I talked about things to do at your desk, but I can see what that person is like, so I could give a couple more tailored to them things to do. And, also other things that might be helpful to help them feel better with the situation that they're dealing with, for their body. And for their mental state, They don't take a lot of time, just to get them started so that they can start feeling better in their body while we talk in that 15 minutes so they can take that away with them.

Magic Barclay: 19:50

Terrific. And that's at www. kellandlee. com slash Andrea hyphen. Two, three, four, and you're looking for the free client assessment call. People can also find you on LinkedIn at Andrea Brody 12 and on Instagram at Bratley dot balanced. What can people find on Instagram there?

Andrea Brody: 20:15

I have, some. Videos showing, different exercises, some tips, you know, that we talked about, about, mindset things, and other things about Pilates and love of Pilates. back pain tips as well.

Magic Barclay: 20:32

Excellent. Andrea, thank you so much for your time today. I've really enjoyed learning more about you and about Pilates.

Andrea Brody: 20:39

Yes. Thank you so much. I enjoyed meeting you and I really enjoyed being here. Thank you so much.

Magic Barclay: 20:46

Pleasure and listeners. Thank you for your time for now. Stand up, move around, get away from your desk and go forth and live a magical life.