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Back pain relief for Women 40+l 🇰🇷🇺🇸 LA

@movewithjenna

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🩻 Helping Women 40+ Back Pain Relief Exercise + Habit Change l Ex-@google l @balanced_body Scoliosis/ Spondy/ Stenosis/ Sciatica 👉🏼 DM “VIP” for 1:1

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Post Google Diary #1
Everyone talks about quitting. “AI is replacing your job.”

That’s not what I saw at Google. Not right now.

What I saw was AI driving insane productivity.
And humans expected to keep up.

More output. More pressure. Same person.

At the same time, I felt a growing gap.
Between the work I was doing…
and the work that actually felt meaningful.

Closing deals vs helping someone get out of pain.

That gap got too big to ignore. Eventually, the chronic stress caught up with my body. I had to leave and give this new thing a full swing effort. I knew I was going to regret it if I didn’t.

If you want to see how I navigated this decision and what came after, follow along.

#퇴사 #필라테스 #pilatesforbackpain #pilatesinstructor taken in Los Angeles, California by @movewithjenna

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5 months ago

Last week’s workshop was one of those “pinch me” moments. 🥹🙏🏼

If you had told me a few years ago—when I couldn’t walk more than a mile without pain—that I’d one day be teaching a full workshop on back pain relief… I wouldn’t have believed you.

But that’s exactly what happened this weekend—and it was so special. 💛

Huge shoutout to @the_bodyprocess for not only hosting, but for creating the kind of warm, intentional space that makes this work possible.

I met clients who had tried everything: doctors, injections, acupuncture, YouTube workouts…
But during this workshop, we learned, we practiced, and understood each other. We felt safe to move again.

✅Mindset shift
✅Core anaotomy
✅Spine-friendly Pilates exercises
✅Modifications for specific back pain conditions

That’s the power of teaching from lived experience—and building a method grounded in science, not fear.

Honestly, I was nervous before stepping into that room. But the energy, the questions, the “aha” moments… I left feeling inspired and clear: this is just the beginning.

To everyone who showed up—thank you. 🙏
You reminded me why I started this work in the first place.

If you’re living in fear of your next flare-up…
You’re not broken. You just haven’t been given the right tools yet.

Movement can be medicine—when done the right way.🙏🏼

#backpainrelief #spondylolisthesis #sciaticarelief taken in Los Angeles, California by @movewithjenna

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a year ago

I hate how Pilates is marketed as a “girly” and “cute” workout. Listen, my doctor once told me I needed spine surgery because my back pain was that bad. But Pilates saved my life! Now, I’m pain-free and living a happy, active life. Joseph Pilates originally developed his method, Contrology, to rehabilitate injured soldiers during WWI - there’s nothing “cute” about it!!!Pilates is about healing, strength, and restoring energy.☘️💪🏼 #pilatesologychallenge #backpainrelief taken in Los Angeles, California by @movewithjenna

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a year ago

‼️ **Anterior pelvic tilt? Rib flare? Arched back?**

It’s not always just about “tight hip flexors.”

Sometimes it’s part of a bigger **front-loaded movement pattern** where your body relies too much on the front chain:

👉 Quads doing everything
👉 Hips shifting forward
👉 Ribs flaring
👉 Shoulders rounding forward

Meanwhile, your **back chain** isn’t supporting you enough.

That’s why endlessly stretching your hip flexors may not change much.

One of my favorite places to start? **HAMSTRINGS.** 🔥

Your hamstrings help control your pelvis and support a more stacked position instead of constantly dumping forward into an arch.

But remember: posture is rarely about ONE tight muscle or ONE weak muscle.

Your ribs, pelvis, hips, shoulders, breathing, and weight distribution all work together.

The goal isn’t “perfect posture.”

It’s creating better **balance between your front and back chains** so your body can move more efficiently.

Comment **BYB** if you want a personalized solution for YOUR body so you can feel more balanced, move more evenly, and stop guessing which exercises are right for you. ✨ by @movewithjenna

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3 days ago

‼️💡 **Do You Always Sleep with Your Arms Overhead?**

Or maybe you always sleep with just ONE arm up? 🙋‍♀️😴

That may not be *just* a sleeping habit.

Sometimes, the position your body keeps choosing at night can give you clues about where you feel restricted during the day.

If your shoulders tend to round forward and your chest feels tight, bringing your arm overhead can temporarily create more space through the chest and rib cage.

Your body is basically finding the easiest way to feel more “open.”

But if you’re constantly creating that opening by throwing your arms overhead, you may also compensate by:

• flaring your ribs
• arching your lower back
• shrugging through your neck
• relying on your arms instead of improving chest + upper-back mobility

The goal isn’t to force yourself to stop sleeping that way.

The goal is to help your chest open more naturally so your body doesn’t feel like it has to search for that position.

✨ Try this:

Sit tall with your palms facing up.

Reach your arms forward, then pull your elbows back and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Lift through your chest and look slightly up — without aggressively arching your lower back.

Think: **open the chest, not flare the ribs.**

Breathe through your nose and notice where you feel restricted. 👃

Your sleeping position can be a clue.

Comment **BYB** and I’ll send you the detailed tutorial + more corrective exercises like this inside my secret BYB community. 🔐🤍 by @movewithjenna

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5 days ago

‼️🩻Scoliosis + sciatica - "Train harder" is not the answer.
✅Comment **VIP** if you want to work with me 1:1.

This is why you cannot train every back the same way.

Mardi already had scoliosis, and when her sciatica flared, her body started shifting away from pain. That protective lateral shift created even more visible asymmetry on top of the scoliosis she already had.

And at 75, we also have to respect the age-related changes happening in the spine.

Disc height can decrease over time, joints can become more compressed and arthritic, bone density can change, and the drop in estrogen after menopause can affect bone and overall musculoskeletal health.

So the answer was NOT:

“Just strengthen your core.”
“Push through it.”
“Do more Pilates.”

Some days, even the reformer was too much.

We started with what her body could tolerate.

Breathing.
Small movements.
Light resistance.
Reducing fear around movement.
Then slowly adding strength and load.

Over time, the lateral shift improved, her movement became more balanced, and most importantly — she started trusting her body again.

At 75, you can still get stronger.

You can still improve the way you move.

But you have to train the body you have **today** — not the body you had at 30.

Comment **VIP** if you want to work with me 1:1. I offer online coaching and in-person coaching in Los Angeles. 💪✨ by @movewithjenna

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9 days ago

🩻👨🏼‍⚕️🩺“Don’t ever lift heavy if you have scoliosis.” ❌❌

I heard versions of this for years.

🏋️But avoiding load forever isn’t the same thing as building a strong, capable body.

This is what progressive loading looked like for me:

5 lbs → 10 lbs → 20 lbs → 35 lbs → 45 lbs → 55 lbs.

Not overnight.
Not recklessly.
Not because heavier is automatically better.

I started where I could control my position, manage my symptoms, and maintain good form — then gradually gave my body more challenge.

🩻💜With scoliosis, the goal isn’t necessarily to protect your spine from every load.

The goal is to build the strength and capacity to handle load well. 💪

Your starting point may look completely different from mine, especially if you’re dealing with pain, neurological symptoms, osteoporosis, or another spinal condition. Get individualized guidance when needed.

But “you have scoliosis, so never lift heavy” is not a complete strength plan.

Your body can adapt.
Start small. Get strong. Progress intelligently.

Comment BYB and I’ll send you the link to my free Bulletproof Your Back community. 🩵 by @movewithjenna

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11 days ago

‼️🩻Scoliosis isn’t just about “stretching the tight side.” ↔️

Sometimes, the first step is learning how to breathe into the areas of your rib cage that aren’t expanding well. 🫁✨

Using just a towel 🧻 + intentional breath, you can create feedback for your rib cage, improve awareness of your asymmetry, and practice expanding into areas that may feel compressed. 💨

This is one of my favorite scoliosis “reset” drills before movement. 🧘‍♀️💫

Comment BYB 👇 and I’ll send you the link to my FREE Balance Your Body community 💛 where I show you the full tutorial.

***For education only. Scoliosis patterns are individual, so exercises should be modified for your body. by @movewithjenna

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16 days ago

🎉Speir Pilates X Spine- friendly Pilates Class for sensitive back - Low back friendly pilates that focuses on neutral spine, alignment and foundation moves (also great for beginners!) - Come join us! (Scoliosis, sciatica, stenosis, etc)

📍Speir Pilates Ocean Park: @speirpilates
⏰ Wednesdays 10:30am

****Not a substitute for medical advice or physical therapy! General exercises intended to guide you to a better back health. taken in Los Angeles, California by @movewithjenna

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20 days ago

Rich in life… is movement. Hands down. Last night was my favorite “childhood” artist Kanye’s legendary concert in Chicago I stood up for almost 3+ hours, with my spinal scoliosis stenosis, Spondylolisthesis... Jumping and chanting the songs….. being able to witness him in life along with legendary hip hop artists was incredible. Thank you Spine-friendly Pilates for letting me build the capacity to experience this. 🩵🍕🙏🏼 by @movewithjenna

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a month ago

‼️Do you ever feel like one leg is longer than the other? 🦵⚖️

The root cause may not actually be your legs 👀 — it could be coming from how your pelvis and hips are positioned and moving.

Two muscles that play a BIG role here are your QL (quadratus lumborum) and gluteus medius 🍑🔥

Instead of constantly stretching one side or strengthening one muscle in isolation, we want these muscles to learn how to organically coordinate and support your pelvis together. 🔄✨

This exercise is one of my favorites for improving that hip-to-core connection, pelvic stability, and better balance from side to side. 💪🧠

✨ Your “leg-length difference” might actually be connected to how your hips and pelvis are moving.

Comment BYB 👇💬 and I’ll send you the link to my FREE community, where I share the full tutorial + more exercises to help you Balance Your Body. 🫶🔥 by @movewithjenna

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a month ago

‼️ PART 2: Is one shoulder sitting HIGHER than the other? 👀⬆️
If you have scoliosis and one shoulder constantly sits higher, don’t just keep stretching it down. 🙅🏻‍♀️

With scoliosis, your rib cage + shoulder blades can sit differently on each side 🩻✨ which can change how your shoulder girdle muscles work.
Sometimes that higher shoulder needs better strength, stability + control 💪🏻

Try this 👇🏻

Lean your back against a wall ➡️ Extend your arm straight out to the side

Reach through your pinky and fingertips ⬇️ Slowly lower your straight arm ↔️ Then reach LONG out to the side again
The key is to keep reaching without letting your shoulder hike toward your ear. 👂🏻❌
This can help recruit your serratus anterior, while your lats, lower traps + other scapular stabilizers help control the shoulder blade. 🔥💪🏻
The goal is NOT to force your shoulder down. 🚫

It’s to teach your shoulder blade to move + stabilize against your rib cage in a better position. ⚖️✨
Sometimes with scoliosis, you don’t need more stretching.
You may need to strengthen your body in a more balanced position. 💪🏻🩷

💬 Comment “BYB” and I’ll send you the link to my FREE community where I share more exercises + tutorials to help you Balance Your Body. 🙌🏻✨ by @movewithjenna

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a month ago