I find that when I point my feet, both when lying supine and on my belly, they have a tendency to cramp, which puts a crimp, so to speak, in my concentration. My calves are sometimes involved as well, as I found today doing the mat add-on. Is it nutritional, or is there a secret that I don't know? I a relatively new to pilates.

foot and calf cramping is caused by so many things,...dehydration maybe... some of my newer clients have that happening too, but what we noticed is that over time the more they do pilates, the less cramping they have. I think alot is attributed to the way they are learning to use their core muscles, like with the leg stretch series lying supine or leg kicks lying on the belly, I can see how they are putting more energy into engaging the abs, rather than the lower legs and feet. When doing leg work, the energy comes from the powerhouse- abs, buttocks and thighs; the knees and feet should be nice and relaxed.

Hi there,
Over the 8 years I have been teaching, I have noticed a very interesting thing about foot cramping... I have seen a correlation between people who cramp and shallow breathing and people who are shallow / upper chest breathers... check it out and notice how you are breathing when you cramp...