Top 5 Pilates Survival Tips for Christmas and the New Year

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year, all that yummy food and drink, and if we're lucky the company of people we love.

But as we close the Pilates studios for our Christmas break, it is worth thinking about how to keep your body happy through the festive season.

Just think ... all those long meals sitting at the dining table, wearing your high heels at parties, and bending over the kitchen sink. It all adds up to potential back aches, joint pain, and losing the progress you have worked so hard for all year.

So we have come up with 5 easy-peasy tips to incorporate your Pilates into your Christmas festivities to keep your body happy and ready to start 2018 raring to go!

And don't worry, we're not talking about teaching Gran how to do a shoulder bridge or leading an impromptu Pilates class in the living room!

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Top 5 Survival Tips for Christmas & New Year, by Director of Pilates Place Peta Davies

1. Sitting Pretty: Pelvic tilts

Use a lumbar support to ease backache.
Image courtesy of Women's Voices for Change

So, you've been sitting at the table or on the sofa for too many hours and your back is beginning to ache. What should you do?

Start by making sure you are sitting upright and use a firm cushion to add some lumbar support. Gently press your lower back into that support, then release. Repeat 5 times.

Top Tip: when pressing your lower back into the cushion try not to lose any height, try to keep your spine lengthening upwards

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2. In the kitchen: "Active abs"

Be mindful of your posture in the kitchen

When you're standing at the sink or work surface preparing festive food, think about how you are standing.

Start by checking that your knees are slightly bent. Then pull in your stomach muscles slightly to support your lower back. Try it - it really does reduce low back pain!

Top Tip: When engaging your stomach muscles try to keep your lumbar spine in its natural curve

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3. Getting stressed out? Deep breaths

Breathe!
Image courtesy of Pick the Brain

There is so much to do and so little time and the stress is building. STOP and breathe.

Pause and focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose for 4 counts and out through your mouth for 4 counts. Repeat 5 times.

Top Tip: When you breathe in try not to lift your shoulders. Feel the breath pushing your ribs outwards, not upwards

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4. Posture check: Standing against a wall

Stand against the wall to correct your posture.
Image courtesy of Dr Michael Lell DC

If your neck and shoulders are beginning to ache, stand against a wall and place your shoulders and the back of your head against the wall. This will help to re-align your upper back, neck, and shoulders.

Then stretch one arm straight up above your head, keeping the elbow straight. Try to touch the wall above your head - can you reach it? Repeat with the other arm.

Top Tip: Check you have your heels 2 inches away from the wall

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5. Pick-me-up: The best Pilates stretch ever!

Roll down and roll back up again.
Image courtesy of Feel Good Yoga & Pilates

This stretch will leave you feeling great. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Raise your arms above your head and clasp your hands together. Reach gently over to one side, then return to the centre and repeat to the other side.

Next, let your arms hang down from your shoulders, and roll gently forwards towards your feet. Pull your stomach muscles in as you roll down, and then use them to roll back up again. Do this 3 times.

Top Tip: When rolling forwards imagine you have a small peach under your chin all the way down, this will keep you neck in perfect alignment as you roll up and down

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Enjoy your Pilates over the festive period and don’t forget to take time out for yourself!

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: I is for...

I is for...

Isolation

Isolating a movement helps us to truly focus on the action and control the movement more efficiently.

Learning new movement patterns which correct poor postural alignments is done by isolating the movement from others, so that you concentrate on the muscle that needs to fire up.

This is seen when we try to realign the upper spine from a curved slouched position to a lengthened and supported position. When we focus on lifting the breast-bone upwards in isolation, it has the desired effect: shifting the shoulders backwards, and lengthening and lifting the upper back to immediately improve posture when standing or sitting.

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: H is for ...

H is for ...

Holding

Holding a movement in space allows us to intensify the muscle action.

This should not be confused with holding your breath, which is not helpful because it restricts the amount of oxygen reaching the muscles. And we don't want you to pass out!

Holding a movement for a few counts concentrates the contraction or the lengthening of a muscle and is very beneficial. It works the muscles at a deeper level and stimulates them to fire-up and strengthen.

This also applies to stretching movements, if they are performed slowly and with care we can benefit from holding the end range movement for a few counts before returning to the starting position.

Would you like to try Pilates in our studio? Book your free no-obligation trial session by clicking here.

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: G is for ...

In Peta's A-Z of Pilates, G is for ...

Goals

Setting yourself achievable goals will help focus your mind on what you want to get from your Pilates. Make your goals "SMART": Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.

Specific: We all want to 'get fitter', but it's more useful to know what particular aspects of fitness you are you going to work on. This also helps to keep your goals measurable...

Measurable: Giving yourself a goal that can be quantified with time, reps, or distance is ideal. This could be as simple as being able to touch your toes in a forward bend! When you can measure your progress towards your goal, you will be motivated to keep working at it.

Achievable: Get help from your Pilates teacher to identify goals that are important for you, and how to reach them within your range of abilities and within your budget.

Realistic: If your goal is measurable and achievable it is also likely to be realistic - you need to be able to get there as the person you are today, not as an imaginary perfect version of yourself.

Timed: Without a deadline you are less likely to succeed. Thinking about when you want to achieve your goal will also help you plan how you will fit your Pilates practice into your life.

7 Top Tips for Pilates Day

7 Top Tips for Pilates Day ...that you can do right now!

1. Stretch your spine out. Reach your arms above your head, and lift your ribs up away from your hips ... feels lovely. Try and do this every day.

2. Correct your posture. Stand with your shoulders and bottom against a wall, just touching it but not leaning. Now gently press the back of your head towards the wall.

3. Squeeze your pelvic floor by rocking your hips forwards, backwards, and side to side.

4. Walk tall! Look straight ahead not at the ground.

5. Support your back by placing a rolled up towel or lumbar support behind your lower back.

6. Reduce joint stiffness by circling your ankles, wrists, and shoulders.

7. Ease stress by breathing deeply into your lungs. Place your hands on your rib-cage, and inhale so that your hands move away from one another as your ribs expand.

Have a happy and relaxing Pilates Day!

Funny Caption Competition

Make us giggle with a funny caption for this image 

to win a free Pilates Assessment worth £57!

Submit your entry to pilatesplace@btconnect.com by midnight on Friday 12th May 2017, to be in with a chance to win a free Pilates Assessment worth £57 at Pilates Place. Good luck!

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: F is for ...

In Peta's A-Z of Pilates, F is for ...

Flow

Flowing moves are achieved when the body is balanced. With practice extraneous movements can be eliminated from our movement patterns, which in turn allows for a more smooth and graceful movement to develop.

We should strive to perform exercises with precision and care and let our movements flow naturally from one exercise to the next.

Never tried Pilates? Click here to book your free no-obligation trial today!

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: E is for ...

The energy we expend when exercising should be just the right amount, so in Peta's A-Z of Pilates, E is for ...

Energy

The energy we expend when exercising should be just the right amount not too much and not too little. This may seem like an obvious thing to say but if when you perform a particular exercise and you use too much energy, other parts of the body will be engaging unnecessarily and using up precious energy.

When performing an exercise we need to use the least amount of energy we possibly can. When the body is in total balance our energy consummation is at is optimum, you will be using just the right amount to complete the movement. Extraneous movements should be eliminated to conserve energy for when we need it.

When your posture is in perfect balance and alignment, you will not feel any group of muscles working harder than another. They are all working equally to minimise the energy consumption.

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: C is for ...

Pilates focuses on the deep lying muscles in the torso, so in Peta's A-Z of Pilates C is for ...

Core

When Pilates instructors talk about the 'core', they are referring to the muscles found in the torso, near the spine. When these muscles are weak, they often contribute to low back pain.

Pilates exercises are perfect for firing-up these deep lying muscles and strengthening the back and stomach muscles.

One of techniques that Pilates uses to engage these deep muscles is to perform the exercises with care and control, trying not to rush through the movements.

When we learn how to switch on these muscles effectively, non-specific low back pain can disappear, and posture improves.

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: B is for ...

Pilates encourages you to think about your breathing, so in Peta's A-Z of Pilates B is for ...

Breathing

We all breathe naturally, and yet when we exercise sometimes we forget to breathe. This can be counterproductive!

Pilates encourages you to inhale and exhale at the best points of each exercise. Breathing at the correct point of the exercise can make the movement you are performing flow with ease, providing oxygen to the muscles to move efficiently.

But, the most important thing is not to hold your breath. Pilates teaches us to breathe so that the ribs move outwards on the inhalation, while keeping the shoulders down.

Peta's A-Z of Pilates: A is for ...

Pilates is the best way to help naturally re-align the body, so in Peta's A-Z of Pilates A is for ...

Alignment

You may not always be aware that you are not well-positioned when lying on your Pilates mat. Even when performing standing exercises, it can be hard to tell if your posture is uneven.

When you practise Pilates with an instructor, they will observe how you position yourself and give you feedback. "You're a bit wonky!" or maybe, "Just move your left foot up a bit... a bit more..."

With your instructor's guidance and the gentle influence of the exercises, you will begin correct your alignment immediately.

Once you are properly aligned, you will feel that your joints move more freely and with less effort. And that's what Pilates is all about!

Introducing ... Reformer Pilates Classes

At our brand new Pilates studio we're introducing group Reformer classes to Stratford upon Avon for the first time!


So, what are Group Reformer Classes?
Well, simply, they are classes for up to 6 people to use the Reformers in our studio. One of our highly qualified and experienced Pilates teachers will lead the whole group through the exercises together.


I'm not even sure what a Reformer is!
To the untrained eye it might look like an instrument of torture, but please don't feel intimidated by it! The Reformer is a versatile item of Pilates studio equipment - in fact, it's essential for studio Pilates.

Despite all those handles and straps, the Reformer isn't a very complicated beast. It's just a sliding carriage on a frame, attached to springs and pulleys. Reformer Pilates exercises are gentle but challenging, as you move the carriage against the resistance of the springs.

Here's Peta teaching on the Reformer in our Shipston studio

Essential Information

• When? See our timetable

• How long? 45 minutes (daytime) or 60 minutes (evening).

• Where? Our brand new studio here in Stratford upon Avon.

• How much? Prices start at £10.16 per class.

• Who can attend? KEY classes are suitable for beginners. ENERGY classes are for those with a little more experience.

• How can I book? You can book and pay online here!

If you have health problems please contact us to check if these classes will be suitable for you.

Do you have any other questions about Group Reformer Classes at Pilates Place? Let us know in the comments below, or email us at pilatesplace@btconnect.com

Pilates and yoga … what’s the difference?

With so many exercise classes to choose from … Reformer Pilates, Bikram yoga, mat Pilates, Yogalates … any beginner is likely to be a bit flummoxed!

A Reformer Pilates class.

The truth is there are important differences between yoga and Pilates. Let’s start with the fact that Pilates was invented in the 20th century, while yoga has its roots in ancient Hindu religious practices. Interestingly, Pilates takes inspiration from yoga and borrows other ideas from martial arts and gymnastics.

Pilates is all about the core
As for the classes themselves, all Pilates classes will focus on strengthening the “core” muscles in the abdomen, lower back, hips, and bottom. But when Pilates is done right it gets the whole body involved. Mat Pilates classes are most popular because no special equipment is needed and it can be taught anywhere, from leisure centres to village halls.

However, Pilates exercises were first developed to be done on large pieces of equipment in a dedicated Pilates studio. The machines (such as the “Reformer”) add resistance to make the exercises more effective. All Pilates exercises should be performed slowly and precisely to get the most benefit from each repetition.

Joseph Pilates on the Reformer. Yep, he was the

inventor of Pilates, or "Controlology" as he called it

What about yoga?
Although yoga is ancient it’s not old! Yoga is continually evolving and many popular forms are recent innovations, such as Bikram or “hot” yoga (practiced in 40 °C heat!) which was developed in the 1960s. Most yoga classes provide a total body workout as well as paying attention to breathing and mental focus. Some forms of yoga, like restorative yoga, are more focused on relaxation and improving flexibility.

A yoga class.

Ultimately different people are looking for different things in an exercise class. If you are interested in combining exercise with relaxation, meditation, and spirituality then yoga is definitely worth exploring. Pilates mat classes are great for beginners, but if you are recovering from an injury or have back pain, studio Pilates will be more tailored to your needs.

What's right for YOU
Both Pilates and yoga will make you stronger and more flexible, but only if you commit to practicing them regularly. Of course you don’t have to choose one or the other, and if you have the opportunity to try both yoga and Pilates, they can complement each other very well.

If you’re intrigued by studio Pilates, why not take advantage of our free trial offer? Call 01608 666 999 or email pilatesplace@btconnect.com to book yours.