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!

How to: Make Pilates a habit

Pilates rewards consistent practice. But many people find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise at home.

“To create a real lifelong habit, the focus should be on training your brain to succeed at a small adjustments, then gaining confidence from that success.”

According to this article, aiming to start doing a long exercise routine every day is a recipe for failure. Forcing yourself won't lead to success!

Instead an American psychologist has developed a three-step approach to successfully forming new habits. Applying this to Pilates can help you practice every day:

Step 1. What do you want to achieve by doing Pilates every day? Is it for general wellbeing, or to address a specific problem like back pain?

Whatever exercise you choose, make sure you know how to do it well ... spot the deliberate mistake in this photo!

Step 2. Ask your Pilates teacher what exercise will be most beneficial for you to do at home, ideally one you find easy to do.

Step 3. Invent a “tiny habit” by identifying a “trigger” to remind you to do your Pilates. This should be something you already do habitually.

For example, resolve to do two repetitions of your exercise while waiting for the kettle to boil in the morning, or a stretch after you brush your teeth.

Successfully introducing this new habit into your daily routine will give you a psychological boost and encourage you to increase your at-home Pilates practice naturally, gradually, and sustainably.

You can apply the “tiny habits” method to any other area of your life, so if you think it could benefit you click here to take the free training course online.

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 2017 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!

5 Survival Tips for Christmas and New Year ... by Pilates Expert Peta Davies

1. Sitting Pretty: Pelvic tilts
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

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

2. In the kitchen: "Active abs"
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

Be mindful of your posture in the kitchen

3. Getting stressed out? Deep breaths
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

Breathe!
Image courtesy of Pick the Brain

4. Posture check: Standing against a wall
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

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

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

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

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

Guests, goodies, and giggles! What went on at our Open Day

So, did you make it down to Stratford for our Open Day? If you did, we'd like to say a massive thank you for helping to make the day a success. If you didn't make it ... here's what you missed!

We welcomed lots of guests to the studio from 10am, including Ollie & Si from 102 Touch FM. We got them on the equipment straight away and put them through their paces!

They were very good sports, and straight away they could see the benefits of Pilates. Soon everyone wanted to try our shiny new Reformers for themselves!

We had time for a chat and a giggle too ... who said Pilates was hard work?!

When it was all over we gave out our lovely goody bags ... what did you get in yours? We loved the yummy snacks provided by local Stratford company Nuts in ya Mouth!

Goody bags waiting to be grabbed

If you came to see us on Saturday, maybe you can spot yourself in one of the fab photos taken on the day by our friends at 102 Touch FM.

Pilates: A solution for back pain

We all know someone with a bad back.

Most of us have also suffered from back pain ourselves - in fact, it's one of the most common health problems in the UK. About 30% of the workforce has taken time off because of back pain, costing the economy millions. Roughly 7 out of 10 people with back pain suffer with it for as long as ten years, or even longer!

Of course, if you have any kind of serious or persistent pain you should talk to a medical professional before doing anything else. But, if you already know what's causing your pain and there isn't a medical problem, Pilates is hands down the most effective way to treat it.

Pilates relaxes and strengthens the group of muscles that support the spine. Relaxing these muscles is crucial because tension and muscle spasms contribute to pain.

Strengthening the back muscles is one of the major benefits of Pilates. Lynne Robinson, the co-founder of Body Control Pilates, recently confirmed: "The goal of Pilates is to make the spine both stable and mobile."

A 2-Step Plan for Stopping Back Pain

1. Come to our Open Day on Saturday 19th November to learn more about how Pilates can help you... Pick up a free goody bag and try a taster Reformer class!

2. Click here to download your free copy of Peta Davies's Amazingly Simple Guide to Reduce Low Back Pain featuring 6 easy-peasy exercises to do at home.

A peek inside our new studio

What a busy couple of weeks we've had at Pilates Place... But we're happy to say the hard work has payed off and we've done it - the new studio is now open!

Here are a few pics of the studio, which is just off Guild Street in Stratford upon Avon.

Before:

After: