Author: Priya Tew

What others think about Post Natal Pilates.

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Below is a blogged post from a lovely mummy who attends Post natal Pilates…. Lucy you are awesome.

Since February I have been attending post natal pilates classes with this lovely lady.

There are 3 of us who regularly attend the classes, although this is about to increase to 7.We bring our babies with us and we can pop in and out of the class as and when our babies need a feed or a change. Sometime the babies come into the studio with us, and sometimes Priya’s husband becomes “Daddy day-care” and looks after them.

While Pilates alone won’t help me lose weight (only aerobic exercise and a healthy diet will do that) it does tone muscles. Pilates focuses on your core muscles, and I’ve found over time that my posture has really improved. I’m now standing taller and straighter. It’s also helping me to become aware of my body, posture and core muscles when I’m doing my other exercises, especially when I go for a run.
The other thing I love, is how invigorated and refreshed I feel afterwards. It really spurs me on and motivates me to exercise more.

But if I’m honest, what I love the most about these classes is the good company. As we are all mummies with similar aged babies, it’s great to exchange stories and share handy hints and tips while we work on toning up our post pregnancy tums!

Exercising Babies!

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So my baby is pretty amazing in my book. Tuesdays are always a busy day as I have a one to one Pilates session, a post natal Pilates class and Step Aerobics. Normally Daddy day care is around all day, he keeps the babe asleep whilst I go out to teach in the morning and he looks after all the babies for our post natal class. So I was a bit anxious about  the day without him, especially running post natal pilates without him around. However the baby was amazing, she ended up coming to all 3 classes. She slept in her sling for most of the first session, then slept a bit of the second and played/had cuddles and finally came to the gym for Step Aerobics as Daddy was stuck in traffic! Not many babes get to as many classes as she does.

 

And my concerns about Post Natal Pilates were unfounded, it rocked today. It was a lot of fun. We only had 4 mums today, 3 of the lovely ladies who have been coming for months and have slightly older babes who tend to amuse themselves now, so we put them on a large playmat in the room.

Then it was lovely to welcome a new mum with an 8 week old baby who sat in his car seat, looking generally gorgeous and made us all broody. The babies were all stars and they actually seemed to enjoy watching the mums, the older ones spent quite a bit of time staring at me, the funny looking woman doing strange things with her arms and legs! What was even lovelier was hanging out with some of the mums at the end for a cuppa, sharing news and tips. I really do love teaching this class.

So this is what makes me love teaching Pilates…

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It was week 2 of my new Thursday classes yesterday which meant I got to catch up with people and hear their feedback on their first Pilates session. I love feedback, I find it really helpful to know what’s working and what’s not. The classes I teach aren’t for me they are for my clients, so need to be hitting the right balance of enjoyment, challenge, and hard work.

The feedback I had yesterday was how relaxed and well people had felt after their first session and how the second session was much easier in terms of they felt they understood more of what to do. Being a beginner in Pilates is hard! There’s so much to learn, a whole new language of exercises, ways to hold your body, breathing, muscles to find and people to meet. It takes a while for all of that to become second nature, but once it does it is well worth it. But often after just 1 session Pilates makes you feel different, I love that. I also love the fun of teaching beginners as they discover a whole new way to exercise and think about their body.

The other thing I love is getting to know people. Teaching small classes and one to one’s means you get a chance to talk to people and build friendships. Friendships also start up between class members and classes that start out quiet with no talking turn into laughter and jokes over the weeks.

Do you need a new challenge? Some new people to get to know?

Fitting in Exercise

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It’s been a busy week and fitting in my own exercise around babies, household jobs, dietitian work and Pilates classes can be difficult, but not impossible! Today I managed a 30 minute circuit whilst the babe slept in the hallway (before you wonder….in her car-seat). I love trying out new things and this circuit was something I’d found on another blog. It involved lots of weights split up with intervals of skipping and running. Certainly a good way to get a quick but good workout sorted. Plus the baby stayed asleep long enough for me to plan out some Pilates classes and get some practise in on my Teaser, Jack knife and Rollover, my 3 fav exercises at the moment!

 

Back to Basics

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So the new classes have started off really well. 7 new people have come along to try out Pilates along with some old faces who have done it before. It’s always a bit nerve wracking teaching new people, wondering if they will like it, what their style is and what their capabilities are. Wanting to push them not too hard but just hard enough. Hopefully I will get to know the new people over the next few weeks and help them fall in love with Pilates.

 

Teaching new people has made me go all the way back to the basics of Pilates  and its been a good reminder on how much there is to remember and do for each exercise – the breathing, the posture, the movement, the muscles to tense, the muscle to relax, the muscles to notice working. Somehow after a while this all becomes second nature but there is also always improvement to make. I’m finding that with my teaching technique, the longer I teach for the more aware I become of how people’s bodies move, what needs correcting and how to talk through exercises. It also makes me go back to doing some of the basic exercises in preparation for the class, I like to remind myself of how the exercises feel by doing them. Some things like simple knee folds and the star are basic exercises but still challenging if done correctly, the joy of a good Pilates class, everyone can join in at their own level.

As for me, I’m working on my Teaser at present….it’s flipping hard work!

Tomorrow is the launch day for new Pilates classes!

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So tomorrow I am launching 2 new Pilates classes, I’m very excited. There’s a brand new 45 minute Mixed Ability morning class at 9.55am and then the restart of the 5.30pm Beginners class.

The studio has been swept and the mats given an extra clean in anticipation. I’m a little bit on edge about the baby and whether she is going to stay asleep for the morning class, but my husband is around in case! I’m looking forward to seeing some new faces and learning about some new body types. Teaching Pilates can often be challenging as you face the need to reducate people on postural issues and body shape issues in a gentle but effective manner. It’s a hands on job and one in which I am constantly learning from my clients. Very rewarding when you see someones body shape change over a number of weeks or see their excitement as they realise how strong they have become in a certain area.

I still have 1 space for June in the morning class and 2 spaces in the afternoon class. So let me know if you’d like to come along.

The History of Pilates

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Pilates is an exercise method that was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920′s, he called it “Contrology”.  Joseph Pilates suffered from various serious illnesses during his childhood and doctors warned his parents that he would have a short life expectancy. He was determined from a young age not to succumb to the doctors prognosis and began to experiment with a wide range of health and fitness regimes in his attempt to rebuild his body strength. He studied yoga, martial arts, gymnastics, skiing, dance, weight training and even circus skills,

Then in the 1920’s he ended up in a German internment camp, it was here his Pilates techniques were birthed. He used easily available objects as athletic equipment to strengthen core muscles. He soon started training his fellow detainees with fitness exercises as a form of rehabilitation from injury and disease, using bed springs and beer keg rings, to create resistance exercise equipment for his patients.

In the mid 1920′s Joseph Pilates emigrated to America where he and his wife, Clara, set up a studio teaching Contrology to, among others, members of the New York City Ballet which was located nearby.

It was only after his death that Contrology came to be known as Pilates; and as his students spread across the world they took the method with them and developed it further.

 

Pilates that is now taught is a largely modified version of Contrology as modern day bodies are slightly different to Joseph’s. But the benefits and principles are the same. Pilates is based on anatomy and physiology, it looks at how the muscles work and has works with your body. By this I mean weak muscles will be strengthening and over tight muscles stretched out. Through doing the exercises you become more “body aware” which means you learn about your posture and your bodies imbalances, after a few classes you’ll find yourself standing taller, looking straighter and feeling calmer. Come and give it a go!

Pippa Middleton praises Pilates.

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Pilates has just got some great press from the Royal Wedding – did you see it? This link should help you out…

A quote from Pippa Middleton :

“Whether it’s 7am in the morning or 7pm at night I always leave feeling calm, refreshed and invigorated. Over the past few months I have noticed a huge difference in my core strength and posture and couldn’t recommend M more highly as an instructor.

“From breathing techniques, muscle toning to overall flexibility and relaxation, my Pilates sessions have become something of a weekly necessity that keeps me fit, happy and energized.”

A perfect sum up of Pilates! Though I’d add that a few sessions Pilates won’t necessarily give you Pippa’s figure, healthy eating, cardiovascular exercise and hard work alongside Pilates is the key to that. Pilates will help you tone up your body, strengthen it and show you how to use your core muscles and correct your postural imbalances.

Pilates rejuvenated me today

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So having a 6 month old baby can be tiring.. as gorgeous and well behaved as she is there are times where the sleep deprivation and constant nature of a baby can take it’s toll and leave you feeling rather knackered. After a few nights of 4 hours or less sleep I was feeling particularly weary today and baby brain was setting in fast.

It was time for post natal pilates, a small class today but my goodness was it a good one! Working with people over time means you get to know their personalities, their bodies, their abilities and their attitude to exercise. So today I was able to push the class hard and push myself as well. As the instructor I don’t expect to be able to do that much of a class, but sometimes it just works that I can. This was one of those days, in fact its been one of those weeks! We focused on core strength and the triceps plus the outer thigh (abductors). By the end of the class I felt totally refreshed and like a new woman.

An extra bonus today was the babies were stars and happily played with James for the entire session! Yay babies 🙂

Thursday morning Pilates has only 1 space left for June, 3 spaces for Thursday afternoons.

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So it appears you people wanted a morning Pilates class as I’ve had a great response and now only have 1 space left for most of June! I do have odd weeks when I’m not full so do contact me on an ad hoc basis if you’d like to drop in for a session.

I have 3 spaces left for the Thurs afternoon class so would love to hear from you if you want to give Pilates a go. Once you try it you’ll be a convert!

Priya