Category: Everything Else

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome: Exercises to help.

Priya Tew

Even had pins and needled that leads to numbness? Annoying isn’t it. Well it’s even worse when it’s recurring and affects your fingers and thumbs. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome is a condition caused by compression of the media nerve in the wrist, this nerve controls sensation and movement in the hand. It can occur in pregnancy and post-natally.

Symptoms include tingling, pins and needles and numbness in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger. You may also get a dull ache in the wrist and thumb or grip weakness. The pins and needles is generally there at a low level all of the time but gets worse at night and when applying pressure throught the wrist, flexing it and at night.

The median nerve starts in the mid-side of your neck, travels down your arm, through the front of the elbow and into the wrist. The carpel tunnel is in the wrist, it is made up of 8 bones and a sheath that forms a tunnel over the top that the median nerve runs through.

I developed Carpel Tunnel Syndrome at around 4 months after the birth of baby 2. I think it was from holding the babies head in feeding as I had to feed on the go a lot, chasing a toddler.

For some people the symptoms will disappear after a time, for others steroid injections or even surgery are needed. Sounds pretty horrible doesn’t it. There are however some things that you can do to help.

1. Wear a splint and rest the wrist when possible.

2. Get a massage to release tension in the neck and shoulders.

3. Get a soft small ball or stress ball and gently squeeze and release it.

4. Hold your arm straight out to the side, flex the wrist so fingers point towards the floor. Now tilt the head away from that arm so your ear comes towards your other shoulder and hold.

Carpel Tunnel Stretch

5. Hold your arm in front of you and make a fist for 5 seconds. Next straight out the fingers and hold the hand out straight for 5 seconds. Make a duck’s beak shape with your thumb underneath for 5 seconds. Turn the hand over so palm is facing up and use your other hand to grap your thumb, pull down for 5 seconds.

6. Fold a towel and drape over your shoulder, apply pressure by pulling on the ends of the towel with the other hand. Now tilt the head away from the towel towards the opposite shoulder to get a good neck stretch.

Pilates and Diabetes.

Priya Tew

Recently we spent the day at the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation’s Wellness Day in Southampton, where we basically hung out and chatted about Pilates 🙂

The team that run these days are a joy to work with, they are always laid back but well run affairs, the delegates are particularly well looked after and the educational session run are filled with great speakers and information. So we were delighted and honoured to be asked to be there. I was there to give a talk, demonstration and we had a table with a selection of our DVD’s and Pilates info.

Pilates in my mind is suitable for almost all population groups as it is such an adaptable form of exercise, you can tailor the exercises. Diabetes can be a debilitating and difficult to manage condition unless you have the right support. Diet and exercise really are key to good management. Here is a summary of my top 5 reasons Pilates can help in Diabetes:

1. Pilates provides a gentle yet effective way to exercise, it’s great if you are concerned about exercising but know you need to start .

2. Some exercises can help stimulate the nerves in the feet, for example spiky ball under the feet, this could help with neuropathy prevention.

3. Exercises can be performed seated rather than lying down, no equipment or gym membership is needed.

4. Pilates improves mobility, flexibility and muscular strength.

5. Combining Pilates with a healthy diet and some walking will help with weight loss.

I spoke to about 100 people, had them all on their feet mobilising and finding their core! We had some fantastic feedback and lots of questions.

My Antenatal Pilates DVD went down very well as it is based on seated, stood and side lying exercises, so although I’ve marketed this as great for use in pregnancy it is also fabulous for older populations and those who want to do Pilates but don’t want to lie flat on their backs or tummies.

 

Pilates for Posture

Priya Tew

It’s amazing. The more I do Pilates, the more I learn and the more I learn, the more I fall in love with it all over again.

This week I’ve been tired. Toddler is teething and waking in the night. My health isn’t in the best of places. Teaching 10 Pilates classes plus 2 Step and some one to one sessions has felt like it should be too much. You know what – it has actually refreshed me and held me together.

My aches, pains, clicks and gripes usually get soothed and sorted by Pilates. Some of that is down to working hard, but a lot of that is down to the posture and poise I automatically adopt in class and when thinking about Pilates.

How many of you hunch over a desk, walk around with your pelvis/bum stuck out or cross your legs a lot? It all leads to tightness in some areas and lengthened, weak muscles in other areas. As an instructor I’m quite in tune with my body….most of the time. But at the end of a busy day when I’m tired my weaknesses slip through – I know I stick my pelvis out, am slightly lordotic and tense my shoulders. It’s a continual work in progress to counteract it all, but when I do, the results are noticeable. I feel more relaxed, less stressed and habe no back pain!

Think about your poise…..how do you sit…..how do you walk…..how do you stand…..? Is your body aligned (a plumb line from ear, through shoulder, through knee to ankle), is your pelvis in neutral, are your hips level, your shoulders relaxed? Release that tension.

Why do Pilates?

Priya Tew

What are the advantages of taking up pilates? 

Pilates is an excellent form of gentle exercise which has many physical and mental health benefits. Not only does it help to keep you strong and supple, but it is a great way to relax after a hectic or busy day.

With obesity on the rise and fast-food becoming ever cheaper, there’s no better time than now to kick-start a healthy lifestyle by joining a fitness class. If after seeing an advert for Weight Watchers or Aviva Life, you’ve decided to lead a more healthy lifestyle so you’ve joined your local gym, then why not read about all the great advantages of taking up pilates?

Pilates is an all-body workout 

Pilates does not simply focus on one part of the body like many exercises do. It provides an all-body workout which helps to keep you more supple and fit. Pilates develops your inner core strength by training the body as an integrated whole. Regular pilates classes will improve your overall strength, as well as promoting healthy muscle development.

Anyone can do pilates, any age, any type of person. Pilates is one of the most versatile and adaptable forms of exercise, so whether you’re a senior who’s just starting to exercise or you are a fitness-fanatic, the foundations of pilates still applies to you. There are umpteen possible exercises and modifications, which means you can tailor pilates poses to suit your individual needs.

Pilates tones your body rather than building muscle 

Pilates develops long, lean muscles rather than bulking you out. The ‘eccentric contraction’ stretch helps you to develop long and lean muscles which helps you to stretch and bend more easily.

Pilates builds on your core strength 

By developing your core muscles, you will improve your posture and maintain a supple back. In addition, core training promotes the development of flat abs.

 

NB: This post is a sponsored blog post.

Pilates on Holidays

Priya Tew

We’ve just been on holidays – 2 weeks in sunnier climates, time to eat well, relax well and almost sleep (I have a toddler – enough said). For some people holidays are all about switching off and lazing around. My body can only take so much of that so I travelled half way round the world with: my trainers, running kit, some Pilates DVD’s and a resistance band. My husband rolled his eyes. I ignored him.

I spent a lovely afternoon playing around in a gym, with my laptop and reistance band. Watching other instructors teach always gives me fresh ideas and makes me question why I teach things in certain ways. I love to learn, develop and keep things alive. Not only did I get more inspiration but I got a workout and relaxed all at the same time. WIN WIN.

Now I’ll admit I didn’t go for a run – I usually do on holidays, but I don’t usually have a toddler with me. This particular toddler gave me workout enough, my arms should be super strong from much carrying, dancing and rocking. We also had an active holiday with crazy train journeys, much, much swimming, jumping, chasing and playing.

What I did enjoy was a few snatched moments of making up new Step Aerobics routines in the bar, trying out Pilates exercises with variations on very hard floors and using my core whilst stood rocking a small, yet heavy one to sleep.

Do you exercise whilst on holiday? Or am I just mad?

 

Height Measure

Pilates makes you taller!

Priya Tew

I’ve had a couple of people mention to me lately that since starting Pilates they have grown from 1cm to 1.5 inches taller. Initially I laughed at this, but then I happened to re-height myself and guess what? I’ve grown too, one whole centimetre.

It got me thinking. What’s this about?

Pilates helps with alignment and posture. Over time  either the principles of neutral alignment become a bit like second nature or you end up with my voice nagging in your head…. “stand up tall with a piece of string pulling you up towards the ceiling, shoulder pulled round and down in your back, pelvis in neutral, core engaged….” So it does make sense that over time, the practise of standing tall whilst using your core can make you taller.

The normal ageing process affects our height, as the disks in the spine lose hydration and elasticity they start to shrink. Sitting at a desk hunched over a computer screen leads to the back becoming stretched, the shoulders and chest tight and the hamstrings shortened. To me this shows how much we need to focus on stretching and on proper alignment. If your muscles are tight and short it leads to pain.

Strengthening the back and stretching the shoulders and chest whilst remembering to lengthen through the neck can correct this and make you taller!

 

 

Sometimes I’m a little bit clever…. the Multifidus and Me.

Priya Tew

I’ve got a great friend who is a GP who comes to my Pilates classes and we often discuss the muscles being used in an exercise. Last week we were doing just this and I mentioned the Multifidus to which her response was “The what?” She was convinced I was making it up so this week pulled my muscle atlas off the shelf and asked me to show her….which I did 🙂

So this post is for her…

The Multifidus:

The multifidus muscles help to take pressure off the vertebral discs so that our body weight can be well distributed along the spine. These muscles are recruited during many actions in our daily living, which includes bending backward and sideways.

It works it’s way up the spine, attaching from one vertbrae to another, providing support for the spine and aiding our posture. If I was clever enough I’d draw you a picture….but I’m not, so instead try googling it!

Studies have shown that the multifidus muscles get activated before any action is carried out so to protect our spine from injury. Take for example when you are about to carry an item or before moving your arm, the mutifidus muscles will start contracting prior to the actual movement of the body and the arm so as to prepare the spine for the movement and prevent it from getting hurt.

Guess what…Pilates can help strengthen this muscle. Some of the exercises we do lying on our tummies definitely will strengthen the Multifidus muscles, meaning a stronger back and less back pain!

Pilates to RELAX.

Priya Tew

One of the reasons I love Pilates (and there are so many reasons I love it) is that it CAN be relaxing. Note the CAN. Generally my classes include a lot of hard work, concentration and often a bit of laughter thrown in as well. Or today’s classes….oven cleaning tips! Most random but actually I learnt quite a lot 😉

Evening classes in particular can be well loved for the ability Pilates has to destress, relax, work the body and sort out those aches and pains as well. I must admit tonight I did almost sink into a little nap during our relaxation and stretch section.

So if you need help relaxing, but still want to work out….please come along. However be warned, if I catch you dozing there may be a penalty of press ups 😉

 

 

Classes and Community

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Classes and Community

One thing I like about running my own classes is the way I can watch friendships being formed. So in my post natal classes the mums all become great at supporting each other, passing on tips and helping out with other babies. Books get swapped, recipes suggested, cups of tea are drunk (and yes we do also do pilates!).

In other groups that have been going a while there is always that hum of friendly chatter and banter through the class (the banter being at me or from me). Tips get shared, lifts are given to save petrol and too many cars, phone numbers exchanged and now food is shared as I was given a large bag of apples 🙂 Always a great way to make me smile as I’m a bit of a foodie and love fresh produce.

Tonight’s class had me in a fit of the giggles, I do feel exercise should be fun so it’s great when others agree and we take a moment to laugh at ourselves 🙂 Laughter can be a great release and stress buster.

So if you need some stress release in a friendly not too serious environment….come along, we’d love to see you.