Blog

Pilates recommended by Osteoporosis experts.

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Pilates recommended by Osteoporosis experts.

Osteoporosis International Journal has written a guide for health professional working in rehabilitation for patients with Osteoporosis. The techniques described are basically Pilates showing how spot on the Pilates technique really is.

There’s a summary of the journal advice here…http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/health/28backsb.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper

It talks about avoiding stomach crunches/sit ups done in the way typically seen in gyms and other fitness classes, lots of repetitions, done at full speed where the back is jerked up off the floor putting pressure on the lower spine. The internal organs are pushed aside and the stomach compacted. Doing lots of repetitions means good technique is lost and the head is often pulled up by the arms. It is of course possible to do a good sit up but its not often seen in a gym/large class environment, in fact as an ex gym-bunny myself I can truly say I used to do sit ups all wrong! In Pilates a curl up would be done in a much slower, controlled way, lengthening the spine, peeling up off the mat bone by bone and replacing the same way. Only a few reps would be done as we look for quality and not quantity.

Other tips talk about maintaining good core strength when picking up objects and moving the body and maintaining a good posture. Again Pilates will help with this. I know that I am now so aware of my posture and the way I move that I tend to auto correct myself at points in the day. So if I bend to pick up the baby moving from my waist I tell myself off and practise doing it moving from the hips instead. Over time it becomes a habit. My shoulders used to be hunched up by my ears and after a while of working on that I now keep them pulled down properly (most of the time!).

So…not only is Pilates good for toning and building that all important core strength but the Pilates lifestyle is recommended for bone health. Fab news.

Pilates a good tonic for sleepless nights.

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Pilates a good tonic for sleepless nights.

This week I’ve had a teething baby which has meant little sleep and lots of energy exerted in looking after a grizzly one. You’d think with all of that teaching Pilates would seem like a chore. But not at all. Its totally revived and refreshed me.

And its not just me, I quote a lady from my post-natal class:

It seems that Pilates also cures headaches – feeling so much better now. Thank you Priya .

So if you’re feeling in need of a little pick me up Pilates could be the perfect tonic for you!

After another night of little sleep I’m looking forward to a Pilates and stretching session all of my own later on.

Rolling away those aches.

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Rolling away those aches.

I’ve finally treated myself and bought some Pilates rollers. Funny way to treat myself I know, but I do love rollers. For those of you now in the know this is a roller… you lie on them on your backs and they make you more unstable so its harder work doing your basic exercises.

Photo of me on the roller to follow, the baby isn't quite able to take photos yet.

This week I’ve introduced them gently to most of my classes. Monday evening (the rowdy lot) I went in to find one person stood on their roller, one person with one above their head and lots of giggles. I’m not 100% sure how the rollers went down with these guys, there were a few mumbles that they were too firm to lie on, and they certainly made people concentrate hard and work hard as there was little of the usual chatter going on. Hopefully over time we shall get used to them in class. So far we’ve just done very gentle exercises on them, but will hopefully work up to removing both legs from the mat and doing some One leg Stretches etc…

As I had a smaller class for post natal Pilates we also used the rollers. I wasn’t sure how this would go down but the mummies loved them. Mainly because of the way you can hug the roller with your shoulder blades and get a really, really good upper back stretch. Gets rid of the breastfeeding/carrying baby tension. I think these will be coming out regularly with this class.

After all the fuss my husband was keen to join in so last night he had a bit of roller action too. He actually quite liked just lying on them. Bit of a funny scene as the two of us just lay stretched out on the rollers for a while, till baby Tew needed some cuddles, then she came in too and watched mummy demo some moves. I am the family entertainment.

 

The Pilates time test

Priya TewLeave a Comment on The Pilates time test

It’s fair to say that I know most of my Monday night class quite well because they have been coming to my classes for some time. So that means I’m always on the lookout for new class ideas to stretch and enthuse them and am also able to try new things out with them, be a bit more experimental. This week at a request from a class participant we did a time test. I designed a class where the majority of the exercises could be measured in some way, so we looked things like the number of press ups that could be done and how long the plank could safely be held for. We worked though all the main muscle groups in the body rather than concentrating on the core alone including resistance bands to work the arms and deltoids. I’m hoping that when we repeat this in a few weeks we’ll see improvements.

The initial feedback from the class was how hard it was to time exercises and have an aim to hold things for a 60 seconds, it seemed to make people work harder. However I was also aware that people may push themselves a bit too hard and compromise on the quality of the move. In Pilates we like quality rather than quantity. At the very least this made a fun, different way to teach a class but hopefully it challenged the class and will encourage them in a few weeks when we redo some of the exercises and see improvements.

Mobility changes in just 3 weeks!

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Mobility changes in just 3 weeks!

Yesterday was the 3rd week of my Thursday classes and it’s lovely to see people becoming more and more used to Pilates.

I have 2 ladies coming who have both had double hip replacements. Their aims include building strength, mobility and flexibility. Usually 1 of these ladies is unable to roll down through her spine, bend her knees and come down to the mat. Instead she uses the windowsill to lever herself down. So it was exciting to see her manage to come down to the mat for the first time! I’m looking forward to seeing some significant improvements in these 2 ladies.

I saw similar progress in the afternoon class with a lady who had been unable to get up from the mat from a kneeling position, now able to do so. This particular lady was also looking stronger in her core and less wobbly.

Other feedback I have had from these classes is how relaxed Pilates makes people feel, that they are becoming a bit more body aware and how it is making them think about their posture at other points of the week. All this in just 3 weeks! I can’t wait to see what 3 months does 🙂

What others think about Post Natal Pilates.

Priya TewLeave a Comment on What others think about Post Natal Pilates.

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!

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Exercising Babies!

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…

Priya TewLeave a Comment on So this is what makes me love teaching Pilates…

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

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Fitting in Exercise

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

Priya TewLeave a Comment on Back to Basics

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!