priya tew | Pilates with Priya

The FIRST Pre/Postnatal Twitter Chat – Tues 12 Aug 2014 #ppnchat

22 July, 2025 Priya Tew

How exciting is this? I’m working with Claire Mockridge (another fab pre/postnatal instructor) to bring you the first pre/postnatal twitter chat. A great chance for instructors to network, information share and learn from each other.

Twitter is a great place to meet others and pick up top tips. I’m regularly found taking part in twitter chats.

So… if, like me, you work with pregnant or postnatal women, pop this date/time in your diary: Beautiful pregnant woman.

Tuesday 12 August 2014
2:30pm GMT (click here to calculate your timezone if you’re not in the UK/Europe)

Make sure you’re following me on Twitter here:

@pilateswpriya

Save this hashtag now: #ppnchat

The will be centred around the word ‘community’.

It can be pretty lonely out there if you’re one of the only Pre/Postnatal Experts in your area. This is where social media can be a Godsend. I often ask advice and seek out others who I can learn from in this way. Community is important so come and build it with us.

Don’t worry if you’re a complete novice when it comes to Twitter.

This Twitter chat is for ANYONE who works with pregnant or postnatal women, eg Reflexologists, Fertility Experts, Massage Therapists, Baby Yoga Teachers, Physios, Chiropractors, Osteopaths – you name it!

We will be encouraging people to introduce themselves, answer a few community-themed questions to get the conversation flowing and hopefully enable you to connect with others around you in similar fields of study or locality.

A FEW GUIDELINES…

Every tweet you send must contain the hashtag #ppnchat (otherwise you’ll be just talking to yourself)
There will be 5 questions on the #ppnchat which will be numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 and so on, as follows:
- Q1 – What products/services do you provide for pre/postnatal women and which city/area are you based? #ppnchat
- Q2 – How important is it for pre/postnatal women to be introduced to other mums-to-be and new mums nowadays? #ppnchat
- Q3 – How do you help your pre/postnatal clients find other women just like them? #ppnchat
- Q4 – Do you find it lonely sometimes working in this specialist field? How do you combat that? #ppnchat
- Q5 – What local businesses do you network with to help promote your products/services? #ppnchat
When answering a question, please include ‘Q1′ at the beginning, followed by your answer eg Q1 I’m Claire, an Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert running fitness and Pilates classes for pre/postnatal women in Nottingham#ppnchat
Tweets must be fewer than 140 characters, so keep things short where
Twitter’s tagline is ‘Join the Conversation’, so please don’t be shy!

And, there you have it!

If you can’t make the FIRST #ppnchat on Tuesday 12 August 2014, don’t worry – just search the hashtag when you’re next online and connect with those who took part afterwards. It won’t be a waste, I’m sure.

Please help spread the word about #ppnchat on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or via your mailing list.

See you ‘virtually’ on Tuesday at 2:30pm!

Regards

Claire Mockridge and Priya Tew

Say NO to Sit Ups

8 August, 2014 Priya Tew

Sit-ups are one of those exercises that I’m really not keen on. Many people perform them incorrectly, they are not safe in pregnancy or post-birth… and yet they are often one of the main exercises people will be doing.

A sit up or any variation of this movement where you go into forward flexion , bringing your upper body towards your knees, is not a good thing for postnatal women. In fact it can cause more harm than good as it works the tummy muscles in the wrong way. So, if you’ve recently had a baby and you’re doing sit ups, STOP them immediately.

Sit ups work the tummy muscles that run vetically down the tummy, called the Rectus Abdominis but commonly known as the six-pack muscle. These lengthen in pregnancy and as your baby grows and your bump gets bigger, this muscle my start to separate around your belly button. The abdominals can take time to come back to normal after your baby has been born, so for several weeks and indeed months after birth, these muscle remains in a lengthened, separated state.

The danger of doing sit ups in this state is that you can widen any separation you may have of the abdominals and you can actually strengthen the muscles to stay in this separated state. The long term problems with separation include the risk of a hernia (the intestines poke out as there are no tummy muscles covering them), pelvic floor weakness and it also means you won’t get a flat tummy back again.

Instead of doing sit ups, you need to focus on strengthening the pelvic floor and the Transversus Abdominis, which runs like a corset around your lower tummy. By strenghtening these muscle that are deep inside you will strengthen the body from the outside in. These muscles are your foundation, once they are working then they will help realign any abdominal separation you may have and will knit you together again.

Our specialist Postnatal Pilates class and our DVD focuses on strengthening these muscles in the correct order. So we find the lower tummy (transversus abdominus) muscle first, along with the pelvic floor. We then shorten the rectus abdominus muscles running down the tummy. When this is strong enough and any abdominal separation has been realigned, then the other tummy muscles can be worked.

How to deal with cramps

2 August, 2014 Priya Tew

Quite often in class people tell me that they have got cramp, usually in their feet or legs. It’s a common Pilates issue but one that can be avoided or worked on.

Cramps in your feet can be due to:

1. Dehydration. I find myself that if I have not drunk enough water before class I can get cramp. Make sure you stay well dehydrated and see if it makes a difference.

2. Your foot muscles are out of shape and are fatiguing. If you are not used to Pilates style exercises they can be hard work for your legs and feet. These exercises often work eccentrically, they focus on lengthening the muscles which cna lead to more cramping than concentric exercises that focus on shortening muscles.

3. Overly pointing and flexing the feet or pointing too much through your toes. When you point try not to fous on the toes but move through the ankle instead. Sound odd? Give it a go. Practise pointing and flexing in this way when sat at home.

4. Weak arches or fallen arches. Wearing high heels and standing for long periods of time can exacerbate this issue. Walking barefoot is great for strengthening your feet. Also you can do some simple foot strengthening exercises, these are described below.

Foot Strengthening Exercises:

Tennis Ball exercise: Stand with your foot over a tennis ball or spikey ball. Drape your toes over towards the floor and push your weight down through your foot. Repeat with the ball further back towards your heel.

Cherry Picking: Lie on your back in neutral with one leg up in the air, foot flexed towards the ceiling. Point the foot, now scrunch up the toes as if picking up a pen with them. Keep them scrunched for as long as possible whilst you draw the foot back to flexed. If you are pregnant try this one seated on the floor or on a chair/ball.

How to Exercise with Your Baby!

13 July, 2014 Priya Tew

Life changes dramatically after your have a baby. Everyone told me this before I had baby 1 but I didn’t really believe it until it happened. Suddenly I went from someone who could spend long periods of time in the gym and go for a run whenever I wanted… to someone who had a baby who fed for 14 hours a day, someone who was living off a few hours sleep, someone who had a small person dependant on them.

Yet I can tell you I still managed to fit in exercise. Even after baby 2 when I had even less sleep and even less time. I wouldn’t say I’m a fitness addict or a superstar mum. I’m just someone who knows that exercise: 1) Boosts my endorphin levels so makes me feel good, 2) Gives me more energy, 3) Helps me tone up and get back in shape.

This is how I fit exercise in…

Walks with the pram. With my first baby I regularly went out for an afternoon walk to help her sleep and to get myself some exercise and fresh air. With my second baby I combine with with a trip to the park to wear out the toddler!
Running with the pram. I did this alot with my first baby, she loved it and still does at 3 1/2 years “Mummy go faster”.

I went back to teaching my Step Aerobics and Pilates classes as soon as I could. Personally I needed this baby free time. If you can find a postnatal exercise class then go and do it.
Put the baby in a door bouncer or a bouncy chair, put on a postnatal fitness DVD and let them watch. I now do this with the baby watching and the toddler copying me.
Wear the baby in a sling and go walking, up hill or up and down the stairs is especially good.
Once the small ones are asleep have a set night you go out to exercise or do some exercise at home.
Exercise with other mummies – either in a class or go walking together.

I’ve even been know to teach and do Pilates classes with baby asleep in the sling…. but I wouldn’t recommend you try this out.

Try it out, I promise it will make you feel good 🙂

Stretch, Release and Strengthen.

29 June, 2014 Priya Tew

Often when people come to Pilates they just want to work their core, which I completely get. Coming to Pilates from a fitness instructor background I also had that mentality of wanting to work hard, wanting to feel it working and wanting to feel the aches afterwards. I’ve had to relearn things and now Pilates has changed the way I do other forms of exercise too. I hear some of our clients saying the same thing. It ruins you, this Pilates thing 😉

You definitely should feel your abdominals working in Pilates and you may well feel the aftereffects the next day. But just focusing on working the core isn’t enough. You need a whole body approach and body awareness. Knowing which parts of your body need strengthening, which parts are tights and need stretching and which parts are overworking and need releasing is so key. For example having weak gluteals can affect your posture and your back. Being tight in one hip can lead to your compensating and working harder on one side than the other. Tight hamstrings are something I often see and this can cause back issues and restrict movement as well as affect posture.

So make sure you are not just working your core. Also think about finding exercises that strengthen other areas such as your gluteals, shoulders and upper back. Take time to think about where in the body your are tight, where your movement feels restricted and then work on releasing. A foam roller or a spiky ball is your friend here. Always take time to stretch and try not to rush this, using a band can help you increase stretches and develop them further. Ask your instructor for some good exercises to help you, or book a one to one session for a posture assessment and individual advice. It will really make a difference.

We can order you rollers, balls and bands for collection from the studio.

To book a one to one session with Priya please get in touch,

Foam Roller Exercises to release tension in neck and shoulders.

12 May, 2014 Priya Tew

I literally love rollers. They are so good for core workouts but also great for muscle and fascia release. If you don’t have one in your house you really need one.

If you sit for hours at a desk or feed and carry a baby then spend time hunched over playing on the floor and changing nappies then these exercises are going to make your shoulders sing with joy!

Pectoral Stretch

Lie on your side with your knees bent and the roller under your neck, both arms in front of you at chest height.

Engage your core, then as you breath out open the top arm in an arc, keeping the hips facing forward so you don’t roll back. Keep looking at your finger tips, breath in and hold the stretch. Now breath out and return to the starting position.

Shoulder Drops

Lie on top of the roller, with it going down the length of your spine. Ensure your neck is supported and the whole of your spine is on it. Bring your feet to hip distance apart and your pelvis into neutral. Now open your shoulder over the roller, think about hugging it with your shoulder blades.

Bring your arms up so your finger tips are towards the ceiling, as you breath out stretch up to the ceiling, release the shoulder blades back down to the roller, keeping your elbows straight. Think about releasing tension and dropping the shoulders back down with energy.

Chicken Wings

Stay lying on the roller with the pelvis in neutral and the shoulder blades hugging the roller. Keeping the core switched on, bring the arms up with finger tips towards the ceiling. As you breath out slide the elbows down towards the floor, feeling the shoulder blades being squeezed together. Breath in to bring the arms back up and repeat.

Double Arm Floats

Lying on the roller with the spine in neutral and the core engaged – bring the arms up to the ceiling once more. As you breath out take the arms towards your head, but not over your head. You want to bring your elbows to your ears, but not to go further than this or your shoulders will come out of the correct position. Keep your ribcage heavy and your lower back in neutral. Breath in to hold and breath out to return the arms to the starting position. Keep your focus on you shoulders and ribcage.

Beyond Your Bump: Postnatal Pilates DVD

30 July, 2025 Priya Tew

Having a new born baby is hard work. Amongst the nappy changes, feeds, lack of sleep and recovering from the birth itself, there can be little time to think about exercise! The demands of pregnancy and then the energies of labour put a great stress on your body and it needs time to recover and heal. So you may not feel like rushing straight back into exercise and that is understandable. However your body also needs the strength to carry, feed and lift without causing aches, pains and issues later down the line.

Pilates is the perfect compromise with this. It is exercise that can be started soon after birth but won’t feel too strenuous. Being able to do just 10 minutes a day will make such a difference to your body. Getting to a class can be stressful with a baby. Help is at hand. We run postnatal classes with a creche provided. Or our “Beyond Your Bump” DVD means you get the experience and benefit of a postnatal class devised by a Pilates specialist, ready to do in your home around your baby.

This is an hour long DVD in several sections that will:

Strengthen your abdominals.
Targets your bum, legs and tum.
Help with any pelvis pain.
Work your pelvic floor in a functional manner.
Correct upper body posture.

ESSENTIAL FOR ALL NEW MUMS.

My little ones have always loved sitting in a bouncy chair watching me do exercise – why not see if yours does too!

Top Tips for C section Recovery.

30 July, 2025 Priya Tew

Around 25% of all births in the UK were delivered by section (2008). Some women have no choice and have to have a section, for others it’s an emergency procedure and for some it’s a choice. However it happens, recovery is different to a natural birth.

What is a c-section?

It’s an incision made horizontally, just above your pubic line. Most people think the abdominal muscles are cut (I did until I researched it!) however they aren’t. It’s the outer coating of the muscle, and the connective tissue in between the 6-pack (rectua abdominis) muscles that is cut. The incision is made on the outside of your body horizontally, and then your Linea Alba is puled apart (vertically) to gain access. The Linea Alba runs vertically down your stomach, and separates your six pack muscles in half, above and below your belly button. The outside incision is then sutured back together, but the inside tissue is not.

What about my core and pelvic floor?

If you elect to have a section, there’s a misconception that your pelvic floor will be fine. You might think that because your body won’t be going through the stages of labour and pushing out a baby, your pelvic floor won’t be affected. This is where you’re WRONG! Pregnancy itself puts tremendous pressure on your pelvic floor, as the weight of your developing baby gets bigger and bigger, and therefore weakens these muscles. So, it’s still very important that you strengthen your core, pelvic floor and legs/bum muscles during and after pregnancy, even if you elected to have a section. You also want to protect and help your pelvis remain strong so Pilates style exercises are essential to help with this

When can I return to exercise after a c-section?

A c-section is major surgery, so think about how muhc recover time you would need after abdominal surgery for example, you wouldnt’ go rushing back too soon would you. Make sure you have had your postnatal check up before your return to exercise, which, depending on your Doctor’s Practice/Surgery could be 6 weeks -10 weeks. Your midwife will also keep checking you and any questions should be directed to them. I believe postnatal women should return to exercise following a c-section, after medical clearance and when they feel ready. It’s major surgery after all, and your body will need time to heal. Whenever you return to exercise you will need to build it up, don’t go straight back to the levle of exercise you used to do 😉

What is recovery like after a c-section?

After a c-section, your recover time is longer than a natural birth, you may have a loss of sensation, a numbness in your abdominals especially around the scar area, and the scar tissue itself may reduce your ability to do certain movements completely pain-free. Your pelvic floor may take a little while to activate consciously too, but keep sending the signal from your brain to these muscles, and eventually, it will switch back on, I promise.

What exercise is safe after a c-section?

Postnatal-specific Pilates-based or core exercise is probably THE best form of exercise for any new mum to be doing, regardless of the type delivery. Pelvic floor and core activation work makes up the main focus of any postnatal recovery program if you’ve had your baby via section. I always perform a “Rec Check” to see if a separation is still existent in my clients abdominals, and our classes and DVD then use re-activation and re-education exercises to the pelvic floor and abdominals to help the muscles return to their original strength and fire properly. We also work on strengthening the thighs and bum as the pelvis is often still fragile and needs supporting. Correcting your posture is also key, you wouldn’t thik it but bad posture such as hunched shoulders can affect your “mummy tummy” area from becoming strong, toned and functioning properly.

Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix cure for strengthening the abdominals following a section. It can take months of training, careful instruction and lots of homework. If your abdominals aren’t assessed and addressed early following the correct procedures and using the correct techniques, then they may stay in a weakened state for the rest of your life, which can lead to poor posture, pelvic discomfort and lower back pain. The good news though, with the right assessment, instruction and homework, it is fixable.

Our “Beyond Your Bump” DVD will give you exercises and advice to help with your recovery postnatally.

Southampton Customer Service Award

26 April, 2014 Priya Tew

We are thrilled to have been nominated and have made it through the to semi-finals for the Venus Awards Customer Service Award.

I must admit I don’t tend to tink a lot about our customer service, it is just something we do. We naturally try out best to accomodate all our clients the best that we can, respons to enquiries quicly and be approachable. We also love to get to know our clients and to help them out however we can – which can range from meeting people for a cuppa, running with a new idea someone suggests or recommending other local businesses to them.

The voting for this award is only open until Thursday so if you could pop over and give us a little vote we would appreciate it 🙂

Thankyou

Priya and James x

Pilates: how to breath.

9 March, 2014 Priya Tew

Often when people start Pilates the breathing can be the bit that they struggle with the most. I often hear “I just can’t get the breathing” or “I want to breath in/out at the wrong time”. I must admit that I was the same. I found the breathing back to front and hard to master. Coming from an aerobics background I wasn’t used to using my breathing in a slow controlled way.

I’ve been focusing on the breathing with my classes, using a resistance band gently pulled around the ribcage to act as a guide. Feedback has included:

“It’s made me slow down and focus more”

“I can feel my core working more”

“It has made it harder”

“It makes me more aware of my body and what I am doing”

When performing the Pilates exercises getting in touch with the core muscles is essential to doing the exercises correctly. The core is like a house consist of the pelvic floor (floor), transverse abdominis (front wall), multifidus (back wall), and diaphragm (roof). Deep breathing is an essential part of maximizing this. When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts downward drawing in air, allowing the lungs to inflate like balloons expanding in your ribcage, without the shoulders lifting or the abdomen being pushed outwards. It’s known as lateral breathing. When you exhale, the diaphragm returns pushing air out. Deep core muscles act as a brace around your spine to support and protect your back. Practise breathing with your core engaged, with every out breath feeling the strength of your core. Generally in Pilates you exhale on the hardest part of the exercise when you need the most core strength. So this would be when you push up in a press up or when you curl up in an exercise for example.

To practise this breathing try placing your hands on your ribcage with your longest fingers touching. As you breath in focus on your fingers moving apart and your ribcage expanding whilst your shoulders stay still. As you breath out your fingers return to touch. Breath into your ribcage. You may feel lightheaded when doing this, its deep breathing so takes some practise if you are not used to it but can be a very helpful practice in helping calm people and is used in meditation, showing the multiple benefits of Pilates.

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