Tag: priya tew

How to stay on top of cooking healthy meals

Priya Tew

The craziness of 2 small children and teaching classes at times others would eat means I HAVE to be ultra-organised about our meals. It’s that or live off beans on toast, which wouldn’t be very considerate for my Pilates classes 😉

So if you also have a busy lifestyle, if you are cooking around young ones or if you are wanting to save a few pennies… read on for my top tips.

Pilates with Priya: Top Tips for Healthy Meals

My top tips:

  1. Meal Planning really does work. We have a whiteboard in our kitchen and I plan out our evening meals and some of our lunches too.
  2. Use your meal plan to shop and prepare in advance. When you have a quieter day chop up some veggies in advance for example, or boil a pile of eggs for lunches, make hummus or cook a meal to get ahead.
  3. Cook in bulk when you can. If you are doing a casserole, chilli, bolognaise, soup or freezable meal cook double and freeze it. This saves me on a regular basis on days things go wrong and I realise I’ve no time to cook!
  4. You don’t have to wait until dinner time to cook. I often end up cooking our evening meal in the morning, as that’s when I have a gap in my day. It can be quite satisfying knowing dinner is already cooked!
  5. Embrace the slow cooker love. The beauty of this is you can prep it the night before and keep it in the fridge, then switch it on in the morning and by evening you have a cooked meal, often with leftovers to freeze. See my slow cooker recipes here or my pinterest board with over 50 ideas.
  6. Have a day a week you use up the leftovers. Put them on a pizza, add to pasta, put veggies in a frittata or stir fry… it may not be a standard recipe but it can save you time, money and is inventive! See Love Food, Hate Waste for top tips and recipes.
  7. Have some emergency meals in your stores. Baked potatoes can be cooked in the microwave in 10 minutes, add tuna and sweetcorn with some chopped veggies and you have a meal. We always have a jar of pesto ready for that emergency pasta dish and frozen veggies.

What are your top tips or recipes?

For more recipes pop to Dietitian UK.

The Top 5 Exercises for a Saggy Bum!

Priya Tew

I’ve fast becoming a bit of a glut fan. If you don’t what I’m talking about then you probably are not in one of my classes, as I talk about these a lot. The gluts are the bum muscles, pretty big global muscles which if they are not functioning properly can lead to a lot of problems. There are 3 gluteal muscle: Gluteus Maximum, Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus. Pretty good names 😉

As you can probably guess, Gluteus Maximum is the biggest of the 3 and it’s one of the strongest muscles in the body, well it is meant to be. When you think of the bum muscles, it is usually this one you have in mind. It works to extend the hip, so you can move your leg backwards and out to the side. It also rotates the hip and extends the trunk.

Gluteus Maximus Muscle. © Sasham | Dreamstime.com - Exercising. Foot Moves Back To The Lower Block Photo
Gluteus Maximus Muscle.
© Sasham | Dreamstime.com – Exercising. Foot Moves Back To The Lower Block Photo

Gluteus Medius runs higher up towards the pelvis and out towards the side of the thigh. It helps extend the leg sideways and rotates it in and out. Glutus Minimus is the smallest of the 3 and it works with Gluteus Medius.

Glut Minimus Muscle
Glut Minimus Muscle © Sasham | Dreamstime.com – Exercising. Foot Moves Back To The Lower Block Photo

If these muscles are weak you may:

1. Have a saggy bum.

2. Have an abnormal walking gait and not optimal balance.

3. Struggle getting up from seated or from a squatting position.

4. Have lower back pain.

How can these muscles become weak? It’s often from postural issues and day to day activites. Sitting is a primary problem. You are not using your gluts when seated and your hip flexors become tight which stops the gluts from working. Other reasons can be having too strong quads from training and lordosis – a curve in the lower back which can lead to the bum sticking out. Common in pregnancy.

Top Exercises to help:

1. Squats done correctly. Try using a ball between your back and the wall.

2. Shoulder Bridge, add a knee fold in if you are strong enough. Make sure you tilt the pelvis and then squeeze the gluts so you are not just using your lower back.

3. Oyster/Clam. This works Gluteus Medius. Add a leg extension in if you are ready for the next level.

4. Plies. Squeeze in your bum and thighs as you come up to the top of the move.

5. Lying glut extension. Lie on your tummy, engage the core, let the pelvis drop into the mat and you should feel the gluts engage. Lengthen the legs and lift them off the ground, one at a time. You should be squeezing in the gluts as you lift and not feeling a pull in the lower back.

There are so many variations on all of these exercises, make sure you can master the technique and feel the gluts working properly before adding in too much fancy stuff 😉

Keep It Simple, Simples.

Pilates with Balls! A free workout Video.

Priya Tew

Using Pilates small equipment can add variety and an extra challenge to your workouts. Here I use the Pilates soft ball and some weighted balls. However you can do the whole thing with no equipment, or use hand weights to replace the weighted balls.

The soft Pilates ball is only half inflated and you place it under your sacrum/SI joint (big bony part at the base of your spine). You could use a foam roller in it’s place or just come to the mat.

If you want to buy any of the equipment featured we sell it all through the studio 🙂

Please like the video on You tube and subscribe to the channel to get more!

 

https://youtu.be/uwEbJGOGXqY

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Priya Tew

Do you get pain when you lift your arm to the side?  Or pain when rotating the arm so the palm faces to the ceiling? How about pain when taking the arm behind your back. If so you may have a rotator cuff issue. The great news is Pilates can help 🙂

 The rotator cuff comprises of 4 muscles that go from the scapula to the humerus. These 4 muscles are the subscapularis, the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus and the teres minor.

The muscles work to lift the arm out to the side (abduct) and to stabilise the humeral head when the arm is abducted. They also have a role in keeping the head of the humerus in the correct position so prevent your shoulders from rounding. So if you have rounded shoulders your rotator cuff probably needs strengthening!

Movements that involve the rotator cuff muscles are brushing the back of your hair, back handed racket sports, overarm throwing and reaching behind ie, into your back pocket, or in my case I’m often reaching behind into a child’s car seat to pass something, or pick something off the car floor!

How to help rotator cuff issues:

Work in a pain free range – make your movements smaller so it does not hurt! Pain is a signal from the body that you need to stop and continuing can make it worse.

Quality of movement – think about how your shoulder blade is working. How does it feel, sound and look. Get it checked out by your GP, physio or Pilates instructor if you are not sure.

Slow down the speed of exercises to get the movements right and stay connected so you are thinking about the movement the whole time.

Exercises to strengthen:

Dumb waiter:

Pilates with Priya: Dumb Waiter Start
Start with the elbows close to your side, palms up to the ceiling, core engaged, good alignment.
Pilates with Priya: Dumb Waiter End
As you breath out, open the arms to the side, they may go to a right angle (mine don’t!), keep the elbows close to the body and keep the shoulder blades down in the back.

Floating arms to side:

Pilates with Priya: Floating Arm Start
Start in a neutral alignment, shoulder blades down in the back, core engaged, palms face in.
Pilates with Priya: Floating Arm Middle
As you breath out lift the arm with it passing out to the side of your body, coming in an arc to the ceiling. Keep the shoulder blade in position the whole time.
Pilates with Priya: Floating Arm End
Your end position. Now breath in and lower the arm back down.

Single chicken wing:

Pilates with Priya: Chicken Wing from Back
Start with the arm lifted to ceiling, shoulder blade down in the back. As you breath out bend the elbow letting the shoulder blade slide down in your back. Breath in to return to the start.

Core Blast Video

Priya Tew

Doing Pilates once a week is awesome. But you know what is even better? Doing Pilates inbetween your weekly classes 😉 You could take up an extra class or you could do some at home. If you already have my amazing DVD (I’m that modest) but find you can remember the moves from class later in the week then have no fear. I am working on bringing you regular videos using the moves we have worked on in classes.

Here is the first one…

We recently used a series of moves that originated from a double knee fold. It went down well in class and people fed back that they were feeling it a few days later. So I’ve filmed part of that class.

https://youtu.be/69rQDH8Yn5A

If you like it: 

1. PLEASE let me know –  you can like the video on Youtube or write a comment on this post or on the Youtube Video. If I know you like it I will do more!

2. PLEASE share it around. Share the Pilates love people 🙂

3. SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel so you get to see all the videos.

Now go do it.

Top 5 Pilates Books.

Priya Tew

I’ll be honest. If someone tesll me that they have been learning Pilates from a book I inwardly cringe. Personally I feel that you can only get a proper understanding of Pilates from attending a class with a good teacher. One who will correct your technique, be hands on with you if needed and who takes the time to understand you and your body. Where books can be useful if for home practice or for learning more about how and why exercises work. It’s still not as a good as a class where a teacher can eyeball you… but it’s definitely a good idea to try and do some Pilates practice between classes if you can. Pilates with Priya: Top 5 Pilates books So here are my top 5 Pilates books: 1. A Pilates Primer: Return to life through Contrology and your health by Joseph Pilates – this has the original exercises in that Joseph Pilates designed as a home workout. However please do not use this as your home workout, we modify these exercises now! It is a good read to learn how Pilates started, for those interested in Mr Pilates himself. For home workouts, I find The Body Control Books are all pretty good options, with clear instructions and good tips on technique. 2. The Complete Classic Pilates Method by Lynne Robinson. A good starter book to have. 3. The Pilates Bible: The Most Comprehensive and Accessible Guide to Pilates Ever by Lynne Robinson. This has so many exercises in it that you are bound to find ones you recognise. Pick the ones you know help your body and that you need to work on. 4. Pilates: Simple Routines for Home, Work and Travel by Alan Herdman This has some nice stretches you can use in the morning and a good section with exercises you can do at work which I like. 5. Pilates for Life by Darcey Bussell. Split into sections making it easy to follow. You probably won’t end up looking like Darcey but you can imagine 😉

Squat & Scapular Squeeze: a perfect combo for working the upper and lower body.

Priya Tew

Squats Rock. Period. One of the best exercises if you are pregnant or postnatal. They strengthen your legs, bum, thighs, work your pelvic floor and your core. Just to add in a bit extra I’ve used a resisitance band to work the upper back too. A fabulous all-rounder of an exercise.

If you aren’t pregnant/postnatal this is ALSO a fabulous exercise. Try it out and let me know how you find it.

http://youtu.be/qaI6u-iYYzo

The best Pilates leggings?

Priya Tew

Decent clothing for Pilates is a must for me. There are days I am teaching all day and days when I’m in my Pilates apparel all day between classes, the school run and meetings. So not only does it need to be functional but it need to look good and wash well too. Here are the gorgeous tops I was sent, pink is not normally my favourite colour but I’m loving this particular pink top.

IMG_8123

My latest favourite items are the leggings I was also sent from Helly Hansen. They wash well, they fit like a glove, they are thick enough for Pilates (a see-through bum is not a good look) and they feel very nice, so nice that I’ve had people stroking my legs 😉 I’ve worn and washed them a few times now and they are still looking as good as new. I’ve had several compliments on them too so I reckon they look pretty good on 😉

I was invited to a Helly Hansen event recently but was unable to make it, so they kindly sent me some free kit to try out. I’m now definitely a fan.

Photo credit to Anthony Potts
Photo credit to Anthony Potts

I have a fair few pairs of black Pilates trousers in my life. Some end up attracting fluff too easily, some don’t wash well and some don’t fit as well as I would like. So thankyou Helly Hansen for creating the almost-perfect pair of leggings for Pilates. Now all I need is a pair that are child-friendly and repel sticky finger prints!!

Dislcaimer: I was sent these clothes free of charge, all views are my own and I was not paid financially for this post.

 

 

Help! My back hurts

Priya Tew

Lower back pain is one of the top reasons people come to us. It is such a common complaint that I almost expect people to mention it and tend to ask if it is not mentioned on our induction form.

The top 3 reasons I see lower back pain:

1. Being too sedentary and sitting down too long each day.

2. Carrying small children and incorrect lifting techniques.

4. An injury or fall.

We therefore often get messages from people saying their back is playing up, they feel like they have overused it or it is aching – so they will give Pilates a miss. Which almost makes sense. Almost.

Here are my thoughts on what to do if your back is aching. Think through what you have been doing and see if you can find the cause of the pain. Have you been sitting for longer than usual, for example on a long car journey? Have you been decorating, gardening or lifting heavy objects? Have you been doing a different form of activity? Did you sleep on a different bed or in an unusual position? If the answer is yes then the pain is likely to be muscular and Pilates can actually help. Strengthening your core will help prevent further damage to your back plus mobilising the spine can help stretch it out and release tight muscles.

Pilates with Priya: My back hurts...

To help muscular back aches:

1. Keep mobilising and moving it. Sitting or lying still  for too long will cause it to stiffen up.

2. Take some painkillers.

3. Come to Pilates but work at a lower level and one that does not cause you pain, make sure you tell your instructor wat has happened.

4. Soak in a hot bath.

5. See your GP/Physio if it gets worse.

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