How to stay on top of cooking healthy meals

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.

How to pick up your baby with perfect posture.

Having a new baby means you really don’t spend much time thinking about yourself. It’s all about looking after that new precious bundle of love. Whilst that is so, so important it can mean that things like your posture quickly slip and a few months down the line you end up with back, neck or shoulder issues. One of the key things that can go wrong is lifting baby from the floor. It’s something that mums do all the time so important to get right. Here I demonstrate 2 ways to safely pick up your baby, using my baby as an example.

Week 9 Post-baby: Picking up my trainers

After 4 weeks of twitchy feet and 8 weeks retraining my core I decided it was time to try out a short run.

Pilates with Priya: Picking up my Trainers post-baby

Now I do not advocate rushing into high intensity exercise too soon post-birth. Here are the reasons I felt I was ready:

  1. I have worked on building my core strength back up and although its not where it was pre-pregnancy, I’m confident it is strong enough.
  2. I was active all throughout pregnancy (step aerobics until 37 weeks) so my body is used to exercise.
  3. I’ve spent several weeks building my cardiovascular exercise up with short workouts and walks.
  4. I still have a diastasis recti, its now 1.5cm but the depth of this has significantly lessened and I can feel the improvement.

So I planned a morning run, got the toddler and baby sorted and hubby at home to look after them. At last minute the toddler decided she was coming too. My first run turned into myself, the buggy and toddler running to the sounds of “What’s that mummy” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, what better company could I ask for? I took it gently and managed a little cycle of running for 4 minutes, walking for 1 minute, a total of 15 minutes. Not quite my usual 6km run, but a good start. Here we are pre-run.

Week 9 Post-baby: Picking up my trainers

Later in the week I managed to sneak out for another run, this time with baby and the buggy and managed 4 1/2 minutes running, 1 minute walking. I’m hoping this will improve each time.

I’ve also had a sickly baby this week so other exercise has been teaching my Pilates classes and attending a Pilates class and ballet class for my benefit, no walking or weights but I have lost 1kg (2lbs).

If you are thinking about starting running post-baby here are my tips:

  1. Make sure you have a very good sports bra, especially if you are breastfeeding. I’m wearing a sports bra, support top and a top with a built in support.
  2. Build up to it, so get walking and doing other exercise first.
  3. Ensure your core is strong enough to support the impact or you could do more harm.
  4. Start small. Try running for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute in a little cycle and build it up.
  5. Wear good trainers, they will make all the difference.

My Top 3 Pilates Exercises for Pregnancy.

I’m a huge fan of Pilates during pregnancy, it really kept me strong, active and held my pelvis together throughout 2 pregnancies. In fact in my second pregnancy when I was teaching 11 Pilates classes a week and doing Pilates daily I had no lower back pain or pelvic pain. It  really does work!

So here are my top 3 Pilates exercises to do in pregnancy. These were filmed when I was 34 weeks pregnancy myself and are safe to do throughout all 3 trimesters of pregnancy and after birth too.

 

 

You can buy my “Bump to Birth” Pilates in Pregnancy DVD here.

Antenatal Pilates Clothing Review.

I recently found Mums 2 be Fitwear on Twitter, perfect timing seeing as I’m now 20 weeks pregnant. Having chatted to them they seemed like a lovely company so I agreed to review their clothing. With the amount of classes I teach it’s important to have clothes that support me, show my body shape and make me feel good too.

Very quickly Mums to Be Fitwear sent me a top and some below the knee leggings in black. These clothes are lovely in terms of their look, feel and quality. I couldn’t want to try them out.

As a fitness instructor I currently teach Step Aerobics and Pilates (3 being antenatal) classes plus I attend ballet. So from cardio work to strength, core, dancing and flexibility, I’ve tested these clothes out.

Mums 2 B Fitwear

My verdict?

I absolutely love the leggings. They stretch very comfortably over my bump and I can tell these will be a staple in my wardrobe throughout my pregnancy. They feel soft to the touch and fit my calves nicely. They could also be comfortably worn just around the house or for a sport look out and about.

The top I really like the look of and the feel but I found it is slightly too high cut under the arms. I found this slightly uncomfortable for Step Aerobics but fine for Pilates. The rest of the top is very flattering and fits very well. I wonder if I just need a slightly larger size as although I am usually a size 8 my boobs have certainly grown a lot more than they did in my first pregnancy!

Overall I would highly recommend these clothes, especially the over the bump style trousers.

Pilates, Height and Heels.

I used to be a heels addict. I seriously lived in them.Being married to a man who is over 6 foot meant I pretty much had to in order to get to a sensible height beside him. I found heels themselves quite comfortable but when in flats for too long I always got back ache…. now I know why and what I was doing to my pelvis and hamstrings – they were TIGHT!

So after giving birth to a small one and then launching into a Pilates business I have had no time to wear my heels and little need for them. I know now why… it’s not just the fact that I am either chasing a toddler around the place, crawling on my hands and knees or barefoot in the studio…… Pilates itself has stretched me. I’ve literally grown 4cm! Yes really. I was dubious and made the nurse check 4 times, however I’ve been trained in taking heights and she was doing it perfectly. I’ve gone from 164cm to 168cm in 2 years.

Height Measure
Height Measure

Suddenly I can see why I feel comfortable without my heels. It’s certainly not the main reason most people would take up Pilates but it is a good by-product if you want a little extra height 🙂

 

Pelvic Girdle Pain and Pilates.

Working with pregnant ladies I often end up advising and chatting about pelvic pain. I also have a few other non-pregnant ladies with this type of pain, who had this type of pain in pregnancy and it’s continued after birth.

Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) has been renamed Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. Big terms for pain in the joint that make up the pelvis, the syphysis pubis joint and the front and the sacroiliac joint at the back. Pain can be felt in the lower back, groin, thighs, hips and pelvic floor. This can lead to pain walking, climbing the stairs, getting in/out of the car and bath, straddling, turning in bed and standing on one leg.

Pilates with Priya: The Pelvis

There are many reasons suggested as to why this pain can occur, in some cases the pelvic joints can be damaged or weak, there could be a biomechanical problem or it could be due to hormones. Between 14-22% of pregnant ladies get PGP and in many it is a random thing that cannot be predicted!

Pilates can really help prevent and minimise PGP. In my ante-natal classes we focus on strengthening the muscles above and below the pelvis, so helping the pelvis remain strong. We strengthen the core muscles and also muscles in the thighs, legs and bottom. For example a pelvic tilt or small roll up can strengthen the core and modified squats and oysters can strengthen the gluts and thighs muscles.

If you get pelvic pain then here are my top tips:
See a physiotherapist. In Southampton you can self-refer to the obstetric physio, which is an amazing thing. the midwifes will pass on the number to you. A physio will assess your pain, range of function and possibly realign your pelvis.
Once you have seen the physio, then Pilates exercises can help strengthen you to minimise any further pain. Try a one to one session for some specially tailored exercises to do at home or attend a class.
Remain active within the limits of your pain, keeping active is important and will help, but obviously you don’t want to be in constant pain, so you will need to judge how much you can do.
Avoid activities that make it worse, standing on one leg often does this or having the legs too wide apart. Try keeping some activites seated.
Using a pillow between your legs when sleeping can provide relief for some ladies.
Ask for help when you need it!

Priya will be releasing her own worksheets to help with this area and her own Pilates in Pregnancy DVD very soon, contact us to pre-order.

To book a one to one session click here.

How to get a six pack and recover from diastasis recti.

Sit-ups, or any variation of this movement where you go into forward flexion eg when lying on your back, you bring your torso towards your knees to work the six pack muscle (called the Rectus Abdominus or RA), is considered a NO-NO for postnatal women, ladies post hysterectomy after some types of abdominal surgery, in those with abdominal doming or in diastasis recti (seperated tummy muscles).  This isn’t limited to women, lifting heavy weights can cause it to happen in men too. Performing this exercise can cause more harm than good.  So, if you’ve any of the above conditions and you’re doing sit ups, STOP them immediately.

How do you strengthen your abdominals? Pilates!!!

The first thing we need to do regarding this area is actually focus on strengthening your pelvic floor which is a bit like a sling of muscles supporting you from underneath, then locate the deep abdominal muscles which lie under your six-pack/R.A muscle.  These deep muscles are known as the Transversus Abdominis (TA). If you work on strengthening the deepest muscles first, then focus on the next layer, then the next layer after that, then your abdominals will re-align to their original structure.

Sit-ups strengthen and work the R.A.  During pregnancy with diastasis recti and after some surgeries, we know that this muscle has lengthened and separated.  If you don’t have a solid foundation underneath this six-pack muscle before you work  then sit-ups will actually make your separation worse, because you’re forcing the muscle to strengthen, when it’s still in a weakened, separated state.  The amount of abdominal pressure placed on the six-pack muscle when performing a sit-up, forces it to separate further apart.

The best type of exercise to do for your abdominals, postnatally is Pilates-based.  Pilates focuses on your pelvic floor and TA. As an instructor I’d focus on strengtheing your core first and then later on work on those sit ups to shorten the RA muscles.

So, I hear you ask: “Why do people do sit-ups?”.  Well, in most cases, people do sit-ups in the hope that they will get themselves a toned, flat stomach and a noticeable six-pack.  However I’d debate this, often sit-ups are not performed safely and unless you are super leaned  with a strong core, they aren’t going to work.

So, to get a six-pack, there are three things you need to do: a) clean up your diet, b) make fat-burning exercise part of your routine (the best way to burn fat, is to build lean muscle eg weight/resistance training), and c) work your pelvic floor and TA by doing Pilates.

NCT Nearly New Sale and Us

Today we had a trade stand at the Southampton Nearly New Sale…. probably doesn’t sound that exciting, but it was the first time we had done something like this.

I’ll be honest….James did all the hard work, he got all the literature, DVD’s and forms together. I just turned up with a toddler and a smile on my face, did my thing of chatting, demonstrating moves and chasing a small girl around.

We’re such a small business, we don’t yet have lots of fancy giant posters, stands or amazing things to give away, but we do love to talk to people and help them. This morning it was lots of chatter about pelvic girdle pain, weaning and tummies!

As a result it looks like our antenatal classes will be full and overflowing, great news as a lot of our current mummies to be are about to give birth. I also sold a few DVD’s and hopefully we may have got some interested in our Weaning EBook – Baby Breakfasts.

A lovely morning, talking to lovely people. Thankyou to all who said Hello. The added bonus – meeting some of our Pilates babies and seeing their mummies!!

 

Pilates with Priya: Pilates helps Waterskiing

Pilates IS for Men, Olympics, Diving and WaterSkiing.

Why do people do Pilates with me? It can be for all kinds of reasons, but one of the most common is back ache or being told to by an osteopath/chiropracter/physiotherapist. I find the men tend to creep into classes looking slightly embarassed about it, but after a few weeks realise it’s actually quite hard work and really helps.

What I then love about Pilates is how it gives unexpected results by helping people in other areas too… like in this story below. The man in question came due to back pain but is finding it helps his waterskiing. Which it should 🙂 Yay!

Did you know the GB 2012 Olympic Diving team have a Pilates instructor? True Fact, I met someone who worked with them on the team who was telling me all about it.

Here’s a little testimonial from a man who does Pilates with me, I think it’s a pretty good advert for Pilates 🙂

 

Pilates with Priya: Pilates helps Waterskiing
Pilates with Priya: Pilates helps Waterskiing

 

“A little over a year ago I was seeing an osteopath because of back ache that had been troubling me for several months.  One of the first things that he said to me was that I would really benefit from doing pilates.  Very soon after I started classes with Priya.  Since starting pilates I can honestly say that I have not suffered any significant back pain at all.”

 

I am a qualified waterski coach and I slalom ski three or four times a week in the summer.  This is an extremely demanding sport, which involves high stresses and strains on the body as one is pulled from around 34mph to 60mph and back to 34mph in just over 2 seconds. This requires a great deal of core stability and I have to say that pilates has been the perfect compliment for it.  I regularly use pilates exercises for warming up and warming down.  I would say, in fact, that pilates would be a very helpful aid in training for almost any sport.

 

I only took up pilates in an attempt to address a long standing problem but to be quite honest, as well as really significant increase in my flexibility, and core strength, I have been very surprised about the impact that pilates has had on my performance, fitness and recovery from injury and I would, and in fact do, recommend it to anyone who will listen! “