Joseph Pilates believed that the stress of modern living could be relived through his exercise method. That was in the early 20th century and I think it’s just as true today: “A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well balanced mind, fully capable of … More Quote: A body free from…

You can lose a lot of fluid during exercise, especially when it’s hot, so it’s important to drink enough before, during and afterwards.  If you’ve drunk sufficiently throughout the day, you shouldn’t need to guzzle a litre of water at class! Too much If you drink too much water, you can dilute the salts in … More Drinking too much or too little for exercise

Once of the basic principles of Pilates is ‘centring’ that is the act of engaging the core muscles which support your lower back. Principally, these are: your pelvic floor, transversus abdominus and multifidus. You may be confident with contracting your pelvic floor, but if you’re not and you’re a woman, a recent article in the … More Exercising your pelvic floor… via Bluetooth?

If you have read my About page, you will know that I started Pilates due to RSI. Here are my notes on the subject with recommendations on things that you can do if you suffer from it. The bad news is that there’s no cure for RSI. The good news is that you can manage the … More Repetitive Strain Injury

A recent article in Candis Magazine recommended exercise in general and Pilates in particular as one of 10 ways that you can feel happier. “Exercise stimulates endorphin release, making you feel good.” Other ways include: get more daylight and vitamin D by spending time outside in the sun drink green tea eat some dark chocolate review your … More 10 Ways to Feel Happier

Sometimes headaches are caused by tension or poor posture and if this is the case for you, then Pilates could help. Those who come to my mat classes regularly, will recognise these three exercises for necks. This article in MI Business Mag provides some more detail and also recommends ‘bow and arrow’. We’ll be doing it in … More Could Pilates cure your headache

Eighty per cent of us experience back pain at some point in our lives and this can affect our quality of life. Pilates is one of plenty of things that you can do as described in this article from the Telegraph.

In my experience most mat classes are mostly full of women. But Pilates is for men too – after all the method was developed by a man! Abingdon golfer, Eddie Pepperell, has taken up Pilates as part of a new health drive he hopes will get him through a European Tour season injury-free for the … More Pilates celebs: Eddie Pepperell

Stretching is an important part of exercise: it improves muscle development, increases range of motion and reduces your chances of an injury. Being flexible helps you exercise with the correct form and so can also help to improve posture. I’ve recently come across a set of  illustrations by Vicky Timón, author of “Encyclopedia of Pilates Exercises”, which show … More Stretching