Why dancing is good for you!

Dancing is one of the most enjoyable ways to get moving. As well as lifting your spirits, it also has some major health benefits. The NHS website says “Regular dancing is great for losing weight, maintaining strong bones, improving posture and muscle strength, increasing balance and co-ordination, and beating stress.” Dancing: is fun a cardio workout … More Why dancing is good for you!

How I got Ab’s in my 40s

46 year old Polly Vernon writes in the Telegraph about how she eventually tried Pilates after years of suffering from a bad back and once she’d started she caught the bug. A happy side effect for her was that she ‘accidentally’ developed ab’s. Read her full article here.

Cramps

Getting a cramp while exercising can range from uncomfortable to really painful. If this happens to you, then stop and massage or stretch the affected area until the cramp passes. It would be good to avoid cramps in the first place. In my classes, I have noticed that cramps happen more often in winter, so … More Cramps

Ergonomic Assessment Videos

The Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute (APPI) has recently published a series of videos about ergonomic assessment in relation to using a computer. You can find the others on this link.

7 At-Home Exercises

Here are seven exercises from Lynne Robinson, who has worked with Holly Willoughby and other celebrities to help them achieve their fitness goals. You will recognise most of them from class. Relaxation Position with Alignment, Breathing and Centring (Core Stability) Spine Curls with Scarf Hip Rolls with Arm Flies Oyster Side-lying Outer Thigh Lifts High Kneeling … More 7 At-Home Exercises

Pilates for Back Pain

In an article for The Telegraph, a journalist describes how Pilates is helping him manage the back pain he experienced from spending so long writing at a computer day after day. As ever more of us sit down and stare at screens for a living, back pain is becoming the great leveller of our age. … More Pilates for Back Pain

Pilates on YouTube

I qualified with Body Control Pilates and they have recently launched a YouTube channel. Their initial uploads are mainly clips from videos which they have produced over the years. If you would like to view them to help with your practice at home, click this link: Body Control Pilates YouTube Channel They have also started … More Pilates on YouTube

Superfit in your 70s

I am currently studying Pilates for the older adult. After all, we are all getting older. All at the same rate – one day at at time! But how old is old? One of my reference books is ‘Training the Over 50’s’. That includes me and I don’t think I’m old. Joseph Pilates said: “If your … More Superfit in your 70s

Pilates photos 1961

I.C. Rapoport is a professional American photographer who was born in New York. In 1961, he was asked to photograph Mr. Joseph H. Pilates in his New York “gymnasium” to accompany an article for Sports Illustrated. He spent a day in the studio, talking with Joe, taking photos and doing some Pilates exercises on the equipment, especially … More Pilates photos 1961