Pilates
Why Pilates?
The physical benefits of Pilates are incredible! It involves low-impact exercises which will tone your body and strengthen your muscles immensely. In my opinion, Pilates is one of the most beneficial of all the physical pursuits you can participate in, either on its own or to enhance your abilities in the other sports and activities you do.
Pilates is:
- Awesome for toning and strength
- A challenging workout, but you can work at your own pace
- Ideal for when you’re rehabilitating from injury
- Excellent in strengthening the all-important pelvic floor muscles
- Strengthens every muscle you’ve got
- Shapes your body
- Will reduce or eliminate lower back pain
- Will make your stomach flatter
Remember:
- All shapes are welcome
- All ages are welcome
How will it benefit me?
Pilates will change your body shape, and your body-confidence will skyrocket as a result. The activities in your life (be they work or play) will be improved immensely by Pilates – whether you’re an elite athlete, a homemaker with kids to chase after, a sedentary office worker, a labourer, or whatever. No matter what you do, Pilates will help you do it better.
What are the classes like?
My classes are non-judgmental, beginner-friendly, with a non-competitive welcoming atmosphere. You are invited and encouraged to rest or reduce the intensity of the exercise whenever you need to. Pilates will improve your body, but can be extremely challenging at first – remember to give it some time to allow yourself to develop your strength.
Fashionably late?
Two words of advice on this: don’t be. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it’s nice to be on time out of courtesy to the teacher and your fellow students. Secondly, being late means that you miss out on some or all of the warm up and that’s not a safe way to do Pilates. Preparing the body is all-important to reduce the risk of injury, so please do your best to be there for the start of class.
What about equipment?
If Pilates is something you’re interested in doing long-term, you’ll definitely need to invest in a Yoga mat (rather than a Pilates mat which tends to be spongier – and this will mean that if you get into Yoga too, the mat can serve two purposes). However, in the meantime, a towel will do the job.
What should I wear?
- For the bottom half: NO to skirts, dresses, jeans, baggy pants. YES to dance pants, fitted track pants, leggings, shorts
- For the top half: NO to anything big and baggy. YES to fitted t-shirts or singlets, tank tops, leotards
- For the feet: NO to any type of shoe. YES to bare feet
NOTE: The preference for fitted clothes is for safety reasons: I can clearly see what you’re doing and fix incorrect technique. You’ll also be able to move more easily – baggy clothes an ride up and down and can get in the way of movement. And for the feet, being barefoot means you can take advantage of the stickiness of the mat and perform the exercises to your best ability.
What if I’m uncoordinated?
Pilates requires very little to no co-ordination, so this is not a problem.
What if I’m overweight?
People of all shapes and sizes can participate effectively in a Pilates class, so there’s no need to worry about looking a certain way – my classes are extremely friendly and no one will judge you on your body shape. Best of all, you’ll be seeing the difference in your body very quickly if you come to class every week, so the feeling of self-consciousness from being overweight will reduce as you get better at Pilates.
What if I’m not fit?
You don’t need to start off being fit as you’ll become fitter through regular classes. You see, Pilates doesn’t miss a muscle – and I’m not just talking major muscle groups here, I’m talking about all the other little ones in between too, so your whole body will be getting an overhaul. In fact, if you come to class week after week, it will literally be impossible to not to get fitter.
What if I’m a late starter?
It’s never too early or late to start doing Pilates and start enjoying improvements it brings into your life.
What if I have an injury?
You can still participate in a Pilates class, as long as your health professional has given you the go-ahead. It’s important to inform me of your injuries as we might have to modify various exercises. If you feel pain during class the reason will probably be that your technique is incorrect and with a few tips, that can promptly be sorted out. Remember that safety always comes first. Even if you don’t have an injury and it hurts to do a particular movement, don’t persist in doing it through the pain. Stop and let me know immediately.
On a similar note, it’s important to comply with any requests I make as your teacher. Pilates classes – like any physical pursuit – can involve risk of personal injury and while I take all reasonable care in the conduct of my classes, I can’t accept responsibility for injury caused during classes. You, as the participant, are responsible for ensuring that you are physically and medically fit for the class and during the class you must at all times take care of your own personal safety, including listening carefully to instructions.
What if I’m pregnant?
If you were practicing Pilates before you got pregnant and your doctor says you can continue your regular activities, then you should have no problem practicing Pilates all the way through your pregnancy.
What you must do, however, is let me know that you are pregnant, as there are some moves that should be avoided or done gently if you have a bun in the oven. On the other hand, if you haven’t practiced Pilates before, it’s probably best to wait until after the baby comes to start classes. Even if you are active in other forms of exercise, starting something completely new is not advisable when you’re in a delicate state such as pregnancy.
What experience do I need?
None! Just bring yourself and a smile! But remember to give yourself a chance: don’t just try one class and decide you can’t do it – of course you can’t do it, you’ve only just started! No one can do it when they first begin. Give it time and you’ll see improvements in your abilities – the improvements in your body, however, will be almost immediate.
What can I expect in any given class?
If you’re looking for a soft, relaxed workout, then you’ll need to look elsewhere because this is a dynamic, upbeat class. Having said that, you are encouraged (no matter how experienced you are) to exercising commonsense and resting when you need to. As I have a dance and Yoga background, I like to utilise both to make my Pilates classes more engaging and beneficial for the participants. We work to music which makes the workout more fun, and the mix is vast - ranging from the 1920’s to the 2000’s - so there’s something in it for everyone. As for the Yoga influence, there is some light meditation at the beginning and end of the class where we focus our minds and deepen our breathing.
A Pilates class with me includes:
- Breath orientation at the start: we lengthen the breath to ready ourselves for a workout
- The use of handweights and Swiss ball during some classes
- Exercises for the legs, back and especially the arms
- Heaps of abdominal work
- Cool down: this involves 10 to 15 minutes of stretching and a short seated meditation and breath-orientation
And finally…
I hope to meet you some time soon – see you in class!