Intelligent. Nourishing. Principled.

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Move Your DNA

I’ve been reading (again!).  This time, I borrowed Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman from a colleague.  I’d first heard about the book via a blog I came across by Petra Fisher, so when I saw it on the shelf, I was eager to get my hands on it.  A week later, I can safely say that I wasn’t disappointed (as you can see from my geeky note taking above).  This post summarises some of the key take-aways of the book (for me).  As you’ll see, I was SO inspired, I promptly ordered two of her other books too and am looking forward to devouring those in the coming weeks!

Working at a desk, commuting by car or public transport and relaxing on the couch watching Netflix, has made many of us sitting ninjas.  Most health improvement regimes advocated by social media encourage changing your diet or getting to the gym.  Will this work?  Katy argues that, if you really want your health to change, you have to change the way you move.  Note, move NOT exercise (or eat).  We tend to think of exercise as movement, but just like an orange is a fruit but not all fruits are oranges, exercise is movement, but movement is not always exercise.  

Literally, we just need to make moves, not drag ourselves down to the gym.  The beauty of Katy’s programme is that it emphasises natural movements that you can relatively easily incorporate into your daily activities!   That’s right, getting healthier doesn’t require finding hours in your day or week :-)

And, just like we wouldn’t try to stay healthy on a diet of only oranges, our bodies need more movement nutrition than exercise alone provides.   An average person who does exercise, more than likely has one or two activities they take part in, such as running or cycling.  Over time, heavy use of your body in one particular pattern or set of patterns makes stronger muscles next to weaker ones.  This leaves you open to injury when you try to use your body in a new way.  A classic example, that I give to clients is that we mostly move our legs in a forward parallel motion (walking, running, cycling), but little, if at all, with our legs in lateral (outward) or medial (inward rotation).  The beauty of the Pilates footwork series is that you work through and strengthen through more ranges of motions than your daily activities would usually require.  And hence, reduce your risk of injury.

And it’s not just the weaker muscles that get the benefits of increasing your movement patterns, your neurological connections do too as you brush away the cobwebs on pathways that might not have been used since you were a toddler crawling, squatting and moving more.  

Sold?  Let’s move from talking the talk to walking the walk.  How do we start moving more?  I’ve narrowed Katy’s advice down to 5 main areas that I consider low hanging fruit, i.e. easy to reach even if you’re super busy or reluctant (*cough cough* a bit lazy).

1. Release -  Take a walk (it doesn’t have to be long) and here are the rules.  No earphones, just enjoy the sounds of life happening around you.  Remember to breathe, unclench your jaw and look around (up, down, left and right).

2.  Standing - Stand side-on at a full-length mirror, now try to stand up straight.  What do you notice?  Where are your bottom ribs relative to your pelvis?  Forwards?  More than likely.  Now imagine your bottom front ribs pulling back and up to kiss your kidneys.  Problem solved and obliques activated to boot.

3.  Walking.  This is so good, i’m suggesting it twice.  Taking yourself for a walk is like taking your cells out to eat.  As a bonus, there’s no recommended calorie intake to worry about.  Walk and feed your cells as much as you like!

4.  Feet - try to be barefoot.  Not practical for work, I know, but start with being barefoot at home.  That means shoes AND socks off.  Let the 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons work to their natural capability.  No insoles, no heels, no cramping your toes in narrow shoes... and when you’re ready, start rolling your feet with a massage ball and consider barefoot shoes for when you’re out in the real world.

5.  Sitting - Sit on the floor. As. Much. As. Possible.  Simple.   Can’t get there?  Use a bolster, cushions or a block.  You could do it once and just need to remind your body that you can get there.  

For more ideas on easily incorporating more movement into your day, i’d recommend having a read of this post.

http://www.petrafishermovement.com/easy-ways-move-more/

I hope these little tips have inspired you to make some small changes in your daily movements.  I particularly loved one of Katy’s closing quotes in the book, so will share that with you now.  Translation: it’s never too late to start moving!  Your skeleton is a living story, how you choose to move today, tomorrow and the day after that, will become part of your autobiography, so get writing that next chapter!

If you’re feeling REALLY inspired....

Another source for further reading is Philip Beach.  I came across his work on PilatesAnytime.  I can’t squat properly (yet) and found his class really interesting and my clients have enjoyed the challenge of adding his movement sequences into our classes too.  Even those who tick the dodgy hips and knees boxes!

Here’s a short video promo for Katy’s book, which summarises the key messages in a fun, easy-to-absorb way.

Lastly, I really hope you’ve enjoyed this post.  If you have any questions or comments, do get in touch by email ([email protected]).  Also, visit my website www.eatsleeppilates.com to subscribe or follow me on social media and see how I get on with two of Katy’s other books!

Thanks for reading!

[eatsleeppilates]

Pregnancy and Pilates

Over the past few weeks i’ve been doing a lot of reading about pregnancy and Pilates.  No, no news (!) it was out out curiosity and also to feel better informed when teaching prenatal clients.  This blog post summarises some of the key things i’ve learned and thought it would be helpful to share to demystify the generic, “do some pelvic floor exercises” advice that mums-to-be so often receive.

Three key changes in your body that you probably know about

1. Change in sitting and standing posture as the balance of your weight shifts forwards around the chest and abdomen.

2. Swelling of hands, feet and ankles due to fluid retention (medically known as oedema).

3.  Increase in the hormone relaxin causing ligaments to soften from a cotton like texture to a stretchier lycra.

Three key changes in your body that you probably don’t know about

1. The weight and movement (think trampoline) of the baby causes the pelvic floor to drop approximately 2.5cm.

2.  An increase in oestrogen and progesterone comes with a decrease in testosterone and with that a decrease in hand/eye co-ordination and balance.

3.  By the end of your pregnancy, you’ll have an extra 9 pints of blood to pump around the body.

So, with these things in mind what can you be doing to prepare yourself mentally and physically for pregnancy.  What i’ve found particularly interesting in my reading is that there isn’t a one size fits all solution.  The approach of the three books that are the source for most of this blog is quite different, a common thread is the need for three distinct phases for your exercise programme.  Conveniently, these are timed along with your trimesters, so if you take one thing away from this post it should be that at the minimum, you should be sure to do the exercises appropriate to the stage of your pregnancy.  I’ll now break these down.  

Note:  these exercise recommendations presume that you have had some prior Pilates experience.  If you haven’t, not to worry.  To get started, you’ll need clearance from your doctor/midwife and want to work on pre-Pilates or fundamentals with a teacher.  A one-to-one class would be ideal for this.

First Trimester

Focus on postural awareness, pelvic floor strengthening and relaxation

Good to know:  the pregnancy induced endorphins are coming in your second trimester.  You can anticipate that the feelings of tiredness and nausea should pass.

Three great exercises:

1. Pillow / Small Ball Squeeze 

2. Pelvic Clocks sitting on a swiss ball

3. Chest Expansion sitting on a swiss ball  

Second Trimester

Focus on protection against strain or injury as your shape changes

Good to know: by now you should spend no longer than 3 minutes on your back, so vary your position between exercises.  Four point kneeling and side-lying positions are ideal.  

Three great exercises:

1. Calf Stretch standing

2. Corkscrew Arms standing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5MBnMqtG1E

3. Sliding Squats against wall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkmzqMoQ8T4

Third Trimester

Focus on lengthening, widening and opening to reduce swelling and encourage relaxation.

Good to know: you may experience practice contractions (Braxton Hicks) during this time.  Stop exercising if you do and return to exercise after relaxing to allow this to pass.

Three great exercises:

1. Calf Raises standing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uPCKQqUWTM

2. Flower pelvic floor release visualisation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5F6xKQpgag

3. Book/Arm Opening Circles in side-lying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad9aOQq-OiQ

So, what next?

I hope you’re feeling inspired by these simple, at-home exercises to start your own programme.  The Pilates method has a huge catalogue of mat and equipment based exercises suitable for prenatal clients.  When you’re ready to know more, get in touch to arrange your Prenatal Pilates sessions with me.  Visit www.eatsleeppilates.com or email [email protected] .

I also love all the videos on this FREE YouTube channel and would highly recommend it for review and more ideas.  There’s a specific prenatal playlist on there too.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TBLwithRobinLong/playlists

Resources for further reading:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/recreational-exercise-and-pregnancy.pdf

https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Physical-Activity-and-Exercise-During-Pregnancy-and-the-Postpartum-Period

https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/exercise-and-activity-pregnancy

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What The Foot?

Hello Followers!  Earlier this month, we celebrated World Book Day, so today’s post is inspired by a book I read recently, “What the Foot?” by Gary Ward.  My training as a Pilates Instructor certainly did not end with certifying.  As I work with more students and come across more injuries and body types, I relish researching my lesson plans to tailor my teaching.  PilatesAnytime is an invaluable resource and it was there that I came across Tom McCook.  He is an accomplished teacher and refreshingly honest in sharing what he continues to learn despite his years in the industry.  His most recent tutorials focus on the foot and functional movement patterns.  I was hooked and soon after bought the book that inspired him.  In this post, I’ll share some of the highlights of what I’ve learned and, most importantly, how i’m applying that to my Pilates practice.  So, here we go... WTF?  Bare with me, it’s more technical than my usual posts, but hopefully the video applications will prove helpful!

Achieve a subconscious state of balance

Gary refers to 7 logical levels of training.  Here’s an infographic I made to illustrate this.  It is inspired by Neuro-Linguistic Programming which provides a structure for understanding what makes a person tick.  In the same way, applying this to health training, Gary provides a pyramid structure to show how to effect lasting change.

As you can see, muscles sit at the bottom of the pyramid.  Given that the fitness industry emphasises working muscles (think six-packs achieved through very conscious ab crunches), this seems a little odd, doesn’t it?  In fact, this pyramid implies that to effect lasting change, we should seek to train at higher logical levels.  So, not just working our muscles, but thinking about how each joint works, training the fascial system, and all the way up to activating the nervous system and reprogramming neural pathways to the brain.  

Exercise One:  Core Mobility

Standing with your feet directly under your sit bones, close your eyes and try to notice how your body weight is distributed.  Is it evenly spread between your left and right foot?  Is it evenly spread between your toes and heels?  I’d hazard a guess that it isn’t.

Now, shift your body weight to your left foot, as far as you comfortably can and still maintain your balance and then shift back through centre to shift to your right foot.  Repeat this a few times.  Do you notice that it’s easier to shift to/from one side?  Now, shift your body weight to your toes, against as far as you can just maintain your balance and then shift back through centre to your heels.  Repeat this a few times.  Once again, notice if one of the movement patterns felt easier than the other.  

Finally, standing in what you think is an even position, close your eyes and reassess your sense of centre.  You should feel that your weight is more evenly distributed.  Congratulations, you have just completed a movement exercise to establish neurological connections to your brain about where your centre of gravity is.  

Tip:  challenge yourself by doing the same exercise on a balance cushion or BOSU (maybe starting up by a wall for support or with a spotter!).  

Marry eccentric and concentric actions

Gary has five big rules of motion.  The first is that “muscles lengthen before they contract”.  To understand this, think about a catapult.  If we start with the elastic “neutral” or in it’s natural state, the object we are trying to catapult will likely just fall to the floor.  However, if we pull the elastic back, lengthening it, then we load it with energy with which we can catapult an object some distance.  Applying this to muscles, instead of working to contraction from neutral, we can/should lengthen and load them with energy, such that a contraction will be more effective.  Or put more simply, “flex your extensors and extend your flexors”.

Exercise Two:  Spine Stretch Forward / Breaststroke Combo in Kneeling

Start in a kneeling position with your toes tucked under and spine flexed over your thighs.  This is your “spine stretch forward” with spinal extensors lengthened in flexion and abdominals contracted.  Now, engage the glutes to come through high kneeling to spinal extension.  This is your “breaststroke” with the back muscles contracted and your abdominals lengthened in extension.  Repeat 10 times.  Within about 5 reps, you should feel your spinal extensors and abdominal wall warming as the muscles activate and work.  

Note, I turn my palms out in the start position, to feel additional width across my back as my shoulders protract/rhomboids lengthen and turn my palms in for the extension position to retract my shoulders/contracting the rhomboids.

Three-dimensional training and movement

Gary rants about various aspects of the fitness/health industry status quo  which he believes are limiting the long-term effectiveness of so called solutions.  The fourth of these is that many exercises only teach one-dimensional movement patterns, when most joints are capable of moving through more than one plane of motion.  More importantly, those joints DO move through more than one plane of motion in daily activity.  Lost me already? Let’s briefly review the planes of motion by thinking about how the head can move.  Imagine that you are a shadow of yourself, so that only an outline of your body can be seen.

1.  Nod your head yes.  From the front, the shadow appears to be still, from above, the shadow also appears to be still.  However, from the side, the shadow can be seen to move.  This is the sagittal or side-on plane.  It can also be thought of the movement that would occur in the confines of a narrow corridor.  

2.  Stretch your neck to one side, so that your ear reaches towards your shoulder.  From the side and above, your shadow will appear to be still, but from the front, the movement is apparent.  This is the frontal or front-on plane.  It can also be though of the movement that would occur in a shop window.

3.  Shake your head no.  From the front and side, your shadow will appear to be still.  If I looked at you from above, I would see the rotation of the head.  This is the transverse or top-down plane.  

Here’s a little cartoon that pull those ideas together.  

Exercise Three:  Single Thigh Stretch (but not as you know it)

Stand at the reformer with one heel against the shoulder rest and the other on the floor towards the front platform.  Rest the carriage knee down.  For the first set, tuck the pelvis under and raise the carriage-side arm towards the ceiling.  You should feel your hip flexor lengthening in the sagittal (side-on) plane.  For an additional stretch, push the carriage back.  As you draw the carriage in to return, lift your hips up towards the foot bar to maintain the stretch.  For the second set, add a side stretch away from the carriage once you’ve pushed it out.  You should feel your hip flexor lengthening in the frontal (front-on) plane.  For the third set, add a rotation of the torso away from the carriage.  You should feel your hip flexor lengthening in the transverse (top-down) plane.  Repeat each set 3 to 5 times.  

Tip:  Try adding lateral flexion and rotation to your hamstring and glute stretches too.

Closing thought.  The F word... FUNCTION.  The next time you perform an exercise, have a think about how it relates to functional movement and the range of motions each joint is capable of performing.  Then challenge those to encourage the surrounding muscles to react and engage more effectively.  If as Gary says, “perfection is hard-wired and pre-installed”, then by teaching/re-teaching functional movement patterning which incorporates exercising not just a muscle group, but all the joints involved in a holistic way, we should be able to climb the logical level pyramid to return to perfection.  Trust that your body can do this.  Taking the body through these patterns will retrain the brain such that it will determine which ones are less effort-full, slowly creating a new effortless/subconscious state of balance.

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A Belated Happy New Year!

Hello Followers!  Firstly, huge apologies for the tardy new year wishes.  I hope that 2018 is off to a good start and you have started taking baby steps towards your new year’s resolutions.  I’ve made myself an 18 for 2018 list (to be honest, i’m only written 15 so far) ranging from finally finishing book 7 of the Harry Potter series to managing a handstand.  There’s certainly nothing groundbreaking in there.  Too often finding myself reaching for the moon and missing the stars, 2018 is going to be about reaching for the stars (or taking baby steps).  Bringing this back to Eat. Sleep. Pilates. I sometimes find myself overwhelmed by all the knowledge i’ve yet to build (understanding the true essence of each exercise, modifying exercises for client’s pathologies, working with different personality types, etc.), so i’ve assigned myself the task to focus of a different topic each week/fortnight to develop a deeper knowledge over a broader range.  Each month, I’ll share some of the things i’ve learned along the way, so here is my first post for 2018 on shoulders.

That’s right... a study by the UK government in early 2017 found that dislocations and fractures is the most common diagnosis in A&E departments.  And, what are the bones and joints most vulnerable?  You guessed it, the collar bone and shoulder.  So, how do we try to keep ourselves out of A&E?  Pilates!  Here are three of my favourite shoulder mobilising and strengthening exercises.

1.  Shoulder mobility series with a theraband

Lying comfortably on your back with knees bent and feet resting flat on the floor, take a theraband between your hands and hold it hip width apart at your hips.  Take an inhale to prepare and then as you exhale, take the band from your hips over your head.  Inhale to return.  Tip:  Watch for your ribs popping up as you take your arms overhead, only go as far as you can maintain a connection between your lower ribs and the floor.  I find it helps to imagine my belly button travelling down towards my feet as I inhale and up through my ribs towards my head as I exhale.  This helps to engage the obliques (abdominals) to stabilise the ribcage and spine.

2.  Seated Lat Pull on the cadillac

Sit comfortably facing sideways right up at the Push Through Bar (PTB) end of the cadillac (having a box under your feet feels nice by helping to keep the hip flexors from activating when the legs are left hanging).  Start with one blue spring and then progress to two blues or one red.  Place your inside/bed side hand on the PTB so that you can see your hand from the corner of your eye (anatomy fact:  this range of sight is called the line of scaption because it is the efficient range in which to move your scapulae).  Initiating with the shoulder blade, pull the bar down on an exhale.  Inhale and hold once your hand reaches your shoulder and then initiating with the shoulder blade again, push the bar back up to the start position.  Tip:  you should feel the shoulder blade gliding around your ribcage from the base of the armpit in the start position towards the spine as you complete the movement.  I like starting with a light spring to allow the stabilising muscles around the shoulder blade to activate, rather than the biceps and deltoids taking over.  The challenge when moving up to a heavier spring is to keep recruiting the stabilising muscles.   

3.  Modified Down Stretch on the reformer

Kneel on the reformer with your feet against the shoulder rests and hands under your shoulders on the wooden platform.  Your upper arms should be resting against the footbar throughout the exercise.  Start on one red spring and progress to one blue and then one white spring.  On an inhale, push the carriage out with your knees, maintaining a neutral spine.  As you exhale drag the carriage back under you.  Tip:  Focus the push through your hands on your little finger and keep thinking width across the shoulders to stabilise the scapulae.  Anatomy fact:  there is a neuromuscular connection between the little finger and the serratus anterior muscle, so recruiting one, activates the other. 

I would love to know how you get on with these.  Don’t hesitate to drop me a message if you have any questions!

Finally, leaving you with some food for thought.  I came across this quote from Anula Maiberg the other week and it has stuck with me.  I’m guilty of getting caught up in the social media side of Pilates and feel disheartened when I don’t fit the insta defined Pilates look.  Anula’s quote brought me back to earth by reminding me that Pilates isn’t a performance.  We’re not training for an end of term show, we’re training to make our bodies stronger and more flexible.  We’re doing it for ourselves, not an audience.  So, on that note, it’s goodbye from me for today!  

[eatsleeppilates]

Pilates equipment classes are great and hugely adaptable for clients with injuries, etc.  That said, for most people, it just isn’t feasible to get to the studio the recommended 3 times per week due to cost, time, etc.  In fact, even when Joseph Pilates first developed his contrology method, students practiced equipment based exercises in class and were given equivalent mat based exercises as homework.  It’s not always obvious how an exercise based on a machine translates to working on a mat or similar at home, so in this little series that i’m calling “no reformer, no problem”, i’m going to demonstrate how to.

Side-arm Series

First up is the side-arm series which can be done seated or kneeling on the reformer.  This is a great exercise for mobilising around the shoulder and mid-back with the line of pull helping to ensure that the upper trapezius muscles don’t do all of the work.  Perfect for anyone with medially rotated shoulders (most of us!) and to learn a bit more about scapular stability and isolation of the rotator cuff muscles.   

Taking this onto a mat:

1.  Kneel onto a theraband.  

2.  Using a microphone grip to start, take the left hand side of the band in your right hand.  Start with your elbow into your side, palm facing up and then pull the band out to the side on an exhale, inhale to return.  Tip:  Imagine having a newspaper tucked under your arm to help keep the elbow in place, even better, use an actual newspaper!

3.  Switch to a horse-riding grip. Start with your palm facing into your abdomen.  As you exhale, pull the band out to the side, bringing the elbow up towards shoulder height and inhale to return.  Tip:  keep the torso really stable even as it is tempting to rotate as you pull the band across your body.

Repeat each exercise 10 times with each arm.  Work towards 3 sets total.

Single Leg Series - Bend and Stretch, Bicycle and Develope Prep

The second exercise focuses on the lower body with mobility through the hip, knee and ankle plus a challenge for lumbar-pelvic stability.

1.  Lie on your back with your knees bent.  Have a theraband around the ball of one foot and with a microphone grip, support the weight of the leg with your arms into your side.  

2.  The free leg can be in tabletop or on the mat either bent or straight for this first exercise.  Exhale as you straighten the theraband leg out (aim for a 45 degree angle to the ground), inhale to return.  Tip:  remember to flex through the hip, knee AND ankle, pointing the toes as you extend and digging the heel as you return.

3.  Bring the free leg into tabletop for the next two exercises.  Extend the theraband leg as you did before.  This time, as you inhale to start returning the theraband leg, extend the free leg out, exhale to complete the movement. This should feel similar to the movement pattern we use when cycling.  Tip:  notice whether the hips are swaying from side to side as you move the leg in and out.  Focus on your breath and activating the deep abdominals to avoid any movement around the lumbar and pelvis.

4.  This is the most challenging exercise of this mini-series.  Exhale to extend the theraband leg, inhale to stretch the free leg up towards the ceiling, exhale to bend and extend the free leg as you return the theraband leg to tabletop.  Tip:  keep a small gap (big enough to fit a marshmalow) between your lower back and the mat throughout the exercise.

Complete 10 repetitions of each exercise on each leg and work towards completing two sets.

I hope you enjoy trying these out.  Do drop me an email when you have with any comments, suggestions for future posts or questions! [email protected]. 

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Suffering from knee pain when walking or playing sports?  Recovering from knee surgery?  If you answered yes to either of those or just want to prevent answering yes, Pilates can provide a solution.  The knees are supported by many muscles, these include the quads, hamstrings, abductors, adductors and glutes.  The exercises i’ve included here will strengthen these while mobilising the knee to aid relief from pain and prevent pain from recurring.  They’re short and relatively simple, so try to fit them in 2 to 3 times per week and within a month you should notice a difference.  I’ve shown the exercises on a reformer but they can all be done on a mat too.  

Achilles and Calves: High Half-Toe

Lying on your back, place the balls of your feet on the footbar and raise your heels a couple of inches.  Your legs and feet should be zipped together.  Keeping your heels as still as possible, extend the knees to push the carriage out as you inhale.  On an exhale, lower your heels below the footbar.  Inhale to raise them and exhale to flex the knees and return the carriage. 

Concentrate on pulling up through the quads as you push the carriage out and enjoy the stretch in the achilles and calves as you lower your heels.

If you don’t have access to a reformer, try some simple heel raises standing on the stairs balancing on the balls of your feet.

Hamstrings and Glutes:  Second Position - Laterally Rotated

Lying on the reformer, place the meaty part of your heels wide on the footbar.  Your knees should be about shoulder distance apart.  As you exhale, extend the knees to push the carriage out.  Inhale to flex the knees and return.

Concentrate on pushing through your heels to engage the glutes and pulling up through your hamstrings as you exhale.  Keep the movements out and in even in duration and imagine the carriage is moving through treacle to keep them slow and smooth.

This is essentially a squat lying down, so without a reformer, perform a standing squat.  Be sure to keep your back straight (standing against a wall could help).

Glutes and Adductors: Hip Lifts

Lie on the carriage with your heels on the footbar.  Your legs should be parallel, so that your heels are in line with your sit bones.  Place a stability ball between your knees and squeeze it gently to help activate the abs and work the adductor muscles.  On an exhale, squeeze the glutes and lift the pelvis a few inches off the carriage.  Inhale to hold the position and exhale to release back down.

Concentrate on not moving the carriage which will require a fair bit of ab strength.  You can challenge yourself further by adding a few pulses - squeeze the ball in the hips lifted position.

Try this on a mat or the floor, lying with your feet flat on the floor with knees bent.  You could even place a fitness circle around your lower thigh and press out in the pelvis lifted position to work the abductor muscles!

I really hope you’ve enjoyed those exercises and start feeling that your knees are stronger!

Do drop me an email with any comments or questions - [email protected].  I would love to hear from you or even better, join me for a one-to-one Pilates session!  

[eatsleeppilates]

STOTT Pilates is a system built on five biomechanical principles.  These act as a foundation to developing body awareness and moving with proper alignment.  With these, you can be sure of performing the exercises with focus and control and thus reap their full benefits.

Breathing

Place your hands on your stomach and cough a few times.  Did you notice that as you cough, your stomach muscles contract?  With a Pilates breath, we try to engage those same muscles as we breathe.  Next, take a deep inhale through your nose (about 3 seconds) and force an exhale through your mouth as though blowing out candles on a birthday cake.  Did you feel the stomach muscles activate again?  If yes, great!  If not, now try imagining that you are blowing up a balloon.  That should get the muscles fired up.  You can use this breath all day long.  Whenever you stop for a couple of minutes - at a set of traffic lights, as you’re waiting for the kettle, etc.  Give it a go!

A couple of other things to think about.  Direct your breath down into you ribs (instead of your chest).  Imagine your ribs are an accordion, that is, they move wider and narrower as you breathe in and out.  You should notice that your shoulders rise less and relax as you do this.  Breathing deep down here will help to activate the deep abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis) and all the muscles in the ribs too and bring fresh air to 100% of the lungs, not just the 30% reached with shallow breathing.  

Scapular Stabilisation

Most of us (i’m certainly guilty of it) tend to round our shoulders forward as a result of sitting at a computer or hunching over an iPhone.  Failing to counteract this repetitive action can result in a shorter and weaker set of front body muscles (the anterior chain) and longer and weaker set of back body muscles (posterior chain).  

Imagine you are wearing a Tiffany’s diamond necklace or an Olympic gold medal (whichever you would prefer).  Now widen across the collarbone and show it off.  This will help strengthen and lengthen the pecs and strengthen and shorten the set of muscles that support your shoulder blades which in turn anchor the arms and support the cervical spine.  

A couple of other things to think about.  The set of shoulder blade muscles referred to here aren’t attached by bones to the ribs or spine, so it is super important to strengthen them.  We want to mobilise them with a gentle sliding/gliding movement.

Ribcage Placement

One of the best reasons to do Pilates is to improve your posture.  Not only does this make you look better (taller, leaner, etc.), it is the most efficient way to stabilise the spine because muscles and joints are working effectively.  A neutral posture is with the head, ribs and pelvis stacked like boxes directly one on top of the other.  Stand sideways in front of a mirror.  Are you stacked?

Starting with your arms out in front of you (at about shoulder height), take them above your head towards the ceiling/sky.  This should be a slow, smooth movement (as if moving through treacle).  Think about what your ribs are doing.  Are they still stacked or have your ribs popped forward?  Chances are that they have popped forward.  Return your arms to shoulder height and now really concentrate on pulling your ribs down towards your hips and directing your breath into the lower and back part of your ribs.  Try lifting your hands up again.  Better?  Thought so!  You’ve just activated your oblique muscles which along with the transversus abdominis are two key muscles that support the spine.  

As you walk down the road next or even sit on a chair, think about whether you are stacked.  Even better, really watch for the ribs popping next time to yawn and stretch!  Keep those obliques engaged and stabilise the spine. 

Head and Cervical Placement

Also known as cranio-vertebral flexion - quite the tongue twister!  The average human head weighs about 5kg (that’s a lot of potatoes).  When we flex our bodies forward, this puts a lot of strain on the cervical spine.   We want to be able to flex forward as we build our core strength, so we use the “head nod” to help stabilise the head on the neck and prevent any strain as we exercise.  

Lying down on the floor on your back, gently nod your head forwards as you inhale.  Your head stays on the floor and the back of your neck will lengthen.  This is a really small movement, you’re not trying to jam your chin into your chest, you should still be able to fit an orange between them.  

The science.  There are seven vertebrae in the cervical spine, the head nod activates the first two of these (the axis and atlas) only (hence the tiny movement).  It’s said that there is a neuromuscular connection between the eyes and the neck flexor muscles, so your gaze is important here.  It might help to imagine a set of traffic lights on the ceiling.  As you nod your head, your gaze will move from red, to amber to green.  Again, it’s a really small movement!  

One more thing to note here.  Head and cervical placement is important in all positions, not just when lying down on your back.  Always be conscious to stack the head on the shoulders when sitting/standing and not allow it to hang forwards or back when kneeling or extending the back.

Pelvic Placement

Lying on your back, with your knees bent, relax into what feels like a comfortable resting position.  Notice how your ribs are positioned - are they relaxed/melting into the floor?  If not, consciously try to imagine they are heavy to encourage that.  Now, think about your lower back (the area directly below your belly button).  Is it jammed into the floor?  A neutral lumbar spine, will have a slightly curve to it (a lordotic curve).  Imagine ants being able to walk through a little tunnel created by your bottom and ribs.  This is our aim throughout the Pilates practice and out into daily activity because it is the most stable and shock absorbing position.

To encourage stabilising in this neutral position, place your hands in a triangle just below your belly button.  Could you place a glass of champagne on that triangle without it tipping forwards, backwards or sideways?  If so, you’re in neutral.  Gently glide your ribs and pelvis closer together and away from eachother until you think you’ve got that triangle lying close to horizontal.   

Occasionally, when we have fewer body parts on a solid surface to support our weight, we’ll use an imprinted position instead.  This is even more supportive of the spine, particularly as you build your core strength.  To find your imprint, place your thumbs on the bottom of each rib and your index finger down to your hip bones.  You’ve essentially traced out your obliques!  As you exhale, glide the ribs and hips closer together.  It’s a small movement, probably only a centimetre.  This activates and shortens the obliques to help strengthen them.  Inhale and hold that position before releasing on an exhale.  It helps here to imagine that as you exhale and draw your belly button closer to your spine, you are hollowing or scooping out the abdominal muscles.

So, that was A LOT of information to take in.  Give it a couple of days and then have another read through and practice the exercises introduced.  As you become more familiar with them, try incorporating them into daily activity.  Perhaps when you wake up and are still lying in bed or when you find yourself with a couple of minutes as you wait for a train.  That is the beauty of Pilates, it can be done anywhere and everywhere.  You don’t need to spend any money or have any fancy equipment.  Although you can do it that way too!  Please reach out with your thoughts or questions, i’d be delighted to hear from you at [email protected].

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You’ve decided to try Pilates!  CONGRATULATIONS!  You’ve taken the first step to feeling, seeing and living the difference that this system can make.

Relax!

You don’t need any previous exercise experience to test the water with Pilates.  Take a deep inhale and exhale slowly, it’s going to be fine!  Learning Pilates is like teaching your body a brand new language.  Chances are it will take some time to grasp, that’s absolutely normal AND it will definitely be worth the time and effort!

Get Comfy!

Wear something comfortable to stretch in.  Ideally, it should be something fitted to help the instructor see better how you are moving.  You won’t need socks (though the sticky kind can be helpful - for grip, or hiding your feet).

Come Prepared!

You might get thirsty, so a bottle of water would be handy.

If you have long hair, tie it back.  

Avoid accessories - bracelets, necklaces, etc.  can get in the way and rip the leather of the reformer mat.  Best to leave those at home!

Know What’s Coming!

A Pilates class will start with a gentle warm-up to introduce the basic principles of the system.  Then you’ll work through a series of exercises to mobilise the spine and joints and challenge your strength, balance and co-ordination.

Ask Questions!

Don’t be shy to ask the instructor any questions if you don’t understand an exercise or need a modification because you can’t “feel” yourself working or are uncomfortable.  The instructor is there to aid your learning, use them!

Well, that’s a wrap.  Get ready to...

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So, i’m definitely a Pilates convert and in this post, i’d like to share with you why.  

1.  Pilates helps correct your posture!

For most of us, our daily activity (think hunching over a desk, slouching on the couch, etc.) is not conducive to good posture.  This doesn’t just look bad, it IS bad.  Faulty alignment of the bones and joints results in undue stress and strain (yes, that sore back or neck pain!).  Joseph Pilates created a system that counteracts common issues like kyphosis and lordosis.  Your Pilates instructor should be able to assess through your movement patterns or a postural analysis which joints and muscles you need to work on.

2.  Pilates helps build your core strength!

What is “core” strength I hear you ask.  No, it’s not just some fuzzy term that we Pilates instructors have made up.  It refers to all the muscles in the “core” part of your body, that’s the torso to you and me (basically everything between your shoulders and your hips).  Pilates doesn’t try to get you a six pack and bulging pecs.  Instead, the system focuses on the muscles you can’t see, those hard-working (think scaffolding) muscles that help keep you upright.  You might hear the terms Transversus Abdominis, Erector Spinae and Serratus Anterior.  These are fancy, mostly Latin, terms for scaffolding and are really what the “core” is about.  Reformer Pilates, in particular, incorporates resistance training (i.e. weights) which really helps isolate muscle groups and build strength (without building bulk!).

3.  Pilates helps improve your flexibility!

When was the last time you did a back-bend?  Have you ever?  Exactly... For most people, our daily activities involve repeating movements in one plane of movement (we bend forwards... over iPhones, keyboards, Kindles).  In a Pilates session, you will move your spine and joints through their full ranges of motion.  For example, you’ll do some spinal flexion, but also work on extending, laterally flexing and rotating the spine.  This will wake up the muscles which support those movements and help lubricate the joints, reducing your risk of injury.

Convinced?  Get in touch to arrange your first Pilates session.  Once you’re booked in, you may also like to read my tips for preparing for your first class.

I’d love to know what you think about this post.  Please drop me an email with comments and suggestions [email protected].  

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Here are 3 fantastic stretches that can be done on the Pilates reformer machine.  I love them post run and try to include them in my Pilates practice as often as possible.

Short Spine 

This one is particularly good for tight hamstrings or a sore lower back.

Start lying on the reformer with your feet in straps rotated outwards and on a diagonal.  Rotate your thighs in to parallel and hinge towards the ceiling on an inhale.  As you exhale, use the abs to curl the spine up off the mat.  On an inhale bend the knees down towards your shoulders and exhale to uncurl the spine back down to the mat.  Finally, inhale to bring your feet towards your bottom and fully return your torso to the mat and exhale to stretch your legs back out to a diagonal.  

Repeat 5 times.

Elephant

Another great exercise to stretch the hamstrings, it also works the hips.

Start standing on the carriage with your feet flat against the shoulder rests and your hands on the footrest (it’s helpful to keep a slight bend in the elbow).  As you inhale, extend at the hip to push the carriage out.  Exhale to return.

Repeat 10 times.

SIngle Thigh Stretch

This is one of my favourites to get a deep hip stretch, perfect for easing tightness after a run!

Starting with the left hip, stand with your right foot at the front of the reformer on the floor and the left foot up against the shoulder rest, knee resting on the mat.  As you exhale, extend both knees to press the carriage out.  Inhale to return.  Repeat 5 times.  On the final repetition, extend your left arm up towards the ceiling for an even deeper stretch.  

Repeat for the right hip on the other side.

I hope you find incorporating these relatively short and simple exercises into your fitness routine pain-free.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this or future posts, please drop me an email [email protected].  Visit my website www.eatsleeppilates.com for details on arranging a private reformer session with me.

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As a keen runner myself, I love the versatility offered by the reformer to build my core strength and stretch areas that get tight from running.  I’ve detailed my 3 favourite reformer exercises here and given equivalents for practising on a mat. The focus throughout all of the exercises is to do them slowly but fluidly.  

CALF AND HAMSTRING STRETCH: 

Reformer, Footwork - Lower and Lift

Start lying face-up on the reformer with the balls of your feet on the bar and heels raised to a high-half toe position.  Legs should be together and parallel.

Inhale to push the carriage out, exhale to lower your heels below the bar, inhale to raise your heels and exhale to return the carriage.  Repeat 10 times.

Mat, One Leg Kick

Start lying face down on the mat with your head resting on your hands.

Exhale as you bend one leg, switching from pointing your toes to digging your heels as you do so.  Inhale, to point your toes and return your foot slowly to the mat.  Repeat on the other side, 10 times on each in total.

AB STRENGTH:

Reformer, Knee Stretches

Start kneeling on the carriage with your hands on the bar.  Your feet should be against the shoulder rests with your pelvis back towards your ankles.

Inhale to push the carriage out and exhale to draw it half-way back.  Repeat 10 times.  

Mat, Leg Pull Front Prep

Start kneeling on the mat resting on the balls of your feet and with your hands wide directly under your shoulders.  

As you exhale, lift the knees 2 to 3 inches off the mat.  Inhale to lower back down. Repeat 10 times.

GLUTE STRENGTH: 

Reformer, Hip Roll Prep

Start lying face-up on the reformer with the fleshy part of your heels on the bar.  Your legs should hip distance apart and parallel.

As you exhale roll your spine off the mat to come into a bridge position.  Inhale and hold that position.  Exhale to articulate the spine back down to the mat.  Repeat 10 times. 

Mat, Hip Rolls

Start lying face-up on the mat with your knees bent.  Your legs should hip distance apart and parallel.

As you exhale roll your spine off the mat to come into a bridge position.  Inhale and hold that position.  Exhale to articulate the spine back down to the mat.  Repeat 10 times.

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Eat. Sleep. Pilates. x LP Wines @ Printworks Kitchen

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Eat. Sleep. Pilates. x Doisy & Dam @ Printworks Kitchen

Event number 3 and we are on a roll... on this occasion we partnered with infamous chocolatiers Doisy & Dam at Printworks Kitchen to create a heavenly match of Pilates and chocolate.

Once again, we worked up an appetite with a 60 minute full body conditioning class incorporating the principles of Pilates to challenge mind and muscle.

A cheeky glass of prosecco was well-earned and fuelled conversation between attendees.  One of the core principles of Eat. Sleep. Pilates. is to bring Londoners together in an intimate, friendly space.  Anonymous, pretentious gym classes these are not!

After dinner, the lovely ladies (Alexa and Nat) of Doisy & Dam introduced the brand and its philosophy as guests drooled in anticipation of creating their own superfood dessert.  Quite possibly the most delicious thing i’ve tasted.  Who knew coconut yoghurt was SO scrumptious?

Photo credit to Karina Stevens of Hurricane Headshots.  Thank you to you and everyone who was part of this amazing evening.

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Eat. Sleep. Pilates. x Hurricane Headshots @ Printworks Kitchen

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Eat. Sleep. Pilates. x Happy Human Bean @ Printworks Kitchen

For the first event in our summer series, we partnered with Happy Human Bean and Printworks Kitchen for an evening of Pilates, dinner and a happiness workshop.

Our venue was a beautiful cafe in a former print-house in Clerkenwell run by friends and passionate foodies Catherine and Danielle.  By day they are busy serving coffee, cakes and salads with a varied menu mindful of dairy and gluten-free diets amongst the city work clientele.  For this evening though, the space was transformed into a peaceful private oasis (complete with Ibiza chillout soundtrack!).

http://www.printworkskitchen.co.uk/ 

At Eat. Sleep. Pilates. we believe in curating intelligent, nourishing and principled events, so partnering with Carly of Happy Human Bean was an absolute delight.  TWO degrees and a wealth of reading knowledge - intelligent? tick! Happiness = nourishment, tick! Activities teaching a personal, journey vs. destination and acceptance approach to happiness mapping = principled, tick!  

Eat. Sleep. Pilates. is a social enterprise, so giving to the community is a core principle of our business.  We are very proud to say that 100% of proceed from this event will be donated to Action Against Hunger, our charity partner.

To start with, our guests were treated to a 60 minute Pilates class.  Keeping with the happiness theme, we worked through a series of exercises focusing on hip releases and spine mobilisation to leave guests feeling pleasantly tired, relaxed and stretched.

This delicious meal was well-earned! A cheeky glass of prosecco was kindly thrown in  too!  The middle-eastern influence was evident in the aubergine & tahini and the pomegranate & rucola salads.

We then enjoyed a happiness workshop led by Carly taking moments for self-reflection and with wonderful insights from wabi-sabi to quietening our inner critic.  It was only a taster of the workshops that are in the pipeline, more details here:

https://happyhumanbean.com/

We were able to give all of our guests a goody bag filled with wellness treats thanks to our wonderful partners:

www.steenbergs.co.uk

www.ombar.co.uk

www.propercorn.com

http://www.sweatybetty.com/

https://www.yogitea.com/en/

All in all, an amazing evening and hugely successful first event of the series.  9 VERY happy human beings. RESULT!

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Eat. Sleep. Pilates. x Bain-Marie @ Goldfinger Factory

For our inaugural event we partnered with Bain-Marie and the Goldfinger Factory for a morning of Pilates, brunch and a nutrition masterclass.

Once the date was set, it was a whirlwind introduction to social media for me and thank goodness for Canva which has been SO useful for creating sleek imaging like this.

Our venue was on the ground floor of the iconic, brutalist housing estate The Trellick Tower in the beautiful Goldfinger Factory in West London.  Learn more about their amazing work here.  http://www.goldfingerfactory.com/

Here are 3 facts you might not have known about The Trellick Tower.

1. It was designed by Erno Goldfinger (the man credited as being the inspiration for the Bond villain Goldfinger!).

2. It is Grade II listed, so isn’t going anywhere.

3. It inspired J. G. Ballard's 1975 dystopian novel turned movie High Rise.

At Eat. Sleep. Pilates. we believe in curating intelligent, nourishing and principled events.  Thus working with Marie of Bain-Marie was an absolute no-brainer.  Visit her website for a taste of her amazingness.  http://www.bainmarieblog.com/

Eat. Sleep. Pilates. is a social enterprise, so giving to the community is a core principle of our business.  We are very proud to say that 100% of proceeds from this event will be donated to Action Against Hunger our charity partner.

To start with, our guests were treated to a 60 minute full-body Pilates class.  Again being intelligent, nourishing and principled was at the core of everything we did.  From mobilising our spines to opening our hips and challenging our muscles using Stott Pilates principles.

This delicious brunch was well-earned!  Marie treated us to courgetti with cashew pesto, an heirloom tomato salad and roasted spicy cauliflower.

Here’s a link to her courgetti recipe.  I can’t wait to have a go at it!

http://www.bainmarieblog.com/blog/courgetti-al-pesto

We were able to give all of our guests to a goody bag filled with nutritional treats thanks to our wonderful partners:

https://www.loveyourblender.com/

http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/

http://www.ombar.co.uk/

https://www.propercorn.com/

To make room for dessert and learn more about the Trellick Tower, Marie took us on a little tour.  It’s 31 storeys and 98 metres high!

Back at GF, we then enjoyed a masterclass on water based Kefir and guests were invited to take a small amount home to have a go at fermenting themselves. 

All in all, an amazing morning and hugely successful first event.  I’m buzzing!  Don’t just take my word for it though, here is a selection of the feedback we received:

“ I had the BEST day!”

“ I really enjoyed it.  The class was great and the food tasty.”

“ Was a great morning.  So nice to do something different and the venue was so interesting.”