A great workout for every body
Looking for a way to liven up your fitness routine and de-stress while you build flexibility, core strength, and all-over muscles? Pilates might be just what your life is missing.
In this series, certified Pilates teachers from The Studio, located in the Granger Mall, will write about how Pilates can help you reach a variety of fitness goals, and will share simple moves and poses that you can easily build into your day.
As the program director and founder of The Studio, I am excited to be sharing with you the first article of the series.
I first discovered Pilates when a friend suggested that I give it a try. I became absolutely smitten and within a month, I was going five times a week and driving my husband nuts talking about it.
Two years later, I took early retirement from my position as a bank branch manager and became certified as a professional Pilates teacher. I am now 63 and look and feel more fit than I did at 50 when I took my first Pilates class.
Wanting to share my love of Pilates with others, I opened The Studio in 2009. The Studio is all about community – a community of teachers and clients who love Pilates! Our teachers represent the community in which we live in that they have a wide range of ages, backgrounds and sizes. We offer more than 55 Pilates classes a week and have 12 certified teachers.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a series of exercises created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s to develop long lean muscle and enable the body to move with grace, flexibility and freedom. It is a unique combination of exercise that targets a wide range of muscles at the same time, while always using and strengthening the core. Pretty much every move in Pilates works your core, which can help you get flatter abdominals, better posture, and improved stability and coordination.
Recognizing the great number of benefits for those who are looking to strengthen their bones, prevent injuries, or recover from an injury, many doctors and physiotherapists are now incorporating the Pilates approach into clients’ programs.
Who is Pilates for?
Anyone and everyone. Pilates can be modified to offer challenges to a wide range of people: top athletes, children, elderly, post or pre-natal women, and people who are at various stages of rehabilitation. Pilates is a great addition to any fitness routine.
Pilates is helpful for back injuries, postural stresses, overuse syndrome, sports injuries, neck and shoulder dysfunction, lower limb problems and it is also great for cross-training.
With thousands of possible exercises and modifications, Pilate workouts can be tailored to individual needs. Pilates is a way to keep moving for a lifetime.
The Ab Prep: A quick and simple sequence
The Ab Prep is the basis of many Pilates exercises and establishes the correct sequencing of the upper spine while stabilizing the pelvis. Add this exercise to your existing fitness routine, or do it when you wake up and before bed. It looks a little like a traditional crunch, but is actually more difficult. When you don’t come up as far, you can really concentrate on using the correct abdominal muscles instead of relying on the hip flexors. It is far more beneficial for your abdominal muscles and back.
(1) Starting position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Your knees and feet should be in line with your hips. Draw in your abdominal muscles as if you were trying to get your belly button to touch your spine without shortening the distance between your ribs and hips.
(2) On the inhale, tuck your chin while looking at your knees.
(3) On the exhale, reach your arms long and curl your upper spine up to the bottom of your shoulder blades, no higher. Breath in to stay, and then breath out to lower your spine down one vertebrae at a time. Repeat this move five times.
You should feel the effort of the move in your abdominal muscles, but there should be no bulging of the muscles in that area.
