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December Highlights

• Sir Ian’s a Wizard to Pilates
• Boxing Clever
• Pilates and Long COVID
• Lovely Rita
• The Gift of Pilates

Sir Ian’s a wizard at Pilates

Sir Ian McKellan recently gave a glowing endorsement of Pilates on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show. Chatting with fellow Hobbit star Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman, Sir Ian, aka Gandalf among other roles, explained how he stayed nimble at 83: “I do Pilates… I exercise with Joe Pilates’ machinery. I have a trainer Brian who helps me with that in Canary Wharf. Sometimes I do it online on a mat and Brian says ‘stand up properly’ and ‘bend from there, stretch from here.’ An hour of that three times a week keeps me feeling alive. I do recommend it.”

Sir Ian, who is starring in the pantomime Mother Goose with John Bishop, went on to tell Zoe: “You do have to keep walking and eating properly. The problem when you get old is that you trip… I have a friend who was cooking and slipped and broke both knees… If you have your core working properly, and Pilates will do that for you, when you trip you won’t fall.” Clearly Pilates is an unexpected journey that Sir Ian finds most beneficial.

Boxing clever

“Derek Chisora turns to Pilates ahead of Tyson Fury showdown,” read the headline in the Daily Mail. Boxing isn’t traditionally associated with Pilates, though it’s worth remembering that Joseph Pilates himself was a keen amateur boxer. Heavyweight Chisora, 38, told the Mail that Pilates had helped improve his breathing and punching power.

“Doing Pilates twice a week has helped with my breathing as well as feeling freer in my upper body, especially after sparring. It’s also great for my recovery,” said Chisora. An Instagram post also showed Chisora doing breathing exercises in a studio. Derek’s trainer Don Charles commented: “We’ve seen a massive improvement in his punching power and overall performance in preparation for the big fight, all thanks to Pilates.”

Sadly Chisora wasn’t victorious against Fury, losing in the tenth round after battling hard, but he has certainly picked a winner in Pilates.

Pilates and Long Covid

Pilates can help with Long Covid, claims a new study. The research, published in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, used middle-aged people who had been hospitalised with Covid and then suffered breathing problems with Long Covid.

After eight weeks of Pilates training, those who did conventional Pilates training improved their lung function by 32.3 per cent, while those who did aqua Pilates (Pilates exercises in water) showed an even better lung improvement of 34.7 per cent. The study concluded: “Pilates training is effective in improving lung and respiratory function by emphasising the muscles involved in breathing.”

Co-author of the study Cain Clark, of Coventry University, described the results as “clinically significant.” The report has been viewed with interest by the scientific community reports website Well + Good. “I was quite surprised at how beneficial it was in improving lung function. An improvement of 32 per cent I would consider to be huge,” said Enya Daynes, clinical physiotherapist and Covid rehabilitation lead at the Leicester Biomedical Research Centre.

The patients also reported life improvements after Pilates such as better mental health, which the report attributed to the release of the “happy” mood hormone serotonin. Post-pandemic, Pilates seems to be good news all round.

Lovely Rita

The Daily Mail was very enthusiastic as singer Rita Ora left a London Pilates class showing off, “her sizzling physique and rock-hard abs in a pink sports bra and matching leggings.”

The Mail gushed: “The leggings were worn high on her waist and the bralet featured pretty double straps as she gave a flash of her toned abs. The star completed her look with white socks and comfortable trainers and accessorised perfectly with dark shades while stepping out. The blonde beauty wore her curly blonde tresses pinned back and opted for a natural make-up look to show off her pretty features.”

The only problem is that in the photos of Rita “strutting her stuff” in the street, everyone else is wearing overcoats. Frankly, she must have been a bit cold. Any clients wishing to flash their sizzling physiques at Pilates Central are advised to wrap up more warmly than Rita while parading down Upper Street.

The gift of Pilates

Still Christmas shopping? You could buy someone the gift of health: our stylish Pilates Central gift vouchers are available at reception or by calling 020 7288 8080.

An assessment and initial session voucher is £70, and a single session is £58 for a great stocking filler. Ten-session vouchers cost £495 (£49.50 per session) and 30-session vouchers are £1,350 (£45 per session). A 50-session voucher is £1,950 (£39 per session).

While Santa might like to consider booking a few sessions for himself to improve his sleigh-driving posture and deal with any back problems after lugging all those presents around. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

 

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The Pilates Central Team