Welcome to the June edition of Pilates Central News.
In this edition:
- The long-term benefits of Pilates
- When I’m 84
- Making waves
- Beach Pilates
The long-term benefits of Pilates
Pilates is all about consistent improvement leading to long-term gains. It is a low impact activity, though the slow controlled movements are still demanding. Pilates is not something where you will be asked to push boundaries, break through the pain barrier or exercise until you drop. Instead it is about steady sustainable improvement.
Joseph Pilates was certainly an advocate of consistent long-term training. He famously said: “You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in 20 sessions and have a completely new body in 30 sessions.” He originally called his system Contrology, but what is now known simply as Pilates will help to improve your flexibility, posture and balance. Pilates wanted us to take the movements into our everyday life so that we move more confidently and are aware of say how we sit on the tube or our posture at a desk.
Reformer and mat Pilates concentrate on all the muscle groups, working against resistance to provide a steady improvement, particularly in the core muscles. Consistency matters more than intensity and regular sessions are better than occasional high-intensity bursts. The fitness world often emphasises extremes and instant transformations, but these high-intensity workouts can cause burnout and injuries.
In contrast Pilates is low-impact and calming, it builds strength slowly and consistently. It chooses quality over quantity in guided sessions with the Reformer able to be adjusted to suit each client. The aim is not a quick fix but to think about breath, alignment and posture so that it becomes a cornerstone of daily life.
One often forgotten benefit of Pilates is that it can help you to sleep better. Sleep is sometimes said to be the best health hack there is. There’s certainly a different more satisfying tiredness after time spent exercising compared to the weariness that comes after sitting hunched over a desk all day. Pilates will help to release muscle tension and increase your sense of relaxation giving better quality sleep. Regular exercise can help reduce the number of times you wake up in the night
The controlled breathing of Pilates, concentrating on inhaling and exhaling, should help to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Being in the moment as you concentrate on Reformer or mat exercises will help you forget about everyday worries and reduce stress. The focus on breathing in class might also help sleep-related breathing and will benefit those who suffer from broken sleep or insomnia.
Anyone who has ever suffered from an aching back will know it can keep you awake at night. Another benefit of Pilates is that it will help alleviate back pain and therefore improve sleep. With a strengthened core and any misalignments corrected the body will be in a better state to relax and sleep. Greater awareness about your body will also help you develop healthy sleep hygiene routines.
With consistent practice Pilates can improve both your body and quality of life. Pilates is a sustainable set of exercises aiming to help the user for a whole lifetime. It is very much about making a cumulative lifestyle change rather than a quick fix, so enjoy the journey to health and wellness.
When I’m 84
“Paul McCartney says Pilates helps him stay feeling young as he prepares to turn 84 this month,” writes the Daily Mirror. Appearing on stage with host Rob Brydon at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, McCartney was asked by Brydon how he stayed fit for touring. Paul replied: “I’m vegetarian. That’s very good for you these days. I do better exercise… you know I go to the gym and do a bit of Pilates. I like it, it’s nice to do. Whereas at school I hated physical education.”
It’s clearly been a long and winding road to Pilates for the former Beatle, but Pilates will surely help get his back to where it once belonged. McCartney believes flexibility is more important than strength and has long performed Pilates-style stretching routines at home on a mat with his wife Nancy Shevell. Men’s Health reports: “McCartney tends to start with mobility work on the mat, including stretches and foam rolling, before moving on to the cross-trainer. “
McCartney has wowed Glastonbury in recent years and now has a number one new album out The Boys of Dungeon Lane, written about his childhood in Liverpool. Despite some “dodgy hearing” he’s still very active. Paul has even posted a picture of himself doing a headstand on Instagram, commenting: “The headstand is my show-off moment when I’m in the gym… I was once told that it keeps you young.” It’s good to see Macca doing so well with a little help from his Pilates friends.
Making waves
Yacht Pilates is now a thing. “Kylie Jenner strips to a crop top and hotpants as she does Pilates on the deck of her yacht during a girls’ trip to Sardinia,” declares the Daily Mail. The paper features numerous pictures of Kylie performing Pilates exercises on the deck of superyacht ALO Voyage. The influencer and makeup mogul is pictured laughing and joking with friends as she takes instructions from her teacher, while stretching on the Reformer.
Jenner is dressed in black “Pilates-ready” athleisure gear, or as the Mail describes it: “The mom of two showed off her fit figure in a black sports bra and matching hotpants as she worked up a sweat in the Sardinia sunshine with a group of similarly-dressed pals.” She also found time to post a picture of her session to her 380 million Instagram followers.
Jenner, who is dating Timothee Chalamet, is a long-term fan of Pilates and credited it with helping her to get fit after the birth of her second child, posting “@formapilatesla and a little cardio is the combo.” Will nautical Pilates take off? For any Pilates Central clients without a superyacht we can offer land-based Reformers with perhaps less chance of being hit by a bow-wave or being filmed by the paparazzi.
Beach Pilates
“Council wants £85 a week for my free Pilates class,” reads the headline of a BBC story on teacher Alexandra Beard, who was offering free Pilates classes on the beach at Leigh-on-Sea on Essex. Mats were placed on the sand at the informal classes, which attracted up to 150 users. But then Southend-on-Sea City Council stepped in.
Beard told the BBC: “The council said I needed an event application form, a risk assessment and public liability insurance. I also needed a first aider on site, an event management plan and then I had to pay a fee of £85 per week, plus an additional admin charge. I can’t afford £85 a week for a free class.”
The users were upset too. “It’s such a welcoming environment. There’s no pressure and no cost which makes a huge difference. It seems really unfair. Something that’s clearly benefiting so many people is being put at risk because of charges. It just doesn’t feel right,” said Terri Dent from Rayleigh.
Now local café Bit on the Side has stepped in to help Beard by letting her use its garden for her free classes, though she can only fit in 12 to14 people instead of 100 plus. Beard, who has public and teacher liability insurance, told the BBC in a follow-up piece: “They saw it as an event rather than a community initiative on what I thought was a free public beach. There’s no barriers, you don’t have to pay anything, it’s completely free. I wanted to create a really nice kind of community vibe. You just bring yourself and a mat and that’s all you need.”
Local councillor Matt Dent told the BBC he had a duty to ensure public events were properly managed, but was, “taking steps to find a way forward”. Let’s hope the council can stretch to a solution.
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The Pilates Central Team
