Welcome to the May edition of Pilates Central News.

In this edition:

• AJ at play
• Pilates convert
• Bend it like Ben
• Paws for Pilates

AJ at play

Three Pilates sessions in one day is going it a bit even by celebrity standards. Big Brother host AJ Odudu shared details of her holiday in Ibiza to her 289,000 Instagram followers, detailing two Pilates sessions, a hike and another Pilates session, all in one action-packed day. Or as the Daily Mail put it: “AJ Odudu sizzles as she flaunts her toned figure in a bikini and crop tops as she enjoys Pilates and hiking on holiday in Ibiza.”

Wearing an orange bikini, the Blackburn-born ITV presenter, 37, told her followers: “Guys it’s 11am, we’ve done two Pilates classes — one as a group and then me and Alec did a private session with Marsha back to back.I had a little bit of breakfast and I’m knackered, and we’ve still got a hike and another Pilates session. Love it. So yeah I’m going to sunbathe now, read my book and chill.”

She shared footage of her Pilates session, stretching and balancing on one leg on a Reformer while, “wearing a black and white sports bra and matching leggings as she got to grips with the equipment,” AJ posted a picture of herself with Pilates instructor Marsha Lindsay and pal Alec Maxwell, followed by footage of her cliff top hike in the sun. AJ is a long-term Pilates fan. Last year she explained her philosophy on Instagram: “Pilates in the morning so we can party at night. Balance.” If Big Brother really is watching her then he’s probably pretty exhausted after all that Pilates and partying.

Pilates convert

“I tried swapping gym for Pilates and it hade some unexpected results,” writes Harry Bullmore in a thoughtful piece for the Independent. The first lesson he learns is that “sweat isn’t a surefire sign of workout.” He finds his Pilates roll-ups very different to his vigorous gym sit-ups: “I was asked to lift one vertebrae at a time away from my mat over the course of a few seconds. Very soon, the abdominal muscles on the front of my stomach (the rectus abdominis) were shaking, and felt far more involved than they do during standard sit-ups.”

Harry enjoyed the bending and twisting movements in his class, as “Smaller supporting muscles which are often overlooked in the gym were given a starring role, and by the end my body felt strong and limber.”

In the increasingly tribal world of fitness Bullmore writes that sometimes it is good to betray your gym tribe: “Not only can opening up your exercise routine to new activities challenge you to move in different ways, paving the way for unexpected fitness perks, but it’s also incredibly enjoyable.” 

He hasn’t deserted his dumbbells, but concludes, “Since the class, I’ve incorporated Pilates into my weekly routine. The resulting improvements in strength, stability and mobility around my hips and shoulders have improved my performance in other sports.”

Bend it like Ben

Daytime TV presenter Ben Shephard has made the cover of Men’s Health magazine looking ripped at 50. The cover is a re-shoot of the Men’s Health cover he did back in 2012 when he was 37.

Shephard avoids the pastries at ITV’s This Morning and spends a lot of time working out and trying to keep up with his two sons — but he’s also now incorporated Pilates into his fitness regime. A few years ago he had a serious knee injury, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and had to get through a year of rest and rehab. 

Shephard told Men’s Health: “I used to just turn up and do stuff. Now, I’m much more conscious of Pilates and stretching to protect my body. I don’t want to be in a position where I can’t play golf with my sons and my mates. I don’t want to be unable to go skiing with the boys, which I love doing, or play football – I’m just so scared of doing my knee again.”

He adds that, “In my forties, I was still on the attack. In my fifties, I’m on the defensive. It’s all about how I prolong things now – not going out and smashing it left, right and centre.”

Ben is now looking forward to doing another Men’s Health cover shoot when he is 60 and with Pilates we’re sure he’ll make it.

Paws for Pilates

“My dog’s Pilates class has given him the core strength of a Beckham,” is the headline in the Times as writer Anna Shooter reveals how she signed up her goldendoodle dog Bruno for pet Pilates sessions.

Shooter noticed that Bruno was not sleeping, was hyperactive and following her around the house. Her vet thought Bruno might have hip pain and referred them to pup Pilates expert Holly Soper-Doyle, a former professional rider who now works as a physiotherapist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The sessions cost £100 a time, though sadly they are not held in Barking.

Bruno showed dogged determination to complete a set of exercises, including, “three-legged balances; two-legged diagonal balances which are like a Pilates superman; two-legged side balances which are the equivalent of a side plank; high fives; downward dogs (though, to be honest, he hasn’t really got the knack of them) and sits to stands.”

Pilates teacher Soper-Doyle explains: “A dog might have strained a leg and limp for a couple of days and you think they are OK, but the muscles can have become tight, they can be out of alignment, their core balance is off and they’re overloading certain areas — that’s the kind of thing where the Pilates exercises can really help their recovery.”

She adds that fashionable crossbreeds such as labradoodles and goldendoodles can have hip problems, while breeds with long backs and short legs such as dachshunds and basset hounds are “mechanically disadvantaged” and can “bend like a banana.”

After three months of pup Pilates owner Anna found a big difference in her dog: “Bruno has gone from not being able to balance at all — he would literally crumple if he had to stand on three legs — to being the Jennifer Aniston of dogs. His core is now as strong as David Beckham’s and he jumps up with excitement when he sees the wobble boards come out.” Clearly a tail with a happy ending.

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The Pilates Central Team