What is Pilates?

So, first of all, if you ever wondered where the name "Pilates" came from, it comes from the name of its creator, Joseph Hubertus Pilates who was born in Germany in 1881. He developed his fitness regime which he called "Contrology" while interned in England during WW1. After the war, he moved to New York and with his partner, Clara and started training dancers who were attracted by the long, lean muscles that the system created.

Pilates, as a system of physical and mental conditioning was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s. During this time, he created a series of exercises for the mat and equipment, using his knowledge of gymnastics, boxing, martial arts and yoga and Eastern and Western philosophy.

While Joe was undoubtedly ahead of his time when it comes to the design of his mat and apparatus exercises, many of the exercises that he recommended are taught in a modified form today because we know how the body works much better.

However, having said that, a lot of the exercises are still taught as originally designed. The aim of the exercises is to encourage the body to work as a kinetic whole. And, the exercises, when taught in order do make a coherent whole body workout.

If you ever Google images of Joe Pilates, you'll see many pictures of him in his tighty-whiteys doing some strange stuff. The picture below of him standing on someone while they do The Hundred, is not untypical. I do not encourage any of my gentleman participants to come to class dressed like this. Nor will I ever stand on your stomach while you work out. You're welcome.

Is Pilates the same as yoga then?

Joe Pilates definitely took inspiration from yoga, as well as from other disciplines. If you've done yoga , then you might recognise some of the exercises that we do in Pilates.

A great way of thinking about the difference between the two is that yoga is a spiritual practice consisting of a series of poses and postures where you use your physical effort to bring stillness to the mind.

Pilates on the other hand is a physical practice where you use concentration, control, flow, breath, centring and precision to execute a series of exercises. Not to say that you won't get stillness of the mind arising as a benefit of Pilates (it's really great for quieting a constantly active brain!).

What sorts of exercises will I do in Pilates?

Well, you’ll use your body weight (and sometimes some other small equipment) to improve your strength and flexibility (aka mobility).

We work standing, lying down on your back and on your side, kneeling and on all fours so you are challenging your body in lots of different positions. It’s not an aerobic class, meaning that you won’t be sweating buckets and be out of breath. But we do focus on small, controlled movements and on our breathing. And you'll still be working hard so you might break a light sweat!

There are thirty-four exercises in the classical mat repertoire (as it's known). The exercises, when done together in order, tend to be clustered in threes and follow a "prep, exercise, release" pattern. For example, The Hundred - warm up your abs and back; Rollup - use your abs and back; Rollover - release your back and abs. If you're on Instagram or Facebook, check out my posts every March where I post a picture or video of each of the exercises for #Marchmatness.

What's Pilates good for?

All the little things – did you know that your ability to get out of a chair and to stand on one leg with your eyes closed are both good indicators of how long you’ll live? We work on exercises that will improve your ability to perform both of these tests.

The mobility that you’ll gain from doing Pilates will also improve your posture, your general quality of life and your ability to perform those day to day tasks (lifting shopping, picking things up from the floor, picking yourself up from the floor!) that can become challenging as we get older.

Oh, and Mr A LOVES what he calls “Pilates Sleep” – that is the sleep that you have the night you’ve done Pilates.

Is Pilates just for women?

I know that Pilates can have an image problem of being for women who just lie around on the floor, breathing. Especially the types of women who have a "Pilates Body"

This image could not be further from the truth. Pilates is for everyone who has a body. And since we focus on core strength, flexibility, balance and efficient movement patterns, it's fantastic for women and men.

In fact, it's really great for anyone who does other sports and also for people who are coming back to exercise after a break.

Is The Seal a real exercise?

Whatever you privately think, it's not my attempt to make you roll around like a four year old and amuse myself in class. It's actually number thirty in the repertoire.

Want to try a class? Check out this blog to learn what you can expect in your first class and then click here to try your first class for free

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October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and if you haven't done it recently, please let this be the nudge you need to give them a good feel up. Here 's a link to the NHS website below showing how to perform your check and what to look for. If you're one of my gentlemen readers, please don't think this doesn't apply to you. It does. Men can still get breast cancer. And if you find something that doesn't seem right, please contact your GP as soon as possible. 80-90% of lumps are likely to be benign, but for the small percentage of those that aren't, early detection and treatment are your best chances of having successful treatment and being around to annoy friends and family for a long time. Don't skip your mammogram I know having mammograms is really uncomfortable. But this is one of the best ways to check for cancers that aren't otherwise easily spotted. So if you get invited, please go. (And don't skip your smear test either!!!) Know your risk factors 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Here are some of the risk factors: - Age : older women are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women and age is the highest risk factor. - Genetics : Breast cancer risk is higher if you have first-degree relatives who've had it (although 85% of women with a relative with breast cancer WON'T get it). - Breast density (relates to the percentage of non-fatty tissue): the risk is highest for those with the most dense tissue. You can ask your radiographer to tell you whether you have dense tissue at your mammogram. - Lifestyle factors: These include having overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use and insufficient physical activity. - Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals: These "forever" chemicals, such as pthalates and parabens, show up in makeup and toiletries. Risk doesn't normally come from one exposure to one chemical, but from prolonged exposure to many different chemicals over a long period of time. You can read more about the risks here It's worth noting that even if you get a diagnosis, it's unlikely you'll ever know if there was "one thing" that caused it. What happens if you get a diagnosis of breast cancer? I am in no way competent to comment on the treatment plan your medical team recommend for you. Everyone I know who's had breast cancer has had a different treatment plan, depending on: the stage of cancer; whether it had spread further; whether it was hormone-receptive; whether it was due to genetic mutation; and the age of the woman. I do know that for all of us, it was a really scary time. You should be given access to resources outside of the surgical and oncology team, often via a Macmillan nurse, who can answer questions on topics from your treatment and reactions, to claiming for extra benefits. They're also great if you're not sure what questions to ask. While you're in the heat of the panic, it can be difficult to think clearly about what you need to know. Using "what should I be asking that I'm not?" is super helpful. Keep moving after your diagnosis, during and after treatment The one thing I can advise you on with all confidence, is to keep moving. Exercise is safe, possible and helpful for individuals with breast cancer, throughout the treatment cycle. In fact, international guidelines say you should try to get back to your normal activities as soon as possible. Exercise can help reduce the risk of cancer coming back; and may stop stage 1 cancers from growing further; and can also reduce treatment side effects like tiredness, cognitive impairment or lympoedema. Yes, you may need to dial back your usual activities if treatment leaves you feeling exhausted. But whenever you can, please aim for 150 minutes of exercise in every week. Many forms of treatment also lead to a higher osteoporosis risk, so please also do resistance-based and/or some impact-based exercise every week. I'd also recommend paying attention to shoulder mobility. Scar tissue and "guarding" of surgery sites can reduce your range of movement a lot. Check in with your medical team to confirm if there's any specific movements you should avoid during your treatment plan, and when you'll be signed off to go back to them. One last piece of advice someone else gave me... When you tell people you have cancer, a lot of them will have an opinion on your treatment plan. Especially if they're of the "my friend cured their cancer by just eating this one thing.." type. Unless this person is an oncologist, you can safely ignore them! So, what are you still doing reading this? Go off and give yourself a fondle!