Pilates and Pregnancy - Important Exercises

Pilates is commonly prescribed as a great exercise for pregnancy - the reasons for this include:

• low impact
• low intensity
• good core focus
• postural awareness
• mind body awareness and connection
• mobility and flexibility
• pelvic floor conditioning
• focus on breathing

Pregnancy is very individual, so it important that pregnant participants seek out qualified relevant advice before embarking on a Pilates programme during their pregnancy.   At a minimum, you should check with your doctor or medical practitioner prior to attempting any Pilates exercises.  However, as a general guide, the following exercises are of great benefit during your pregnancy:

CLAMS:
Clams are an important glute and deep external rotator strengthener.  It is important to keep these mucles toned during pregnancy to provide support to the pelvis and the sacro illiac joints, which often become looser as a result of higher levels of the hormone "relaxin" during pregnancy.
ABDOMINAL CENTREING:
Abdominal centreing is one of the basic principles of Pilates.  During pregnancy, you should avoid lying on your back after your first trimester.  The all fours position is a wonderful release for the lower back during pregnancy, and an excellent position to practice abdminal centreing.
PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES:
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of exercising your pelvic floor muscles - remember this is the "two for one" muscle work out, as your transverse abdominus muscles are also contracted when you engage your pelvic floor.  Important both pre and post natal.
SINGLE SIDE LEG LIFT
Again, an important exercise for strengthening the supportive muscles to the pelvis.


For a more individualised program, be sure to consult with your Pilates practitioner.

Until next time,
Natasha Debsieh
Practical Pilates

Back to the basics - the importance of Pilates fundamentals

At the beginning of each term, I like to spend a little extra time working on the basic fundamental principles of Pilates.  This includes ensuring that each participant is effectively able to master the concepts of abdominal centreing, alignment, breathing and concentration.  Sometimes, participants are eagre to jump into the more global muscle challenging exercises and the concept of drilling into the fine intricacies of the basic principles can be a little daunting.  This, in itself, represents a need to enlist the ability to "concentrate" and really make the most of of the practice.  Lets revisit a few ways that we can encourage ourselves to switch off from our daily distractions and really focus on the work presented in class.

Concentration:
Concentration in Pilates represents the ability to focus on the particular exercise, the muscles and bones involved, our breathing and the feeling of our body in space or against a surface.  When we concentrate, we are applying our concious awareness to control movement.  When we use the principle of concentration, we are able to correct faulty alignment and muscle use by examining how we are placed - statically and once we engage in movement.  Once we have corrected our alignment, we can then create healthy movement patterns with correct muscle sequencing.  The retraining of poor patterns is under our voluntary control, allowing us the ability to develop efficient movement patterns.  I love to bombard my clients with a large amount of cues - encouraging different ways of promoting the same excellent technique.  This, however, can be confusing for some people and can cause information overload.  Participants are encouraged to use the information they feel most beneficial and switch off from any additional information that might be distracting their ability to concentrate.  It is the responsibility of a good instructor to ensure the progression of information is delivered in an "easy to digest", sequential format - with exercises taught in layers - clearly and specifically described.  The Pilates practitioner should also be able to communicate the purpose behind the principles and each exercise, to allow the participant further motivation to perfect their execution.
In a group class, this can sometimes be challenging, so please, communicate your specific needs to your instructor to ensure you are getting the most out of your session.
Breathing:
The breath in Pilates is consciously controlled to establish an efficient pattern, encouraging streamlined oxygen exchange and activating muscles in the abdominal wall.  The conscious control of the breath is also an excellent concentration stimulate, the simple practice of being aware of our breathing allowing us to focus on our physical body in a way we can feel immediately.  You want to feel yourself effectively directing the air to the lower part of the lungs and allowing the ribcage to expand sideways.  Minimise fast, shallow breathing and tension in the upper shoulders and neck. 
Alignment:
As we attempt to align ourselves, we must become more aware of our bodies.  This acute awareness enlists a deeper level of concentration - the feedback felt from our sensory nerves giving us a platform to work from and towards.  If we have access to a mirror, we can also access visual feedback on our alignment, giving us something tangible to work towards.  In some positions and exercises, balance is greatly affected by our alignment and again provides another attribute to be aware of.
Abdominal Centreing:
Engaging and connecting with your abdominal centre allows you to become aware of your centre.  When practiced and maintained in class, this awareness can be easily brought into the rest of your daily activities, creating a connection with your Pilates session away from the class setting.  Many people feel completely disconnected from their abdominal area, which is why the simple process of reconnecting with your "corset" can provide an instant feeling of "wholeness" and again builds the principle of concentration.

In summary, using the fundamentals further builds the basic principle of concentration.  Suddenly the basic principles don't seem to basic anymore and you are then able to get a great deal more out of each and every exercise, regardless of intensity.  Allow yourself the opportunity to nurture your body as a whole, including your alignment, abdominal centre and breathing and explore the intense results of intense concentration.

-Natasha Debsieh
Cert IV Pilates Instructor
Practical Pilates
Pilates in St George region of Sydney's South and Wollongong

Can't seem to fit your Pilates workout in? Common excuses and their remedies

As we travel farther away from the great intentions of the new year, some of us may be finding it harder and harder to stay motivated to continue with our exercise and particularly our practice of Pilates.  Here in Australia, it's starting to cool down and with the recent time-change, its becoming much more inviting to curl up on the lounge with a good book, blanket and a warm bowl of food.

As Pilates instructors, we start to see some of the attendance taper off to regular classes and sessions, and although this can also often be a result of the winter "bugs" starting to rear their ugly heads, often it is a result of unfortunate excuses that prevent us from continuing our disciplined practice of Pilates.
Now before I delve in to some of these excuses, I want to explain that I am all in favour of taking it easy and taking care of yourself from time to time.  I certainly believe that your body needs periods of rest and relaxation, where berating yourself for NOT exercising can be ineffective.  So please, as you read this, keep in mind that my purpose is to keep you motivated, not guilty for allowing your body much needed rest.
Common Excuse #1 - I'm too busy to find the time to exercise.
When your life seems so busy and out of control, I beleive this is a key the time to add practice to your schedule.  Exercise and the practice of Pilates allows you to take time out and put things in perspective during this busy time.  Exercise will also rejuvenate you and allow you to be more productive.  Schedule your practice into your diary, and plan around it - you'll be amazed.
Common Excuse #2 - I'm feeling so out of shape and everyone else is so fit.
This is particularly applicable when you normally participate in a group class.  Sadly, we can often be so competitive with our peers, without even realising it.  Often you might have a bad day, or are feeling out of shape because you missed your last practice or two, and it seems we find that a good excuse NOT to exercise.  Consider teaming up with a buddy, or talking to your instructor about your specific "problem areas" to get you motivated to take a proactive approach to your health. 
Common Excuse #3 - I'm not overweight so I don't really "need" to exercise.
This, of course, is a big myth.  Exercise is important part of whole body health.  Pilates, specifically, is very beneficial for posture and alignment, core strength and is an excellent mental trainer as well.
Common Excuse #4 - I'll just do it tomorrow.
This can be fine every now and then, to keep your life in balance, but the problem starts to go sour when tomorrow's practice doesn't happen.  Especially if you're attending a planned session or class, its important to develop your sense of self commitment by following through with your plans.  A habit takes a long time to build, but can be broken very quickly - place priority on your plans and make them into habits that happen automatically.
Common Excuse #5 - Boredom - I'm not "feeling" it anymore, or we just do the same old thing all the time.
Boredom is a huge issue - not just mentally, but physically as well.  To create a physical response in the body, we need to keep mixing it up - challenging our muscles in new and diverse ways.  Try something different - attack your practice with a different focus, eg: abs, posture, flexibility, breathing.  Ask your instructor to give you some more challenging exercises.  If you're in a group class - push yourself to do a few extra reps while the rest of the class is resting.  Try a different class with a different teacher.  Try a whole different activity all together!  Variety is the spice of life.  Just because something worked for you for a while, doesn't mean it will always keep working - keep it fresh.
Common Excuse #6 - It's too expensive, I'll just do it on my own.
The cost of a scheduled session or class is minimal compared to the other "indulgences" we partake in regularly - a cup of coffee, take away food, a movie, etc.  The benefits of participation in regular exercise to our health are priceless.  The advantage of having a scheduled session or class with a qualified instructor means we are getting a quality workout, applicable advice, and are being continually motivated to continue in a healthy direction.  When you spend your hard earned cash on participating in a class or session, you are not only financially committing yourself to something, you are investing in a remedy to all of the excuses listed above.  You should also try to get as much value as you can out of your investment - capitalise on the resources of your studio or instructor - ask them questions, enquire about available information, utilise any programs or information sources they may offer.

I truly hope, that you are feeling slightly more motivated to continue your practice of Pilates.  Most of all, leave your past excuses in the past and abolish any unnecessary feeling of guilt that have prevented you from investing in your health.

Kind Regards,
Natasha Debsieh
Practical Pilates
Pilates classes and Private Sessions in Wollongong and the St. George region of Sydney South.

Will Pilates help me lose my belly fat?

This is probably one of the most commonly asked questions a Pilates instructor gets asked.  The technical answer to this question is "no", Pilates is not a cardio based form of exercise and therefore is not primarily designed to reduce body fat.  The participant asking the question then feels confused, because the late-night infomercials claim that abdominal exercises help "spot reduce" and Pilates has a lot of abdominal exercise, right?

Lets examine this in a little more detail.  The fatty deposits stored around your torso are energy stores - a result of excess intake of energy (calories) and a deficit of energy expenditure.  To access these energy stores, you need to be expending energy, and classically we recommend aerobic energy expenditure as the biggest consumer of these fat deposits.   However, these fat stores are also the main source of energy for our less "active" pursuits - our daily incidental exercise, the base metabolic functions of the body, even sleeping and watching TV!  The problem, is that these activities simply do not use enough of the fat stores to be considered relevant fat loss pursuits.

So, what about Pilates?  Well, Pilates does involve some movement - though not enough to get you huffing and puffing and really eating into those energy stores.  Many Pilates routines are designed to flow, elevating the heartrate and therefore providing a higher energy expenditure over the whole session.  Pilates also recruits the use of a wide variety of muscles, in different ways of contraction.  Resistance training is now being highly recommended as an important aspect of fat loss.  Resistance training helps fat loss by increasing lean muscle mass which increases energy expenditure.  So, is Pilates considered resistance training?  Pilates often uses isometric muscle contractions - where the muscle is held in a stationary state.  Pilates also frequently uses eccentric muscle contractions - where the muscle fibres are lengthened.  Some of the Pilates exercises require a high intensity of muscle contraction, that you would describe as a resistance exercise.

In my personal experience, Pilates does help with fat-loss.  I have had several clients lose weight  - including fat from their abdominals, thigh and buttocks - from the practice of Pilates.  I, also, have personally experienced a change in physique from the practice of Pilates.  Despite being very active, including resistance training and cardio activity in my training routine - my body shows it when I miss my Pilates sessions.

What about the variety that Pilates can offer?  Keeping your body in shape is about "mixing" it up and changing your routine.  Your body adapts very quickly to new stimulus - therefore your same old routine or walking, running or swimming may just not be cutting it anymore.  Sometimes, Pilates can be just the shift that you need.  The other benefits - posture, core strength, relaxation and focus - are icing on the cake.

And what about those killer abs?  Well, Pilates can have amazing visual results on the body.  The simple process of "narrowing" the waist, tones your abdominal centreing muscles and your clothes suddenly feel looser.  The toned appearance of the waistline, back, buttocks and shoulders also look great in your swimmers.  When you walk past your reflection in that shop window, you suddenly look slimmer - and you're standing taller.  People make comments on how great you look - you're alive with vitality and the amazing thing is your back is not hurting as much as it used to.

So what is really important?  Keeping up your practice of Pilates, keeping your functional fitness level high and if you happen to look great after all that work - well, that's even better.

Can I practice Pilates at home?

Pilates, just like any other exercise, requires time and effort to acheive great results.  The fantastic thing about Pilates is, however, when you do find the time to practice you can be very efficient in reaching your goals.  Just 20 minutes a day can make a profound difference in the way you move, feel and look. 

So what do you do in those 20 minutes a day?
Well, if you have never done Pilates before, you will likely need to find a mentor.  You may choose a book, DVD, pod-cast or even a you-tube clip - however to learn the exercises effectively, there is no replacement for personal instruction.  A Pilates class can be a good start to learn the exercises and receive some feedback about your execution from your instructor.  A private session will provide you with specific, hands on instruction and will also look at your big-picture situation - goals, postural assessment and even previous injuries.  Once you start to feel comfortable with the Pilates exercises, choose a few that you feel comfortable in performing on your own and start to incorporate them into a regular practice routine.

Which exercises are best?
The exercises that are best for each body are very individual and depend on areas of weakness and tightness in your specific body.  It is important to think about what exercises really resonate with you - and perhaps think about the exercises that you find particularly challenging.  Most people do need to strengthen their core, so I believe it imperative to include simple abdominal centreing, including pelvic floor awareness, exercises.  Due to compromised posture, most people also need to strengthen the thoracic area of the back, so exercises lying on your front are also really important for most of us.  Click here to see a "Swan Dive" video by Michael King.  Exercises that strengthen your gluteal (bottom) muscles are also important for most people to build pelvic stability.  Click here to see a "Shoulder Bridge" exercise clip.

In Summary:
Personal practice is a very personal thing.  Self awareness through the process of self examination is the first step - identify your weaknesses, identify your strengths (that may be resulting in tightness and imbalances), and include some general postural correcting exercises.  You can accelerate your journey of self awareness by utilising the skills of a Pilates practitioner who will easily identify your specific issues and what exercises will be most beneficial for you.  Importantly, your personal practice should not be painful.  Stick to exercises that are basic to moderate in intensity and complexity, before progressing to more challenging routines.  Remember the basic principles and use your personal time to integrate your concentration to create an oasis of relaxation through physical focus. 

For those of you in the Sydney area, Practical Pilates will be holding a mini workshop regarding Pialtes practice at home on Monday the 4th of April, 2011 and Connells Point.

Good luck with your Pilates Practice!

Pilates on the Ball - how does it differ from Mat Pilates?

Exercise stability balls are often used in conjunction with the practice of Pilates, as the unstable surface provides an excellent compliment to the principles of Pilates and variations to the Mat exercises.  In addition to the challenge of instability, the stability ball can also enhance mobility and provide support, when used in specific ways.

The Pilates principles of concentration, alignment, breathing and centreing are used with the mobility and instability of the stability ball to provide an endless range of alternatives to the standard mat exercises.  These exercise variations can stimulate awareness and controll, improve movement patterns and balance body and mind.

There are important safety considerations to observe when working with a stability ball - a mat should still be used to increase contact with the floor, and appropriate footwear or bare feet is essential.  There should be plenty of room, around your ball, to move and you should be instructed how to get safely on and off your ball. 

If you would like to take your mat Pilates practice to the next level, then consider trying a Pilates on the Ball class.  Practical Pilates runs classes at Hurstville, on Tuesdays at 7:30pm.

Natasha
Practical Pilates
Pilates Classes and Private Sessions in Sydney's South and Wollongong

Pilates Group Class or Private Session in Wollongong - what should I do?

The answer to this questions is ultimately based in your lifestyle and desired results.  Group Classes are a great, inexpensive way to get an introduction to Pilates and learn the basic fundamentals and exercises.  Group mat classes are structured like any other group fitness class, with an instructor demonstrating, describing and offering hands on corrections to a pre-planned class plan of Pilates exercises.  A good instructor will also offer modifications and options to help participants cater the class to their specific needs or goals.  Group classes, however, are designed for general populations without any medical conditions or injuries.  Group classes also address an overall objective - core strengthening, alignment and posture - in a balanced manner, which may not address all of the specific needs of the participant.  For many people Group Classes are a convenient, ideal way to gain many of the benefits of Pilates.

Private Sessions can offer specific, hands on, catered Pilates practice in a custom designed program.  Private sessions will examine, in depth, your specific issues and will go through a program that will balance your individual body's needs.  Private Sessions can also be great for a more detailed explanation of the principles and for an introduction to the Pilates exercises for the newcomer.  Private Sessions are usually more expensive than group classes, but often the results are more profound, due to the specificity of the work done. 

Both group and private sessions can be either studio based (using specific Pilates equipment) or mat based.  Mat based Pilates can often be more appealing to the beginner, as there is no complicated equipment to use.  Studio based Pilates is more specialised and can be more ideal for participants with special needs (eg: rehabilitation) or those with advanced goals.  The important factor is to find a practitioner or instructor that you feel comfortable with, who is appropriately qualified for their field and offers a program that fits in with your lifestyle.  The continuing practice of Pilates is your best way to keep your body fit - lean, toned, mobile, aligned and full of vitality.

Natasha Debsieh
Practical Pilates
Pilates Classes and Private Sessions in Wollongong and Sydney South

How do I know if I'm using my abdominal muscles correctly in my Pilates class?

Many first time Pilates participants often ask if they're doing their abdominal work correctly in their Pilates session.  Often clients can feel disconnected and uncoordinated when it comes to controlling their core region.  Some participants are used to the global muscle "burn" associated with endless abdominal crunches, and find it difficult to switch off these dominant muscles and activate their deeper core stabilisers.


Many of the Pilates exercises that we practice are aimed at activating the inner core unit - deep abdominal and lower back stabilisers that include the Pelvic Floor, Transverse Abdominus, Quadratus Lumborum and Multifidus muscles.  While the names of the muscles and the way they interact to stabilise your lower back and pelvis might be complex, the cues and imagery used to actively engage these stabilisers does not need to be.  Cues used in a Pilates session to recruit these "centreing" muscles might include:
"narrow your waist"
"draw your navel gently in towards your spine"
"elevate through your pelvic floor"
"engage the space between your hip bones"
"imaging slipping on a tight pair of jeans and doing up the zip"
These phrases are all designed to achieve a similar result, however instructors will use many different ways to describe them to allow for individual differences in participants awareness.

If you are struggling to gain an awareness and connection with your inner core unit, I would encourage you to try any of the above suggestions.  For example, practice "narrowing the waist" in a variety of different positions - lying on your back can be a comfortable and neutral position to start.  You may wish to try "drawing your navel in towards your spine" in an all fours position, working against gravity.  Placing the hands or fingertips on the lower abdominals to increase proprioception to the area may also be of assistance.  It is important to note that these abdominal and core muscle activations should be done with a relaxed breathing pattern, preferably with the muscle contraction on the exhale breath.  You can work with different intensities of muscle engagement, and also practice sustained holds and quick short activations.  Paying attention to your alignment - spine, ribs, shoulders and neck - is also important to allow a neutral starting point with which to activate your muscles. 

Activation of the inner core unit, in the way described above, is required most of the time during your practice of any Pilates exercise. As the exercises grow in intensity, other aspects and muscle recruitment are required, however the most important starting point is that awareness of your deep stabilisers and your ability to activate them easily, at will.


If you have any questions or concerns during your practice of Pilates, please consult with your instructor or practitioner who will have excellent, practical suggestions for you.  Good luck with your continuing practice of Pilates!

Until next time,
Natasha

Pilates at Home - Mini Workshop

A new mini-workshop, April 4th, Connells Point 7-8pm.
Connells Point Public School, Riverview Avenue.
The workshop will cover a Pilates Routine that you can practice at home, and will include handout with descriptions of the specific Pilates exercises and tips and watchout points.
Not to be missed if you would like to continue your practice of Pilates during the Easter break.
More information - Natasha Ph: 0449 075 799