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March  / April 2014

21/3/2014

 
Finally, we are all back to normal, all children back to school and no more holidays for a little while so you can get into a regular Pilates routine.

It is important to have consistency in your Pilates, one class every now and then just won't cut it ! All research suggests you need to attend at least twice a week to get the full benefits of Pilates.
If you are unable to attend regularly, you should try to do a little at home and we have exercise sheets for you to follow. You don't have to do the whole routine with all the repetitions but little and often is ideal.

Pilates is a technique of mindful exercise requiring a great deal of inner focus, concentration and control. All current research points to how much more effective being mindful makes any exercise programme so we are really ahead of the game in our classes. You need to be mindful in all your forms of exercise and make sure you have your powerhouse turned on whatever you do.
Pilates is also a form of functional training. Functional training means that you have to exercise with your core stabilised. For example, doing our sort of push ups works both your powerhouse and arms rather than lying on your back to do a chest press in the gym which only works your arms. Many moves in Pilates are functional in nature. There is a move in fitness to place much more emphasis on functional training as it holds greater benefits than conventional work on gym equipment.

Both mindfulness and functional training are linked, you really have to pay attention to your powerhouse if you want to exercise functionally and gain all the benefits. These benefits include, improved strength and flexibility, coordination and balance, no matter what level you are working at whether super advanced or just starting your Pilates journey.

Towards the end of last year, I was promoting the use of foam rollers as a form of self massage called myofascial release for muscular pain. Many of you are now using them. There is some recent new research on how using foam rollers immediately after a bout of exercise stops the muscle soreness associated with particularly heavy exercise. This links to other research showing how using rollers can improve performance if they are used pre exercise aswell. It is especially helpful in improving joint flexibility and muscle stretching and also in injury prevention. Perhaps we should all have one ??
If you feel this might help you, please discuss it with me and I will organise a session to demonstrate their correct use.

I have recently been on a weekend course taught by a most experienced and inspirational American instructor who has worked in the original Pilates studio in New York for years. Her name is Cynthia Shipley. I learnt heaps that I will be sharing with Carla and Val so we can enhance your PIlates experience and challenge you even more.

We are still a drop off point for used bras and underwear for the Uplift organisation which sends these items to pacific countries where they are needed. You can leave them with us and we make sure they get sent on.

Our timetable remains largely unchanged for now but Carla's baby is due towards the end of April which will change some things for a very short period. Val will be able to cover most of her classes. We will keep you up to date on this.
The only real change is that Thursday night's beginner class is now more intermediate than beginner so well done to everyone who is in that class, now working at a much higher level.


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    Niki Barker is a lifelong fitness devotee.  Previously a physiotherapist with a long career history in paediatric and adult rehabilitation and extensive experience with war injuries.  

    And a lover of Pilates .

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