exercise
My ethos to Pilates teaching and training practice is much the same. As much as I am of the belief you can learn from everyone, I am also selective with my time and attention (retention), therefore I endeavour to train and learn from the best.
Read MoreLong Stretch on the Reformer
Pilates is not Yoga. It is not a relaxation stretch class. It is not physiotherapy. Pilates is exercise — a weight resistance strength methodology that is progressive with over 500 exercises across various Pilates apparatus. It was invented in the 1920’s by a fitness expert named Joseph Pilates.
Pilates focuses on strengthening the deep core muscles of the torso; abdominals, hips, lower back and buttocks — which as a collective, Pilates himself coined the ‘Powerhouse’. Pilates is progressive and adaptive — as one grows in strength, the level of difficulty and intensity of the exercises escalates and becomes more aerobic. For complete strength, control and endurance in the body, all Pilates exercises work the extremities (arms and legs) as ‘extensions of the Powerhouse’.
Read MoreFirstly, let’s cover what is strength training? These days, you hear these terms used in pretty much all avenues of exercise. But what really constitutes as ‘strength training’?
Read MoreThese days people function so much on autopilot without much thought to what they eat, drink and how they move. People as a whole eat too much, and food choices are dictated more by convenience and costs rather than health and wellbeing. I’ll be honest — I am not a fan of trending diets and not at all calories conscious — albeit consuming or burning. I am a cynical generalist when it comes to diets and exercise, preferring to defer to how I ‘feel’ to determine what is good, bad, beautiful or ugly for my health and body.
Read MoreTeaching is a skill — it can make all the difference to the inspiration; breathing life or indifference into commitments. In my experience, there are two fundamental parts to teaching; ‘Reading the individual’ and ‘instruction’.
Read MoreWe have officially entered the twilight zone of debauchery. Yes — I’m talking about Christmas season. When work colleagues, friends and family are all part of a cunning plan to debunk everything you have worked so hard for through the year. It is the only month in the year when healthy eating and exercise regiments are traded in favour of excess eating and drinking in forms of work, social and family commitments.
Read MoreSometimes as teachers we become so engrossed in the practice of teaching and training, we take for granted we started the same way — as a beginner. We forget precepts were prescribed and drilled into our practice as opposed to them miraculously appearing in our work and practice.
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Image sourced from www.fitnessmagnet.com
It is common knowledge that muscle imbalance leads to dysfunctional movement and inefficient energy output. This article explores how working muscle balance through exercises such as Pilates can give cyclists more power and energy reserve to push longer and harder on their rides.
Read MoreThe modern age sees more and more people sitting at desks for prolonged periods and the tri-factor of 1) typing 2) mouse moving and 3) phone answering, is a recipe for tight upper backs and stiff necks. It is common knowledge that muscles become tight from overuse but the lesser known culprit for tightness is inactivity and underuse — thus weakness.
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