We at Aesthetics Lab believe that exercise is a crucial part of well being. In our quest for good health and perfect body, we have collaborated with Sarah Pilates to bring you Fitness Tips and broaden your knowledge on Pilates.

Sarah Pilates has kindly agreed to be our Guest Blogger and educate our readers on Pilates.

I have been teaching Pilates since 2002.  Immediately after completing my training, I started taking people away running my Pilates retreats.  I was the first person to run small Pilates retreats in Europe and the UK.  Hence, I was the only one receiving a lot of publicity around that time.  I set up my one to one Pilates studio in Primrose Gardens, Belsize Park and I’m kept pretty busy.  I continually look at research into the exercises and how we continue to keep Pilates exercises done correctly and effectively for our needs.

Intro to Pilates

Joseph Pilates was a gymnast and a bodybuilder initially and his profession was a boxer and circus performer.  He trained self-defence at Scotland Yard.  He was then interned in the Isle of Man by the British Authorities During World War 1 and this is really where he started to develop CONTROLOGY – now called Pilates.  He used the springs of the beds to resist.. now developed into a reformer.

There are many discussions about Pilates and the right way to do pilates.  The truth is, there was only one man and he trained our mentors individually for their needs and if we realise that, we move forward.  If he was still alive today, he would have moved forward and modified to modern day needs.

Tanya and I have put together a few different variations of some of the Pilates exercises and we will be bringing them to you within the newsletters and Blog Posts.

I would always recommend you take a one to one class prior to going to a large group class to ensure you do these exercises correctly.  It is very easy to cheat.

Exercise of the Month

Today, we start with roll back.  We want the spine to be fully mobile and therefore, we must stabilise the core of the body, both with the pelvic floor and the tummy muscles working in conjunction and adding movement to a very strong structure.

The Roll back Tania is showing in the clip is a modified version of the full roll back, when you go all the way down to the floor and back up smoothly.  This exercise, as with all exercises in Pilates, works the core of the body but the main principal here is to mobilise the spine. Each and every vertebrae gets some attention and lengthening when you stack up the spine.  The back needs to move and this is a great way of keeping the spine flexible.  I would do 12 of these each day.

For more information about Pilates go to Sarah’s website, www.sarahpilates.com.

For Aesthetics Lab customers Sarah has devised a special Pilates class package. To enquire call 02077225872.