GOOD DAILY HABITS
“Change happens through movement and movement heals” - Joseph Pilates
BRING PILATES INTO YOUR HOME
Even though one might walk daily and do Pilates once a week, we all need to understand that we still need to KEEP MOVING. One hour of Pilates a week is not enough movement to keep our ageing bodies injury free.
IT'S ALL ABOUT MOVING
It’s all about MOVING the body and MOBILITY of the joints. As your car needs oil & petrol, your body needs STRENGTHENING and STRETCHING.
PRACTICE DAILY
PRACTISE daily by doing little exercises and stretching in between long periods of sitting. STAND UP every 45 minutes and WALK. And STRETCH. Example: After sitting and working at your computer for 45 minutes, stretch your back by doing a back extension exercise on a dining room chair.
BALANCE AND ROTATION
BALANCE on one leg while waiting for the kettle to boil. Squeeze in various other stretches like TOUCH your toes, BEND sideways, MOVE your arms. Always include ROTATION in your daily routine.
UNDERSTAND THE FOCUS OF THE EXERCISE
Understand what the FOCUS of the exercise is. Why am I doing this? What muscle am I training or stretching? Always focus on the INTEGRITY of the exercise. If you increase your range or your speed, the integrity of the movement has to be MAINTAINED.
EQUALITY
EQUAL quantities of exercise on either side - what you do on the one side, you must do on the other.
YOU'RE AN INDIVIDUAL
Understand your INDIVIDUAL LEVEL and RANGE OF MOVEMENT. No one is able to work to level 10 on day one. If it is the first time your body has done any form of exercise or movement in a while, you simply start at level 1, and slowly and gradually increase your level until you reach the OPTIMUM LEVEL FOR YOU. Pilates is not a competition. Your optimum level might be 5/10, and not necessarily 10/10. UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN BODY.
