top tips

Beginners guide to Pilates equipment

Victoria uses a variety of Pilates equipment with both her private clients and group classes.

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The huge variety of equipment can be seen here in the photographs taken at Victoria’s Pilates clinic and includes tennis and golf balls (1); resistance bands (2), foam rollers (3), broomsticks (4), leg and hand weights (5), the over and gym balls (6), spikey and traid balls (7), power ring, mat (8) and cushions (9).

Pilates equipment benefits:

  • Increased strength.
  • Greater flexibility.
  • Increased muscle tone.
  • Increased bone density.
  • Improved balance.
  • Challenging the core muscles.
  • Myofascial release.
  • Soothing to painful and tight muscles
  • Fun!

Top ten tips for New Year Pilates resolutions

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As 2013 is only round the corner, it’s worth adding a few tips to your daily life to keep pilates working for you between classes:

  • Daily spikey balls foot massage one minute each foot and remember this can be done whilst you are cleaning your teeth, watching TV or even at your office desk
  • Remember to think tall, long and lengthened spine as you walk around each day
  • Think general width across those collar bones with relaxed shoulders
  • Don’t forget to breathe – We all tend to hold our breathe when under pressure at work or feeling anxious so remember our wide and full breathes when you feel the stress creeping in..
  • Aim to not put all your weight down one leg when standing
  • Where possible aim to spread your weight evenly throughout each foot taking notice if you tend to place your weight more through the ball or heel of the foot or even the inside or outside edge of the foot and correct.
  • Remember to treat the body holistically; just because we have one problem area does not mean we must ignore our other body parts
  • Every time you sit at your desk aim to not hunch those shoulders and poke the head forward
  • If you have children and carry them on your hip; aim to alternate which hip you carry them on
  • Ideally we would all practice one hour of pilates a day; where this is not possible in the busy modern world perhaps aim for 20 minutes to see and feel all the vast benefits pilates has to offer