Make 2008 a little healthier than 2007!

So, here comes February, and how many of us are hanging on grimly to those healthy New Year resolutions? Here are a few tips on how to improve your body and health with Pilates this year, and help you take control of those bad postural habits at least.

1) Engage your deep stabilizing muscles:

Deep in your torso are muscles whose job is to support and protect the spinal column. They should be switched on all day, but for many of us they spend most of the time snoozing gently. So, stand up, and start by learning to contract your pelvic floor muscles – and guys, you do have them! They are the muscles which stop urine flow, which you pull in when producing a sample for the doctor.... Try to engage them gently as you exhale, then try and pull that squeezy feeling up the centre of the tummy, as if you are doing up a zip on the front of your spine. At the same time try to raise the crown of your head an inch or two; make your spine stretch up and grow tall. Then relax your shoulders away from your ears.

         You should feel the muscles around your tummy and waist pull inwards and lift upwards. This is how you should try and hold up your body all the time, not just for good spinal health but also to help you breathe more freely and digest your food better. It may feel like a lot of effort (don’t go for a really strong muscle contraction though, just about a third of maximum), but practice it as often as you remember, and it should soon become almost second nature. If you suffer from an aching low back when you stand for long periods, this should really help.

2) Loosen your shoulders and reduce tension:

So much of modern living involves sustained periods working with our hands out in front of us (driving, computing, domestic jobs) that our shoulders tend to become rounded inwards. Try this exercise to reposition them. First, gently open out across the front of the shoulders, trying to move the rounded shoulder ends outwards (but not deliberately backwards!). Try and release your shoulders away from your ears, feeling as if you shoulder blades are really heavy and dropping down the back. Then slowly shrug the shoulders up towards your ears, keeping them gently stretched open. Hold them there for a second, then lower them down and reach the hands downwards, feeling the shoulder blades glide up and then down the back of the ribcage. Do this several times, whilst holding in all the tummy muscles from the exercise above so your spine position stays tall and unaffected.

Finally, if you find these simple exercises helpful, find your nearest Pilates class and sign up (but check the instructor’s training and credentials first!), or give me a call to find out more.

Laura Jones

www.laurajpilates.co.uk