What is Pilates anyway?

Originally called ‘contrology’, Pilates is a non-impact exercise system created by German, Joseph Pilates.  He was quite a character by all accounts and passionate about physical fitness. He opened his first Pilates studio on 8th Avenue, NYC in 1926. 

Types of Pilates
We could say there are two types of Pilates – Equipment based (you may have heard of reformer Pilates) and mat Pilates.  I’m going to focus on the mat Pilates here. There are approximately 34 exercises or ‘movements’ in the original mat based program.  These exercises and the repertoire will vary from one school of Pilates to the next and come with different levels and modifications.

When I first started Pilates I had been working out in the gym for years and assumed I had a strong core. Turns out, as I sweated and panted my way through my first ‘100’ that was not the case.

The Core
The core of Pilates is just that, the core AKA our ‘powerhouse’.  The focus is on strengthening the core muscles from the pelvic floor to the diaphragm and the several layers of muscles that wrap around the trunk, all supporting good back health and optimum posture.  These muscles, not only allow us to move our spine through different planes (forward flexion, lateral flexion, extension and rotation), but are also involved in stabilising the trunk. 
The exercises reflect this – for some exercises we are moving the trunk, focussing on spine mobility, for others we are stabilising the trunk while mobilising the hip and/ or shoulder joints joints and moving the limbs.

Is it like yoga?
There are some similarities in some exercises/poses, but Pilates involves dynamic movement and repetitions or ‘cycles’ where we are moving in time with the breath. 

The Breath
For Pilates we encourage the use of lateral thoracic breath – breathing into the ribcage to facilitate the engagement of the core muscles and then moving in time with the breath – mostly exhaling on the more challenging part of the exercise.  For people beginning Pilates, the breath can get a little confusing, in these cases I advise, just keep breathing in your own way, avoid holding the breath, focus on the movement, the breath will come.

Pilates Principles
These can vary from one school to the next, but there are normally a few in common. E.g. control – controlling the movement, using the core engagement – no flailing here! Precision of movement, oh we like to be very precise, sometimes the smallest of adjustments can make a vast difference to the exercise. Concentration – co-ordination of movement & breath and precision do require concentration!  It’s most definitely a mindful way of exercising.  Breath – as outlined above. Centering – we’re all about that core / powerhouse.  Flowing movement – there definitely is an element of grace and smoothness to the movements.

Benefits of Pilates
There are so many! I hear from many of my students, they do Pilates for their back health and really notice the difference when they’re not doing it.  There is a focus on core strength, good posture and creating balance in the body. A strong and stable core also contributes to good balance, always important but perhaps particularly as we age. Some of the exercises can be complicated, regular practice can improve our co-ordination. With regular practice, improvements can be seen in joint mobility and muscle strength and flexibility and can help reduce the risk of injury.

My favourite Pilates movements?
Pelvic curl or shoulder bridge, roll up and spine twist for spine mobility. Side kick kneeling (as per picture above) for hip strength and mobility. Swan dive for strengthening those postural muscles. Leg pull for all over strength and stability. Rocker with open legs and rollover for a real challenge.

Is Pilates for everyone?
Yes, it can be for everyone.  My clients span a wide age group and variety of backgrounds with many practicing to support activities such as running, GAA, golf, tennis. There are conditions that require modifications e.g. osteoporosis and post natal mums, so it’s important to let your teacher know of any conditions / injuries. 

I can say in all honesty Pilates has changed my life, from a physical strength and confidence point of view to giving me a career that I love and am very grateful for.

‘Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.’

Joseph Pilates

4 Reasons Core Strength is Important for Runners

Our core is not just about the abdominals but includes all the muscles that wrap around our trunk as well as the glutes and pelvic floor. For runners we want to maintain stability in the trunk to allow the legs and arms to move easily, making the overall action less effortful.  A mixture of Pilates and yoga can offer us a well-rounded solution to support our running life.

Run tall, Breathe easy
We want to be able to ‘run tall’ and maintain a neutral spine, if our core is weak and we are running regularly our posture can be affected resulting in rounded shoulders and tighter chest muscles inhibiting our breathing.  Being able to breathe easily is vital for a comfortable run.
Exercises: Planks, chest stretches, cobra pose.

Strong glutes to run faster (and uphill)
The glutes (bum muscles) provide power to drive the body forwards – think of a sprinter’s physique.  Strength in our glutes (and overall core) will give runners more power and speed, useful for short sprints or when tackling hills and adding to overall resilience.
Exercises: Pelvic curls / glute bridges, walking lunges with weights, locust pose.

Creating stability in the trunk and limiting rotation
While the obliques – abdominals at either side of the trunk – are key for rotation of the trunk, they also help us stabilise, minimising the movement of the upper body while running. This stability creates more efficiency in the movement in a forwards only direction rather than swaying side to side.  Being able to stabilise the trunk when running also allows us to be more energy efficient.
Exercises Side plank (on hand or forearms) – add dips or side leg lifts, airplanes (kneeling with arms out to the side, flex laterally and bring yourself back to upright), chest lift with rotation.

Injury Prevention
Unfortunately, injuries are not uncommon amongst regular runners. A weak core can contribute to injury from pelvic floor issues to stressing knee joints, to lower back pain and even plantarfascitis.  Injuries can particularly effect runners who have desk-based jobs who may already have muscular imbalances effecting posture, glute strength, hamstring flexibility or lower back health.  A routine that includes core strengthening and stretching can help protect us from injury
All of the above recommendations plus, low lunges, supine hamstring stretches (use a strap or band to stretch leg up).

How To Support Your Bone Health With Exercise

From 35 onwards, we start to lose more bone than we make. Yikes

Throw menopause into the mix, and the depletion of the bone protecting hormone oestrogen means women are more at risk of osteoporosis. Therefore it is vital that we support our bone health with exercise and diet and the earlier we get going, the better.

Bone is a living, growing tissue and responds to stimulus. The muscles contracting create a stress on the bones which stimulates new bone formation.

So what exercises work best?

Weight-bearing Exercise
These are exercises where we are working against gravity. They can be divided into high impact e.g. plyometric moves (jumping), running , playing tennis , skipping.
Low impact, e.g. hiking (add poles for upper body workout), dancing , stair walking. Or no impact – yoga , Pilates, tai chi – where we are using body strength – think standing poses, arm balances, planks, push up variations.

Resistance / Strength Training
This is where we are pushing or pulling against a force.

Weights - Everyone can work out with weights and you don’t even have to go to a gym. If you don’t have dumbbells / kettlebells at home, you can improvise - tins of beans, bottles of water, a bag of spuds can be used.

Dynabands – I love these rubberbandits. They are really versatile, and can provide a full body workout including flexibility and mobility as well as strength..

Suspension Training e.g. TRX You can hang it off a tree or out of a door and it is fantastic for an all over body workout.

Reformer Pilates – what’s not to love? Again another excellent system for creating an all over body workout working against resistance with a focus on core strength.

Tune in next week for ‘Nutrition to Support our Bone Health’.

An Afternoon of Aerial Acrobatics

Swinging From The Ceiling
The last weekend in July found me literally swinging from the ceiling – I know the word ‘literally’ tends to be overused these days but trust me, I’m using it in context thanks to my Aerial Cirque ‘Introduction To Silks’ workshop.

I managed to persuade two of my pals to come along with me – Debbie, who was a willing victim and Aoife, less willing but suffers from severe FOMO which makes her an easy target. 

What? Who? Where?
 In case you’re not familiar with it, Aerial silks is the performance of aerial acrobatics while hanging from long lengths of fabric.   Perhaps you saw Pink’s unforgettable performance at the 2010 Grammy’s…as if singing in front of a massive audience of your peers wasn’t challenging enough, she threw in some aerial silks work aswell ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htaKHoihSSA

 Aerial Cirque is run by aerialist extraordinaire Ria Murphy and is situated in an old Victorian building at no. 10 Exchequer street. The studio itself is full of space and character, with beautiful stained glass windows providing colour and light to the shabby chic interior.   

An Historical Site
Bear with me while I go off on a bit of a tangent, but the building itself is so interesting I had to do a little bit of snooping.  As it turns out Exchequer Street has a fascinating and at times sordid history.  The site of at least three political assassinations, home to the 12th century exchequer, that’s probably not a revelation, and later on brothels and at one stage a temperance hotel - that was never going to catch on.  Particularly interesting it seems No. 10 played home or at least ‘office’ to the Irish National Aid and Volunteers’ Dependants’ Fund and in turn was workplace to Michael Collins who became secretary to the fund in February 1917.    

Warm Up
Back to the business of aerial acrobatics.  After we all signed the very thorough waiver, we met our teacher Nicola. As bendy as she was patient, she got us off to an energetic start with our warm-up which served as a good ice breaker. 

Tying Ourselves Up In Knots
As soon as the warm-up was done, the crash mats come out – yikes.  We were split up into groups of twos and threes to each silk.  The vibrantly coloured silks all hang from the ceiling looking like props from a Bollywood movie.  Our first lesson was how to tie a knot.  I failed miserably at this, thankfully one of my team was more than competent and happy to be the chief knot tyer.  

Once our silks were safely knotted (thanks Hayley), we were ready to start some simple ‘bum hoists’, I’m not sure what the official term is.  Nicola demonstrated each move a couple of times and then it was our turn.  We quickly graduated from sitting to standing and onwards to a standing lunge out of the silks, on to the flying splits or at least that’s what it looked like when Nicola was doing it.  My version of it looked a bit more like Penelope Pitstop with a hamstring strain.  

Taking Things Upside Down
After quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, again I’m talking literally here, we graduated to the inversions. Although hanging upside down looked quite complicated in the demo and yes, I had to be talked through it very slowly, we all managed it.  The two hours flew by and I would certainly recommend it as a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  The workshop kicks off at 15.30 and costs €30.

That’s a (Silk) Wrap!
It is quite strenuous, if you have any issues at all I would make sure to discuss with Aerial Cirque before booking in.  I would suggest bringing a long sleeved top as there are one or two moves which are a little bit chafey on the old underarms.  Remove your jewellery, bring your friends, or go it alone, the vibe is welcoming and fun for all.  If you fall in love with aerial performance on your first date, there’s a six week beginners course take you to the next level.

 www.aerialcirque.org
(01) 444 8959
info@aerialcirque.org

My First Parkrun

I registered a number of years ago for the almost ubiquitous ‘parkrun’, I had semi great intentions of going – either to St. Anne’s or Marlay Park for the 9.30 Saturday morning 5km run…maybe they were just a little bit too far away…or maybe it was because they clashed with one of my favourite yoga classes but I always had a good excuse…until it arrived on my on my doorstep - the Poolbeg park run – the mountain had come to Muhammad. 

Parkrun was founded in Bushy Park in London in 2004  by a group of friends who simply wanted to run together.  Now the community has grown to hundreds of thousands worldwide with volunteers organizing free 5k runs every Saturday morning.

In secondary school I absolutely loved running…short distances. The 100m and the 100m relay…200m was a bit of a drag, 400m a drudge and 800m was pure hell.  And don’t even start me on the dreaded winter season puke inducing cross country.

Last Saturday however I woke up early.  Following a dinner party conversation the night before I was reminded how very attached I am to my comfort zone and somehow park run slipped into my mind. 

I texted Elaine, my running enthusiast friend who lives down the road.  Yes, absolutely she was up for it.

 The sun shone as we strolled down towards the start line, being overtaken by our fellow park runners, running down. We arrived just in time for the bit in the briefing where they ask if it’s anyone’s first Park Run, I came clean and got a clap from the crowd.  It felt like Runners Anonymous.   

I can’t remember if there was a starter’s gun or what but we all got moving, running along the path towards the park, around the park back along the path, out towards Poolbeg, keeping to the left, trying not to mow down innocent walkers and then turned around and ran back towards the park and around the park again and back up that path and we finished where we started.  

Half way along the route my hip flexors started screaming at me, “what the hell are you doing picking your knees up like this? We should be in yoga class right now getting a nice stretch!”.  I offered somewhere between a smile and a grimace to the very kind volunteers who shouted words of direction and encouragement.  Elaine was chatting as she ran, telling me about some amazing black pudding sandwich from a food market.  My lungs were too busy to spare any breath to respond.  All I could think is how much I hate black pudding…and running. 

In the last minutes of my run, I remembered a chi running course I’d done a few years previously, when I’d had running notions, with the brilliant Catherina McKiernan and all those tips came flooding back.  Peel your heels, pump your arms, tilt slightly forward.

The finish line was finally in sight.  As we paced along, folks who’d finished the race already (smug bastards) cheered us on.  Putting my cynical out of breath self aside - the atmosphere was smashing, the spirit of camaraderie is alive and well in parkrun life. I’m pretty sure I looked like Phoebe Buffay as I approached the line.  But I did it.  I think it was a combination of my competitive streak, the encouragement and Elaine that got me through.

There were high fives and selfies.  There was stretching and invites for post run coffee. Elaine and I discussed actually doing some training before the next race. Yes, we were already talking about ‘next time’. I think I might have even said “that was brilliant”, albeit possibly a case of lack of oxygen to the brain.

Parkrun, I’m not saying I’m going to be there every Saturday, but you haven’t seen the last of me.

The Benefits of Working Out at Work

The buzz around Corporate Health & Wellness Programmes has been growing steadily.  At the January launch of the government’s ‘Healthy Ireland 2018’ campaign, Leo Varadkar flagged upcoming tax incentives for employers to install showering facilities and equipment into the workplace indicating the government’s strong support for workplace wellness.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), workplace health programmes are one of the most effective ways to prevent and control chronic disease and to support mental health, so it’s fair to say that workplace wellness / fitness is not a passing fad.  Although relatively new to Ireland, corporate wellness programmes originated in the US in the 90s, growing steadily to the point where they are now more of a need to have than a nice to have.  Some companies in Sweden including sportswear retailer ‘Bjorn Borg’ have gone as far as making on-the-job exercise compulsory with a weekly workout at a nearby gym.

I have taught corporate classes for over two years and put the question to some of my clients, asking how they saw the classes benefitting them. Roisín, who has been attending classes for over a year, mentioned several points including better back health, improved sleep, increased productivity and convenience. 
As a busy Mum of three girls with chronic back pain who has a long commute, she finds it impossible to fit in exercise outside the workplace;  “With lunchtime Pilates at work, I can fit exercise into my daily schedule. I have seen a noticeable improvement in my back while doing the Pilates classes, which has helped to considerably reduce the pain and as a result improve my quality of sleep. I also find on the days where I have that break to do Pilates at lunchtime, my afternoons are even more productive as I come back to my desk rejuvenated and ready to go.”

Mental wellness is now recognised as a major component in our overall health. One of the greatest challenges to our mental health is stress, all too often caused by what’s going on in the workplace.  While physical exercise is a known mood enhancer, many companies are offering a more direct approach to mental health with meditation / mindfulness classes.

Treacy O'Connor, team lead for meditation, mindfulness and team building with Corporate Wellness Ireland, says "We are receiving an ever increasing amount of corporate enquiries. Every session has been full to date with up to 60 people at a time. Giving the workforce access to very simple techniques they can use at any time of the day is proving to be of great benefit. One employee shared with me, that before the sessions, she suffered a lot from anxiety. She has been able to greatly reduce her symptoms (actually they’re nearly gone) and she now feels much more confident in herself.”

As well as the physical and mental health benefits, corporate classes have been shown to foster camaraderie between work colleagues. Never mind discussing last night’s Game of Thrones episode around the water cooler – how about comparing aches after yesterday’s exercise class?  As head of the TII sports and social committee, Mary Deevy reported “An unexpected bonus, as a recently merged organisation, is that the Pilates classes which are attended by a great mix of staff have facilitated staff to get to know each other better”. 

Let’s face it, business is business and companies are not going to invest in an initiative long term unless there are benefits to be had for the organization.  Healthy and more energised employees mean better productivity and less sick days. In addition, a good corporate wellness program can make a company more attractive to potential employees and can help to retain existing ones thanks to workplace satisfaction.

Whether fully, partially or not subsidised by the boss, more often than not wellness programmes work out cheaper for employees than the gym or regular fitness classes. Furthermore the convenience of working out at work is clear.  Workplace wellness programmes don’t have to be complicated or expensive or limited to large businesses or urban centres.  There’s a broad menu of activities to choose from and if you want to keep costs to zero, walking or running groups are an easy to organise option with a wide array of training apps to choose from.

The benefits are far-reaching, from individual employees to the companies they work for, with the end goal being that a healthier workforce impacts positively on families, communities and the nation as a whole, from an economic to a quality of life perspective.

© Grá For Fitness 2018

Skip, Hop and Happening.

There is something nostalgic about skipping, with playground memories of ‘I like coffee, I like tea, I like whoever is not going to jump on my toes and can skip to the beat in with me.  It hadn’t the intensity of a Mohammad Ali warm up and we never managed to get our double dutch on, despite our best tangled rope efforts, but it was good fun and good exercise.  Who could forget  the excitement of the Skipathon?!  That reminds me I must give me sponsorship money in.

Your Own Pace
I use skipping with my personal training clients and quite often after a tentative first time, or at least first time in a very long time, they find their rhythm and really start to enjoy it.  There’s something almost meditative once you find the right tempo. 

The trick is not to jump more than one inch from the floor thereby keeping the impact moderate. Think about keeping it on the balls of the feet, quiet so you’re never pounding. Go you silent skipper!

The Benefits
It’s a simple, convenient and a cheap way of exercising.  You don’t have to leave home and don’t need loads of time, just your rope and a little bit of space.

The benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness, stronger and more toned legs, arms and shoulders and it’s not just physical. According to the Jump Rope Institute (yep, there’s a jump rope institute), skipping helps to develop the left and right hemispheres of the brain, improving spacial awareness and reading skills, and can enhance memory and mental alertness.  That’s mad Ted. Further to that, jumping on the balls of the feet can lead to improved dynamic balance, coordination, reflexes, bone density and muscular endurance. Who knew?!

A ten minute skipping session can burn around 125 calories depending on the intensity and the person, but clearly if you’re aiming for weight loss two 10 minute skipping sessions per day will give you approximately an extra 1500 calorie burn per week (notice how I’ve given you one day off - you're welcome).  If that feels like too much to start with, you can build up to it. If something is hurting - stop! As with all exercise if you’re new to it or have any concerns do check in with your doctor before getting stuck in. 

I realise skipping can be right up there (or down there) with trampolining for many of us – Pilates is a great cure for pelvic floor issues, but this deserves a whole blog to itself - watch out out for it next month…now back to the rope.

Measure Up
Before you start cutting up the washing line, make sure your skipping rope measures up!  Stand in the middle of the rope with one foot, pull the handles straight up making sure the rope is taut.  For beginners, top of the handles should reach close to the shoulder.  For more experienced jumpers, the top of the handles should reach the armpit or a little below.

I’m thinking move over fidget spinners and let’s get those kids skipping!

Next stop Skipathon!