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A Pilates Routine That Will Get You Through The Corona Crisis

Sat, 28 Mar 2020 18:00:34 GMT

The Corona virus sent us home to see the inside of us more than the outside. In the days of quarantine you should be healing yourself from the inside out. I challenge you to reflect on your feelings. Let the feelings talk to you, they don’t lie. They are the key of what is happening with you. Perhaps you are afraid because you don’t know what is going to happen, or because you can’t be in control. Perhaps you are anxious, nervous, insecure or simply afraid of getting infected. Let me tell you there is hope. We will get out of this situation sooner than we think. But until then, control your feelings and get in touch with yourself with this routine I prepared for you.

Let go

Being at home is the perfect opportunity to let go of all the clutter that you have been accumulating. Whether it is clothes or dust under your sofa. Also let go of your negative emotions. Forgive yourself for the mistake you have done in the past. Let go of the grudge you might be holding against someone and reach out to them. Whatever it is, let it go and be at peace with yourself.

Breathe

Take the time to breathe. Now you have all the time in the world to breathe and relax. Try this exercise. Inhale as much as you can and hold your breath for a bit. Then exhale all the air until your lungs are empty. Repeat for three to five minutes. This will help you feel more relaxed. And don’t forget to be thankful for being able to breathe all this wonderful air.

Meditate

Mediation is one of my all time best friends. It calms my mind and brings balance into my life. I recommend you to start with five or ten minutes a day. Pick a quiet place in your home where you can sit without being interrupted. Close your eyes, relax your shoulders, and enjoy the peace. if you have some thoughts, don’t worry. Let them come and go. After several minutes slowly come back to the reality. Even a short meditation will give you the power of inner balance for your day. I meditate every day during this quarantine. If you have never meditated before, please give it a try. The tranquility is well worth it.

Exercise

After the meditation it is awesome to make some Pilates. It will help you to balance your body and stabilise your spirit. Try massaging your spine by rolling like a ball. Also roll up and over to have a stable core and stretch you inner muscles. Or try the famous bridge exercise that will diminish your lower back pain. You will feel lighter on your feet and enjoy a better posture for the rest of the day.

And stay positive!

Don’t feel helpless. Sure, it sucks not to be able to socialise with your friends and family. But quarantine is a great chance to get in touch with yourself and take care of your body, mind and spirit. Maybe you will even discover something new about yourself. Look at the quarantine as a learning opportunity. Slow down, appreciate our planet, be kind to yourself. Learn something new such as meditation. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Be more compassionate and helpful to others. I hope you found value in this article. Stay in tune with your Light. And as I say to my online Pilates Beauties: “Say no no no corona and yes yes yes we will make this together!”

Running & Pilates

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 18:31:47 GMT

Three treats of Pilates exercise for Runners

Running is a dynamic high-impact workout, you need to stimulate your whole body, and so you need to be ready to change from movement to movement. To move in harmony with the running performance is not as simple as it see. if you body is not strength enough you can harm yourself. You need the strength and yours deep core muscles before you go running. if you make Pilates, you can archived this core stability you need. That’s why all runners should consider adding Pilates into the training routine.

I’m training for my next Marathon this year, yes I’m a runner too. Therefore i will love to share with you the three Pilates exercise i do before going running. These Pilates exercise will help your body to be strong in a deeper level before you go for a run.

Criss cross : Perfect stabiliser using the Strength of your abs.

Scissors Bicycle high on Air : Strengthens the abdominals, increases spine flexibility, stretches the hamstrings and hip flexors.

The saw : Keep your sit bone on the mat and reach your hand across to the outside of your foot.

Criss cross , is a Pilates mat exercise that focuses on the abdominals and special emphasis on the obliques. The obliques aid in posture stabilisation to some degree, but they are more involved in flexion and rotation of the spine. One benefit of working the obliques is that they help define the waist. It is good to include exercises that target the obliques in any ab workout.

Bend your knees and bring your shins up so that they are parallel to the floor. Place your hands behind your head, supporting the base of the skull. Keep the elbows wide.

Use an exhale to pull your abs into a deep scoop, and leaving the pelvis in a neutral position, curl the chin and shoulders off the mat up to the base of the shoulder blades. Ensure your shoulder blades are kept down.

Inhale your upper body is in a full curve, your abs are pulling your belly button down to your spine, and your legs are in tabletop position. Exhale reach your left leg out long, and as you keep the elbows wide, rotate your torso toward the bent right knee so that your left armpit is reaching toward the knee. Inhale as you switch legs and bring the trunk through center.

Exhale extend the right leg. Rotate your upper body toward the left knee. Keep your chest open and elbows wide the whole time. Start with six repetitions.

Scissors Bicycle high on Air , is a Pilates mat exercise that focuses on the Strengthens the abdominals, increases spine flexibility, stretches the hamstrings and hip flexors. One benefit of working your spine is help improve your posture. it is one of my favourite exercises that bring my whole body in a different way of strengthen.

Lie down on mat and bring your legs up to a 90 degree angle, toes pointed. Arms long by sides, palms down. Imagine the legs opening wide like a handheld fan, then closing and opening to the other side.Keep the elbows parallel to each other and cradle the pelvis with the hands. Breath fully and deeply to facilitate the scissor motion.

Inhale prepare the body and scoop abdominals inward. Exhale continue to lift your legs up to ceiling (toes to ceiling).

Inhale bring the hands underneath the hips with finger tips pointed outward and the wrists supporting the back and hips. Exhale scissor the legs, one leg moves over the head as the other leg moves toward the mat in the opposite direction. Switch legs and continue to scissor. Keep the hips and pelvis still as you move legs.

Inhale bring the legs back up over the hips (toes reach to ceiling). Exhale allow your back to roll down to the mat, slowly and carefully, one vertebra at a time. Start with three repetitions

The saw , is a Pilates mat exercise involving an intricate back and hamstring stretch. Is a wonderful way to stretch your body and experience the oppositional dynamic between the opposite hip and the front shoulder. The saw exercise strengthens the muscles of the spine, and stretches the hamstrings, hips, and deep abdominal muscles. Like others Pilates movement the saw help improve your posture therefore your body is more stable throughout the running.

Sit up straight on your mat, sit on your bones, breath here and send this wonderful energy through the top of your head to the toes. Extend your legs in front of you, feet and shoulder are site to site apart. Stretch your feet and spread your toes and then relax them. Stretch your arms out to the side, even with your shoulders, palms facing forward.

Inhale and twist to the right get taller as you turn your whole torso, use your abs to keep your hips steady and even with each other. When you turn, keep your pelvis steady and make sure your torso does not lean.

Exhale your gaze follow your back hand into the turn, spiralling your upper torso so that you are almost curling into yourself. Imagine you are wringing the stale air out of your body as you twist. Used your abs to support this movement, the action will lift your back arm further. Allow the stretch to take you forward as you reach the little toe, —if you can.— do not tilt forward in an effort to reach the foot. Always keep your sit bones against the mat. Exhale reach a littler more forward. When you reach the extends to its furthest point, turn the position as you inhale and return to sitting .

Exhale and undoes your turn, coming back to the starting position. Make sure you concentrate on keeping even pressure on each side of your pelvis rather than one side, here you want your hips to be still and your butt to remain on the mat. Start with six repetitions.

By doing this three exercise before you go into your running routine with help you to maintain strength in your core. Furthermore will support you with more spine flexibility, deep abdominal muscles, pelvic stability, flow in mind and will make your legs feel wonderful light during the running.

Pilates: My Fourth Triathlon Discipline

Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:40:21 GMT

Guest post

I have started with triathlon long before discovering pilates. After adding pilates to my training routine this season though, I wish I would have started with pilates long before discovering triathlon. Triathlon is a combination of swimming, cycling, and running. And this year I added a fourth discipline into the mix—pilates.

When a volunteer put my first olympic distance medal around my neck in the summer of 2015, I was hooked. From that moment on, my goals were set higher, my preparation became more sophisticated, and my training became much more rigorous. As a result the medals started to fill my rack. Half-marathon, Ironman 70.3, marathon, and finally, Ironman in 2017. Since then I have been focusing on shorter distances.

It was only this year that I discovered pilates with Rosanna. And since then her pilates exercise has helped me to prepare for my races in three ways. First, by strengthening my core muscles I have been able to improve my swimming technique. A strong core is key to keeping the body levelled in a fast, hydrodynamic position. Second, my back is always suffering during long bike rides which are strenuous for the lower back. Pilates has helped me to balance these negative consequences and improve my posture. And third, I have become much more flexible. I notice my increased flexibility especially during running which has never been my favourite discipline, to be honest. But now I feel lighter on my feet than ever before.

All in all, I’m really happy to have discovered pilates. The harmonic exercise with Rosanna has improved my training efficiency as well as recovery. Now I feel better prepared and I can squeeze more races into the season. And the medals keep pilling on!

Balance your triathlon training with Pilates

Wed, 22 May 2019 20:07:05 GMT

Triathlon is an extremely demanding sport. Swim, bike, run — three disciplines that test your body’s limits in various ways. With such a hard training you run the risk of developing bad posture or having an injury. Integrating Pilates into your training routine prevents these complications and allows you to get the best out of your training.

Swim

Swimming puts a lot of tension on shoulders and lower back muscles. Pilates exercise increases flexibility by stretching those areas. On top of that, strengthening your core will stabilise your swimming position.

Bike

Long bike rides may leave your lower back in pain because sitting for longer periods of time affects the lower spine. Pilates exercise stabilises the core muscles and reduces tension in lower back. And improving your body posture will mobilise your legs for a better stride.

Run

Running injuries are very common, resulting from putting the entire body weight on leg joints. Pilates reduces the risks with harmonic exercises that strengthen the leg muscles without putting tension on the joints.

And breathe

Breathing is the fourth discipline of triathlon and is crucial to any sport. With Pilates you’ll learn proper breathing techniques that’ll improve the flow of oxygen and your performance.

Are you a triathlete looking to improve your flexibility, stability, and endurance? Get in touch and I’ll introduce Pilates into your training routine.