It’s common knowledge that staying consistent with moving your body and eating a healthy diet can aid weight loss and improve your fitness. With the right exercises, you could even start to look younger.
Claire Mills, a physiotherapist and Pilates guru who founded Core LDN, says this about Pilates, a type of exercise focusing on core strength, balance, flexibility, and posture.
There’s no need to do pilates every day. Weekly should cut it. “Research suggests there are benefits to doing Pilates just once a week, however, I would recommend doing it two or three times weekly – you will notice and feel the strength and flexibility change more quickly”, said Claire.
She added: “By improving and maintaining flexibility and strength, you will feel much healthier, and fitter and therefore feel (maybe even look) younger! Pilates also has the benefit of toning muscles due to the nature of the eccentric muscle work, lengthening under a load, particularly through Reformer Pilates which could give the effect of looking younger.”
As for how quickly you could see results, Joseph Pilates famously said, “In 10 sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 you will see the difference, and in 30 you’ll have a whole new body.”
Best pilates exercises
Well-versed in combining physiotherapy with Pilates, Claire suggests four Pilates exercises for beginners.
1. Toe taps
Toe taps, also known as ‘scissors’, involve starting in a single tabletop position, lying flat on the floor with your back pressed down, and raising one leg at a 90-degree angle.
Progress to a double tabletop while keeping your pelvis and spine neutral. Point your toes and drop each leg to tap the floor alternately, then lift back to the tabletop position.
Aim for 30-60 seconds (two sets) or 12-20 reps (two sets). This is designed to challenge the endurance of these muscles.
2. Shoulder bridge
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart, arms resting at your sides and palms facing down. As you exhale, lift your pelvis and hips in a smooth rolling motion to form a straight line from your knees to shoulders.
Then, extend one leg skywards, pointing your toe as it rises and flexing it as it lowers. Aim for 12-15 repetitions.
According to Claire, this is a great exercise for mobilizing and warming up your spine while activating the backline of your body—the glutes, hamstrings, and deep back muscles.
3. Hundreds
Hundreds is a very effective abdominal workout emphasising breathing while keeping a solid core.
Start flat on the mat, draw your knees to your chest, and lift your head, neck, and shoulders so your legs are in a tabletop position. Align your arms with your torso, palms down.
Extend your legs to a 45-degree angle, heels together and toes apart. Keep your legs steady and pulse your arms vigorously up and down, inhaling for five pulses and exhaling for five. Continue this pattern for a total of 100 pulses.
4. Swimmers
Claire emphasises strengthening the deep muscles that support the spine by maintaining “to be strong front to back”.
To master this move, start by lying on your stomach and lengthening alternating arms and legs. Hover off the mat while staying strong in your centre and maintaining a neutral spine.
Progress this to doing it in a four-point kneeling position. Aim to do this for 30-60 seconds (two sets) or 12-20 reps (two sets). This challenges the endurance of these muscles.
The key to increasing core strength with this move is to slowly perform the curl-up/chest lift correctly, focusing on using your abdominals to slide the ribcage down towards the pelvis and avoiding reliance on the head, neck, and chest.
