Last weekend I attended a brilliant online course given by Lynne Robinson. Lynne is considered to be the “Queen of Pilates” and works with many celebrities including Liz Hurley, Hugh Grant, Hollie Willougby and Chelsea Football Club.
Lynne was my original trainer and I have done several courses with her since. The most recent one was Pilates for bone health for clients with osteopenia and osteoporosis. I'm currently working my way through the workbook to qualify to teach in this area.
Training with people like Lynne, reinforces why I’m so passionate about teaching Pilates as it is so beneficial for your mind and body. Here are three reasons why:
- Joseph Pilates said “a long spine is a strong spine” which is why we spend time doing exercises to elongate the spine and improve posture. Good posture will improve your breathing capacity thereby increasing the amount of oxygen that enters your brain, so Pilates can also help your mental wellbeing.
- As you age, your muscle mass and bone density decrease. Muscle mass decreases approximately 3-8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. The more you can improve muscle mass before this happens, the better chance you will have of slowing down the rate of decline. This is the same for bone density, in that the more you can build bone density (particularly before menopause in women) the better it will be for you in the long term. You can improve bone density and muscle mass by including weight-bearing exercises using weights and bands or your own bodyweight.
- According to Government statistics, 30% of people aged 65 and over will fall at least once a year. Falls are the number one reason older people are taken to the emergency department and 5% of falls lead to a fracture and hospitalisation. Reasons for falling include muscle weakness, slower reflexes and poor balance. Wrists are a common fracture site, but if your reflexes have slowed, then you may fall directly onto your hip or ankle, which are more serious injuries. So that’s why we do so many exercises to strengthen wrists, ankles and hips in class, as well as to improve your balance.
If you’re interested in finding out more about all these issues, take a look at the NHS or the Royal Osteoporosis Society websites.
