Before we can pull apart what makes Pilates good for posture, we first need to understand what posture is. Generally whensomeone talks about their posture, they mean how upright their body is, usually from sitting or standing. The idea that we must stand up straight (and that slouching is bad for us) is drilled in to us from a very young age, and there is some scientific evidence that leans towards supporting this claim. For instance; Evidence of how much heavier our head becomes the further forward it sits of our midline (1) and how it can, in turn, impact blood flow and muscular function of the connected tissues. Yes, this is true, however the reality is that our posture is dynamic, and we aren’t designed to hold any one particular position for a long period of time. And although we have hundreds of muscles that support our bones to keep us upright, the majority of these fatigue within a few minutes if they are held under constant full contraction for a few minutes. So this idea of holding an upright, vertical posture can be very tricky, and also very fatiguing!

Having been in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years now, one of the most commons questions I get from a client is either A) what are my pelvic floor muscles, and B) am I meant to be using my pelvic floor muscles now?! And this stems from the fact that about 20 years or so ago, when Pilates was still in its infancy in Melbourne, it became synonymous with physiotherapy in particular, as a support tool for rehabilitating injuries - mainly those of the spine. So it got drilled into not only the practitioners, but anyone who did Pilates that they had to squeeze their pelvic floor to do Pilates! In reality, this is far from the case, and has actually become quite problematic for a lot of people, creating dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles, as well as stiff and tight backs.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before - it’s been in all the fashion magazines - Reformer Pilates is one of the go-to exercise options for those who want a full body exercise session that tones and lengthens the physique, without the hard bouncing and landing on your joints that traditional gym exercises have. Many people, including a huge number of celebrities and sport stars have regular sessions to maintain their physical shape and strength, or have their own reformer at home so they can have 24/7 access to the joys of reformer Pilates. But if you haven’t actually done a session before - what the heck is it?! Firstly, let’s break down the name to help see where it all comes from.

Having spent the last 2 years completing my Somatic Movement Therapy training, I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible clients as they bravely unpack the chronic pain or dysfunction they experience. Not all, but many of these journeys have ultimately boiled down to unresolved trauma held within their bodies. Being able to observe and hear real time feedback from these clients about what they feel, sense, imagine and kinesthetically experience, has fueled a passion in me to try and better understand what constitutes trauma. I am especially interested in how it manifests in the body and how to best guide someone through that experience so they can regain their power and confidence.

Running at its most basic is a fundamental skill we all develop as kids and generally maintain through most of our life span, if we want to. It has long been seen as an incredibly effective means of exercise for the masses, or a vital tool for many to complete their hobbies. It’s so effective, that entire industries have been built around helping us run better. We’ve got billion dollar sporting goods stored pumping out runners that are regularly refined (or perhaps just redecorated) in order to provide a more comfortable and sustainable run. And that’s just the shoes - let’s not forget about the clothing that helps hold everything in place, or the technology being developed to help provide more details analysis of your specific running regime.

One question that I’ve heard many many times over the year is ‘will I lose weight doing Pilates?’ And the answer is always the same. And unfortunately, the answer isn’t what most people want to hear - Pilates on it’s own is not effective for weightless, sorry to say! So then why do people often say that they feel amazing, or have lost so much weight doing Pilates? In general terms, it’s actually more a reflection of a number of choices they are now making and Pilates is just the method of exercise they are doing at the time. These choices will reflect their mental state, their food choices, their motivation to exercise, and their outlook on themselves. Taking up Pilates from doing no exercise at all will help shift some weight, but training Pilates with other forms of exercise won’t change things that much. Let’s explore this a bit more for you to understand.

Recently I’ve come to realise something. Once I explore the logic, it makes total sense, but for the longest time I’d never really explored it. It’s the potential that having our technologically impressive smart watches and Fitbits attached to us 24/7 might not be as harmless as their manufacturers make it out to be. And here’s why...

They’re making us weak…

When someone sees me for a Functional Neurology session, I always do a lot of manual muscle testing - the reason being it allows me to easily show someone which muscle areas are functioning well under load, and which are struggle or simply aren’t firing at all.

There are so many old expressions that spring to mind when we are talking about pain, particularly in relation to exercise. ‘Pain is weakness leaving the body’ is the classic one I grew up with in the rugby sheds of New Zealand. These expressions usually revolve around the fact that being in pain creates the opportunity for us to experience growth and pleasure. Now this may have been true to those who originally made those statements, but if we are talking about pain in relation to the human body and movement, there are a few extra things to consider before pushing through to the glory we've been promised.

If there is one thing this pandemic has shown us, is that technology has provided a fantastic platform to help keep us connected when we can’t physically be with each other. At a personal level, being based in Melbourne and having our families based in WA and NZ has meant that although we haven’t been able to physically see our families, we’ve still been able to share the highs and lows of the last few months, and enjoy casting shared thoughts in to an unpredictable future. Is it ideal? Far from it. Is it okay as a temporary measure? It’s certainly better than nothing - faster than a letter in the mail, and a bit more lively than a phone call.

At its most simple, Osteoporosis basically means brittle bone. Bone is naturally porous, and is a living tissue that is simultaneously being made by certain cells, while being broken down others. Up until around the age of 30, the rate at which bone is being made is greater than it is being broken down. After around 30, the rate it is broken down slowly exceeds the rate at which it is made. This gradually results in our bones becoming more hollow and brittle over time.

You have heard the term Clinical Pilates, or even been referred to do it by your allied health professional at one point or another. But it’s a pretty broad term, which can make it tricky to understand what it actually is, and how it differs to other forms of Pilates e.g. Reformer Pilates, Studio Pilates, Mat Pilates, Group Physiotherapy etc!

Firstly, let me be clear - I’ve done Yoga, and really enjoyed it. I’m by no mean’s a trained Yoga professional, and can only write from the experiences I’ve had in it, and in discussion with other movement practitioners. But I do have a very good insight in to what Pilates offers, and where there may be some obvious comparisons between the two modalities, that are so often lumped in to the same basket. So let’s start with the similarities.