Why strength fitness should form a big part of your planned movement workouts.

Being physically fit comes in different forms. For example, someone who can run a marathon is no doubt physically fit, but they might not be able to lift heavy weights. Someone who might be able to lift heavy weights on the other hand, might not be able to run a marathon, but they too are still physically fit. Broadly speaking, fitness can be divided into different categories – endurance fitness, flexibility fitness and strength fitness.

What is strength fitness?

Strength fitness focuses specifically on one of the four pillars of fitness – strength. How strong your muscles are will directly impact your ability to move and lift objects. As strength training makes you stronger and builds muscle endurance, it’s an important part of any movement workout routine.

Strength training involves moving your body against some type of resistance. This could range from a machine found in a gym, to free weights, dumbbells and kettlebells, and can also be done without any equipment at all, using just your own bodyweight.

Why is strength fitness important?         

Research has highlighted that there are many health benefits of physical exercise in relation to strength training, with findings suggesting that the greater your muscular strength is, the better your overall health and athletic performance will be.¹ Other benefits include:

• A greater ability to enjoy your movement workout before getting tired
• Easier maintenance of a healthy body weight and enhanced body composition (the ratio between fat and muscle.)
• Boosted mood and energy levels, along with healthier sleep patterns
• Better posture and relief from back pain due to stronger muscles
• Greater stability, balance and flexibility, making it less likely that you will experience as many injuries and falls
• A greater ability to burn calories, even after you stop exercising
• Better bone health and bone density
• Improved brain health and better cognitive function
• Improved mood, confidence and sense of wellbeing

Can strength fitness help with illnesses and chronic conditions?

There have been studies that suggest² that the symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as back pain, arthritis, diabetes and even heart disease can be reduced by taking part in regular physical exercise that includes strength training.

Different types of strength fitness

Strength fitness can be done at home, in a gym or even when you are out and about. If you prefer the structure of a gym, there are resistance machines that work various muscles groups and fitness classes that incorporate weights or other strength-bearing exercise, like circuit training or body pump. Activities that you might have considered more endurance based can also be great for strength training though – running, hill climbing and cycling all put pressure on your leg muscles to propel you forward, for example.

Greater physical and muscular strength comes by regularly challenging your muscles to work harder than they do usually. Along with the targeted strength fitness workouts you do, there are opportunities to get in some additional strength training that you may not even have considered. Next time you have a choice of taking a lift or walking up the stairs – take the stairs. When you go food shopping park a little further away and carry your bags to the car rather than pushing them in a trolley.  Incorporating strength training into your everyday tasks will help you experience the health benefits of physical exercise without even realising you are doing any!

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670 [↩]
2. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/03000/Weightlifting_Training_Gives_Lifelong_Benefits.12.aspx?bid=AMCampaignWKHJ [↩]

Flexibility is fundamental for everyday life.

In fact, it’s so important that we often don’t think about it until something goes wrong and we start to miss it. Without flexibility we wouldn’t be able to perform everyday tasks, like bending over to pick something up, or sitting down in a chair. Flexibility also enables us to release built up tension or soreness in our muscles and helps us to relax – with too much tension or soreness, it’s going to be hard to get any rest!

What is flexibility fitness?

Flexibility can broadly be defined as the ability of your muscles and the connective tissues surrounding them to temporarily stretch. Flexibility is one of the four pillars of physical fitness and it works alongside the others to help us maximise the overall health benefits of physical exercise. Greater flexibility allows us to work on strength and endurance fitness too, by enabling our muscles to complete their full range of motion.

Why is flexibility fitness important?         

There are many health benefits associated with being more flexible. Flexibility leads to a greater range of movement and improved balance, which reduces your chances of getting injured during a movement workout.¹ Other benefits of increased flexibility include:

Pain reduction

Lengthening and opening your muscles makes your body feel less tense and generally feels easier to move. When your muscles feel looser and are not as tight, you won’t feel as many aches or pains and will be less likely to experience muscle cramps.

Better posture and balance

Good posture and balance make it easier to sit, stand and move. Improving your flexibility fitness, which you can do through activities like yoga, has been shown in studies to increase your muscular flexibility and improve posture and balance.²

Greater sense of wellbeing

Movement workouts that focus on flexibility are generally quite slow and gentle on the body and studies have shown that regularly practicing poses that open up and stretch your body can bring about a greater sense of relaxation and wellbeing.³

Better physical performance

Strong and effective muscles are important for strength and endurance training too. Improving your flexibility will help these other aspects of your fitness as your muscles will be able to work more effectively.

Different types of flexibility fitness

The best way to improve your overall flexibility is to combine three types of flexibility exercises – breath work, static stretching and dynamic stretching:

Breath work

Being able to breathe properly is an important element of all types of fitness, particularly stretching and flexibility fitness. By breathing properly you will be better able to fill your lungs and won’t have to expend as much energy to continue exercising.

Diaphragmatic breathing helps you to engage and strengthen your diaphragm and core muscles and can be practiced in a few simple steps:

1. Stand in a comfortable position or sit in a chair, placing your hands on your ribcage
2. Fill your lungs with air by inhaling through your nose – you should feel your rib cage expanding
3. Slowly exhale through your mouth, at the same time, engaging your core as you do so

Static stretches

Static stretching involves entering a stretch that you then hold without moving for a set period of time. This helps your muscles warm up slowly, reducing the risk of injury. You should push yourself to the point of tension when you will feel a light stretch, but no pain or tension.

Dynamic stretches

Dynamic stretching is a different kind of stretch that involves movement. Unlike static stretching, a dynamic stretch involves putting your muscles through a full range of motion. An example of this would be ‘high knees’ where you lift one foot off the ground, then the other, in a swift movement that gets blood flowing throughout your muscles and helps to stretch your glutes, hips, and knee joints.

Taking steps to become more flexible can be a great way to connect to yourself and your body. You’re likely to feel more balanced and better overall once your body is more open, strong, and flexible.

1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Duane-Knudson/publication/240184136_Warm-up_and_flexibility/links/0046353b54ce3432ef000000/Warm-up-and-flexibility.pdf [↩]
2. https://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2016;volume=9;issue=1;spage=27;epage=34;aulast=Polsgrove [↩]
3. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6646/benefits-of-flexibility/ [↩]

For any movement we perform, balance is a fundamental aspect of it.

Often it will come without having to think about it, for example, simply standing upright on our own two feet requires us to maintain balance. While it often comes without thinking, that doesn’t mean it’s something that should be taken for granted. Studies have shown that balance is something that can deteriorate with age, so maintaining it is crucial.¹

What are the health benefits associated with good balance?

There are many health benefits associated with balance, both from the preventative side of reducing the chances of injury, to the maintenance side of good health and finally, in helping you recover and build up strength after an injury or illness that has affected your balance:

Core strength

Balance is not just something that is important for athletes or sports people. It’s important for all of us! This is particularly true when it comes to building core strength. The core can be considered the foundation of your body. It’s made up of several muscle groups that work together to keep us upright, enable us to move well and help reduce the chances of injury. Kailin Collins, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, has concluded that core strength is immediately related to balance because you need good stability in your core to have safe and effective movement at the hip, knee and ankle.² You shouldn’t wait for problems with your balance to present themselves before you consider core strength training. Instead, you can work to prevent them through gentle stretching and strengthening exercises.

Keeping fit

Balance can help to strengthen your muscles, which will in turn increase their power output. The greater the force your muscles can exert, the further you will be able to jump, the faster you will be able to run and the higher you will be able to leap. In any sport or activity where powerful short, sharp movements are needed, such as boxing for example, good balance will be a great help. 

Injury prevention

In older adults, and women with a low bone mass in particular, balance has been shown in studies to help decrease the risk of falls and improve postural stability.³ Further studies have also shown that balance training seems to prevent falls and injuries in seniors, with a report published by the BMJ concluding that exercise programmes reduced falls that caused injuries by 37%, falls leading to serious injuries by 43% and broken bones by 61%.⁴

What are the best exercises for improving balance?

Gentle strength and stretching exercises such as yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi, as well as coordination-focused exercises like dance, are all excellent for helping to improve your balance. There are also ways to work on your balance that don’t even require leaving your house and some of the best exercises for improving balance require little more than patience and commitment of getting in a habit. You might try standing on one leg while brushing your teeth for example, which may sound easy, but you’ll soon find that your legs start to sway. Remember to switch legs each day so that both sides of your body get to experience the benefits. Alternatively, you could stand for one minute on the left leg, and then one minute on the right leg.

Sitting and standing up is something else you may take for granted but try doing so without using your hands to help stabilise you. You’ll be activating a whole new set of muscles that you wouldn’t normally use for this and will probably find it more difficult than you expected!

Walking is something else that you might think is just ‘something you do’, but even walking in a different way can help with balance training. Practice heel-to-toe walking, where you act like a tightrope walker by placing one foot directly in front of the other on an imaginary line or try walking backwards in a straight line (making sure there’s nothing in your way first of course!).

These common, everyday actions are some of the best to remind your of the importance of balance, and to help keep you in great condition, with excellent balance for as long as possible.

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03324095 [↩]
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/balance-and-mobility/improve-your-balance-by-strengthening-your-core [↩]
3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/The_benefits_of_balance_training [↩]
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/balance-training-seems-to-prevent-falls-injuries-in-seniors-201310316825 [↩]

Pilates was founded with six key principles in mind: Breath, concentration, centre, control, precision and flow.

By building a strong foundation in each of these areas, your practice will improve, and your body will respond more effectively to the gift of exercise you are giving it.

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these principles.

Breath

Breathing is key in most exercise regimens. In Pilates, you learn that controlling your breathing is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your overall health and wellbeing.  Joseph Pilates was quoted as saying, “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last… above all, learn how to breath correctly”.

Concentration

The act of Pilates itself requires concentration. You are training your body to do exercises and practice positions it’s probably not used to. Joseph Pilates instructed his students to focus solely on the movements their bodies were performing to get the maximum benefit from his exercise.

Centre

Most people that have done any amount of Pilates understand that one of the main parts of the body that it impacts is the core, or centre. This principle is key in reminding you to control your posture, helping to heal pain in your lower back, tone your core, and even assisting with breathing.

Control

Unbeknownst to most, Pilates was originally called Contrology. Control plays one of the biggest roles in practicing Pilates correctly and efficiently. Joseph Pilates was adamant about the importance of purposefully controlling every movement and all the parts of the body when practicing Pilates. He found that this was key to maximizing both his mind and body exercise.

Precision

Precision is a key factor in all forms of exercise we practice. However, Joseph Pilates was adamant about how crucial he found precision to be. He believed this emphasis on a perfect technique and movement helped people to break down their existing bad habits and then relearn how to move in a better, more efficient way.

Flow

One of the main goals for Joseph Pilates was encouraging the body to move with ease and fluidity, even through challenging movements. Interesting fact: many of Joseph Pilates’s students were ballet students as well. This makes sense, as they practice graceful, beautiful, fluid motion. Having a good flow will come with practice and overall understanding of Pilates.

Many practitioners of Pilates find it to be more than a workout.

In lots of cases, Pilates is a lifestyle. The benefits that come with practicing its exercises are incomparable, especially as a regimen you can teach and train yourself to master.

What does Pilates do?

Pilates is about training your muscle groups to work together, creating smoother movements. This will also help with improving posture, supporting proper breathing, supporting healthy spinal and pelvic alignment, and help you become more in tune with the nuances of your own body.

It also helps to improve flexibility and range of motion as well as reducing stress. Another thing to keep in mind about Pilates is quality over quantity: it should be stressed that the quality of the movements practiced is vastly more crucial than the quantity of repetitions.

When practiced regularly (about three times a week), Pilates can help you develop a stronger core, a stronger back, and gain more lean muscles. It helps with flexibility and also helps to create an evenly conditioned body.

Pilates can do wonders for the body, and not just physically. When adding proper breathing to Pilates, you are better able to execute movements with maximum power and efficiency. Pilates teaches things like quality of breathing and proper body alignment. By engaging your mind while exercising the body, you’re reaping the biggest benefits from practicing Pilates. Pilates is beneficial for overall physical health and also supports mental wellness.

But what is it that makes Pilates different from other forms of exercise? In this article, we discuss the things that differentiate Pilates from other fitness regimens and why these distinctions are so important.

Fitness regimens that bear some commonalities with Pilates include yoga, tai chi, barre, and even swimming.

Pilates and yoga

Pilates and yoga have a lot in common, but they’re certainly not interchangeable. Yoga is almost more akin to a form of active meditation, in which the practitioner (in this case, yogi) performs asanas to help create a physical, mental, and emotional experience within and throughout the body.

On the other hand, Pilates helps the practitioner learn to train several muscle groups at once using smooth controlled movements. That’s not to say that there is not or cannot be a spiritual or emotional aspect to performing Pilates; any type of movement can be meditative when performed with mindfulness. It’s more to say that Pilates helps to retrain the body to move in more efficient – and ultimately safer – patterns of motion.

For example, Pilates emphasizes focusing on proper breathing, helping to maintain healthy spinal and pelvic alignment. Ultimately, this allows the body and mind to spend their combined focus on smooth movement, helping to facilitate an acute awareness of the body. In turn, this can help with things ranging from stress to back pain to gaining a stronger physical core.

Pilates and tai chi

Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art, internal meaning that it focuses more on interior development than physiological development. It blends concepts of movement, meditation, and (sometimes) Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. Tai chi does not require the same amount of physical movement that Pilates does, but both focus on building muscle strength and autonomic memory.

Pilates and barre

Barre is a hybrid exercise regimen that borrows elements from ballet, yoga, and Pilates. Its name comes from the use of a ballet barre throughout practice. When compared with yoga, Pilates, and tai chi, barre is significantly more physical and less mental, and is generally practiced without a spiritual component.

Pilates and swimming

Because of their shared focus on gentle and repetitive moments, Pilates and swimming have quite a bit in common when it comes to the type of muscle memory the two forms of exercise facilitate. Many find their swimming exercise to be meditative and look forward to their daily dip as a form of spiritual and emotional cleansing. Likewise, learning proper breath control is a major component of both Pilates and swimming.

Pilates shares similarities with other types of exercise, but there’s nothing out there that’s completely interchangeable. Try out different exercise regimens to see which one suits you best and provides you with the best physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.

When it comes to how often one should exercise, the answer is often subjective.

Generally, the recommendation is thirty minutes of exercise daily for five days a week. But when it comes to Pilates specifically, what’s the right amount to practice?

How often should you do Pilates?

The creator of Pilates himself, Joseph Pilates, recommended that those interested in Pilates practice it at least three times per week. However, if you’re getting exercise in other ways, it may be worth it to trim the amount of time spent in Pilates classes down to one class weekly.

Pilates is often used as a type of physical therapy. The impact it can have on the body is huge; regular practice can improve balance, flexibility, and mobility. Just that one class per week can result in enhanced recovery from injuries and your body relearning how to move correctly, preventing further injuries. Therefore, it might be wise to consider participating in Pilates regularly, even if you get the majority of your exercise from morning runs or evening strength-training sessions.

If you go beyond that and want to take your Pilates practice further, performing the core Pilates exercises twice or three times per week will help you see bigger chances in your strength, stability, flexibility, and mobility. With this level of dedicated practice, you may start to see a difference in the way you sit, walk, and carry yourself. Your posture and mobility will begin to improve, and you may even notice better mental concentration and control.

What about rest days?

Pilates is a low impact exercise, so the amount of rest and recovery needed between sessions is relatively low. So if you want to participate in Pilates classes a few days in a row, worry not. In fact, Pilates is so gentle (and so beneficial) that it’s even okay to practice Pilates on your rest days from other exercises. Just be aware that even the smooth movements of Pilates can cause micro-damage to muscles, requiring time to refresh them and build them back up.

The excitement of an infant sitting up or crawling for the first time.  The wonder of when a toddler takes a few new steps or whirls around on a tricycle.  The awe of a child practicing cartwheels and riding a two-wheel bike.

Not only are these momentous occasions ones of emotional amazement for parents, but they are also healthy balance, motor skill, and brain developmental milestones for little ones!

A child’s sense of balance can easily be nurtured in all stages of development.  Understanding the importance of this growth aspect along with utilizing a variety of ways to encourage advancement can support both physical and mental health.

Why is balance development important for kids?

Balance can naturally develop in children.  One stage leads to another, each building upon the prior to expand the body’s ability.

For example, healthy balance developmental stages for an infant are:

            – laying on the belly

            – crawling

            – sitting

            – scooting

            – standing

            – walking

All of these vital stages contribute to an overall sense of balance and if one stage is skipped, it can have future implications such as difficulties with certain physical movements and/or less confidence in social play.

In addition, there are two specific types of balance:

• static balance – keeping the body steady while staying still (such as standing on one leg)
• dynamic balance – the ability to run, jump, play, and engage in movement

When these types of balance properly mature, the results can include significant health benefits such as:

            – a sense of personal body awareness and body space

            – a boost in motor skills

            – brain development, particularly the formation of neural pathways

            – confident social interaction

            – sport participation/enjoyable movement

            – prevention of injury

which means safely walking across that fallen log during a hike or trying out the balance beam at the park can reap a wide variety of advantages!

How to support balance development in kids

While many children may naturally develop a sense of balance, today’s world can unconsciously promote a sedentary lifestyle and an overabundance of screen time – both of which can impede this well-needed growth.

To encourage balance, motor skills, brain health, and confident socialization in kids, try:

            – belly time for infants

            – a scoot bike (bicycle without pedals) for toddlers

            – wobble boards and balance games for school-aged kids

And keep in mind that balance is well…something to balance. 

A desire to protect a child and avoid injury is a major component to parenting, however, allowing safe, explorative activity can help a child discover their abilities as well as learn natural and normal consequences.  Adult supervision along with safety tools such as helmets and protective gear can encourage growth with mindful attentiveness.

Balance is important in all stages of life.  Whether for development for those starting out or for prevention in older years, balance activities can support overall wellbeing for an entire lifetime.

Too old to exercise? There’s no such thing! It’s time to dispel the top five myths about activity and aging.

Have you fallen into the trap of believing you are too old to exercise? Don’t! The reasons you have been avoiding it are more than likely just myths. It’s time to reveal the truth so that you can enjoy the health benefits of physical exercise, whatever your age.

Myth One:

“There’s no point in exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.”

We’re all getting older with every second of every day. While it’s easy to look at the negatives though, try looking at the positives – healthcare is continually improving along with the average life expectancy. You could be around a lot longer than you realise! No matter what stage of your life you are at though, quality is always the most important thing and we should all – regardless of age – be doing what we can to enjoy our time here. Regular movement workouts helps you look and feel younger and stay independent longer. Many older people find that regular activity not only helps stem the decline in strength and vitality that comes with age, but actually improves it.¹

Myth Two:

“Exercise puts me at risk of falling down.”

Actually, it’s the exact opposite. Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling. The NHS recommends doing regular strength and balance exercises such as walking or dancing, which can be done at home, or in a gym or local community centre.² Your doctor may also be able to advise you on support available in your local area.

Myth Three:

“It’s too frustrating; I’ll never be the athlete I once was.”

This is a tricky one as there may be some truth to it, but so what? Does it really matter if you aren’t as quick or strong as you were when you were younger? As you age, exercise becomes less about being able to outperform others and more about becoming the best version of yourself. Sure, you might not be on the same level you were when you were younger, but by exercising now you can still be a stronger, fitter, healthier version of yourself in the present. What do you want to achieve? If it’s a certain number of reps, or a certain speed to complete an activity, that’s fine. You can still set yourself these targets and in fact, they are a great way to track your progress. Just be sure to set lifestyle goals that are appropriate for your age and remember: a sedentary lifestyle takes a much greater toll on your athletic ability than biological aging will.

Myth Four:

“I’m too old to start exercising.”

You’re never too old. Just look at the likes of Iva Barr, who was the oldest runner of the London Marathon in 2016 when she took on the event at the age of 88! Don’t worry – you don’t have to commit to something so demanding, but it just goes to show that you really can exercise at any age. You might need to make adjustments if you are new to exercise, or have any underlying health concerns, but this applies to those many years younger than you too. What’s more, adults who become active later in life often show greater physical and mental improvements than their younger counterparts who have suffered sports injuries and ‘overdone’ things earlier in life! As with any form of new exercise or movement workout though, always start slowly and gradually.

Myth Five:

“I can’t exercise because I’m disabled”

Disabilities do of course pose extra challenges, but many exercises can be adapted and for most people who wish to be active, there will always be something that they can do. If you are chair bound, you might still be able to lift weights, perform stretches and take part in chair-based fitness classes like chair yoga and chair aerobics, for example. Swimming pools offer another good option for people with disabilities as your body becomes lighter in water and many pools offer chairs, hoists and ramps to help you in and out of the water.

As we age, it becomes more important than ever to ensure we follow an active, healthy lifestyle. It’s time to brush off the myths that might have been preventing you from exercising and get moving to boost your energy, maintain your independence and enjoy all the health benefits that physical exercise has to offer. If you have any health issues, don’t forget to speak to your physician before starting a new exercise routine.

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-008-0703-2 [↩]
2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/prevention/ [↩]

Our feet are something that are very easy to take for granted as we use them daily and don’t even really think about it. Often it’s only when something goes wrong with our feet that we pay any real attention to them. This is doing our feet a disservice for they truly are the basis of movement.

Keeping our feet strong and in good health is important to ensure that we are able to move properly – they not only allow us to move forward but they keep us up right in the first place. Without our feet it would be very difficult to remain stable.

Ensuring that our feet are in the best possible condition is the basis for ensuring a solid foundation for our whole body and all of our movement.

It’s all about forward momentum

Walking is one of the most basic of all human movements. When a baby takes its first steps we all celebrate in acknowledgement but once it’s been done it’s generally then forgotten about. No one celebrates the steps that come later as once we’re up and moving, it’s almost a given that, unless something goes wrong, we will remain that way. These important first steps are the ones that are celebrated as they are when our journey through life truly begins. It’s the time when we learn a complex set of movements that enable us to get from point A to point B.

Once we have mastered the basics we can learn running, jumping and more, but walking is what sets the daily process of forward movement in motion. We use our feet every single day of their lives – even if we consider ourselves to lead fairly static lifestyles and rarely take part in any intentional movement workouts, we still walk to visit the bathroom, to go to the kitchen and get food or simply to move from one place to the other.

What about balance?

Walking is about more than just movement. It’s just as much – if not more so – about balance. In fact, 80% of walking involves simply standing on just one foot, over and over again. Studies have shown however, that our balance is getting worse with dangerous falls becoming more commonplace across all age groups.¹ One of the reasons for this could be that we are increasingly leading sedentary lifestyles where lack of movement is more commonplace and we therefore have less opportunities to practise balancing on a daily basis. Fortunately though, there are things we can all do to improve our balance and reduce the risk of falling or injury and there are some simple balance exercises that can be done by all age groups:²

Sideways walking – stand with your feet together and step sideways in a slow and controlled manner before moving the other foot to join.

Heel-to-toe walking – stand upright and place your right heel on the floor directly in front of your left toe. Then do the same with your left heel, being sure to look forward while you do so.

One leg stand- facing a wall for stability, stretch your arms in front of you with your fingertips touching the wall. Lift one leg up, keeping your hips level and slightly bending the opposite leg as you do so. Hold the position for a few seconds then place your foot gently back on the floor. Switch legs and repeat.

Strong feet can limit pain elsewhere

Many of our bodily systems are connected. Often if you feel pain in your hips, neck, back or knees for example, it could be related to a problem stemming from your feet. Mobilising your feet could reduce the pain you are experiencing elsewhere. Research has found, for example, that foot pain can be associated with bilateral and same side knee pain and releasing tension or tightness in your planter fascia (the heel of your foot) can help to reduce symptoms further up in your knee.³

It’s important to remember that all of our body systems are connected but to understand them better it can be helpful to break things down into individual parts. There is certainly nothing wrong with this, but it’s also good to keep an eye on the bigger picture – by ensuring you have healthy feet you can experience better balance, walk more effectively and feel less pain in your hips, knees and back. This allows you to move more freely and enjoy more effective movement workouts. Your feet really are your foundation.

1. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833030-800-bad-balance-why-dangerous-falls-are-on-the-rise-around-the-world/ [↩]
2. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/balance-exercises/ [↩]
3. https://www.hss.edu/newsroom_foot-pain-hip-and-knee.asp [↩]

When we talk of children and physical exercise, it’s a lot different to how we would approach a movement workout for an adult – you certainly wouldn’t expect to see a child lifting weights at a gym, for example.

For a child, any form of movement could be classed as physical activity, from running around with friends to dancing around the living room.

Why is exercise so important for children?

Exercise is usually something that is done to keep fit and well, and while that’s true for any age, there are other factors that make it so important to encourage activity in children from an early age. Exercise enhances and promotes the development of motor skills, bones and muscles, cognitive and social skills and brings a number of other health benefits too:¹

• Improving fitness
• Providing an opportunity to socialize
• Increasing concentration
• Improving academic scores
• Building a stronger heart, bones and healthier muscles
• Encouraging healthy growth and development
• Improving self-esteem
• Improving posture and balance
• Lowering stress
• Encouraging a better night’s sleep     

What type, and how much exercise does your child need?

Both the amount and type of exercise your child should be getting depends on their age:

Less than 5-years and not yet walking – NHSguidance states that children under the age of 5, who are not yet walking, should be encouraged to enjoy any type of movement activity to benefit their development. Examples of suitable exercises would include floor-based activities that encourage them to hold different positions, such as rolling over or reaching for a toy. You could also enjoy water-based activities, such as play time in the bath or you could go to your local swimming pool with them.

Less than 5-years and walking unaided – In this scenario, the guidance is that you should ensure your child is active for a minimum of three hours each day. Time in front of the TV or computer should be minimized and instead, they should be encouraged to enjoy activities like running or playing in the garden, throwing and catching a ball, climbing, walking and bouncing on a trampoline.

Children and young people between 5-18 years – NHS guidance is that children and young people should be doing at least one hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day to fully reap the health benefits of physical exercise. Examples might include riding a bike, swimming, gymnastics, skipping, playing a sport such as football, martial arts or even taking the family dog for a brisk walk, which would benefit them too!

Whatever the age of your child, it’s important to remember that physical movement should form the basis of their development and should always be encouraged over spending time in front of the television. As with most things though, it’s all about balance, so there’s certainly nothing wrong with sitting down and watching a movie with them occasionally either.  Physical exercise has been shown in studies to enhance self-esteem, reduce stress and benefit children’s overall mental health,² so should always be actively encouraged.

1. https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/general-health-advice/leading-active-lifestyle/exercise-children-and-young-people/ [↩]
2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-05137-001 [↩]

Fitness is often thought of as a ‘one size fits all’ thing, whereby you are either fit, or you aren’t, but the science of fitness actually goes a lot deeper than that and demonstrates that there are a number of components that go into a person being physically fit.¹

The strongest, most musclebound person may have no flexibility for example, but does this mean they aren’t physically fit? Conversely, a petite gymnast might be able to touch their toes and perform a backbend, but they probably couldn’t lift the same weights as the person in the first example. Does this mean they are not physically fit? Total fitness is better defined by looking at how well your body performs under different types of scenario.

A holistic approach to fitness

Total fitness looks at different areas and can be broken down into components or parts to make it easier to understand. It also helps you to appreciate the different requirements of different sporting activities, and even the different requirements of different roles within that activity – on a football field for example, a goalkeeper will need to work on different areas of skill than a striker.

Health related components of fitness

Health related components of fitness are those that you need to work on in order to improve and can be broken down into the following areas:

Body composition. The division of your body into percentages of fat, muscle and bone will have a direct result on your fitness level. A high jumper for example, will have a lean body composition to enable them to propel themselves upwards, whereas a shotput thrower will need a more solid body composition to generate the strength to thrown further.

Cardiorespiratory endurance. Certain sports will need a very high level of cardiorespiratory endurance. Long distance running for example, is dependency on your heart, lungs and blood having the ability to transport oxygen effectively for an extended period of time.

Flexibility. The range of motion that you can move your joints through is a measure of fitness and some sports will require this more than others – a gymnast for example needs to have more flexibility than a billiards player. 

Muscular endurance. This is the ability to continue your performance without your muscles becoming fatigued. A great example of a sport where this would be needed would be rowing, where rowers need to be able to continue the same repetitive movement for a long period of time.

Strength. Strength is a measure of how much force your muscles can exert when they come up against resistance. Wrestling, for example, requires more physical strength than something like badminton.

Skill-related components of fitness

Many sports require different levels of skill-related components of fitness. Gymnasts, for example, have been shown in studies to need high levels of speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility and power.² Skill related components of fitness are those that can be improved with practice:

Accuracy. Controlling movement in a fixed direction is essential for certain sporting practices, like boxing, where your focus needs to be on a very specific area.

Agility. Be able to quickly change direction in a controlled way is important for certain sports, such as tennis and squash and would be less important for something like sprinting.

Balance. The ability to control and stabilise the body is a requirement of many sports and is a good indication of fitness for someone like a sprinter, who would need to maintain perfect stillness until the gun sounds and then spring into action.

Coordination. When you are able to use two or more body parts at the same time to do different tasks you could be considered well-coordinated. An example would be dribbling a basketball, where your legs needs to move you around and your hand needs to maintain contact while moving the ball.

Power. Power is a key indicator of fitness in sports such as javelin or discus throwing, where your performance is directly related on the distance your arms can throw, having applied great force to the tool while rapidly shifting your arm forward.

Speed. Speed is often used as a reflection of fitness in sports that require you to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, such as running.

Breaking down fitness into these components demonstrates that it is about more than just ‘who is the quickest’ or ‘who is the fastest’. Fitness is unique to each individual and to each type of sport. The important thing is to use your own capabilities as a benchmark and not compare yourself to other people. Whatever your fitness level, based on any, or all of the 11 components, practice and perseverance can help you improve them all.

1. http://www.professorjohnthoday.com/downloads/Fitness.pdf [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3325636/ [↩]

How Pilates can help your body and mind

Pilates has become more and more popular in recent years. The benefits from doing Pilates are becoming better known and it’s now a form of exercise not only popular with dancers or people who also like yoga but rather a sport for anyone wanting to get to know their body better and build up their physical fitness, as well as inner strength.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is named after its creator, Joseph Pilates, who developed the exercises in the 1920s with the aim to build strength in the core muscles for better posture, balance, and flexibility.¹ It consists of different moves than yoga, but is often likened to it. Perhaps due to the focus on the core and the fact that both disciplines also put an emphasis on controlled breathing. The  principles of Pilates are built on the health benefits of centring, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow.

What is the difference between Pilates and yoga?

As we’ve already seen, Pilates and yoga do have certain elements in common. They each aim to develop strength, balance, flexibility, posture, and good breathing technique. The connection between physical and mental health is the centre of both practices.

That being said, they also have some distinct differences. Yoga includes meditation and features static poses – neither of which are used in Pilates, which focuses on the flow of movement, rather than holding static poses. Yoga also requires no equipment other than a mat. Pilates can be performed on a mat only, but it’s more common to use additional equipment, such as a ring, ball, bands or reformer.

A study conducted to investigate and compare the effects of Pilates and yoga² confirmed that both disciplines showed benefits on physical as well as mental health through the improvement of posture, flexibility, muscle tone, and stress reduction – although Pilates did show the greatest improvement. The study was formed of ninety volunteers – females and males, healthy and without any disease or physical limitation, between the ages 30 and 40. They were split into three groups doing Pilates, yoga, and no exercise at all. After eight weeks, in which the participants exercised for one hour three times per week, the study revealed that the group practicing Pilates showed the greatest improvements in functional movement and individual health level.

A further study on elderly women (65+ years) showed that age is not a barrier to increasing your physical abilities by doing Pilates³ and that improvement of dynamic balance, reaction time and muscle strength could all be attributed to Pilates’ exercises. The study also claimed that increasing these fitness parameters through Pilates exercises may reduce the number of falls in elderly women.

Is Pilates for me?

Are you considering joining a Pilates class or practicing Pilates at home? Everyone can benefit from Pilates, since it is suitable for all ages and fitness levels and the exercises can be tailored to individual needs. There are different classes and experience levels of Pilates – from gentle and slow for beginners to a more dynamic, or solid workout. We would encourage you to give it a go, but always recommend people with a health condition to talk to their doctor or instructor first.

Do I need equipment for Pilates?

There are two types of Pilates: mat-based and equipment-based Pilates, but many exercises can be done on the floor with a mat only. It might be worth trying out both types to see which you prefer – you could try mat-based Pilates with a free workout video for staying active at home and equipment-based Pilates in a class with an instructor, for example. There’s another specialist type of Pilates, called reformer Pilates. This is done on a large bed-like frame with a flat platform on it, which rolls back and forth on wheels within the frame and is attached to one end of the reformer by a set of springs. It’s great for working out the entire body.

Health benefits of doing Pilates

There are many physical and mental health benefits associated with Pilates, which range from improved movement and posture through to a reduction in stress levels. These are explained in more depth below:

Improved core strength and stability

A study by The Mayo Clinic concluded that Pilates can increase the range of motion for the joints and help muscle control, strength, and endurance.⁴  It was deemed an excellent choice for all ages and levels of fitness as it can be adapted to provide a gentle strength training and stability program, or modified to give a more experienced athlete a more challenging workout.

Improved posture, balance and flexibility

In a further study by the Mayo Clinic,¹ Pilates was also shown to be an accessible way to build strength in your core muscles for better posture, balance and flexibility. According to findings published in the Muscle, Ligaments and Tendons Journal, Pilates practises proper posture and movement patterns.⁴ The findings discussed how current research indicates that there may be benefits to applying Pilates-based exercises in certain clinical populations and suggested that further documentation should be produced to demonstrate the application and success of Pilates in a wider variety of training and rehabilitation settings. 

Prevention and treatment of back pain

The prevention and treatment of lower back pain is an additional benefit of practicing Pilates as it utilises the principles of various accepted rehabilitation methods that have scientific support for low back pain, including core strengthening.

Stress reduction

As well as the physical benefits, Pilates can be beneficial for mental health as well⁵ with practitioners saying that regular Pilates can improve posture, muscle tone, balance and joint mobility, as well as relieve stress and tension. 

Benefit from Pilates

Pilates is an excellent option for men and women of all ages and fitness level, to improve balance, posture and flexibility, as well as to reduce stress levels and improve mental wellbeing. It can be done within your own home, or with the assistance of a class-based Pilates teacher, so why not give it a go?

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/pilates-for-beginners/art-20047673 [↩] [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6732550/ [↩]
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737905/ [↩]
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666467/ [↩] [↩]
5. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/guide-to-pilates/ [↩]

Top tips on preventing injury and enjoying the health benefits of physical exercise.

Sustaining an injury is one of the quickest ways to derail your fitness efforts. Whether you’re an avid exerciser or are just about to embark on a new fitness programme, it’s important to know how to move and exercise properly so that you can avoid injuries and keep moving closer to your fitness goals.

Follow our top tips to stay injury free

• Choose your workout carefully

It’s tempting to go straight for what you think will have the maximum results in the quickest time, but there are many factors to consider when choosing workout plans that are right for you. High impact exercises, such as running, can be great for increasing stamina and cardiovascular fitness, but they also come with a higher risk of injury due to the extra stress placed on your joints. Lower impact exercises, such as swimming, can offer you just as good a cardiovascular and movement workout but with less impact on your joints and, therefore, less risk of injury.

• Learn the techniques and how to exercise properly

Small movements can result in big injuries. Particularly when it comes to something like weight lifting. Even what seems like a small weight can rip or tear muscles if lifted incorrectly. By speaking to a fitness trainer or coach, you can learn the appropriate techniques, how to stand and how to push yourself without overdoing it and causing damage. This is even more important if you have any underlying health conditions or if there are other factors that might affect your physical capabilities.

• Get the right gear

Exercise can be hard enough so don’t make it even more difficult by failing to invest in the right gear. Appropriate footwear can counteract any issues you may have with balance or with over, or under pronation – both of which can cause injury. If you’re exercising at night then reflective clothing can keep you safe and visible to others and be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. If running in the cold for example, wear layers that can be put back on once you stop because as hot as you might get, your body temperature will soon plummet when you stop moving.

• Warm up

Don’t just rush straight into things! Warming up your muscles prepares them for what’s to come. It loosens them and prepares them to move more freely so there is less chance of shocking them when you start your workout and less potential for pulling or overstretching a muscle to beyond its capacity. According to the NHS website, a warm up routine should take at least 6 minutes for best effect.¹

• Stay hydrated

Your body needs water. Without it you will not just feel unwell but you will have less mental as well as physical endurance and awareness. Exercise induces sweating which results in you losing water and makes it more important than ever to replace it regularly. Dehydration can leave you fatigued with impaired concentration, making you more injury prone and can also result in cramps, spasms and soreness.

• Vary your workouts – don’t focus and overuse one muscle group

Changing up your workout plans doesn’t just stop you getting bored but it helps to reduce the chance of you getting injured. That’s because you can in fact have too much of a good thing. So even if you find yourself really getting into your new workout, remember to take time out. Your muscles will tire and they need a chance to recover and repair. Try mixing things up. If you go for a hike one day, go for a swim the next time for example.

• Fuel your body with the right nutrition

The right nutrition is absolutely vital for getting the maximum health benefits of physical exercise. Different nutrients support your body in different ways. You need glycogen or carbohydrates to provide your body and brain with the fuel needed to recover and adapt to exercise. Plus amino acids – the nutrients that help to build cells and support muscle repair – are essential for post-workout recovery as the rate at which they are used is increased during exercise.² Foods high in naturally occurring amino acids include meat and poultry, fish, eggs, soy, buts and seeds.

There’s a magic ‘window of recovery’ within the first 30 minutes of finishing your workout where you should aim to give your body the nutrition it needs to start repairing and, therefore, limit your chances of injury.

Follow these points and you are better placed to enjoy the health benefits of physical exercise with a lower risk of injury.

1. NHS: How to warm up before exercising [↩]
2. NCBI: Effect of exercise on amino acid concentrations in skeletal muscle and plasma [↩]