It’s All About Fitness Benefits

Our autumn Pilates term gets underway today and it’s our biggest schedule we have ever run. We have 12 classes running per week across our usual 7 or 8 week courses and overall we have 94% of places booked. The demand for Pilates led by a Physiotherapist is very encouraging and we are delighted to see such interest in the maintenance of physical wellbeing.

In this article I thought I’d share a collection of recently published articles discovered across the web relating to the health benefits of physical activity. I hope some or all of these are of interest - so here goes…

Lifetime of fitness: Fountain of youth for bone, joint health?

Information coming out of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests we can minimise or delay the effects of ageing by keeping physically fit and conversely a sedentary lifestyle will likely contribute to more rapid physical deterioration of our bodies and health.

Read more here...

Train your heart to protect your mind

Reports from the University of Montreal suggest that improved cardiovascular fitness from exercise could protect us from cognitive dysfunction, pointing at the effects of stiffening arteries and blood supply issues as a result of ageing.

Read more...

Quick full-body workouts in 10 minutes

When you’re too busy to do your usual routine or if you’re put off your morning run by foul weather then why not consider a fast and efficient workout right in the comfort of your home?

Here are a couple of chaps demonstrating in a video what a 10 minute full-body workout looks like. 

Video here...

12 Ways to Stay Motivated to Keep Fit

In case you’re needing some tips for getting going and ideas for keeping you motivated these 12 tips might help you. Personally, tips 6, 7 and 8 are my favourites.

You most likely already do one or more of these but it’s never a bad thing to pick up a few more good habits.
All 12 tips here…

Breaking the Cycle: Unlocking the Science of Bad Habits

I mentioned ‘habits’ so this next article will offer further insight into these powerful daily routines of ours.

I remember reading a suggestion somewhere a long time ago that we don’t break or stop bad habits - we can only replace them with better ones. I mostly agree with such an idea because with a little effort in implementing good habits then the bad habits should simply fall away because we don’t have time for them. It has worked for me.

This article takes a look at overeating as an example and a problem with a tendency to place too much value on present benefits rather than future consequences. In my own case I experience such a dilemma with one of my food weaknesses which is well-made artisan ice-cream. I love the stuff! In the past I would laugh at myself, after the event of course, while acknowledging how I convinced myself that having a triple-scoop, sugar coned ‘gelato’ was one of my simple pleasures in life and therefore totally fine to indulge in. After the 10 minute pleasure of devouring the treat the potential negative consequences suddenly become far more apparent - but the decision and action has already been taken.

For a look at the science behind such dilemmas see here…

If you are taking part in this term of Pilates then I wish you a very enjoyable and rewarding class. Tricia and Rachel will be taking very good care of you.

Robin.

Image courtesy of stock images / freedigitalphotos.net