Pilates
Poor posture, weak muscles and habitual patterns of misuse due to injury for example make the body inefficient and out of balance which can create problems with alignment and having good movement patterns. Pilates can help to restore the body’s natural alignment, helping to bring it into balance so that it can move more efficiently with grace, ease and minimal effort all the while improving posture.
Pilates will help to improve general fitness levels and create a sense of body awareness, helping to improve coordination. It can also help with injury prevention and muscle strains and aid in rebuilding and strengthening damaged muscle tissue. For some it will help to reduce stress levels and anxiety and can help with getting better night’s sleep. By correcting muscle imbalance, faulty muscle recruitment patterns and bad habits, the body is brought back into alignment.
Pilates is not an aerobic exercise, so you will not be overly sweaty afterward and although you will have fatigued muscles during the session you will feel perfectly fine to go to work for example after a class, perhaps feeling lighter, more energized and relaxed. Pilates avoids the muscle and ligament damage associated with many fitness regimes and plays a key role in rehabilitation programmes for many sports injuries as well as helping to improve back and neck problems. Its consistent success rate in solving such problems has brought it to the attention of physiotherapists and health care professionals alike.
One of the special things about Pilates is that it allows you to target even the smallest muscle in a very specific way allowing you to feel the muscle work during the class. Pilates is gentle, cautious and strengthening and performed correctly you should feel the different muscles being used. Pilates recognises individual needs and builds strength without adding bulk and balancing that strength with flexibility. It relies on strengthening the muscles which stabilise the torso.

BarreConcept
BarreConcept is a hot new workout which is quickly spreading the globe with a big celebrity following already. The Barre Concept method is a low impact total body workout, set to the beat and the phrase of high energy dance music, combining the precision of Pilates, the alignment of yoga, the technique of ballet and the strength from sports conditioning all making it a dynamic workout that lifts the butt, tones the thighs, sculpts the arms, flattens the abdominals and burns fat all at the same time while improving cardiovascular fitness. The Barre Concept workout produces dramatic results that help to sculpt and redefine the entire body, all achievable to students without even being a dancer or having a dance background. In addition, BarreConcept helps to realign and rebalance the body, ensuring it works harmoniously and efficiently.
A typical class includes a short warm up at the start of the class to mobilise the entire body and raise the heart rate. The class then moves on to the barre section where various ballet inspired moves and small isometric contractions are performed with stretches being performed after each strength section of the class, ensuring the muscles are re-lengthened to create a body that is strong without the added bulk of other fitness regimes. Pilates exercises follow the barre section and are performed mainly on the mat followed by yoga movements and stretches at the end of the class. A class will usually last for a full hour.

Over 60’s Pilates
There are lots of benefits of keeping active later in life and people should never feel they are too old to start a fitness class. These classes provide the freedom and independence to enjoy life in later years, while specifically focussing on areas of the body which can deteriorate with the aging process, such as the hip and shoulder joints which are specifically targeted to try and avoid problems later in life.
The over sixties Pilates classes run at a more relaxed pace than a typical Pilates session with classes being very popular due to the fun, relaxed and social environment.
Exercises to increase flexibility and range of motion as well as to reduce tension in the body are encouraged and joint mobility, back care and muscle toning are all emphasised within the classes.
