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With the current times a lot of us must spend most of the time at home. Unfortunately, just few people have access to perfect office equipment and a home gym but in order to reduce the impact of this change in habit I have some suggestions to help getting rid of discomfort and maintaining a healthy and fit life.
It’s recommendation of the National Institute fir Clinical Excellence (2016) that strength, stretch and cardio exercises help treat different sort of musculoskeletal issues, especially back pain, which affects lots of people with a desk-based job or a sedentary life.
Pilates is the form of exercise that does all these things with no need of equipment needed.
Pilates can be used as a great workout for everyone and can be used as a rehab tool too. The APPI method uses five key areas of the body to optimise correct alignment and posture and to produce efficient movement for everyday activities: Centering (keeping the back in neutral position, engaging abdomen); Ribcage placement; Shoulder blade placement; Head and neck placement; Breathing.
Focus on the breathing cycle is essential in Pilates and is one of the most difficult principles for beginners as it’s coordinated with exercises so that exhalation occurs with movements that require greatest effort.
Lie down on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your thorax and one on your abdomen, first take a note of where you are breathing from. Now start to focus on your thorax, bring the air in to your lungs and don’t let the air go down to the abdomen, feeling the hand at the top rising and dropping down, you can repeat for 6 slow breaths. Then do the same but bringing the air into your abdomen feeling the hand on your belling moving up and down while breathing while your chest stays still, perform 6 slow breaths. The last stage is to place your hands around your ribcage and feel the air going on the sides of your chest feeling the ribs going against the hands. Repeat 6 times again.
Here are 4 exercises that I recommend performing if you want to feel strong and improve your posture. Try 2-3 sets of 8 repetitions. Remember, you are in control so can stop if anything is painful.
You can watch all the exercises at this link on our instagram page:
Shoulder bridge: Great for dynamic stability, lower back mobility and strength, front hip mobility, gluts, and hamstrings strength. It’s indicated for SIJ instability, Pubic symphysis issues, reduced lumbar and thoracic mobility, weak gluts.
You can watch the exercise here: https://vimeo.com/669372018
Scissors level 2: Great for coordination, hips stability, deep core strengthening. It’s indicated for weakness in proximal portion of the anterior oblique sling, and for walkers and runners with low back pain.
You can watch the exercise here: https://vimeo.com/669452450
Leg pull level 2: Great for controlled strength and stability, deep core strengthening and shoulder strengthening and stability. It’s indicated for scapula-thoracic training and lumbo-pelvic training.
You can watch this exercise here: https://vimeo.com/669488167
Breaststroke: Great to improve upper body strength and back strength and mobility. It’s indicated for osteoporosis, cervico-genic headaches, and cervical instability.
You can watch this exercise here: https://vimeo.com/669517271
Alexa Jovanovic
Senior Physiotherapist
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