10-Minute Pilates with the Ball: Simple Routines for a Strong, Toned Body – includes exercises for pregnancy

At the time Pilates was created, society was on the whole more active. Many of today’s common injuries are a result of our modern lifestyles. Sitting hunched over our desks and having to engage in repetitive movements on computer keyboards, for example, contradict the physiological needs of the human body and create an imbalance. To address these debilitating afflictions of contemporary stress, I knew I had to expand and enhance the basic principles of Pilates.

I began developing Body Maintenance in 1980, initially studying with Alan Herdman, who first brought Pilates to the UK. While continuing my Pilates studies during frequent trips to New York City, I became aware of the extensive research being carried out on the human body. I began looking at the way physiotherapists were working, particularly at the New York City Ballet, with Physio Balls and Dynabands.

Building on a Pilates foundation, I began to incorporate methods from a wide variety of sources, including Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais and even osteopathy, as well as remedial massage and injury clinics. Integrating nutrition and mental improvement with controlled exercise, I created my unique system of bodywork which I call Body Maintenance.

Over the past 15 years in my own studio, I have worked successfully with people who have suffered from a variety of modern infirmities: RSI (carpal tunnel syndrome), chronic back pain (some of which stems from spinal surgery), HIV-related problems, aerobic sprains, extreme obesity, even low self-esteem.

Body Maintenance differs from other forms of exercise because it initially focuses on posture. Good posture is vital in realigning the body, which can have you looking and feeling taller, slimmer and more well toned. Body Maintenance doesn’t build bulk, but strengthens weak muscles and stretches out tight ones. You can concentrate on one part of the body without straining another.

Body Maintenance recognizes that exercise is truly effective when you synchronize thought and action. Mentally focusing on the muscle you are using in each exercise is essential. This mind–body technique is the main principle of Body Maintenance. In order to create a fit and healthy body, you need to integrate the mental, physical and spiritual spheres.

Many people, particularly women, do not have a positive body self-image. Using 10-Minute Pilates with the Ball can help you achieve the body you want and are comfortable with, not the body you think you ‘should’ have. All too often we are held hostage to images we see in glossy magazines, and imagine they are preferable to the body we’ve got. I find this unrealistic, even dangerous. We should acknowledge and appreciate our own bodies and work with what we are given. We do have the ability to transform ourselves, to reduce our self-imposed limitations and tap into our potential – using my Body Maintenance techniques in a daily routine will stretch both your body and your mind.

CORE STABILITY

One reason why Physio Balls are an essential tool in Body Maintenance is that exercising with them increases core stability. This is the utilization of the abdominals and the muscles in the spine to create postural integrity that will give you the posture and balance of someone who is much younger and more confident. Better posture and balance helps you to exude vitality and youthfulness.

On the unstable surface of a Physio Ball, the body works harder to achieve the internal stability you would normally get from doing basic abdominal exercises. When my older, more mature clients work on a ball, they unconsciously employ the many muscle groups that we normally don’t use to support the body. I believe that the exercises in Body Maintenance really do reverse the effects of gravity and ageing.

Physio Balls also strengthen your ‘proprioceptive awareness’ – a popular concept in dance and bodywork. This is the unconscious link between mind and body, the physiological connection between the brain and the body. For example, if your proprioceptive awareness is developed and you slip on the street, you’re more likely to regain your balance than to lose it. Tripping or falling happen because the lack of co-ordination between your mind and body has increased your chances of losing your balance. The Body Maintenance system of controlled, focused exercise works on strengthening your proprioceptive awareness. Without thought or analysis, the body corrects itself to avoid any mishap or misstep.

The use of Physio Balls in my Pilates-based studio or with a good personal trainer will greatly enhance a return to general fitness and agility.

The Mind–Body Connection (#ulink_79b1d095-04e6-5ead-af3b-e4c0a550aced)

Mindful Exercise (#ulink_0234505d-944d-59cc-b25e-1485cc90d9af)

The very essence of Body Maintenance is to harness your thinking to bring about positive changes in your body. By concentrating on a limited number of slow repetitions, you direct your energy towards what you want to achieve. You allow your mind to exert a greater influence over your body. Positive thoughts bring about positive changes.

It is necessary to complement each physical exercise with a mental focus. By practising creative visualization regularly, you gradually develop the intellectual and emotional ability to internalize the physical changes you wish to make. Once you do this, the external changes will start to appear.

Body Maintenance is based on lengthening and stretching the body to its full potential. This eventually creates a longer, leaner shape, increased flexibility and a suppleness that promotes greater ease of movement. These exercises concentrate on strengthening weak muscles and stretching those that are tight and constricted. What you really want is a body in which strength and flexibility complement each other. It is possible to re-structure yourself totally.

This is not, however, just a matter of getting your body to make the right moves. An integral part of Body Maintenance is the way you perceive each exercise.

This is where attitude and creative imagery come in. Every time you work through a sequence of movements, it is essential that you envision what it is you want to achieve. Having a mental picture in your mind helps your body to respond in the right way. This not only makes the whole process more stimulating, but also makes the effect of each exercise much more powerful.

Initially it may take a while to understand fully the mechanisms involved. I always tell a new client to expect to do only about 30 percent of what he or she will eventually be capable of doing. Concentrating on the moment will make it possible to remember more each time you practise. It takes about 10 sessions to really comprehend this technique.

Body Maintenance is one of the few forms of exercise that gets progressively more difficult, but the results are worth it. In time you will look taller, slimmer and more toned.

MIND OVER MATTER

Research shows that the mind can induce positive physiological effects on the body, both internal and external. You may notice that when you’re in a good mood you automatically seem to look better and feel healthier as well. Scientists ascribe this phenomenon to the activity of billions of nerve cells in our brain which transmit chemical messages to the rest of the body. Our thoughts and emotions play a vital role in influencing this intercellular communication.

Think for a moment about how unpleasant you feel when you’re stressed. Your body produces an excess of stress chemicals, like adrenaline and cortisol, which causes your whole system to speed up. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure goes up, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. This response is necessary to motivate you in a crisis. But in our day-to-day lives, large doses of this reaction can be extremely harmful and lead to symptoms such as dizziness, profuse sweating, shaking, insomnia and migraines. Tight, tense muscles make your body shrink, constricting the flow of energy throughout the body. This eventually results in a weak, misshapen musculature.

Positive feelings of calm and contentment have a far more beneficial effect. The release of health-enhancing feel-good chemicals, like endorphins and serotonin, are vital for well-being. You breathe more easily and deeply, your heart rate is slower and your blood pressure lowers. This sense of serenity has an overall positive effect on your general bearing and posture.

CREATIVE VISUALIZATION

How you picture yourself is reflected in your body language which, in turn, is observed by the world at large. What we create in our lives begins as a basic image in our minds. Visualize the way you want to walk, stand, move. In Body Maintenance, visualization is an important next step after learning the exercises. On a superficial level, many of the exercises appear fairly simple. However, how you physically position your arms or legs is only part of the process. It is necessary, even when working certain muscles, that you are equally focused on the rest of your body. Where are your feet? Are you holding your head in the right way? Is your body properly aligned?

Initially this can seem quite difficult; using visualization techniques can be enormously helpful. By understanding how your body should feel, it becomes easier to assume the correct position.

Visualization is one of the best methods to bridge the gap between mind and body. By creating mental pictures that correspond to what you are trying to do physically, you will, in time, develop a level of body awareness that is unique to Pilates-based exercises.

Basic Visualization Techniques

Anybody can learn to visualize. Start by relaxing, as a still mind helps to conjure up images.

Start by gathering your thoughts. Try to forget about external influences like work, or things you need to do. Remember, this is your time.

Focus on your breathing by taking slow, deep breaths. This can instantly help you to feel calm because it promotes soothing alpha brainwaves. You can add a few gentle stretches. Once you feel sufficiently relaxed, you can start your exercises.

As you perform each exercise, concentrate on how each part of your body feels. With each one, think of a specific picture. For example, if you try to envision yourself walking effortlessly through a cloud, concentrate clearly on how this feels. Do your feet feel relaxed, warm and comfortable? Are your arms hanging loosely by your sides? Where is your head? Thinking of these images will help you to relax into the correct position.

Let your mind create each image with as much intensity as possible, so you can almost feel it. This will help you with your exercises as, once you recall a familiar picture, all you will need to do is focus on it and your body will automatically respond.

Even when not exercising, using these visualization techniques can help bring about permanent changes. You can use visualization to help you walk, stand and sit in the correct way.

Essentials (#ulink_7ede73fb-1db8-5c21-bf43-be5eaa4b69a4)

Because Body Maintenance is a very precise system of exercise, it is important that you first become acquainted with the basic principles. This groundwork will help you fully understand what you are doing. There are six essential guidelines to follow.

1 BREATHING

It is important to be aware of the relationship between breath and movement. Emphasized in dance but rarely addressed at the gym, breathing correctly is fundamental to Pilates. For most exercises in this book, you should breathe out at the point of effort.

As oxygen nourishes the brain and the body, it is crucial to breathe deeply, right down into the lower lobes of your lungs, not just using the upper chest. Most people are stronger on one side of their body than on the other, looser on one side and tighter on the other. Pilates uses breathing and exercise to create balance in the body.

Breathing deeply, you’re working from the inside out, energizing and replenishing large areas of your body. It is as spiritual as it is physical. Breathing into a tight area that is being stretched after a long time is rejuvenating. Think of breathing as a form of liberation.

2 CONTROL

‘Control’ in this instance means that the correct part of the body is used in each exercise. By focusing on a particular muscle group, you are able to minimize the stress and involvement of other parts of the body. Doing an abdominal curl without this kind of focus and attention, for example, often leads to straining of the neck, shoulders and hip flexors, instead of working the abdominal muscles.

All exercises must be done slowly and in a meditative fashion. Control and precision are key. Your mind must concentrate on what you’re doing. It is preferable to do 10 repetitions in a thoughtful and regulated way than to do a 100 mechanically, using only momentum. When working with free weights, for example, you should be able to use internal resistance rather than using your shoulders or snapping your elbows. Similarly, in the pelvic tilts you should be able to feel one vertebra at a time. Pilates is about being sensitive to your body.

People often make what is a simple exercise into something that is torturous, thus creating distortion and tension. Proper control makes each exercise efficient by concentrating on each muscle group, while keeping the rest of the body relaxed and aligned.

3 CENTRING

Pilates encourages the development of one strong, core area that controls the rest of the body and supplies it with energy. This core is the centre of your body: the continuous band between the bottom of your ribcage and across the line of your hipbones. The area’s stomach and back muscles support your spine and internal organs, and keep you upright.

This central stability supports its various extensions – the arms, legs and head. Having a strong core means you can walk and run without discomfort or pain. Similarly, a strong centre results in a strong back, and backache can be alleviated by strengthening the core muscles.

Human beings were not originally designed to stand up straight. As gravity is constantly pulling us forward, it explains why so many people have problems associated with the neck and shoulders. We are basically defying nature, gravity and our initial body type by walking and standing upright.