“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In order to achieve happiness, it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young." Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880 – 1967) Joseph H. Pilates created a method of total body conditioning that emphasizes proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing and flowing movement that results in increased flexibility, strength, body awareness, energy and improved concentration.  He called his exercise method contrology, it only became known as Pilates after his death from a fire in 1967.  The Pilates method has come a long way since Joseph Pilates’ creation and is taught all over the world in many differing styles.  Essentially Pilates is a body conditioning exercise that combines matwork and equipment exercises to develop your muscle strength and flexibility.  It develops the body uniformly and corrects wrong postures, rebalancing the muscles without adding bulk or stressing your joints.  It is ideal for both strengthening the weak, challenging the strong and suitable for everyone. Improves posture Improves spinal mobility and flexibility Tones the muscles and increases their flexibility Improves core muscle support Facilitates injury prevention and physical rehabilitation Increases stability for the pelvis and shoulders Balances the muscles around your joints keeping them healthy and mobile Improves balance and coordination, particularly for the elderly Develops the function and efficiency of the lungs with improvement in circulation Everyone!!  Pilates can be adapted to suit anyone, whatever your needs, shape or size. All age groups from 16 years up. Anyone at any level of fitness. Pregnant and post-natal women. Rehabilitation patients. Males and females. Athletes, dancers, professional sports men & women. You can feel the benefits of Pilates really quickly; it can take the average person, doing two to three classes a week about ten classes to see results.  However this will vary depending on whether your classes are private or group and if you are also doing cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise. Weight loss occurs when the number of calories consumed is less than the number of calories expended. This means you need to consume fewer calories than you expend. Pilates is essentially not a calorie burning, cardiovascular exercise.   However it does strengthen and build lean muscle and as your body’s muscle mass increases so does your metabolic rate, meaning that you use up more calories in every day activities. Pilates exercises are particularly safe for people recovering from an injury or accident because they are so controlled. It is a safe form of exercise for a wide range of medical conditions including Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, Arthritis, and Multiple Sclerosis. Pilates apparatus helps the body to regain functional movement after an injury by re-aligning damaged muscles, therefore aiding the body’s re-balancing and recovery process. Yes!  Because Pilates is a gentle low impact form of exercise it’s a perfect for pregnant ladies.  It helps maintain and improve the condition of both your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, so it’s not only a safe form of exercise while pregnant, it can be hugely beneficial too. Pilates will help energise and relax the body. You will also have improved circulation and increased oxygen supply to the womb which will help with a better delivery when the baby comes. Joseph Pilates was a cigar smoking boxer, acrobat, gymnast and self-defence instructor, he developed his exercise first and foremost for men!   Although dancers were among the first converts to the benefits of the Pilates Method, legendary German heavyweight boxer, Max Schmelling, was also a regular at his New York studio.  Pilates is also part of the regular training regime for the New Zealand All Blacks, Aussie rugby league, the England Cricket team, Welsh rugby league and Premier league footballers, to name but a few.  They all recognise the massive benefits they get from having greater core strength with flexibility.  If you are a frequent weight lifter, Pilates will help you integrate your strength and increase your flexibility.  If you play golf, tennis or squash Pilates will even out your posture and strength. Yes, it’s true Pilates can help improve your golf swing, your game of tennis, squash or badminton, performance on the pistes, running technique, cricket, rugby, football, swimming the list is endless!  Pilates corrects over-training and helps you to rebalance the muscles around your joints, making them work effectively reducing the chance of injury. "Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit."   Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880 – 1967)