Bone Health
Traditionally Pilates is practised mainly on the mat. Whilst this it a great form of exercise, research has shown that you must include weight bearing exercises if you want to promote bone heath. So that is exactly what our classes do! We have adapted the more traditional exercises to make sure they are safe for the osteoporotic population and focus on the exercise we know help promote heathy bones.
That means that these Pilates classes are suitable for those suffering from Osteoporosis, Osteopenia or those who would just like to work on exercises to help promote bone strength.
Our Bone Health Classes
Our Bone Health classes always start in standing with a warm up to get the body ready for exercise. We then continue to work in standing with exercises focusing on posture, balance and flexibility. We aim to spend around 20-30 mins of the class in standing. We then move on to the mat based exercises designed to strengthen the muscles that support the spine.
Mat Based Exercises
When we move to the mat the exercises continue to focus on bone strength however we also add in the more traditional Pilates mat exercises. We have adapted them were necessary to ensure that they don’t put any stress on the spine and work to maintain flexibility as well as strengthen the muscles that support the spine. Exercises may include those on the back, side, front and hands and knees. Don’t worry if you struggle with some positions as our experienced Physiotherapists will be on hand to assist you and modify the exercises if necessary.
Small Equipment
We like to add variety to our classes, this not only makes them interesting but it always adds an extra challenge or focus to make sure you are getting great results. You can see our Balance Pads here. These pads are soft and spongy so they act to not only strengthen around the ankle but to work on your balance reactions too. Don’t forget the equipment is always optional and you can do all the exercises without, if you prefer.