Choosing The Right Shoe

Getting the right shoe for sporting activities really can make a difference to the likelihood of suffering a sports-related injury (see Sports Injuries - Prevent than Treat).

Sports are generally dynamic activities involving lots of movements at speed, so there are many ways in which injuries can happen. Good shoes can help the feet to function at optimum efficiency, absorbing shock from the force of the body's weight being transmitted through the bones, ligaments and tendons with each movement. People who take part in sport on a regular basis can suffer aches, pains, sprains and even fractures as a result of overload on the tissues caused by lack of shock absorption or mechanical inefficiency of the foot. Modern sports shoes are made of hi tech materials that have been developed on the basis of millions-dollars worth of research to ensure maximum performance with minimum risk of injury. This has resulted in the amazing array of shoes available on the shelves in the shop.

Thus when one step into a sport shoe boutique, it is not difficult for him or her to feel lost at choosing a right pair of shoes. First of all, do not be tempted (though not easy at all) to buy shoes just based on the cool look they gives u. Buy shoes that is meant for your intended activity.

Running shoes are very flexible, which enables the foot to bend and flex through each step. As running mainly involves moving forwards at varying speeds, running shoes are not really suitable for activites involving side to side movements (such as tennis or aerobics). The amount of flexibility in the shoe can mean that the foot "goes over" at the ankle when sharp turning or sideways movements are made at speed. If your suffer from ankle pain or injury, it may be because you have been wearing running shoes for other kinds of sport!

Cross trainers are much stiffer and provide greater support for the foot when side to side movements are made. This means that they can be used across a range of activities. The downside is a loss of flexibility across the ball of the foot & the toes, which means that the muscles and other soft tissue structures in the foot & leg have to work harder to bend the foot in the shoe when running.

Court shoes, specifically designed for Tennis, basketball etc, fall somewhere between the two, giving a combination of flexibility and sideways support.

Fitness shoes, designed for aerobics etc, also combine flexibility with support and they incorporate cushioning to lessen the effect of shock generated during high impact work.

Besides choosing the right shoes for your activity, find a pair of shoes that is designed for your foot type! In a perfect world, we would all have perfect feet that would carry us around and allow us to perform the actvities of our choice with no ill effects at all. Unfortunately, this is the real world & life (and our feet) just isn't like that!

Feet that flatten out excessively when weightbearing (a movement of the joints within the foot known as pronation) tend to get aches & pains as a result of stress on the soft tissues as the foot moves more that it ideally should. People with this type of foot will benefit from a shoe that supports the inner border of the foot.

High arched feet (where the joints are in a postion known as supination) are less flexible & so support on the inner border of the foot is less important. However, this type of foot needs much more cushioning in the shoe to compensate for the lack of natural shock absorbsion caused by the relative rigidity of the joints within the foot.

To find out your foot type, you can do a little Wet Test. Notice how much (or how little) of your instep is clear in your footprint. If you find it too troublesome to check your feet after a shower, your shoe wear pattern will drop you some clues on what kind of feet you have.

Besides matching shoes with your foot type, make sure to choose shoes that are shaped to provide the appropriate amount of support for your foot.

Shoes are made on foot-shaped moulds known as lasts. Lasts can be straight, semi incurved or incurved. In a straight lasted shoe, a line drawn through the length of the shoe from the mid point of the sole at the back of the heel to the toe will pass though the point where the second toe (the toe next to the big toe) would lie. The same line on a shoe built on a semi incurved or incurved last will pass closer to the place where the little toe would lie. Shoes built on straighter lasts give more support to the inner border of the foot & so they are suitable for customers with pronated feet. People with rigid, supinated feet will do best with an incurved or semi incurved shoe.

In short, if you are pronator (foot that tends roll inwards):

• Look for: Firm midsole. Board or combination lasting. Straight/slightly curved last. Firm heel counter.
• Avoid: Extra soft midsole. Slip lasting. Very curved last. Soft heel counter.
• Common injuries: Patellofemoral knee pain. Medial knee pain. Plantar fasciitis. Shin splints. Tibial stress fractures. Lower spine pain.

And if you are supinator (Foot that tends to roll outwards):

• Look for: Soft midsole. Curved last. Slip lasting. High heel lift.
• Avoid: Very firm midsole. Straight last. Board lasting. Thin heel.
• Common injuries: Nerve pain behind the toes. First toe pain. Plantar fasiitis. Achilles tendon pain. Illiotibial band syndrome. Heel pain.
  

Further reading...

Reading Food Labels

I always nag my friends on healthy eating (yeah, i know sometimes i'm quite a nuisance :D). On my last supermarket trip with Kelley, I was sharing with her how food labels can help her make food comparison and buy the best (if not only value-for-money) food item!

The food label, though designed in a supposedly easy-to-read manner, all the numbers and values are sometimes confusing for many people. I found a website that gives a simple (and truly easy-to-understand)explanation by providing a good example, comparing two burgers:

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Step 1:
Look at the % Daily Value. Which burger is higher or lower in nutrients?

Step 2:
Check out the nutrients you want more of. At 30% the beef burger packs an iron punch.

Step 3:
Watch out for the nutrients you want less of. The fat and saturated fat are higher in the beef burger. Not great. But the chicken burger has double the amount of salt. That's not so great either.

Step 4:
Ok. If you're looking for iron-rich foods, the beef burger wins. But if you want a lower fat option (and don't mind the double dose of salt) the chicken burger is your champ.

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Have a better picture of how to use the labels now?? :)

Alvin - Session #3

Session 3 again focused on shoulder movements and strengthening, through the proper use of seated row machine. When using the seated row machine, most people are only concerned with how heavy they manage to row and completing a "set". However the most important thing is actually to row with proper shoulder stabilisation. because without stabilising the shoulder joints, one cannot fully activate and thus strengthen the back muscles, which was what the exercise supposed to achieved. Thus much time was spent to make sure Alvin can row and activate his back muscles properly.

misalignment was also noted in Alvin's lower body, thus I worked on his alignment for both standing and walking. though it is not possible to correct the misalignment within a single session, Alvin will at least be more aware and conscious about the way he should stand and walk which should prevent further perturbation to his posture.

Since Alvin would like to, besides correcting his posture, put on some bulk, I have requested him to give me a complete food diary (which should record down everything he ingests) for 2 typical weekdays and 2 weekend days. this will then allow me to understand his eating habits and from there to develop diet modifications to help him increase calorie intake.

Public Talk - Health in Golden Years

I will be giving a public talk next week, details as follows:

OCBC Wealth Management - Enjoying Good Health and Wealth in Your Golden Years

We may be living longer, but are we financially and physically fit to ensure our retirement years are happy? Recently, changes were announced to the CPF scheme aimed at improving returns on CPF savings and providing for a more secure retirement.

Our speaker, Ms. Anne Tay, will touch on these changes and explain how they will affect you. She will also provide some guidance on how you can build a nest-egg to help fund your golden years.

On a lighter note, fitness consultant, Ms. Teresa Shiu, will offer some useful tips on how you can stay healthy so that you can enjoy your hard earned savings once you retire. So make it a point to attend our seminar to find out how you can enjoy financial and physical well-being during your golden years.

Date: 03 November 2007 (Saturday)
Time: 3.00pm – 5.30pm; Registration starts at 2.30pm
Venue: Capital Tower (near Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, opposite CPF Bldg)
168 Robinson Rd, Auditorium (9th Floor)

Please fax the completed registration form to 6530 4430 or email your particulars to Wealth_Mgmt@ocbc.com and state subject title as 'WM Seminar'.

Guest Speakers
Ms Anne Tay, Vice President, OCBC Bank
Ms Teresa Shiu, Fitness Consultant

Tom Cruise Get In Shape by Pilates

Some people, especially many men I have met, were not sure if Pilates is challenging or interesting enough for them. Apparently Pilates appears too "static" to them and they doubt if Pilates can help them achieve their fitness goals.

Well many celebrities have chosen Pilates as their main choice of workout, really because it gives the results that they want. See how Tom Cruise finds Pilates:

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National Ledger - Tom Cruise Gets Buff for Katie Holmes
According to a report from Star Magazine the megastar keeps his body in action-hero shape with a grueling 90 minutes of Pilates every single day. "This is a really tough workout, and it isn’t for the squeamish, but Tom likes to really challenge himself,” a friend tells Star. "Tom says he feels younger and stronger with Pilates," the friend adds. “It gives him more stamina.

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So, are you ready to try Pilates now? :)

Alvin - Session #2

This session summary came a little late, as I was overseas for training. There was limited internet access and frankly I didn't even have time to sleep... so sadly I couldn't update my blog as much as I wished.

2nd session with Alvin focused a lot on instilling proper movement patterns in the shoulder joint. Instead of giving Alvin a quick fix by just telling him how to stand properly (he could have easily find an answer by himself through the www), I aimed to solve the root cause of his postural problem. Afterall, Alvin's poor posture was not formed over-night. It was rather created by repeated bad movement habits over a long period of time. Since Alvin is unable to stabilise his shoulders, especially during shoulder flexion and abduction, his upper trapezius is often overly recruited and tension start to build up around his neck area. Therefore my first step was to ensure Alvin moves his shoulders properly before moving on to correct his posture in the lower body. This is just like making sure a chemisty student to learn how to balance a chemical equation before teaching them the mole concept.

Exercises:
1. Review of #1's exercises
2. Shoulder Roll (moving shoulders front, centre, back, centre) - Shoulder Isolation exercise to enhancing neuromuscular awareness to control and stabilise shoulders
3. Side Kick: learn to stabilist shoulders (shoulders away from ears) in lateral position (while lying sideway). This is a great exercise to strengthen the stabilising muscles (lower trapezius and latissimus dorsi) for the shoulder joint and educate the body to isolate upper body and keep it stabilised while moving the lower body.
4. Prone Press-up: Fantastic strengthening for the upper back/postural muscles; soften and stretch chest muscles; reinforce shoulder stabilisation while in extension (bending the body backwards).

Case Study - Postural Correction

I decided to start documenting some of my Pilates classes, so that I can share my experience with other instructors, while this kind of written record will also be useful for my clients as reference. *Note: Names used are fictional.

Case Study - Alvin

Background:

Alvin is a 27y/o school teacher who is concerned about his own posture. Initial assessment reveals that he has exaggerated lordotic curves in cervical and lumbar area while too much kyphosis is observed in thoracic spine (hunch-back). He has never been medically diagnosed with any abnormality in the spine before. He is right handed and the right side of his body was generally stronger but also tighter than the left. His right shoulder is higher than the left. He used to play badminton and presently goes to gym regularly, mainly to run on threadmill and perform resistant training on stacked-weight machines (such as Chest-press, Lats Pull Down & Seated Row), after which he did not perform stretching as he was not sure what to stretch. Alvin went through 10-sessions of personal training but had no apparent result in terms of postural correction and weight gain. Movement analysis of upper limbs reveals lack of control and stability in the shoulder joint.

In conclusion, his posture is mainly due to weakness in postural muscles, such as serratus anterior, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi (back muscles), tightness in chest (pectorial major), back of neck (sternocleinomastoid & levator scapulae) and the thigh muscles (hamstrings and hip flexors). Instability & lack of control in shoulder movements (as shown in his pushing and pulling movement patterns) further reinforce the faulty posture.

Session #1 (focusing mainly on upper body):

Education of "correct posture", body awareness and proper neck alignment:

• The spine has two natural curves called the 'double C' or 'S' curves, these are the curves found from the base of head to shoulders and the curve from the upper back to the base of the spine. When standing straight up, weight should be evenly distributed on both feet.
• Using a mirror, align ears, shoulder, and hips. Proper alignment places the ears loosely above the shoulders, above the hips. Again, these points make a straight line, but the spine itself curves in a slight 'S'.
• Hold head in a balanced manner over the trunk in a sitting or standing position. The chin should be horizontal and parallel to the floor, drawn back slightly and centered. Try to stand, walk and sit "tall" at all times.

Reduce tightness and improve flexibility in cervical area.

• Tilt (stretch) head in all four directions over shoulders (forward, back, left, right). Avoid rolling in a circle, as it may cause further strain.

Education of proper movements over the shoulder joint & Improve strength of thoracic postural muscles.

• At quadriped position (on all four, with hips directly above knees and shoulders directly above wrists), find the neutral position by repeatedly curling the back upwards, like a cat, and then the opposite
• Lie facing up on a mat, 1. arms straighten pointing up to ceiling, "peel" shoulders off the mat and return, keeping shoulders away from ears throughout; 2. Arms straighten on the mat overhead, slide them along the mat, drawing shoulders towards ears then away from ears)
• Seated row and Lats Pull down, focusing mainly on engaging shoulders instead of the pulling motion.

By end of Session #1: Alvin's neck is a lot "straighter" (reduced lordosis) and Alvin is supposed to do his "homework" by practicing all the exercises above!

Injury Prevention for Runners - Part 3

Apart from what were mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 of this injury prevention series, there are a lot more injuries a runner may suffer from. In this part, focus is shifted to the ankle and below:

Archilles Tendonitis

Signs and Symptoms: A severe, burning pain in the tendon area; pain and/or stiffness in the tendon first thing in the morning; tenderness makes the area uncomfortable to touch; deep,marked swelling that moves with the tendon.

Possible Cause: Turning foot while running, straining the Archilles tendon while jumping or landing suddenly; inadequate fitness; weak calves; change in footwear; running on different surface; tight gastrocnemius; excessive pronation of the ankle and foot, causing the Archilles tendon to pull off-centre and become inflamed.

How to Prevent: stretch calf and hamstring muscles; lengthen the Archilles tendon; strengthen ankle muscles undertension (e.g. doing heel drop)

How can Pilates help: Lengthen Archilles tendon, calf and hamstrings by exercises like leg circle & inverted-V; restore proper alignment of the ankle and good sense of proprioception in the ankle joint.

Ankle Inversion Injury

Signs and Symptoms: feeling of tearing sensation, followed by a sharp pain; unable to walk withut feeling some pain; ankle is painful to touch; swelling or bruising on side of the foot.

Possible Cause: Landing awkwardly from a jump; changing direction suddenly or sudden deceleration during running; running on uneven surface; weak peronea (ankle) muscles; tight Archilles tendon; existing ankle injury.

How to Prevent: archieve good sense of balance with the ankle; build strength & around the abkle joint.

How can Pilates Help: improve strength, proprioception and co-ordination around the ankle joint; lengthen Archilles tendon.

Plantar Fasciitis

Signs and Symptoms: One-sided pain on the sole of the foot; pain when getting out of bed; pain during intitial weight-bearing in morning, which is aggravated with activitiy.

Possible Causes: Over-stretching of plantar fascia because of poor foot posutre, prolonged standing or excessive running; wearing shoes wiht inadequate arch support (stay-tuned for entry on correct footwear!) ; flexible arches of the foot; tight Archilles tendon.

How to prevent: Integrate foot muscle strengthening exercises into training programme; use a heel pad in your shoes; choose correct footwear (that doesnt not base solely on style!) that have a supportive arch and be suitable for the training you are doing.

How can Pilates Help: Strengthen muscles in the foot, especially in the arch; improve flexibility in the lower limbs.

*For Pilates Practicioners, stay-tuned as I will be summarising a list of Pilates exercises that can be done to prevent the running-related injuries.*

Feed & Subscription functions failed and restored

My big apologies to all those who attempted to subscribe to P-Latte by email but failed. It was my fault that the link and email subscription were not properly activated.

Now they have been fixed and you can now subscribe either in a reader or via email.

Simple Pilates Exercises while you are driving

Keeping a healthy spine through regular exercise and stretching and maintaining good driving posture is a large part of warding off pain while driving. However, no posture is good posture if maintained for too long (greater than 10-30 minutes, depending on the individual). Therefore, it is important to move often while you are driving, but in a way that is not distracting. Here are some suggestions for how to move while sitting and driving:

Pelvic Tilt
Roll your pelvis forward to increase the arch in your lower back (you will feel like you are sticking your upper chest outward) and then roll back to neutral. This exercise helps move and loosen the lower back, and allow the discs in your lower back to be nourished with fluid. For Pilates practitioners, this is like printing & imprinting exerise on the mat.

Side Pelvic Tilt
Shift all of your weight over to the R hip and pick up the L buttock slightly off the seat. You will feel your L shoulder and L hip come closer to together. Switch and repeat with shifting the weight over to the L hip. This exercise also helps feed the discs in your lower back.

Gluteal Squeezes
Pinch and squeeze the buttock muscles together. Hold for 10 seconds and then relax. This exercise will help use the stronger gluteals as a postural muscle, allowing your lower back muscles to rest.

Shoulder Pinches
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for 2-3 seconds. This will help keep your neck muscles from tensing up and work for the neck in the way gluteal squeezes work for the lower back.

Head Nod and Neck Rotations
Head nod as if you are saying "yes madam." Neck rotations would be like saying "no madam." Do this for 20 seconds. This will help warm-up the muscles at the base of the skull where headaches often begin.

Whichever movement or exercise you choose to perform or make up, what is most important is that you shift in some way, often enough to keep your spine from getting stiff.

"The biggest thing I do while driving is moving my head from side to side on the headrest - as if I were scratching my head. Obviously, I keep my eyes on the road the whole time. It's been a Godsend for my neck pain," suggested by a driver friend of mine who suffered from neckache.

This is a great example of how a little movement can go a long way to keeping blood flow to the muscles of the spine and allow for a prolonged drive. Do share with me if you have your very own little movements that give your spine some grooves in the car.

Good posture for DRIVERS

Since I got my driving license on 28th August 2007, I drove under supervision only twice, and then I was all on my own. Well, like many other new drivers, I feel liberated and empowered by this new skill, because I can go anywhere, anytime, with all my "luggage/ equipments" with me. I was constantly lost on the roads and generally a half-hour journey would extend into a full hour. (For example it took me 100min or 40km to travel from Serangoon to Gleneagles Hospital, an otherwise 20-min journey on a Saturday morning!) I realised how tiring it was to drive around. My whole body stiffen up in the seated position, my mental focus was on the road instead of keeping myself in proper posture. So after 20km on the road, I usually slumped in the seat like a couch potato in front of TV, without knowing it.


Bad news for people like me, who need to drive a lot for work, is that, prolonged sitting with bad posture in a poor seat can have painful consequences on the spine. Recent research has found that people who drive cars for more than four hours a day are six times more likely to take time off work for back trouble than those who drive for less than two hours (1).

Protecting our back while driving involves an interplay between our body's posture and the adjustment of our car seat. Rule of thumb is: adjust your posture and seat in a manner that places you in optimal posture - maintaining the normal curves of your spine, or in Pilates term, maintaining a neural spine.

Below are 8 simple steps that can guide you into optimal posture at the steering wheel:

1. First, be sure you are not sitting on anything that could throw your alignment off (such as a wallet).


2. Adjust the seat forward/backward to a point where you are comfortable. Your feet should easily touch the pedals. You should be at a distance from the steering wheel that is comfortable for your arms. You should have easy access to all controls. This is important, since excessive reaching can place more stress on the spine.


3. Next, if possible, adjust the seat up and down so that it meets your thigh a few inches from the knee. Your knees can be either slightly higher than or level with your hips, depending on your preference for your spine. If you are unable to adjust your seat in this manner, you may have to purchase a wedge, or use towels to raise the seat.


4. Now sit upright, with your back aligned straight, looking ahead through the windshield. Sit in a manner that maintains your normal spinal curves (slightly arched back, shoulders back, head/neck straight). Now, re-adjust the back of the seat to meet your spine at this position. The seat will likely be around 95 to 100 degrees. More than that will force the lower back to slump and the shoulders and head to come too far forward. The angle of the seat is helping to maintain the normal lower back curve.


5. To determine if you have optimal headroom, you should be able to get a fist (thumb pointed down onto the crown of your head) between the ceiling and your head.


6. Your head should hit the headrest at the level of your eyes. If the rest is too low, this can result in more trauma to the neck during an accident. You should be able to easily rest your head on the headrest without tilting your head back.


7. Finally, adjust the lumbar support if possible to help place your spine in a slightly arched or lordotic position. If this is not available on your seat, use a towel-roll to build the lumbar support. Most automobile seats are already constructed with a lumbar support built in. Often the support is either too high or too low. If the lumbar support is not adjustable, a towel roll will come in handy.

8. Of course not to forget to engage your powerhouse, the abdomeninals, by gentlydrawing your belly button towards your spine. Your powerhouse will give you excellent lumbar support.

References:1. Porter JM, Gyi DE. The prevalence of musculoskeletal troubles among car drivers. Occup Med (Lond) 2002 Feb;52(1):4-12.

KL trip – Part II: The fake Pilates

I felt really guilty after pigging out on the previous night, so I headed straight to the hotel gym when our meeting ended early. The equipments there had reasonable variety and were well-maintained (after all it was in a 5-star hotel!). I trained my legs (which I am too lazy to train on normal days) and did a lot of stretching in the empty studio. Me and my colleague, L, was rather excited to know that there was a Pilates class happening at 6-7pm, the timing was just nice for us to lengthened ourselves before heading out for dinner (to pig out yet again)!

Unfortunately, both of us were horrified by what the instructor taught in the supposedly-Pilates class. We could not figure out what she was trying to teach in the first 5 minutes. It was NOT Pilates for sure, it was not yoga also. It was more like aerobic-styled yoga-wannabe.

Enough was enough, after the instructor finished her version of “Hundreds”, me and L exchanged glances and decided to leave the class! We could not tolerate anymore non-sense from the instructor that could potentially injure ourselves.

According to other club members, she was apparently an acclaimed instructor and her Pilates class was rather popular (it was full-house, by the way). I feel really sad, as the people who attended her class sacrifice their time and money, hoping to stay fit, yet they were “cheated” into fake Pilates which might injured them.

This make me ever more determined to let more people know what is real Pilates. I hope that the Pilates community (both instructors and practicioners) here can help people around them to be more aware about Pilates.

KL trip – fighting against Cholesterol

Last week I was in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to for a meeting. My KL colleagues brought me to try various KL's famous dish including the “roast-pork noodles”. This KL style Roast pork had zero resemblance from the HK counterpart; it was totally covered with black sauce, but it is delicious.

I realize KL food is really tasty, but like its many other famous dish, it is usually quite salty and oily. The rich aroma is often created by cooking with a generous amount of lard. I am not too used to it since I have a much lighter taste-bud.

Some people thought it is ok to consume fatty food, as long as they avoid food that is high in cholesterol (the notorious to clog your blood vessels). But what they don’t realize is, only 20% of the cholesterol in the body is ingested from our diet and the remaining 80% of cholesterol is generated by our very own livers, as a response to eating saturated fat.

My mother is one good example. She loves eating soda crackers, thinking that it is healthy because it’s “fortified with calcium” and low in cholesterol. Thus she was extremely shocked and upset to find herself “scoring” badly in her health screening. She is hypertensive and has high cholesterol in her blood. “I don’t eat unhealthily and I don’t even get to enjoy eating crabs and other good food often, so why should I suffered from this kind of “rich-man disease”?! ” she was very frustrated.

In fact, a lot of seemingly “safe” food that emphasize on “Low / No Cholesterol” is actually not heart-friendly at all, and many uninformed consumers suffered from heart problem even though they tried all means to avoid food that is high in cholesterol.

So how to control your cholesterol level? Try these:

1. Cut Fats:

• Avoid all deep-fried food (so eliminate saturated fats)
• Skip the snacks/ biscuits aisles in supermarket as processed foods contain hydropgenated fats. So say no to margarine, pastries, packaged cookies, crackers, potato chips, and other snack foods. (hell that's like more than half the food items in supermarket!)
• Cut down fat intake by removing fats around red meat, chicken/duck skin, full cream diary products.

2. Eat More

• Soy protein (like Tofu)
• Fruits & vegetable (never forget daily your 2+2 servings)
• Fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardine)
• Oatmeal
• Flaxseed

3. Exercise!

• this can raise your metabolism and burn calories, losing fat weight, lowering total cholesterol, increases the good HDL cholesterol that helps prevent plaque from forming on the walls of the arteries

4. Relax lah!

• Fatigue, anger, and distress can raise your body's adrenaline levels, causing cholesterol to rise.

5. Medication

• Your family doctor may prescribe you Statins, which are able to control an enzyme in the body that is responsible for the manufacture fats. This control process reduces the body's production of cholesterol. Thus help control triglyceride levels, lower LDL or "bad cholesterol," increase the HDL or "good cholesterol," and lower total cholesterol.
  

  
  

Pilates Podcast

I am quite excited today to have found a very cool website called the Pilates Podcast. It has a lot of informative podcast episodes in which the host shares with the audience her experience in starting up her very own pilates studio and a lot other really technical stuff. There is also a forum for her audience to discuss anything about Pilates. I am truly inspired by this podcast, and it makes me wonder when can P-Latte become just as interesting and interactive?

Now I am listening to the podcast while I am writing this entry as if I am listening to the radio.

Injury Prevention for Runners - Part 2

Continued from Part 1 (where I shared about Piriformis syndrome), here I continued with information about other common injuries caused by running (frankly I myself suffered from all these problems before). As before click on the hyperlinks to find out more in-depth details. So let me start this Part II with the Iliotibial Band Syndrome or the ITB Syndrome, one of the leading cause of lateral knee pain in runners:

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Signs and Symptoms: Pain/ tenderness on the outside part of the knee or lower thigh, often worsened by weight bearing movements such as going up or down stairs, or getting out of a car.

Possible cause: Running too much, too soon, without sufficient fitness; a tight ITB which is brought on by 'bowing' the knees and/or foot pronation or flat feet, (which can turn the lower limb inwards).

How to prevent: Stretch the ITB; run shorter distance; avoid running too much up or down hill; gradually build up your training program to avoid overdoing it too soon.

How can Pilates help:
Doing Pilates regularly help maintain the ratio between the length and strength of the muscles around the hip, particularly the gluteus medius and deep rotators.

Runner's Knee (Patellofemoral Pain)

Signs and Symptoms: Pain (maybe vague and non-specific) after exercise or long period of sitting; small swelling in the knee, feeling of muscle giving way; feeling of knee-cap 'giving-way' or knee joint movement restriction.

Possible cause: Imbalance of quadriceps muscles; over-training, -bending, -squatting and -kneeling may lead to the vastus medialis (one of the quadriceps) muscle wasting away meaning that the patellar bone drifts outwards and causes friction against the outside of the femur(thigh) bone; bow legs; knock knees; turning of shin outwards when running; misalignment of the lower limb; foot pronation/ flat feet; tension in ITB.

How to prevent:

Strengthen the quadriceps, particularly the vastus medialis oblique (the muscle inside inside your knee).

How can Pilates help: Pilates helps keep good sense of balance in the muscles (especially the single leg balance exercises) and maintain muscle control through the pelvis and pelvic stability.

Shin Splints

Signs and Symptoms: Pain in the inner side of lower leg, which may stop when u stop the exercise. Eventually the pain continues even after stopping the exercise.

Possible cause: Sudden increase in training; excessive jumping; running on hard surface; knock knee or bow legs (knee mal-alignment); imbalance of muscle in the lower leg especially around the ankles.

How to prevent: Proper footwear; increase flexibility of lower limbs; strengthen the lower limbs

How can Pilates help: Pilates balance and strengthen the lower limbs; impart proper limb alignment during movements.

Read on: Injury Prevention for Runner - Part 3

Injury Prevention for Runners -Part I

Nowadays there are more and more Singaporean take up running as their hobby. They can be spotted, both on weekends and weekdays, in parks or on scenic stretch of the city. My ex-colleagues back in Singapore Sports Council must be very happy as their assigned task to promot sports to Singaporean has taken off successfully. As the year end Singapore Marathon is drawing near, I am sure many runners are increasing their training mileage to prepare themselves for the grueling distances on 2 Dec 2007.

I myself had been preparing for my 2nd marathon too. Contrary to what my friends think, I am NOT a good runner. My body structure is really not meant for running, as my relatively wider Q-angle make my knees naturally injury-prone. But I can't afford to stop running, because running is a great aerobic exercise that keeps my heart and lungs fit. It is also convenient to do, I don't need any special equipment /court rental nor an exercise partner, I can run as & when I feel like getting a good workout.

As I am an injury-prone runner, I read a lot about injury prevention specifically relating to running. Running no doubt can cause injuries in lower limbs (calves, ankles, Achilles tendon, etc) and lower back. These problems usually occur due to poor technique, uneven surfaces, muscle overuse, excessive training or incorrect footwear. In this Injury Prevention series, I will talk about some common injuries related to running, and also how Pilates can help prevent or rehabilitate them.

*However, information presented in P-Latte is meant for your reference only, you should stop from training if you experience pain during or after exercise and seek medical advice*

Piriformis Syndrome

Signs and Symptoms: Pain or numbness felt in buttock that sometimes radiating down the leg, especially when the hip is externally rotated.

Possible cause: Relying too much on one leg (such as when running on uneven surface, poor running posture, or when one leg being longer than the other); minor twisting on one leg due to incorrect running style; and a weak piriformis muscles.

How to prevent: Stick to even running surfaces, avoid turning hips inwards when running, particularly when training on slopes; correct leg length discrepancy.

How can Pilates help:

1. Hip Opening - Strengthen the gluteus medius muscle.

2. Single Knee Kicks - Lengthen the psoas muscle

3. Piriformis stretch - lengthen and relax the piriformis

4. Knee Drops - Stretch external hip rotators, gluteus maximus, obturator internus, gluteus medius/ minimus, psoas,obturator externus and piriformis.

~ More "injuries" in Part 2 and 3,so read on! ~

Where to Learn Pilates, IN MACAU

My friend from Macau was inspired to learn Pilates, but she wonders if she can find a decent Pilates place in Macau.

I did a quick search and found Macau Pilates Practitioners Association on its government website.

I was quite impressed because there isn't any Pilates Association set up in Singapore yet.

However, there is no other useful information about Pilates in Macau on Google. :(

I will check with my Pilates friends for more information. At the mean time, can anyone out there help me and my Macau friend??

Where to Learn Pilates, IN SINGAPORE

In my entry, "Where to learn Pilates", I have given a brief on various types of facilities/venues where you can learn Pilates. Follow the hyperlinks below to find out where to locate some of them in Singapore:

Pilates Studios	Core Fitness Physiotherapy and Pilates (Orchard - Forum Galleria) Focus Pilates(Raffles Place & Orchard)
	Pilates Bodyworks(Raffles Place; Buona Vista)
	Sky Pilates(Orchard)
	Classic Pilates(Closed wef 1-aug-09, taken over by Options Studio, tks Karen for the info)
	Pilates Central (Tanjong Pagar)
	Jace Physio Pilates (Orchard Wisma Atria)
	PowerMoves(Bishan, Dempsy)
	Ivana Daniell Studio (Camden)
	iPilates(Orchard) Pilates Fitness (Telok Blangah)
	Options Studio(Bukit Timah, Dhoby Ghaut)
	Pilates-The-Studio
	The Pilates Inc.(Marine Parade)
	The Moving Body(Robinson Quay, Bt Timah)
	Elements Pilates(Orchard Tanglin)
	The Pilates Flow (Bt Timah) Breathe Pilates (Novena) Pilates Body Pilots (North Buona Vista)
Health Clubs/ Fitness Centers	Singapore Sports Council (Public Sports & Recreation Centres)
	People's Association (Community Centres)
	California Fitness Center
	Planet Fitness
	Fitness First
	True Yoga
	Amore
	Sky Fitness
	Creative Body
	The Body Clinic
	Hotel Clubs
	Country Clubs
Hospitals/ Chiropractic/ Physiotherapist	Singapore General Hospital
	Changi General Hospital
Dance Schools	Jitterbugs
	Tanglin Arts Studio for Dance
	Singapore Dance Theatre
Home Studios	Pilates By The Bay (Previously known as The Pilates Touch at East Coast)
	The Pilates Studio (Seletar)
	Uplift Pilates (Jelita )
	46 Degree Pilates Spunky Pilates (Bukit Timah)
Freelance Instructors	If you want to engage freelance instructor to teach at your workplace/condo/home, contact me for more details. I will try to provide instructor choices, besides myself, through my network of instructor friends :-p)

The above listing serves only as a limited reference for your convenience and it does not intend to endorse/recommend any of them. I have tried some of them so you can contact me to find out my personal views on them.

And if you know of any other facilities/venues to learn Pilates in Singapore (which I might have missed out), please share the contacts/ leads by dropping me a comment.

I will update this list every now and then and you may want to bookmark this page. Click the Bookmark button below and revisit this page. (Last updated on 17 April 2012)

Where to learn Pilates

Your personal preferences and lifestyle might determine what environment works best for you:

Pilates Studios	these businesses focus solely on Pilates, thus they can tailor your Pilates sessions to your special fitness or rehabilitation needs. A fully equipped and staffed studio can offer a larger range of appointment and class times, and many types of sessions, including private, small groups, and slightly larger classes (but not too large!) Typically on a pay-by-session or –class basis, not by membership
Health Clubs or Fitness Centers	offer Pilates along with many other fitness activities, such as yoga and aerobics. Usually membership is required. Typically only Pilates mat classes are offered because they rarely have equipment. These mat classes can be quite large and very mixed in level, which may not address your needs. Some clubs and centers consider Pilates to be an extra and charge an added fee, so ask for details.
Hospitals/ physiotherapy/ Chiropractic Clinics	Focus on rehabilitation or clinical Pilates, versus fitness. Usually offer only private one-on-one instruction, and only limited instructors and time slots available.
Dance Schools	Some offer private instruction or group classes
Home Studios	Some individual instructor set up shop in their home. Usually shops are intimate, personal, quiet, and can be informal (you might have to walk through the kitchen and share a bathroom with the family)
Freelance Instructors	Some instructors do not teach at fixed location, they teach mat classes at client’s premises, such as condominiums, offices or parks. Some of them can be contacted through Pilates studios where they get their certification from.

I have tried most of the options and realised the quality of instruction varies. Personally I like Pilates studios the most as the low instructor:student ratio is very conducive for learning. Most importantly you have to, basing on your very own preference and lifestyle, consider things like location, cost, available supporting staff, class structure and other services, of all your possible options.

Before you commit, try asking if you can observe some sessions and check out the following:

1. Do you like the atmosphere? Is it warm and inviting, also conducive for mental concentration?
2. Do the clients look like they're having good time?
3. Is the teacher focused on instruction, or is she answering the phone, eating and chatting away?
4. How's the condition of the equipments and overall cleanliness of the place?

Read on for "Where you can learn Pilates in SINGAPORE"

Learning Pilates: by yourself or from instructor?

There are great variety of books, DVDs and even online videos that show you how to perform Pilates exercise at home. So can I teach myself with these learning aids or do I need to learn from professionals?

My take is that, it is always good to start learning Pilates, especially the foundation & fundamentals, from certified instructor in a professional environment. This is because a teacher’s trained and watchful eye can ensure that you develop only good habits as you learn the Pilates method of body conditioning. Also, learning in a professional environment is a stimulating and educational experience. You learn by observing other people working out – seeing and hearing the teachers and other students in the process of learning and practicing Pilates.

As you progress, you can depend less on your instructor and practice more on your own. Learning aids mentioned above are good supplements to your guided lessons. They remind you of what your instructor told you so that you can practice at home. However no learning aids will beat the guidance of an experienced instructor.

No matter how advanced our Pilates training and experience might be, you’ll always find that an instructor’s guidance is valuable. Your Pilates workouts will change your body; and your instructor will make sure your Pilates exercises continue to benefit your development.

My Dissertation on Pilates

When I first started on researching for my dissertation, I knew it is not going to be easy, because there are many confounding factors.

But the more I read about it, the more I realise what kind of trouble I am getting myself into. My study will involve a lot of different fields (like sports physiology, immunology, motor control, exercise psychology etc) and I think this is going to be rather demanding for someone like me who does not have sports undergrad and at the same time totally sucks at statistics. There is really a LOT of reading to do.

It makes things worst that I am not a good writer. I cannot really express myself clearly in words, especially in English. So I am constantly stuck whenever I open Microsoft Word, and my brain just constipates with all the concepts and logic trapped inside.

So I hope that writing this blog can help "warm up" my organisational skills and let me synthesize my messy thoughts into at least a Chapter One of my thesis.

Resume Running!

I have stopped running/training after the 2006 marathon (shamefully that was more than 8 months ago), and I had hardly been active since then. I was too overwhelmed with both the demand of my new job and the super hectic wedding preparation. There was not any moment that my mind could completely calm down for more than 3 minutes, so practicing Pilates in my noisy home was quite impossible.

After months of disuse, my muscles are extremely weak. Resuming running is never easy, and frankly I hate to feel my heavy feet dragging on the ground, while my whole upper body struggled to keep itself upright. I decided to take it slow to build back my fitness, so I allowed myself to walk as and when I needed to during the first few slow jog sessions. Afterall exercise and training should be enjoyable, never torturous.

During the first few slow jog sessions, I ignored how far or how fast I had run but focused only on my own body. I made sure while I ran my tummy was engaged, my shoulders were properly organised, my neck stayed long and my chest was opened-wide. I also focused on breathing with my ribs to fully expand my lungs (which were so compressed by inactivity). It was tough to apply all these Pilates fundamentals to my weak moving body, but the hard work paid off. After just three re-conditioning runs (plus few short Pilates sessions at home), my muscle memory came back and I felt at ease running again. It was a wonderful feeling to know that I can actually run again!

Now I am more confident that I can complete the Triladies Triathlon on 23 Sept 07. It will be my "come-back" race since the OSIM tri July 06.

Translating P-Latte

I tried translating my blog by "Translate this page" function on the right sidebar, and below is my profile in traditional Chinese. I have re-translated the Chinese back into English in the brackets:

terrimonster -戶外情人 (Outdoor Lover) 我是脂肪和不適宜，因為年輕。(I am lipid and unsuitable, because of youth.) 我第一次把身體活動，為求虛榮，(I first time move my body, because of material wealth) 但品嚐後的好處留適合，我想分享我的經驗和知識，(but after savouring the advantage keep suitable, i want to share my experience and knowledge) 保持健康，誰得身體健康和生活質量。 (keep healthy, who get healthy body and living quality.) 正攻讀碩士學位運動和體育研究與本地大學。 (Currently pursuing a Master Degree "Exercise and Sports Studies and local university") 但畢業是延誤進度，我的論文是教練可笑緩慢。(But graduation is delay progress, my dissertation is coach ridiculously slow)

The Chinese translation was really hilarious! Go try the translating function if you understand Chinese and it will definitely give you a good laugh.

Apparently, Pilates (彼拉提斯) is not yet established or well known in Asia, such that Google had problem finding the right Chinese word for it. The word "Pilates" was translated into "Coach", "Art", "Uniform", etc. I thought by adding the translation function, I can reach out to non-English readers. I guess it is still a long way before I can share my Pilates journey with people who don't understand English.

Can Christians practice Pilates?

Recently one of my friend told me she can’t join in my Pilates class because her pastor told her she is not supposed to do yoga and Pilates (without explicitly explaining the reason why). I understand that yoga is discouraged by some Christians because, in its most original form, it involved meditation, and Christians are not allowed to practice meditation. As mentioned in my “Yoga VS Pilates” article, Pilates is an exercise system, thus differed from yoga, which does not involve any spiritual meditation.

Quoting from the book, “The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning – The Original Pilates Book” (2005, Friedman & Eisen):

“Unlike most exercise programs, Pilates follows carefully laid-out principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation (with no mysticism or appeals to unseen forces, divine or otherwise).”

Pilates is a “mind and body exercise”, but it doesn’t mean it trains the mind through meditation. It actually emphasizes on neural muscular connection, that is, to control every muscular moment with mental focus and concentration.

So to all my dear Christians friends, please rest assured that Pilates does not have any conflict with your faith, so do join me in my classes to learn more about how Pilates can benefit your mind and body.

*Related post: Christian's View on Pilates

Do I need Pilates if I'm already Weight Training?

Yes! Weight trainers should also do Pilates, as they have particular benefits to draw from Pilates. Many weight-training exercises tend to concentrate on isolated muscle groups, where the muscle "bulk up" over time. Pilates simultaneously strengthens and lengthens your muscles uniformly, creating supple power.

Moreover, Pilates saves precious time by training all the small (but important) and deep stabilizing muscles along side with the large ones, which would otherwise be very time-consuming to train using traditional weight training method (imagine doing 3 sets of 15 reps of weights for each and every small muscle!)

By training the stabilizing muscles and teaching the body to move in good motor control, Pilates will make every movement more efficient and powerful, allowing the weight-trainer to train harder and reap more benefits from each weight training session. It also help to prevent injuries from weight lifting too.

Pilates VS Yoga

When I tell others about Pilates, most people would tell me, “Oh, I know! That thing that looks like yoga right?”, or “is it the same as yoga?”

In this geographical region yoga has been more established while Pilates is the up and coming "new" fitness trend. Pilates and yoga have exploded in popularity and have millions of enthusiastic practitioners throughout the world. They are both considered 'mind-body' fitness workouts; it makes it even harder for people to tell the difference when some Pilates exercises are actually strikingly similar to that in yoga. Many people would wonder: which is better? Well, as is often the case, there is no simple answer to this question. Both Pilates and yoga have many, many benefits associated with practicing them on a regular basis. Both will help you improve your coordination, flexibility, and posture while relieving stress and reducing 'imbalances' in your musculoskeletal system. But the real difference between Pilates and yoga are probably more philosophical in nature.

So, with my limited knowledge, I attempted to do a super simplified list of the differences between Pilates and yoga here:

Pilates	Yoga
Created about 80-years ago by Joseph Pilates, who was inspired by various exercise methods & systems including the ancient yoga asanas.	An ancient practice that was originally practiced in Northern India over 5,000 years ago.
An exercise system of effective but gentle, whole-body conditioning and corrective exercises. It was first practiced by dancers and gained mass attention in recent years because of its largely aesthetic body sculpting effects.	A lifestyle, rather then simply an exercise. It includes everything from physical postures and healthy diet to breathing, relaxation and meditation skills.
Mainly concentrates on cultivating core strength in the body, lengthening the spine. Also, Pilates is a valuable tool for increasing strength, definition and proper posture	Has a 'spiritual' focus and it aims to work the body equally and unite the body with mind and spirit; and it helps people find harmony and release stress
Pilates has a full complement of mat work, but it also incorporates work on Pilates machines, such as the reformer, cadilac and the barrel.	Yoga has many different styles, but all are generally performed in a group setting on a yoga mat with the aid of a yoga instructor.

In conclusion, although both exercise forms aim at connecting mind and body, Pilates is non-spiritual and takes a scientific approach towards bringing the parts of the body into control and balance. The breathing is different - in Pilates, you pull your stomach in to build abdominal strength, while in Yoga you allow it to expand as you breathe. Pilates is about the body in motion, while Yoga entails holding the body in a variety of poses.

Reasons Why You Should Try Pilates Today!

Whenever I talk to my friends, somehow or rather I would lead them into health and fitness topics (including Pilates, of course).

For example, last evening I was had a little gathering with 2 other pharma sales rep colleagues over Starbucks coffee, YW complained about her skin condition and she was thinking of resuming her acne medication.

"But that drug is going to dry u up from inside out, then your constipation will get worse, and then in turn it make your skin look bad! it's just a viscious cycle!" the other rep, WW, commented.

YW has previously mentioned to me about her lower back pain. A quick glance at her it was easy to spot the prominent problem - poor posture. Her back muscles (the rhomboids and lats especially) are weak and her shoulders are rounded. Her lower abdominals protrude out and her lower back aches. I "prescribed" her a few simple postural exericses to be practised daily.

I started to wonder if her backache and constipation are linked. Among many other factors, chronic constipation is usually associated with colon health problems, insufficient dietary fiber and roughage, a sedentary lifestyle, dehydration and nerve injury. And if YW has a problem over her lumbar area (ie. lower back pain), wouldn't the lumbar problem in turn affect her bowel moments?

After the gathering I practiced an hour's pilates at home (frankly due to frantic workload, I did not have time to practice pilates on myself for almost 3 months!!). Within half an hour after all the stomach massage from pilates, my intestines started to churn badly and I rushed to the toilet for an emergency defecation!!! I definitely have to share this experience with YW to prompt her to start Pilates asap!

Besides clearing the bowel of waste, let me highlight here ten other reasons why you should try pilates today:

1. Improved posture
Your spine supports the weight of your body and allows your body to move with ease and comfort. That's the theory anyway. But in practice, hours spent sitting in front of a computer screen or slumped in front of a TV means that the spine's natural S shape is lost, resulting in back pain and rounded shoulders. Pilates helps to re-align the spine and with that comes better posture.

2. Relief from back pain
As mentioned above, a great deal of lower back pain comes from poor posture and our daily mistreatment of our spines. By re-aligning your spine and imprioving your posture, lower back pain can often be eliminated entirely.

3. A good night's sleep
Ask anyone to name three things essential for life and you will be told, water, air and food. Few people will mention sleep and yet it too is essential to life. Pilates can help stretch muscles, releasing tension and pain, and it can also help trigger natural sleep responses.

4. Increase your strength and stamina without adding muscle bulk
Pilates helps increase both your strength and stamina without adding unwanted bulk because it focuses on developing your "core" muscles - muscles found in your abdominal and pelvic regions as well as in your back. By toning and stretching these muscles, and by correcting your posture, your nantural strength and stamina will improve in leaps and bounds.

5. Pilates can help prevent osteoporosis
By promoting good posture and balance, Pilates not only can strengthen the muscles, it can also actively strengthen bones, thus preventing osteoporosis, a condition where bones, especially those of the spine, wrist and hips, becoming thin and weak and susceptible to fractures.

6. A great way to relax and beat stress
Pilates is a gentle form of exercise that literally re-introduces you to your own body. And the better you understand your body and how it works, the easier it will be for you to release tension, relax and beats the stresses and strains of modern life.

7. Help with a prevention of incontinence
A common cause of incontinence in women is pregancy, where the pelvic floor mucles can be weakened, but as we get older (men and women alike) muscles in the pelvic area can weaken too. Pilates will help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, thereby curing what can be a very distressing problem for sufferers.

8. Improve your balance and co-ordination
Pilates helps improve your balance and co-ordination by realigning your spine and strengthening your "core" muscles. And better balance and co-ordination means fewer injuries - hence pilates growing popularity among professional sports people - from dancers to rugby players.

9. Helps aid recovery after injury - and prevent injury recurring
Because of its low impact nature, pilates is widely recognised as being beneficial to people who are recovering from certain types of injury including whiplash and a wide range of sporting injuries. Indeed, many of the injuries that sports people are afflicted with can be avoided - and pilates can play a big part in ensuring correct body movement and core body strength leads to fewer such injuries.

10. No pain plenty gain!
In most gyms you will hear the mantra "no pain, no gain", but you won't hear it repeated in a pilates studio. Pilates is a gentle non-aerobic form of exercise that will tone and strengthen your muscles and transform poor posture without stressing the joints or the heart.

Practicing on your own?

Most fans of pilates say they stick with the program because it's diverse and interesting. Joseph Pilates designed his program for variety - people do fewer repetitions of a number of exercises rather than lots of repetitions of only a few. He also intended his exercises to be something people could do on their own once they've had proper instruction, cutting down the need to remain dependent on a trainer.

After learning the proper technique from your certified instructor, you can actually practise the exercises on your own. You just need to get ready the following:

Space - You will need empty floor space that allows u to lie straight, and your legs and arms can move freely on the floor without any hindrance. Though outdoor space in a garden or park can give you fresh air and scenary, a room with door may be more conducive as it be less prone to interruption or distraction.

Mirror - For you to peep at yourself to check if you are doing the exercises correctly.

Mat - A firm exercise mat or thick large towel. It is important to use one that give you enough cushioning to prevent brusing your joints and bones while u exercise on the floor, but yet it should be firm enough that will not change shape/ thickness or your exercise posture may be affected.

Comfortable Clothing - I strongly suggest to avoid clothing that have bulky buttons or zips. Also try to avoid wearing loose or over-size clothing as they might get in the way while u exercise, or it would be difficult to check your own posture. No shoes are required as it is best to practice Pilates barefoot or wearing socks.

Towel - A long towel (about 1 by 3 feet) is ideal. It will come in handy for stretching and it can be rolled up and placed beneath your neck / knees/ lower back, etc.

Time - Begin by setting time two times a week to practice Pilates and make a point to stick to it. Plan for 30 minutes at first and slowly increase the duration to an hour. You can practice at any time of the day, but always wait for an hour after eating a meal.

Patience & Persistance - Remember 'Rome is not built in one day'. If you can't perform the exercises perfectly for the first time, just stay focused and aim at improving it on the next time.

Optionals - Wall space can be a good feedback/ assist tool to help u in the Pilates exercise, ask your instructor to teach you few exercises on the wall, or look out for demo on future blog entrys here. Other props like a tennis ball (or any sphere of the that size) can be excellent tools to help check your posture or massage a tight muscle.

Starting Pilates?

The great thing about pilates is that just about everyone of any age - from couch potatoes to fitness buffs - can do it.

The best way to get started with pilates is to join a class and learn the basics from a qualified pilates teacher who can lead you through from the basics to more advanced exercise. These classes may be held either in studios equipped with specialist exercise equipment or in studios in community centres and commercial gyms where mat work often takes precedence.There are also many DVDs and books available for you to practise pilates at home. However it is really recommended to take them as adjunct to the teaching of a qualified pilates instructor.

The fact that pilates is hot and classes are springing up everywhere does have a downside, though: inadequate instruction. As with any form of exercise, it is possible to injure yourself if you have a health condition or don't know exactly how to do the moves. Some gyms send their personal trainers to weekend-long courses and then claim they're qualified to teach pilates (they're not!), and this can lead to injury. So look for an instructor who is certified by a group that has a rigorous training program. These instructors have completed several hundred hours of training just in pilates and know the different ways to modify the exercises so new students don't get hurt.

When you first begin Pilates you may feel that it moves very slowly and that there is too much detail to think about. But wait!! As soon as you learn the basic techniques, the level of difficulty in the class will increase and you will find that eventually the exercises will flow from one to another, with no break, which will really challenge you when you consider you will eventually perform 38 exercises, with no stopping, in a 1-hour class!! But the emphasis is on performing the exercises correctly rather than the speed and the heart rate, so be patient and this will come!

Stay focused. Pilates is designed to combine your breathing rhythm with your body movements. Qualified instructors teach ways to keep your breathing working in conjunction with the exercises. You will also be taught to concentrate on your muscles and what you are doing. The goal of pilates is to unite your mind and body, which relieves stress and anxiety.

Be comfortable. Wear comfortable clothes (as you would for yoga - shorts or tights and a T-shirt or tank top are good choices), and keep in mind that pilates is usually done without shoes. If you start feeling uncomfortable, strained, or experience pain, you should stop.

Let it flow. When you perform your exercises, avoid quick, jerky movements. Every movement should be slow, but still strong and flexible. Joseph Pilates worked with dancers and designed his movements to flow like a dance.

Don't leave out the heart. The nice thing about pilates is you don't have to break a sweat if you don't want to - but you can also work the exercises quickly (bearing in mind fluidity, of course!) to get your heart rate going. Or, because pilates is primarily about strength and flexibility, pair your pilates workout with a form of aerobic exercise like swimming or brisk walking.

Do remember, before you begin any type of exercise program, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor, especially if you have a health problem

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness." - Joseph H. Pilates