Pilates make me TALLER

Back in JC I was measured 163cm tall. I had always wished that I was 2 cm taller, as that would help de-classify me from the overweight category.

Unfortunately, no matter how straight I stood in front of the wall scale, I was at best 163.3 cm. I could only look at other girls and envy their tall and slender figure.

But few years ago, at age 26, I "grew" to 165 cm.

I was sure I had way passed my puberty. So after eliminating any other ridiculous but possible factors, I think my height increment came from Pilates.

As we grow older, our body is subconsciously tensed up by life's worries and concerns. As we spend time hunched over the study table, the computer or the steering wheel, the back muscles become stretched and weak, the shoulders and chest muscles tighten up; and the neck stiffen. All these muscle tension compress the spine.

By practicing Pilates, postural/ core muscles are strengthen to counter these effects. Over time, the chest and shoulders open up, while the back muscles are strengthen to give a more erect posture (so that the erector spinae muslces are finally strong enough to do what they are supposed to do: erect up the spine!) So the crown of the head is extended upward, lengthening the back of the neck. And voila, a lengthened spine = taller appearance.

However, this "taller appearance" is only temporary. If you stop Pilates and "re-install" all the bad postures, muscle tension will compress u once again. So do pilates regularly to make sure you have strong and balanced muscles in the body to counter all the compressing effects that shrink u up!

*Note: At two separate measurements over past two weeks in two different gynae clinics, I was measured 167.5 cm tall!! OMG, I have just "grew" another inch...i better keep it up...heehee...

Pilates Interest Group on Facebook!

I have started an interest group on Facebook, called "Pilates In Singapore". Just another way to pass the goodness of Pilates around.

Join us if you are FB user! ^_^

Pilates and Dragon Boaters

Below is extracted from Polestar quarterly newsletter, hope my fellow dragonboaters will find this useful :)

Kate Hodge from Iso Fit (HK) recently wrote an article in the "Ask the Experts" section of Fit! HK magazine.

During dragon boat season, I always seem to strain the muscle that goes across my back and under my shoulder blade. Can Pilates help to prevent straining these muscles?

Dragon boating is a challenging sport and can be very physically demanding on the body, particularly the spine. Rowers often find themselves sitting on the same side of the boat for all training sessions and races. This may be advantageous for building a winning team but it can also be detrimental to your body. Significant muscle imbalance may occur within your spine and upper body from the overuse of one particular side into the forward bending and twisting position. This muscle imbalance can lead to pain, discomfort and strain of some muscles.

Pilates can be effective at reducing muscle imbalance within your entire body and can be of great benefit to dragon boaters to minimize the effects of the asymmetrical exercise. Pilates works to strengthen the abdomen, back and buttocks to provide stabilization to the body and enable it to move more freely. One of the key focuses of Pilates is alignment and organization of your head, neck and shoulders. By exercising in a well aligned position with assistance, or further, against resistance, the tighter muscles can relax and the weaker muscles can become more active. Improving strength, flexibility, posture and alignment of your spine and upper body musculature can therefore help prevent muscle strains and alleviate pain.