Pilates

People everywhere are intrigued by the genius of the Pilates movement. This is how it all began:

The Pilates method of body conditioning is a unique, proven system of exercises developed over ninety years ago by the late Joseph H. Pilates. The basis of all Pilates inspired methods comes from his teachings and his work. He was born in 1880 and grew up in England where he was interned during the war and became a nurse. As a frail and sickly child, he was inspired to pursue a lifelong commitment to health and fitness. He became a bodybuilder, a boxer, a gymnast, an avid skier and diver. During his incarceration during the war, he devised a fitness program for his fellow internees to maintain their health and fitness levels. Years in traditional strength training gyms, filled with barbells, variable resistance and friction resistance machines, gave him the opportunity to study the anatomy of movement and strength training through load bearing, and as a nurse he ingeniously improvised using the bed springs to create the resistance he needed to strengthen his patients who were weak.

His program of over 500 exercises, consisting of twisting, stretching, pushing, pulling and rolling movements both on the floor and five other pieces of equipment was probably largely inspired by the famous Russian body builder Eugen Sandow, who in his book, "Sandow and the Golden Age of Iron Men", written in late 1890's, said, "the task of the physical culturist is to perfect his body by exercise and subjection of the will”.  

Sandow believed that without the power of the will/mind, muscles did not develop fully, and he toured the world promoting physical culture as a means to improving the quality of life.

And thus the first true mind-body method of fitness was born. Like Sandow, Pilates recognised the importance of involving the mind when you move. In 1920 when he moved to New York, he opened his first formal studio and attracted the likes of George Balanchine and Martha Graham. The gymnastic quality of his teachings and the understanding of control and coordination made him well recognised in the dance and drama community. He trained young dancers to carry on his teachings, which he called "The Art of Contrology" or muscle control to define his approach of using the mind to master the muscles.

Other machines that Joseph Pilates built were also inspired by his years training as a gymnast and include The High and Low Chairs which are like a modified gymnastics stacking pommels, the Reformer which is like a rowing machine with pulleys, the Pedi Pull, another pulley machine, the Cadillac, much like a parallel and horizontal gymnastics bar, and he added various accessories to work the extremities like the Magic Circle and the Spine Corrector Barrels. All of which may be seen in any Pilates studio around the world.

His work, then called Contrology, now referred to as authentic Pilates, focused on the "conscious control of all muscular movements of the body. It is the correct utilization and application of the leverage principles afforded by the bones, comprising the skeletal framework of the body; a complete knowledge of the mechanism of the body and a full understanding of the principles of equilibrium and gravity as applied to the movement of the body in motion, at rest and in sleep".

While Sandow's method focused largely on building strength through heavy weights, many repetitions, excess overload and isolated muscle fatigue, it was Pilates who recognised that the tearing of muscle tissue was not necessary to develop strength. Instead he focused on simple, qualitative movements, initiated from the core, using many muscles at once to create controlled, balanced, interdependent movements.

It was Sandow, however, who began philosophising about the benefits of physical exercise in the early 1900's and Pilates followed in the 1920's. Since then, 50 years later, Dr. Kenneth Cooper began to down play the role of strength training to enhance health and began to extol instead the virtues of aerobic fitness. Now 50 years later we all better understand that both are essential for total well being which is why we, at lighterliving, developed AeroPilates which successfully targets the muscular and aerobic improvements of the body all on one machine, in a safe and gentle way

IS IT BETTER FOR WOMEN TO TRAIN IN A FED OR FASTED STATE?

Fasted training is one of those fitness phrases that’s been gaining a buzz in recent years. Countless articles and social media posts have extolled the benefits of working out on an empty stomach, claiming that training in this way can enhance performance, encourage fat loss and boost your gains. 

Many fans of early-morning workouts find fasted training more convenient too, because you don’t have to factor in time to eat and digest before rolling out your workout mat. 

But as conversations around the topic of menstruating become more mainstream, the fitness industry is starting to wake up to the role that women’s hormones play when it comes to training and fitness. 

This topic has been largely overlooked because of a gender data gap in health and science data. Currently, only 4% of sport and exercise science studies are exclusively done on women, so all the data available is largely based on the male body. In fact, most mainstream fitness programmes don’t consider the role of female hormones when it comes to training.

There’s now an emerging school of thought that by tapping into fed-state training, women can  boost their athletic performance and avoid a number of serious health issues related to hormone imbalances.

Why could fasted training affect women more than men?

Exercise causes a certain level of stress on the body, which stimulates a hormone response and sets in motion a series of chemical reactions that lead to the adaptive benefits of exercise across the body - from building muscle to better mental health. 

The concern with intermittent fasting is that when it’s paired with high-intensity cardio, it can cause a disruption to women’s hormones and lead to a chronic energy deficiency. 

It all boils down to a neuropeptide called kisspeptin, a naturally-occurring hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones inside the body. Kisspeptin is closely linked to the release of estrogen and progesterone, as well as the regulation of appetite, energy utilisation and blood sugar balance.

Studies have found that fasted training increases the stress hormone cortisol and decreases the production of kisspeptin, a crucial hormone in the regulation of energy balance in women’s bodies.

As sports dietician Renee McGregor writes: “The levels of cortisol, our stress hormone, are highest in the morning. If you then add further stress to the system by training at a high intensity without any fuel, you can cause cortisol to become chronically high. In turn, [this] can block the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, impacting the production of sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone [which are] important for a number of functions in the body.”

As women have a more increased sensitivity to low energy availability compared to men, they’re at a higher risk of developing a health condition called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. RED-S can occur when you don’t get enough fuel through food to support the energy demands of daily training and living. Although women are most affected, the condition can impact anyone of any age, gender or background, although research into RED-S is still in its infancy. 

When there isn’t enough energy available to fuel essential daily functions, on top of training, the body goes into an ‘energy saving mode’. RED-S has wide-ranging adverse effects on all bodily systems and can compromise long-term health and performance for women, leading to cardiovascular issues, weakened immunity, osteoporosis, menstrual disturbances, depression and anxiety. 

What is fed-state training?

Fed-state training is pretty much what it sounds like; when you train after eating. Eating a carbohydrate-based meal before your workout can help to balance your hormones and keep blood sugar levels stable.

Maintaining a steady hormone balance while training can help to avoid the body from going into energy-saving mode, and it could also lead to better athletic performance too.

Crucially, some studies have suggested that fasted training could lead to muscle loss in women. A study on mice who were placed in fasted conditions found that female mice were more likely to deplete their muscle stores over fat and carbohydrates in an effort to maintain their reproductive capabilities. 

And on the subject of fat loss? One study compared 10 women who trained with fasted cardio every day for four weeks to 10 women who had a shake before exercising. The researchers found no difference in fat loss between the two groups of women.

As with most things in health and fitness, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. If you want to move from fasted cardio to fed-state cardio, it’s about finding the right balance for you. Eat too much, too close to training, it can leave you feeling sluggish. Eat too little and you could disrupt your hormones.

If you don’t want to eat a big breakfast before heading to the studio, you could try grabbing a carb-based breakfast bar to give you an energy boost ahead of your class. But as the gender data gap closes, our optimal nutrition strategy may not just be based on our goals and schedule but our gender too.

READY SET GOALS! ( attainable)

When it comes to your fitness and nutrition journey  not all goals are created equally. Setting goals is important because it increases your chances of success and helps you stay motivated, but when you set attainable goals, you create a roadmap for yourself that is achievable and sustainable.

Here are some reasons you should be setting REALISTIC goals along the way:

1 Increases motivation: When you set realistic goals, you are more likely to feel motivated to achieve them. Unrealistic goals can be discouraging and lead to feelings of frustration or failure.

2 Promotes sustainable behavior change: Realistic goals are more likely to lead to sustainable behavior change because they are achievable and can be maintained over time. Unrealistic goals may lead to quick results, but they are often not sustainable and can lead to a hit it and quit it attitude, like yo-yo dieting.

3 Improves adherence: Realistic goals are easier to adhere to because they fit within your lifestyle and are achievable. Unrealistic goals may require extreme measures that are difficult to maintain, leading to a higher likelihood of giving up or reverting to old habits.

4 Reduces risk of negative health outcomes: Extreme weight loss goals can lead to negative health outcomes, like as malnutrition, dehydration, and even muscle loss. Setting realistic goals that focus on healthy, balanced eating habits can reduce the risk of negative health outcomes, and actually make you healthier and happier in the long term.

QUICK-HIT SMOOTHIE: TRIPLE GREEN 

"Anti-inflammatory pineapple and ginger add a twist to the classic nutrient-dense green smoothie," says New York City–based registered dietician, Ariana Korman, CDN. "The enzyme bromelain in pineapple has been shown to speed up muscle recovery." Chia seeds are rehydrating while MCT oil provides healthy fats and, according to Korman, "fuels the brain and supports memory, focus, and critical thinking." Matcha adds a hit of energy without the jitters.  

Ingredients: 

1 medium frozen banana 

½ cup diced frozen pineapple 

¼ cup kale 

¼ cup spinach 

1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger 

1 teaspoon chia seeds 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

2 teaspoons matcha powder 

1 tablespoon MCT oil 

1¼ cups plant-based milk 

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, 30 seconds to one minute.

Gut Health 

Gut health is central to our health, and what we eat makes a massive difference to the balance of bacteria we carry around with us. Did you know: 

We have around 100 trillion microbes in our body (That is more than the number of cells we have!) 
The bugs in our guts weigh around 4lbs 
Microbes are made up of bacteria, fungi, parasites (including worms) and viruses. 

BUT, before you get freaked out about hosting all these little bugs here are some facts about how important they are: 

They help us make essential vitamins (e.g. B vitamins) 
They help us break down out food and can control elements of our metabolism 
The bugs help to train up our immune system, and interact with our nervous system and hormones 

We cannot thrive without the microbes in our gut. Experiments have been carried out on sterile mice with no microbes in the gut at all, and whilst they live, they cannot thrive. These mice don’t have a strong immune system, or brain health, and they don’t reproduce well. They also need to eat 1/3 more calories to survive because the microbes help us get energy from our food. 

Top 5 gut health tips 

1. Eat more vegetables 

The beneficial gut microbes inside love fibre, and you can get a lot of fibre from vegetables. So as well as all absorbing the minerals and vitamins that promote health within the body, the bugs love your vegetables too. Many people aren't meeting the 5 day target. In fact on average in the UK it's 3.6.  

A portion of veg is around a handful (or 80g) and for leafy green veg it's two handfuls.  

If you’re getting your 5 a day, can you make it 6 a day? 

2. Include pre-biotics in your diet.  

You might have heard of probiotics, which are healthy beneficial live bacteria. But what are pre-biotics? These are foods that provide the good bacteria with the fuel they need.   

Some types of insoluble fibre are not well digested by our bodies, so the content travels down to the lower intestine where it becomes perfect food for the microbes. 

Ideal pre-biotics are green bananas, leeks, artichokes, onions, garlic, chicory, and asparagus. 

Eating these help the beneficial gut bacteria to thrive.  

3. Eat fermented foods.  

Fermentation is the partial digestion of sugars in the food with live bacteria.  Including foods like sauerkraut (cabbage), kefir (fermented milk or water), or tempeh (tofu) can help to top up your bacterial balance by adding in live bacteria. Live yoghurt can also help (but only the sugar free version with Live written on!) 

You can easily make sauerkraut by grating some cabbage and adding salt, and leaving in a glass jar for 7-10 days. It's very cheap and quick to make, and is an excellent addition to most meals.  

4. Add variety - aim for 30 foods a week 

The more varieties of gut microbes we have the better. Most people in Europe and the US have a poor mix of microbes, most likely due to eating the same foods all the time. Some research has shown that eating 30 different foods a week will help to develop healthy gut bacteria. 

Eating a wide range of foods is the best way to get a good mix of microbes. 

Include a different vegetable or fruit you don’t normally eat, or include a new type of bean this week? Swap to a new type of fish, or try new spices. 

Write down 1-30 on a piece of paper (or print out the PDF) and note down every food you eat in a week. If you eat bread you can only mark down wheat once (so eating pasta, or another sandwich will still only take one place on the list). If you easily reach 30 foods go for 40!  

Mix it up for the bugs! 

5. Cut back on alcohol 

it's often an area we don't want to tackle, but alcohol can make a big difference to your digestion. Alcohol may cause inflammation in the gut, which in turn increase intestinal permeability (sometimes called leaky gut). 

Leaky gut is when particles from our food and other toxins cross into the blood through gaps in the intestinal lining. These can create a localised inflammatory response then travel to the liver where they can create an inflammatory response. So you might feel you react to certain foods more when you've had a drink.  

A big binge on alcohol can also damage the microbes in the gut in the short term.  

A little bit of red wine has been shown to increase the beneficial bacteria, probably due to the antioxidants in the skin from the grapes. So a little glass of red wine in moderation can help the bugs, but high levels of alcohol can affect digestive health. 

Chamomile tea and cucumber make for a hydrating, calming drink. Skip the agave if you prefer.---

1- Steep 1 chamomile tea bag in 1/4 cup of boiling water for  7 mins, set aside for to cool slightly.

2- Then, combine tea, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons of agave ( optional) and 1 chopped cucumber in a blender. Blend until smooth, then strain into a large measuring cup.

3- Pour into glasses with ice and top with sparkling water. stir and serve.

Staying hydrated is super important for performance during class, but also to keep your well-being at an optimum! Even a slight drop in hydration can leave us feeling tired, lack of focus and at worst headaches. Below is a simple tip to help you maximise your hydration.

1- Add to 50cl (small bottle of water) a pinch of sea salt

2- One pinch of sugar

3- The juice of one half lemon

This will give you a cheap effective sports drink, adding these 3 simple ingredients will help your body absorb the water a little quicker. keeping you ready for action every time!!!

KEEP UP YOUR MOTIVATION.

1- SET GOALS  These should be realistic, achievable and meaningful- for instance, hitting your workout 3 times per week, or achieving a PB weight or try a completely new class and keep things fresh.

2- TRACK YOUR WORKOUTS. This reminds you how far you have come when the going gets tough.  You could also track  the weights you lift in class or the cadence you use on a spin bike.

3-PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD. Not every workout will be your best. Not every week will be your most active.  Dont get disheartened, what matters is sticking to a progressive training routine over time. Keep showing up and you will get back on track and start to see improvements.

1- TBSP OF COTTAGE CHEESE

- 2 TBSP OF FULL FAT GREEK YOGURT

- 200ML OF UNSWEETENED SOYA MILK

- ZEST OF HALF A LEMON

- SEEDS OF 1 VANILLA POD

-HANDFULL OF RASBERRIES FRESH OUR FROZEN

- HANDFUL OF ICE

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS INTO BLENDER AND MIX TILL SMOOTH AND ENJOY