Your Pilates Physio

There are more and more resources available to enable you to exercise from the comfort of your own home without any need for a gym membership or attending a class.  This can also be more time efficient for some.  I myself have used some workouts from You Tube previously especially if I am looking for something targeted like a tight back after a long bike ride (this is an area I can often suffer with).  So whilst I love attending classes like at my CrossFit box for the support, and for the social aspect also, I find I push myself harder but I am also happy to do what I can at home.  At present we are in the middle of having house renovations done and part of this will be our own gym in the garden so there will, in fact, be more home workouts.

What is the major difference between pilates and yoga?  Aside from the origin, pilates was created in early 1900s by Joseph Pilates who, as a result of certain diseases through his childhood, had limited mobility and so the thought process behind this was predominantly for rehabilitation to build strength, stamina and flexibility.  In yoga there is an infinite number of variations and combinations of poses whereas in pilates have more consistent moves in the traditional practise.  Yoga can work your entire body through meditative exercises that typically are held for longer, whereas pilates centres around your core and focuses on control.  In short there is no right or wrong as to which one you choose and this should be based around your goals – or do both!

One area I will always admit I fall down on is stretching and I have incorporated yoga into my schedule and so when I had the opportunity to trial a new platform for home pilates workouts I was keen.

For the past two weeks I have been using a platform called Your Pilates Physio, which has online clinical pilates courses led by Lyndsay.  Clinical pilates is slightly different from the usual pilates practise and to quote the website:

‘Clinical Pilates is different from regular Pilates practice as it is led by a qualified physiotherapist, who has a deeper knowledge of the body and its injuries/pathologies, including how this can affect the movement of the body. Clinical Pilates is particularly effective for people with an injuries or pain-related conditions, as exercises are adapted to take this into account and help with pain management and recovery.’

This fits in nicely with my training as I often suffer with a sore lower back after some bike sessions and now I attend CrossFit I need to make sure I am incorporating active recovery in between classes. I am also still in the process of strengthening my left knee and thigh following some injuries last year.

Throughout the videos Lyndsay explains every movement and the reasons behind it giving clear instructions as to how you should be positioned and what to avoid and concentrate on.  At the start of each video it will display items you need and for the most part it is a mat and a block and if you don’t have a block you can use a pillow so no need for further expense on additional items.  There are also options for both beginner and intermediate so Lyndsay will demonstrate the differences and you can tailor to what suits you as an individual.

There are literally hours and hours of workouts available and they are all grouped so you can focus on whatever your specific need may be for example hypermobility, sports injuries or glute focus.

There is also much more than that available on the website with resources and blog posts by Lyndsay.

My only negative – what I would describe as the plinky planky music, just not for me but that is such a minor thing and doesn’t take away from the actual workouts at all.

There is a free 14 day trial (which is actually extended to 30 days right now) on the website and if you do decide to subscribe you can do so monthly or annually.  If you do then use the code ‘fit19’ for a 25% discount.