Jolly Mathur

When most people think of good posture they may remember their elders telling them as a child to “stand up straight, head up and shoulders back” as if you were a solider standing to attention. This may get you to stand up straight but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have good posture. In fact most people find it quite uncomfortable to stand up straight with their shoulders back. This is because of the different types of postures seen in today’s society. Every posture I come across is different, mainly due to muscle imbalances created through injuries, medical conditions, daily habits and most of all work offices. Many people spend countless hours hunched over computers, steering wheels and now phones, it is no wonder why their posture is out of alignment. But how is it possible to achieve good posture? Through body awareness. I find that if I get a client to become more body aware of their alignment, they will become more conscious of correcting it.  Pilates is an exc...

From Madonna to Martha Stewart (yes she really does have one) celebrities swear by their Power Plate machines. Add to that devotees like Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson and Kylie Minogue and we have something to talk about! Power-Plate is a machine that gives the body’s muscles a high-speed workout by using vibrations to stimulate them to contract and relax. They generally contract once or twice a second, but by standing on the Power-Plate, its vibrations cause an automatic reflex muscle contraction of 30-50 a second. The body has to subconsciously contract a variety of different muscles in order to stay balanced during the vibrations created by the Power plate . It is precisely this constant muscle tensioning that makes the Power plate so effective. Developed by Russian scientists for their Olympic athletes in the 1970’s and later used to train cosmonauts, the Power Plate® platform vibrates as you perform a series of simple exercises. A pose is held for up to 60...

A US Fitness Magazine suggests that these are the top 8 reasons why Pilates is so good for you: It’s Ah-Mazing for Your Abs Pilates hits your core (or, in Pilates speak, your “powerhouse”) unlike any other workout. In fact, after completing 36 weeks of Pilates training, women strengthened their rectus abdominis (the muscle responsible for six-packs) by an average of 21 percent, while eliminating muscle imbalances between the right and left sides of their cores, according to a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study. It Can Ease Back Pain A stronger core equals a better back, says Tracy Zindell, Flex Pilates Chicago founder and master instructor. That’s why those with chronic lower back pain who practiced Pilates for just four weeks experienced more relief than those who visited a physician and other specialists, says a Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy study. What’s more, their pain stayed away for a full year post-Pilates. Researc...

Pilates (or the Pilates method) is a series of about 500 exercises inspired by calisthenics, yoga and ballet. Pilates lengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups in the body in a balanced fashion. It improves flexibility, strength, balance and body awareness. In the 1920s, physical trainer Joseph Pilates introduced Pilates into America as a way to help injured athletes and dancers safely return to exercise and maintain their fitness. Since then, Pilates classes in Sydney has been adapted to suit people in the general community. Pilates can be an aerobic and non-aerobic form of exercise. It requires concentration and focus, because you move your body through precise ranges of motion. Pilates lengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups in your body in a balanced fashion. It requires concentration in finding a centre point to control your body through movement. In Pilates, your muscles are never worked to exhaustion, so there is no sweating or strain...