On Special occasion of IWD 2021 (8th March), we bring you 5 Pilates exercises that you can do each day to feel good, improve muscle tone, and maintain mobility brought to you by celebrity coach, Shefali Shirke.
5 Pilates Exercises
1. Side Bend Mermaid
- Inhale to reach the arm towards the ceiling and make the torso as long and strong as you can.
- Exhale to load the hips towards the mat and look towards the hand as the arm lowers toward the hips.
- Inhale to lift the hips up towards the ceiling and reach the arm up an overhead.
Benefit:
- Strengthen torso including oblique, shoulder.
- Improve core control, balance, and coordination.
2. Saw
- Inhale to rotate the torso to the left and reached the right arm towards the left foot.
- Exhale to engage the abdominals and round the head and torso forward reaching the right arm towards the little toe on the left foot. Reach the left arm back.
- Inhale to return to the starting position with the weights centered on the sit bones and the arms out to the sides.
Benefit:
Increase rotation of the spine, stretch mid and upper back, and improve pelvic stability.
3.Swimming
- Reach one leg and the opposite arm out an up towards the ceiling. Switch the arm and leg quickly without losing the balance on the centre of the torso.
- The breath can follow the tempo of the swimming.
Benefit:
Strengthening the back and hip extensors including the spine and hamstring.
4. Leg Pull Up/Pull down
- Reverse plank position inhale to kick one leg up towards the ceiling and pulses two times with the sniffing breath.
- Exhale to bring the leg back to the mat.
- Leg pull down- on a plank position inhale to lift one leg up towards the ceiling with the foot pointed and pulses 2 times. Keep the torso in line and the hips level throughout the exercise.
- Exhale to lower the leg back to the mat in this pilates move.
Benefits:
- Strengthen the entire body including the core, scapular stabilizers, pelvic stability.
- Increase shoulder range of motion.
- Pull-down: Strengthen the entire body including the core, scapular stabilizers, pelvic stability, hips and hamstring.
5. Roll Over
- Lie on your back and exhale to engage the core and lift the legs up towards the ceiling to prepare.
- Inhale to roll the lower back of the mat reaching the legs over head until they are parallel to the ground. Press the upper arms into the mat and roll up until you a balance no higher than the top of your shoulder blades. Do not roll up onto your neck.
- Exit to roll down keeping the leg shoulder width apart, engaging the core and pressing the upper arms into the mat to make the rolled down smooth and steady.and the back of the shoulders on the mat. Load the legs as far as possible without letting the back arch of the mat.
- Bring the legs back together and point the feat to start again.
Benefit:
- Develop core strength and control.
- Increase the flexibility and articulation of the spine.
- Stabilize the shoulder.
Contributing Author:
Shefali shirke, a celebrity fitness coach, believes in helping people to define understand and achieve their fitness goals…. this is her passion. She does it through varied exercises and functional movements, including posture corrections, mind, and body coordination.
She has experience in diverse background of movements that allows her trains clients in many styles in very progressive, creative, and friendly manner.
She enjoys working with diverse clientele from special populations to professional athletes.