Women Fitness India joins the woman behind the transformed bodies of Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif and many more Bollywood actresses, Yasmin Karachiwala in an interesting Pilates rapid fire.
As the next generation Pilates instructor, what are the key skills you want to instill in your students?
For teaching Pilates, you’re going to need a great deal more than enthusiasm for fitness. You’ll need to be professionally qualified, with first-hand knowledge of the fitness program, with a higher-level education in human anatomy. You need to understand how the body works, so you can teach your clients the best way to exercise their bodies for the best health benefits. You’ll need to be able to tailor your lessons to the individual needs of your clients, either on a personal one on one tutoring basis, or in a class setting.
The essential skills you will need to teach Pilates, according to me would be
1. To be Approachable
As students you need to know clients can approach you with any questions they may have, before, during or after the lessons. For people to learn anything, they need to ask questions, and they will only do that when they feel comfortable asking you.
2. Communications skills are vital
Being educated to a higher level on the human anatomy of the body, That’s why you need to be able to communicate your lessons in a manner every client can understand.
3. Ability to lead
Leadership is a skill developed over time. It’s not a skill most of us are born with. A natural ability to take charge through a carefully planned, and structured Pilates session.
4. The passion for teaching others
This is something that you can’t be taught. You need have a real burning desire to help others achieve excellence in personal fitness. It’s the greatest motivator that will help you become the best Pilates instructor you can be. When people see the passion you have for your work, they’re going to be more engaged with you and your teachings, with a higher level of motivation, which ultimately leads to a higher level of success.
You’re sure to find a career as a Pilates instructor, one with an extremely high degree of job satisfaction, knowing that you’re positively influencing the physical health of each and every one of your students.
How can Pilates be used to target bikini-baring parts of the body?
Pilates is known for creating long lean muscles, a strong core. Core moves to prep for baring your belly in a bathing suit. Belly fat is more about your diet than anything else. And while interval training can help burn calories and flatten your stomach, going the same pace every mile won’t help. “Pilates puts you in positions that force you to learn to engage your midsection. As you advance to harder exercises, you will burn the unwanted belly fat, and that means as the fat melts off, you’ll reveal nicely defined abs, even if you don’t have a chiseled six-pack.
When targeting the arms, how do Pilates +2lb weights fire up the guns and build muscle? 2 Pilates arm toners.
The key to maintaining consistency in exercising is having fun while you exercise. This can be done by bringing newness in your fitness routine by either trying different forms of exercise or exercising with new and different equipment.
Working out with toney bands can be one of the most effective ways to tone your arms. They are sleek, stylish and comfortable, and can contribute to adding resistance to any exercise. Flabby arms are a struggle for many people out there. Despite working out on muscles with heavy weights, losing the flab on arms becomes a tedious task which requires a little more effort than your regular daily routine. In such a case, the toney bands can be of great help as they help you burn more calories while also improving core strength. Working out with toney bands can tone your arms more effectively.
Some people confuse yoga with Pilates, what are the differences and similarities between the two practices in your opinion?
Curiosity is probably one of the best qualities that an avid exerciser can possess. It keeps you intrigued and excited to try new and different types of exercises. One of the main differences between Yoga and Pilates is that Yoga can be used for improving the flexibility of the body and it will also gradually increase the flexibility of your joints. Whereas Pilates focuses on trying to relax muscles which are tense and provide strengthening of the numerous muscles of the body.
The purpose of Yoga is to unite the mind, body and spirit. if the techniques are used in the proper environment, Yoga can be a way to heal the body and help to find mental harmony. Pilates has many of the same goals in mind but the major difference between Pilates and Yoga is that in addition to mat work, there can be different exercise machines involved. Pilates works out the entire body in addition to the mind. The focus is on the core of the body so the rest can freely move and this makes makes your body stronger both on the inside and out. The balance is meant to be present between flexibility and strength and this results in stronger and leaner muscles
Many people see the value in both activities and this is why a whole new generation is choosing to incorporate both Yoga and Pilates into their lives.
Top 5 best pilates exercises to lose lower belly fat?
A bigger belly, however, isn’t inevitable, and tummy-toning exercises can help. A pilates workout and training is your secret weapon because it works all of your abdominal muscles: the six-pack rectus abdominis, which runs down your center; the waist-defining obliques, which wrap around your sides; and the deep transversus abdominis, which is often missed in traditional ab workouts.For getting the most out of the lower-abs exercises: Focusing on the activation of your core is the key to success.
Toe Dip
Lie on your back with your legs up and bent at 90 degrees—thighs straight up and calves parallel to the floor. Rest your hands at your sides, palms down. Keep your abs contracted and press your lower back toward the floor.Inhale and lower your left leg for a count of 2 (“down, down”), moving only from your hip and dipping your toes toward the floor (without letting them actually touch it). Exhale and raise your leg back to the starting position for a count of 2 (“up, up”). Repeat with your right leg and continue alternating until you’ve done 12 reps with each leg.
Crisscross
Start as in the Toe Dip but with your hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides. Curl up to raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor. As you inhale, rotate your torso to the right, bringing your right knee and left shoulder toward each other and extending your left leg toward the ceiling in a diagonal line from your hips. As you exhale, rotate to the left, bringing your left knee toward your right shoulder and extending your right leg. That’s one rep. Do 6 -8 reps.
Leg Circle
Lie on your back with your legs extended along the floor. Raise your left leg toward the ceiling, with toes pointed and hands at your sides, palms down. Hold for 10 to 60 seconds. (If this position is uncomfortable, you can bend your right leg and place your right foot flat on the floor.)Make a small circle on the ceiling with your left toes, rotating your leg from your hip. Inhale as you begin the circle and exhale as you finish. Keep your body as still as possible—no rocking—by tightening your abs. Do 6 circles, then reverse direction for six more. Repeat with your other leg.
Leg Kick
Lie on your left side with your legs straight and together so your body forms one long line. Prop yourself up on your left elbow and forearm, lifting your ribs off the floor and your head toward the ceiling. Place your right hand lightly on the floor in front of you for balance. (If this position is uncomfortable, extend your left arm on the floor and rest your head on your arm.) Raise your right leg to hip level and flex your foot so your toes are pointing forward. Exhale as you kick, swinging your right leg forward as far as comfortably possible and pulsing for 2 counts (“kick, kick”). Inhale, point your toes, and swing your leg back past your left leg. That’s one rep. Do 6 reps without lowering your leg. Then switch sides and repeat.
Side Bend
Sit on your left hip with your left leg bent in front of you and your left hand beneath your shoulder. Place your right foot flat on the floor just in front of your left foot so your right knee points to the ceiling. Rest your right arm on your right knee. Pull your abdominals in, press into your left hand, and lift your hips off the floor. As you come up onto your left knee, straighten your right leg and raise your right arm over your head so you form a line from your right fingers to your right toes. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Lower and repeat on the other side.
Why are some Pilates classes taught on equipment and others on the mat? Is there any difference in their effectiveness. 5 exercises to practice in absence of equipment to do the same.
Pilates is a complete system of exercises designed to build strength and muscle tone, enhance balance and mobility and bring the body into harmony. Although the variety of exercises in the Pilates system target all the major muscle groups, they are designed to particularly work the body’s core — or “powerhouse”. With reformer Pilates, you may see muscle tone and feel stronger in a shorter time than with mat Pilates, but the truth is that neither is better than the other. Mat training provides a foundation for learning to control your muscles while reformer adds resistance to improve strength.
Mat Pilates consists of body-weight exercises which are performed low to the ground and involve smooth, fluid movements that are easy on the joints, making them suitable for almost anyone of any age or health status. Reformer exercises are those performed on a contraption that uses springs, gears, straps and ropes to provide resistance. Many of the exercises on the reformer are the same as mat exercises, but performed against this added resistance.
Once you’ve learned the basic moves and begin to feel more comfortable, you can decide which modality will help you reach your goals — and that may include doing both. For instance, if your goal is weight loss, you’ll want to both burn calories and build muscle
Pilates is about balance, and the system was designed to include both mat and reformer practices. “They were created to complement each other
Beside pilates what is your favorite form of exercise?
Fitness is a way of life. No matter what age, exercising should be a part of your daily routine. Fitness is a way of life. No matter what age, exercising should be a part of your daily routine. But which exercises are most suitable to your age. “Don’t skip on cardio when you’re training for strength. Squats, push-ups and planks will whip your body into shape faster than any other form of exercise.” Bodyweight workouts like squats, push-ups, lunges, crunches and planks don’t particularly require any equipment so you can get down to those in the comfort of your home.
Hacks to lose belly fat.
Having belly fat not only means having an unappealing body, it also signals higher risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. Thus, losing belly fat will make you have a better physical appearance and will also make you healthier and live longer. A combination of healthy diet and regular exercise is required to reduce belly fat.
Including a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables in meals. There are numerous benefits of eating seasonal foods, including protection from seasonal flu and infections. Try to include a lot of good fat, proteins and complex carbs in the meal
A lot of vegetable in the form of smoothies. Avocado seems to be one of her favorite ingredients for a healthy green smoothie. This breakfast smoothie contains kale, avocado, banana, spinach, Greek yogurt, orange, chia seeds and is topped with unsweetened coconut flakes.
It’s always a synergy between you eating well, getting in couple of consistent workouts a week and these little tricks that do wonders for your gut which eventually lead to you reaching your goals.”
“I don’t like the word diet. I think we all are smart and making smart food choices is a lifestyle change. I only educate my clients on which food is good and we all know that fried, sweet and alcohol is bad so we should avoid them”
Message for our viewers on our 16th Anniversary who are targeting weight loss.
- Move: Be active throughout the day take the stairs, walk around the office just move
- Eat smart: We all know what foods to avoid like sweets, fried etc and eat healthy lots of veggies, fruit, lean protein and good fats
- Strength Train: Even own body weight exercises you don’t need to go to the gym
- Hydrate: You need to drink 8 – 10 glasses of water most people don’t know but if you are thirsty that means your body is already dehydrated so keep drinking water.
- Attitude: Be positive and believe you can do it and you will!