Health in Motion

Merry Christmas from all of us at Health In Motion

The holidays are here but that doesn't mean you should stop moving!

Make sure to visit one of our Pilates classes to keep you motivated throughout the festive season.

The obliques, which run along the sides of your core, are important for rotational movements, bending from side to side, and protecting your spine.

Strengthening them, specifically, a few days per week is a great idea for your overall health. Our Pilates classes are a great way to get those obliques working!

A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health." - Dalai Lama

Pilates is used as a form of physical therapy to help people recover from injuries and manage chronic pain. The method can help improve flexibility, range of motion, and muscle strength, while also promoting relaxation and stress relief.

The Pilates ring can help engage the muscles around your hips, including the hip abductors (outer thighs), hip adductors (inner thighs), glutes, and hip flexors.

When the Pilates ring is placed between the legs or ankles, and you squeeze it, you create resistance that works the outer hip muscles (hip abductors). These muscles are crucial for maintaining proper hip alignment and stability, which is essential for overall hip health.

Hobbies aren’t just a way to pass the time. They can also improve the quality of your life. To squeeze more activity into your life, take up a hobby that involves being active.

Unlock a stronger, more balanced you with lateral flexion!

- Stability: Sculpt those abdominal obliques, pelvis, and inner thighs for rock-solid core stability.
- Strength: Build core strength like never before, focusing on those abdominal obliques.
- Mobility: Enhance shoulder joint mobility and embrace lateral movements for a more agile, versatile body.

Experience the transformative power of lateral flexion – a holistic journey to stability, strength, and mobility!

Love your body and celebrate its uniqueness, its strength, and its resilience. Take time to nurture it with nourishing food, invigorating movement, and soothing self-care. Create a mindset that radiates confidence and acceptance.

Ready to transform your fitness routine? Say hello to Reformer Pilates – the ultimate fusion of strength, flexibility, and balance!

- What's the Reformer?
It's not your average workout equipment! It is a sleek machine with a gliding platform, adjustable springs, and ropes. It's all about controlled movements and resistance, giving you a low-impact, high-results workout.
- Dynamic Movements: Reformer Pilates engages your core, sculpts muscles, and improves posture – all while being gentle on your joints.
- All Fitness Levels: With customisable spring tension and endless exercise variations, you can work at your own pace and level.
- Guided Expertly: We'll help you find the perfect balance between strength and flexibility, unlocking your body's full potential.

Discover a workout that's not just a routine, but a holistic experience for your body and mind. Transform the way you exercise – try Reformer Pilates today!

It is common to hear that Pilates will strengthen our core but did you know that it also strengthens your feet?

That is because, like functional strength training (hello, pushups), Pilates works out your entire body – including your feet. Look at it like you are getting more bang for your buck – you are working it all at once!

If you're looking to:
- Increase flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back.
- Develop whole-body coordination.
- Improve strength and control in the abdominals.
- Develop spinal articulation.
- Strengthen the gluteal and hamstring muscles.
- Improve spinal alignment by cultivating balance in the back muscles.

Then why not join us for one of our Pilates classes where we can target those back muscles? Get in touch.
+27 82 871 6796

Don’t get stuck in a rut.

Your body (and soul!) will eventually rebel and your weight-loss will plateau. Switch around your exercise routine occasionally to keep your body guessing and to ensure that you are targeting all muscle groups.

Try one of our Pilates classes to get your body moving!

It's okay to take time for yourself. We give so much of ourselves to others, and we need to be fuelled both physically and mentally. If we are in balance, it helps us in all our interactions.

Lunges increase muscle mass to build up strength and tone your body, especially your core, butt, and legs. Strengthen and tone your muscles with one of our pilates classes - get in touch and book a class.

Did you know that Pilates can actually correct that slouch: through carefully focusing on specific movements, Pilates stretches the muscles surrounding the spine and people can literally end up taller.

Pilates is a great way to work your back and your abs.

The rollover move is a fantastic way to activate your abdominals, it stretches your back muscles and hamstrings all while opening up the spine.

If you are ready to start your pilates journey, get in touch!

Pilates ensures you focus on precise and controlled movements. It promotes body awareness, concentration, and mindful movement, fostering a sense of harmony between the body and mind.

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.
- Thomas Merton

Don't be afraid to try something completely different when it comes to exercise! Life is always about experiencing different things and that should be the same for your workouts!

Have you thought about trying out Pilates? Pilates is a great way to help tone and improve your posture, whilst also encouraging you to identify and work within the limits of your body.

Pilates is a great way to work many different muscles!

This movement is called the butterfly tilt and it works the obliques, abdominals, shoulder girdle muscles, hip rotators and extensors
This movement stretches the chest, shoulders and back.

Click the link in our bio to view our available classes

Meet Carrie Stretton!

Carrie studied Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy in Boston, USA. She works with professional athletes, sports teams and has been blessed to travel all over the world.

Carrie's treatment approach is unique in having an individual focus on each patient, their lifestyle, sport, sleeping patterns and daily biomechanics.

If you're looking to get the most out of your physio session, please send us an email at [email protected] or send us a DM.

Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

It produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression.

Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.

Pilates is great for toning the back of one’s legs and during our seated leg workouts on the chair, you can tighten and lift glutes while working your abdominal and back muscles. Results like these can be seen after consistent sessions.

Get in touch to find out about our Pilates classes.

It's okay to take time for yourself.

We give so much of ourselves to others and we need to be fuelled both mentally and physically.

When Joseph H. Pilates developed his exercise method, the original name was “Contrology”.

Pilates is very much about control; controlling your body’s movements, moderating your breathing, performing the moves in the right order (choreography), and using the equipment properly. As you progress in your training, though, the movements become more familiar, your breath comes easier, and you can perform the choreography without much thought. With practice, you become stronger and more flexible, and you also become much more controlled.

This Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day. Thank you to all the wonderful women in our lives, who have been there to guide us and to help us through our daily lives.

Did you know that during pregnancy pilates is great for posture improvement, improvement of joint movement, flexibility, relief of stress, and improved body strength, balance, and muscle tone. Prenatal pilates exercises engage the entire body by accenting the core muscles, including the obliques, abdominals, and Kegel muscles.

If you need more information, please get in touch!

Take time to invest in yourself. Join us for our Pilates classes and get yourself a little "YOU" time.