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      • Testimonials - Client Feedback
  • About Pilates
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Why Every Runner needs Pilates in their Life! 

27/8/2015

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Whatever motivates you to run, every runner of every level should consider incorporating Pilates into their program. Yes, it’s an hour spent on a mat indoors when you could be out on a trail or track, but it’s also one of the best ways to insure your body against injury incurred through pounding the pavement (or whatever your terrain of choice is!) and breathe longevity into your running career.  

Now be honest, who hasn’t taken time out to allow an injury to “settle”. It often includes a few trips to the physio for a short-term fix by way of manual manipulation, sometimes to be doled out with a handful of exercises that bare an alarming resemblance to…Pilates!  Now don’t get me wrong, Physiotherapists and Osteopaths are highly trained medical professionals and are worth their weight in gold. When you as clients come to us Pilates teachers with ongoing aches and pains we refer you to the physio for a diagnosis and await their instruction as to what we can/can’t do with you. But wouldn’t it just be simpler if you didn’t get injured in the first place?! This is how regular Pilates practice can help and it’s really very simple…

  • Strengthen and improve endurance of key muscle groups that propel you forwards i.e. hip extensors (so hamstrings and glutes, glutes, glutes!) but also hip abductors, adductors and flexors. The fine balance between these muscles is key and an imbalance can cause wear and tear and eventual injury.  More on injuries in my next blog post!
  • Increase range of movement (ROM) of  hips, knees and ankles – strong muscles are essential but they must be at optimal length in order for the full ROM of the joints to be utilised in the way necessary to perform the desired activity. The ROM of a joint is also influenced by (amongst a number of things!) the relative length of tendons and ligaments. A joint that doesn’t move in the right way due to overly shortened or lengthened soft tissues will be subject to wear and tear in some way until symptoms of injury present. Pilates works muscles through dynamic stretching, so you mimic movement and seek to increase ROM over several repetitions.  Muscles are supple and the body is agile, ready to move!
  • Strong muscles and an optimal ROM are all very well but not so if you have a trunk made of cotton wool. The point of running is to propel the body forwards in space and to run efficiently at any pace your legs need something to work against. A stable trunk and pelvis are vital.  By reducing inefficient, energy-zapping movement of the torso you will stay upright for longer and retain energy to fuel working limbs. You’ll also be less likely to incur injury (as joints moving inappropriately can result in soft tissue damage)! The faster you go or the longer you run the more crucial it is to be stable. Pilates exercises are renowned for working the “core”; deep stabiliser muscles (i.e. transverse abdominis and multifidus) that help maintain posture over long periods. Running is incredibly dynamic though, so even effective deep stabilising muscles alone won’t save you once huge forces are transmitted through your body. Larger superficial muscles are needed too, such as rectus abdominis (to stop your torso extending when running forward) and erector spinae (to minimise leaning forwards!). Pilates works both of these muscle groups too. Watch video footage of any elite runner and you will see their torso stays remarkably vertical: the movement comes from the hips, knees and ankles. Finally and for the same purpose, trunk and pelvic rotation and lateral flexion should be minimised. Again Pilates exercises seek to promote stability in these areas whilst the legs are in motion. Result: a stable, balanced torso and with energy saving and injury reduction benefits. Simple!
  • Learn to breathe effectively and improve oxygen flow to working muscles. Pilates teaches lateral/diaphragmatic breathing which encourages expanding the ribs outwards so as to promote maximum air intake into the lungs, whilst maintaining a stable spine.  It also promotes a feeling of calm, unity between mind and body and helps to release unwanted tension 
Pilates works the whole body and instils good biomechanics. You develop a finely tuned proprioceptive awareness (of where your body is in space) that can only serve to improve your performance of any sport. A regular Pilates class will work all of the above but a good Runners-specific Pilates course will really target these muscle groups and promote unity when you run. And just like running, you get out what you put it. Pilates exercises takes time to master and even longer to appreciate. Its subtle in its method but by god it works!    

Don’t wait to get injured, start practicing now! My new “Pilates for Runners” course launches Monday 14th Sept 2015. Bookings now open!  
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New Autumn Timetable, TWO new venues! 

20/8/2015

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It’s been work in progress for some weeks now, but finally (!), the new autumn timetable is here! There are lots of new classes to choose from (and more on these later), but my biggest news is that I’ve found TWO new venues! 

I’m delighted to offer My Local Pilates classes at London Fields Yoga (Arthaus, Richmond Rd. Hackney, just off Mare St.) and Discover Children’s Story Centre, Stratford (on the High St). Both venues will launch in full swing with a series of FREE taster classes between Monday 14th and Friday 18th September.   

London Fields Yoga is a beautiful, spacious and light filled studio. They’ve been kind enough to provide studio space for My Local Pilates to hold Pilates classes in the centre of Hackney. I simply love the location: a short stroll from Broadway Market, London Fields and the lido (where you’ll always find on a sunny day!), it’s housed in the same building as my very fave restaurant Raw Duck www.rawduckhackney.co.uk. The food is innovative and inspiring but the selling point for me is the vast selection of natural and biodynamic wine (untampered with and must for anyone that is otherwise wine intolerant – more on this soon!!). It’s also home to “Fix”, a Physiotherapy, Osteopathy and Sports Massage practice. These guys “fixed” me before I did Run Hackney last year so I highly recommend them! www.fixlondon.co.uk. In addition to daily yoga classes, London Fields Yoga also host a variety of holistic therapies from mindfulness meditation to massage. There’s also a sauna for use (I suspect between classes that’s where you’ll find me!). Yoga, meditation and massage is all bookable through their own website www.londonfieldsyoga.co.uk. For Pilates you need to book through me!

Discover Children’s Story Centre is a really unique space and aside from being the most imaginative, exciting and engaging centre for children (if you’ve got kids you should take them along!), they also house a number of awesome studios for public hire, including one with softly changing coloured led lights –Pilates is never going to seem the same again! It’s also right in the centre of Stratford, with its numerous and easy transport links and a stone’s throw from world class shopping, eating at drinking and nearby Westfield.   Amongst my new 45 minute “classes for busy office workers” on offer at Discover, I’ll be holding a 45 minute “Pilates for Parents” class (bring your baby!); an open level class for mum’s, dads and anyone else left in charge of a little one for the day. It’ll be a great chance to come and see the centre and have a workout too!


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#EatWellLiveWell

3/8/2015

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Anyone that knows me well can vouch for my increasing obsessiveness to eat clean. After years of ongoing IBS and migraine, coupled with an eternity researching the whys and wherefores, I’ve finally come closer to understanding my body and its gripes! My own journey led me to a relatively unknown intolerance to sulphur and its derivatives (which for some poor souls can be a severe allergy resulting in anaphylaxis). I’ll say how I found out in another post (you’ll like the story I promise!), but for now what I'll say is that it’s frankly a right pain. Sulphur and sulphur containing substances are used to preserve pretty much most things that comes in a packet, tin, jar, bottle, vacuum pack.  That includes “healthy” foods like organic tinned tomatoes, pulses, lentils, chickpeas and dried fruits as well as perhaps more obvious suspects like sweet chilli sauce, ketchup, jams, mayonnaise. It also affects wine, cider, beer, soft drinks, posh cordials… the list is endless. Thankfully mine is an intolerance, so ingesting these things isn't going to kill me, but within a week of weaning myself off Heinz Tomato ketchup (which has featured highly in my mealtimes since I was on solids) and some other higher sulphite-containing culprits I already felt like a different person. 

I now work for myself which makes juggling Pilates teaching and eating clean a whole lot easier. I have tomatoes growing in the garden and can’t wait to make my own ketchup. My one weakness is still my sweet tooth, and a penchant for proper bread slathered in posh jam (yes I know it’s just sugar!!). I daresay I read this recipe somewhere but I’ve been mashing fresh berries together with a few tablespoons of chia seeds, so massive right now due to the high fibre, protein, omega 3 and anti-oxidative properties. This homemade “jam” seems to keep for a couple of weeks if refrigerated in a sterile airtight jar. It’s low GI and the Chia seeds are also a great way to help your body retain water and stay optimally hydrated since they absorb up to 27 times their weight in water, which can turn a soupy mess of crushed berries into something you can spread.  It’s great served on porridge, Greek yogurt (the proper stuff, with up to 10.6g protein/100g) or my favourite; homemade sourdough bread.  Try other fruit combos too - strawberries, raspberries, whatever’s in season! 

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    published by Sam White, pilates teacher, runner, newbie rower, qualified ski instructor and lover of the good things in life, like homemade  brownies, natural wine and peanut butter!

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  • Home
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    • HBC Community Centre, Homerton
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    • Initial Assessment
    • Private Classes
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      • Sam White - Founder and Principal Teacher
      • Danai Pappa
      • Sophie Balaam
      • Caroline Kinch
      • Emma Illingworth
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