If you are looking to empower yourself with practical ways to manage your pain that doesn't involve medication then these 5 options below are for you.  Dealing with long-term chronic pain can affect you both physically and mentally and rob you of your quality of life.  Feelings of helplessness and vulnerability are normal if you can't see any solution in sight and pain-relief medication becomes your only option.  Everyone has individual needs and it's all about finding what works best for you personally to enable you to take back control of your life.  By familiarising yourself with a variety of reliable options to manage your pain instead of taking medication, you are empowering yourself to be able to stay pain-free and get back to enjoying your life.

Due to the number of questions I've received since my last blog post about foot issues and Pilates, I will delve more deeply into feet in this post and look at why it's so important to maintain strong, flexible feet, especially as we age.  I'll explain why good foot health is essential not only for our feet but for everything above them in our bodies.  I'll also share some simple but effective foot exercises you can start doing straight away and incorporate easily into your daily life.

Why are strong healthy feet so important?

Joseph Pilates instinctively knew that our feet were a neglected part of our bodies that we needed to incorporate into our exercise sessions.  Our feet require as much care and attention as the rest of our bodies so he created specific pieces of small equipment to improve their strength and alignment and most of his exercises include a foot connection.  Feet are complex structures and can be rigid for weight-bearing activities but can also...

While studying to be a Pilates teacher back in 2004 one of my course requirements was to observe experienced Pilates instructors working with their clients.  This was a wonderful learning experience and at one particular studio,  I was in awe of the number of clients who were successfully managing a major health condition thanks to Pilates.  The majority were long-term clients of around 10 - 15 years.  This makes sense because if Pilates was allowing them to live a full, enjoyable life pursuing their passions such as playing with their grandkids, travelling and playing tennis or golf, why would they stop?  I've since had the same experience with my own clients who also discovered that Pilates was their secret weapon against so many preventable conditions and have made Pilates a way of life.  Here are the 4 most common conditions that I help prevent or manage in my studio:

Osteoporosis

Maintaining bone health is not usually a priority for most...

We all need to feel that we have a degree of control over our lives, including our health.  Without this feeling of control, we can have the sense that life is something that is happening to us and we are just accepting whatever comes our way. This is a very disempowering way to live especially if you are dealing with health issues or are currently in pain.  If you feel you are powerless to change your situation, your mental health is also at risk.  Lack of control leads to depression and anxiety and feelings of despair.  Pilates is all about control.  Joseph Pilates originally called his method of exercise "Contrology" and "Control" is one of the original six Pilates principles:

It's hard to believe that 12 years have passed, almost to the day, since Katy first started Pilates with me.  Her Mum had already been doing Pilates for just over 6 months and was seeing great results. She wanted to ensure that Katy improved her posture and reduced her back pain at a young age, so Katy didn't have to deal with these issues, throughout life, as she had.  Katy began her Pilates journey in her early twenties and Pilates has become a way of life for her now.  Having suffered a fall down some stairs during her school years, Katy was left with back pain which had stopped her from participating in some sporting activities and she wondered if she could improve her posture.  She also suffered debilitating foot cramps that came on unexpectedly and were extremely painful.  Katy has a degree of hypermobility in her joints meaning they have a large range of movement.  Many hypermobile people have poor posture because they tend to lock into or...

Maintaining good balance is essential particularly as we age.  I'm passionate about ensuring that all my Pilates clients maintain and challenge their balance constantly during their Pilates training.  In a nutshell, if you aren't actively working on improving your balance regularly you are putting yourself at greater risk of a fall, which could lead to broken bones, paralysis, head injuries and potentially be fatal  This is horrible to think about but is all entirely preventable with balance training in Pilates.  When you focus on it, balance improves very quickly and it can be personally rewarding to see how much progress you can make.  JS Mind Body Pilates my Online Pilates studio incorporates plenty of challenging balance training exercises for all levels, so take the free 10 day trial now to start your training.  Alternatively, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], if you have any questions about...