Stick with your resolutions and get a fresh start of the year with Chloe’s Pilates
As January nears it’s end, many of our new years resolutions can become a distant memory; “wake up before 7 am”, “work out before breakfast” and “eat less” will slowly begin to fall by the wayside. A recent survey found that whilst 82% of the public strives to improve their wellbeing as part of their new years resolution, 45% have given up on their exercise regimes by the end of January. But come on now, we might agree that working out before breakfast is only for magical gods and goddesses who possess power beyond our wildest dreams, but we’re not one of those people who give up on their resolutions are we?
Renowned for sculpting a strong, lean frame, Pilates is the secret behind getting that gorgeous Hollywood body, with devoted fans including Kate Hudson, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus and Cameron Diaz. Always on the look out for new ways to motivate ourselves into better health, we caught up with Pilate’s specialist Chloe, of Chloe’s Pilates, at The Lomax Way in the heart of Chelsea to get her expert advice on how to stick to your goals this January.
Whilst activities like Pilates, which focus on core strength rather than cardio, are generally not the top of the list for weight loss, building up strong core muscles is intrinsic to developing a lean frame. “Pilates is great for everyone. Whether you’re pregnant, injured, old, an athlete, a weight trainer or a dancer,” Chloe explains. “Depending on your body and what you are trying to achieve, you can gain so much from taking up Pilates, including an improvement in your overall body strength, flexibility and posture, coordination, stability and balance. The precise and controlled movements will target specific muscles especially your local stabilising muscles making it an effectible body-sculpting workout.”
Whilst personal trainers are a go-to when wanting to up the ante in the gym, Pilates often is thought of solely as a class activity. However, stood at the back of a full class, it can be easy to get a little lost and just as a personal trainer can develop a program specific to your needs, a one-on-one session with Chloe focuses directly on you. “All my clients have different goals ranging from injury rehabilitation to sports performance and everything in between. A one-to-one session will focus entirely on the client’s goals and personalise a result driven program for them. And if I am right by their side, it will encourage them to stick at it!”
We’ve all had those moments during a group class where we’re in a certain pose thinking “this is rather easy,” only for an instructor to readjust us so we’re correctly working our muscles; that is when the burn kicks in. With an instructor focused on you, your entire session will be spent working those muscles, rather than working out the pose. “Not only will you build long, lean muscles by combining exercise and stretching, a dynamic session will deliver cardiovascular conditioning benefits, therefore helping you burn fat and lose weight,” the Pilates instructor explains.
An independent, West London based Stott certified Pilates teacher, Chloe offers sessions at the beautiful Lomax Bespoke Fitness, Nutrition and Wellbeing centre in Chelsea or within the comfort of your home, allowing you to easily work sessions into your schedule. Combining a mixture of classical Stott Pilates and dynamic Pilates, which uses small equipment and increases intensity by use of repetition, a programme will be developed specifically for your needs. As well as floor work, a session at The Lomax Way can also incorporate the Reformer, a frame with a sliding platform that allows high or low resistance to challenge arm, abdominal and leg strength. Chloe is also trained in Total Barre, which combines elements of Pilates, dance and cardio for a high octane workout and the TRX suspension trainer, which uses suspended straps to leverage gravity and your body weight to perform a series of exercises, allowing her to offer a variety to her sessions, ensuring you will never get bored or complacent!
Whilst we would all like an insider’s secret to achieving optimum fitness, Chloe’s advice is surprisingly simple. “Firstly, be realistic with your goals and don’t set ones that if you fail you will end up hating yourself. Secondly, focus on adding things into your life rather than taking away or reducing. I promise this will help you stick to your resolutions!”
For more information you can visit www.chloespilates.com or contact her on 07748 654 999 or email chloe@chloespilates.com
Photo courtesy: Julia Fougstedt
