In the 1920s, Pilates moved to the US and opened a clinic in New York City. It soon became a favourite of the dancers and choreographers Martha Graham and George Balanchine, who brought in members of the New York City Ballet. A popular therapy for dancers wanting to work around their injuries, the low-impact exercise system also had early devotees in Hollywood stars like Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall. In recent years, with the lean, youthful look in vogue, Pilates has been picked up by modern celebrities like Madonna and Uma Thurman.
A SHORT HISTORY OF BODY MAINTENANCE
At the time Pilates was created, society was on the whole more active. Many of today’s common injuries are a result of our modern lifestyles. Sitting hunched over our desks and having to engage in repetitive movements on computer keyboards, for example, contradict the physiological needs of the human body and create an imbalance. To address these debilitating afflictions of contemporary stress, I knew I had to expand and enhance the basic principles of Pilates.
I began developing Body Maintenance in 1980, initially studying with Alan Herdman, who first brought Pilates to the UK. While continuing my Pilates studies during frequent trips to New York City, I became aware of the extensive research being carried out on the human body. I began looking at the way physiotherapists were working, particularly at the New York City Ballet, with Physio Balls and Dynabands.
Building on a Pilates foundation, I began to incorporate methods from a wide variety of sources, including Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais and even osteopathy, as well as remedial massage and injury clinics. Integrating nutrition and mental improvement with controlled exercise, I created my unique system of bodywork which I call Body Maintenance.
Over the past 15 years in my own studio, I have worked successfully with people who have suffered from a variety of modern infirmities: RSI (carpal tunnel syndrome), chronic back pain (some of which stems from spinal surgery), HIV-related problems, aerobic sprains, extreme obesity, even low self-esteem.
Body Maintenance differs from other forms of exercise because it initially focuses on posture. Good posture is vital in realigning the body, which can have you looking and feeling taller, slimmer and more well toned. Body Maintenance doesn’t build bulk, but strengthens weak muscles and stretches out tight ones. You can concentrate on one part of the body without straining another.
Body Maintenance recognizes that exercise is truly effective when you synchronize thought and action. Mentally focusing on the muscle you are using in each exercise is essential. This mind–body technique is the main principle of Body Maintenance. In order to create a fit and healthy body, you need to integrate the mental, physical and spiritual spheres.
Many people, particularly women, do not have a positive body self-image. Using 10-Minute Pilates with the Ball can help you achieve the body you want and are comfortable with, not the body you think you ‘should’ have. All too often we are held hostage to images we see in glossy magazines, and imagine they are preferable to the body we’ve got. I find this unrealistic, even dangerous. We should acknowledge and appreciate our own bodies and work with what we are given. We do have the ability to transform ourselves, to reduce our self-imposed limitations and tap into our potential – using my Body Maintenance techniques in a daily routine will stretch both your body and your mind.
CORE STABILITY
One reason why Physio Balls are an essential tool in Body Maintenance is that exercising with them increases core stability. This is the utilization of the abdominals and the muscles in the spine to create postural integrity that will give you the posture and balance of someone who is much younger and more confident. Better posture and balance helps you to exude vitality and youthfulness.
On the unstable surface of a Physio Ball, the body works harder to achieve the internal stability you would normally get from doing basic abdominal exercises. When my older, more mature clients work on a ball, they unconsciously employ the many muscle groups that we normally don’t use to support the body. I believe that the exercises in Body Maintenance really do reverse the effects of gravity and ageing.
Physio Balls also strengthen your ‘proprioceptive awareness’ – a popular concept in dance and bodywork. This is the unconscious link between mind and body, the physiological connection between the brain and the body. For example, if your proprioceptive awareness is developed and you slip on the street, you’re more likely to regain your balance than to lose it. Tripping or falling happen because the lack of co-ordination between your mind and body has increased your chances of losing your balance. The Body Maintenance system of controlled, focused exercise works on strengthening your proprioceptive awareness. Without thought or analysis, the body corrects itself to avoid any mishap or misstep.
The use of Physio Balls in my Pilates-based studio or with a good personal trainer will greatly enhance a return to general fitness and agility.
The very essence of Body Maintenance is to harness your thinking to bring about positive changes in your body. By concentrating on a limited number of slow repetitions, you direct your energy towards what you want to achieve. You allow your mind to exert a greater influence over your body. Positive thoughts bring about positive changes.
It is necessary to complement each physical exercise with a mental focus. By practising creative visualization regularly, you gradually develop the intellectual and emotional ability to internalize the physical changes you wish to make. Once you do this, the external changes will start to appear.
Body Maintenance is based on lengthening and stretching the body to its full potential. This eventually creates a longer, leaner shape, increased flexibility and a suppleness that promotes greater ease of movement. These exercises concentrate on strengthening weak muscles and stretching those that are tight and constricted. What you really want is a body in which strength and flexibility complement each other. It is possible to re-structure yourself totally.
This is not, however, just a matter of getting your body to make the right moves. An integral part of Body Maintenance is the way you perceive each exercise.
This is where attitude and creative imagery come in. Every time you work through a sequence of movements, it is essential that you envision what it is you want to achieve. Having a mental picture in your mind helps your body to respond in the right way. This not only makes the whole process more stimulating, but also makes the effect of each exercise much more powerful.
Initially it may take a while to understand fully the mechanisms involved. I always tell a new client to expect to do only about 30 percent of what he or she will eventually be capable of doing. Concentrating on the moment will make it possible to remember more each time you practise. It takes about 10 sessions to really comprehend this technique.
Body Maintenance is one of the few forms of exercise that gets progressively more difficult, but the results are worth it. In time you will look taller, slimmer and more toned.
MIND