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The View Studio St Andrews

Pilates and Fitness Studio in St Andrews

POST NATAL? 3 Tips on understanding when an abdominal exercise is not suitable for you in class.

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As a Mum I understand that excitement when you finally manage to attend an exercise class ALL BY YOURSELF. Having one hour to yourself, to actual listen to what the instructor is saying…bliss!
As a postnatal qualified instructor I would like to share with you my three top tips for checking whether an abdominal exercise is unsafe when attending a mainstream class.

It’s important for you to observe and understand what your tummy is supposed to look and feel like when you add weight to it in a certain way.
These tips will help you determine if an abdominal exercise is too difficult for you.

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THE FIVE BENEFITS OF BARRE

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1. Strength and definition

Barre Fit Classes
Barre at The View Studio, St. Andrews

When you work your thighs in a Barre Class, you target that muscle group from all angles. Three thigh exercises will work to fatigue the front, inner and outer thighs, strengthening the muscles from joint to joint. The same goes for your abs back glutes and arms. Use of your arms in Barre just holding in 2nd or port de bras is an excellent way to strengthen your shoulders as well as your back. You are also strengthening muscles that are often underused and underdeveloped.

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3 Simple Pelvic Floor Exercises

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EASY PEASY PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES

3 Pelvic Floor Exercises from The View Studio, St. Andrews

It has now been 15 months since I had my son and I have been back teaching and working with pregnant ladies and new mums for 6 months. I have adopted a full body approach to improve my own pelvic floor dysfunction and also when assessing clients.

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MIND OVER MUSCLES

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Are you in control of your movements during your exercise class?

Fundamentals of Pilates Workshop tackling the principles of ControlThe fundamentals of Pilates, the principles underlying this unique form of movement, teach and train individuals to develop control while exercising. The fundamentals, also known as the principles, are the main components of all Joseph Pilates’ exercises, including mat-based and standing exercises.

There are typically 8 principles included in Pilates’ exercise method, all of them helping to improve the effect of the exercise. Control is one of these principles and indeed, Joseph H. Pilates’ book, written in 1945, is titled ‘Return to Life Through Contrology’. [Read more…]

New Year’s Resolutions

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New Years Resolutions you can actually keepNew Year’s Resolutions – we make them, we break them, we guilt ourselves about them – but what if this year we made a resolution that we could feel good about and actually keep?

The truth of the matter is that you can make and re-make resolutions at any time – not just in January! For example, I like to establish or re-affirm my intentions in tune with the lunar cycle, which allows me to continually assess what is and isn’t working for me throughout the year. [Read more…]

How to be Mindful While On Holiday

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Stay Mindful Whilst on Holiday

Going on holiday is supposed to melt all your stress away. Unfortunately, the preparations and unpredictability of holidays can sometimes result in the exact opposite. One way to beat this is through the simple concept of mindfulness – being aware of the present moment and just appreciating it for what it is. As deceptively elementary as it sounds, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a scientifically proven method of combating stress in its many forms. Here are some of the easiest ways to apply the principle of mindfulness in your quest to enjoy your hard-earned time off. [Read more…]

Yoga Express

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Yoga Express at The View studio, St. AndrewsNeed a pick-me-up?  Something that will brighten up your day, make you feel happy and give you more energy?  Just book into Yoga Express at the View on Friday lunch times 12.00 – 12.45pm!  Just 45 minutes can help transform your mood (and your health) in more ways than you can imagine. [Read more…]

Stretch, stretch and stretch.

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3 Reasons to come to my Stretch Class

The importance of stretchingI have trained in a number of styles of dance so have always had the importance of stretch drilled into my head from an early age. The importance, benefits and the safe practise of Stretching really have been part of me since I could basically walk! I base my class on stretches with partners so you can get the full feeling of your full potential of flexibility for all parts of the body. [Read more…]

IS YOGA ACTUALLY A CARDIO EXERCISE?

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Can YOGA really be classed as cardio exercise? 

try a power yoga for a cardio workoutWe feel the cardio workout from yoga, don’t we? But does it really count?

Traditionally this has always been up for debate, but according to a new study the answer is categorically ‘Yes’, as long as you do it fast enough, it is possible for you to burn serious calories equivalent to a light aerobics’ workout. [Read more…]

Another 5 FAQS Abdominal Separation (Part 2)

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Here’s Part 2 of “5 FAQs on abdominal separation”.

Abdominal SeparationI hope you found the previous blog post informative.
I’m often asked about diastasis recti (the medical name for abdominal separation) by postnatal clients and do believe that education is key when it comes to rehabilitating this condition.

Below are 5 more FAQs about abdominal separation, which I’m happy to answer:

WILL THE GAP GET WORSE IF I HAVE MORE CHILDREN?

If your alignment is way off and you have a lot of poor postural traits, then it’s possible that the more pregnancies you have, the wider the gap in your abdominals will remain.  If your diastasis recti wasn’t tested after your first baby, then after subsequent pregnancies, you’re more likely to have a slightly wider gap each time you get pregnant.

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