Pilates

Hi I have been doing Pilates for 2 years now and have started to go twice a week. I also attend a small class up to 10 people which costs £10 but also go to the class in my gym which is 20 people because I have the individual attention at the small class I feel that I am doing it right in the larger class.
My doctor sent me to a physio (osteoarthritus in my hip) and all the exercises he gave me to do were ones that I do in pilates. Core strength helps your back and I feel I have improvement in my flexibility. I have tried Yoga but it involves a lot of standing which I can't do and pilates is mainly lying on the floor. I also have a video and book but not motivated to do it at home although first thing in the morning I do roll downs which gets my back moving.

Think Pippa Middleton and that dress at the wedding, she puts that bottom down to pilates. My husband wants to know why my bottom is not like hers, I think it might have something to do with the 30+ age gap. I would strongly recommend you take it up, it does not use up loads of calories but it is very good for many other things like joints and strength which is also important.

I enjoy Pilates too and attend weekly. My class is a mixture of matwork and reformer [machine which helps provide support with certain exercises though it looks like a torture rack!]. As jackyann says, the emphasis in on core strength, balance and correct movements. I am also in a small class - maximum number is 10 and our instructor is a physio as well as being a trained Pilates instructor which I must admit gives me additional confidence. Our lesson lasts an hour with the first 10 minutes being a fun warm up and the last ten minutes being a very welcome relaxation complete with hot packs and a blanket [in the winter]. I cannot recommend Pilates highly enough. It's helped me no end and age is immaterial. Do give it a whirl.

Yes, I attend a Pilates class once a week - mat pilates which I find excellent. Mainly for core strength and I agree with everything jackyann says. Our class is quite small, but that is 'lucky' for us as some of the classes run by our instructor are 'full to the brim'. When I miss the class for any reason, I really miss it and suffer accordingly! Good luck.

Thank you Jackyann for your helpful answer. I think I'll give it a try, and will look into it and try to find a small class if possible.

Yes HappyGran, I have done for 7 years.
I love walking, but am a bit unco-ordinated & my balance isn't brilliant (!). I had a few ankle problems, and my physio initially suggested tai chi, but I had difficulty with the sequencing.
My physio suggested pilates, emphasising that I should not go to a big class, but one with individual attention. I go to one run by instructors trained in the Body Control Pilates method (not recommending them especially, just stating my experience). The classes are small (6-10) and the instructors very careful. Some people find that they can do a year or so, then do exercises at home. I have great difficulty remembering exercises correctly, and find that after a few weeks, I am getting them wrong (poor proprioception which accounts for my problems above, and is disastrous when trying yoga!)
So I go weekly - it cost £10 a class (where I lived previously it was £7.50)
The emphasis is on core strength, balance and correct movements. Each exercise is done individually (so no sequencing problems) and as the emphasis is on correct movement you are under no pressure to achieve a certain position. Some people in a class will have certain exercises they cannot do, and there has been individual attention about this, so they have a replacement exercise to do at that point.
I have had a total of 3 instructors, all of whom have been very professional and pleasant, although as you can see, I am not an easy pupil!

Having talked to quite a few people about this, it seems that yoga, tai chi & pilates (and possibly the Alexander method?) have similar goals, but that the different methods suit different people. Some of my friends find pilates "dull" - but I find it completely suits me!