“Wear something comfortable that you can move around in
easily” was the advice given to me by the clinic, and so I unearthed my
crumpled yoga pants from the back of a drawer. The state of them was testament
to the fact that I haven’t exercised properly for YEARS, and standing in said
pants in front of the supremely fit and healthy looking instructor Mark
Thistlewood was embarrassing to say the least. “I take the dog out for a walk”,
I proffered hopefully, feeling inadequate and ashamed of said wrinkled pants
and my less than toned physique.
For the last nine years Mark has taught Body Control Pilates
to 140 people a week all over North Dorset in village halls, and has started
offering 30 to 60 minute one-to-one sessions at Shaftesbury Chiropractic on Friday
afternoons. A resident of Guy’s Marsh, Mark played double bass with the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for many years and still performs with them on a
part time basis. “Carrying and playing such a big heavy instrument took its’
toll on my posture and joints,” said Mark. “Indeed many musicians end up with
posture and muscle strain issues due to holding their instrument for long
periods of time.” Mark also competed in triathlons, so often suffered with
tight muscles from swimming, running and cycling. He discovered that Pilates
helped him enormously, and as well as training in the discipline himself, he
arranged for a Pilates teacher to go to the BSO and work with the musicians.
Mark works with all ages, one couple he teaches started
coming to him at age 73 and now they’re 80 they are still attending and he’s
seen their fitness levels improve over a decade. His ethos is that we owe it to
ourselves and our loved ones to keep as fit as we possibly can be, throughout
our lives. “When I started with Pilates nobody had heard of it,” said Mark.
“Now I get referrals from GPs, chiropractors, osteopaths, consultants and
surgeons. People’s awareness of Pilates has really improved.”
The beauty of Pilates is that it offers a vast repertoire of
controlled movements, some of which are very subtle – all of which challenge
mind and body either in terms of physical demand or movement skill. Pilates is
a movement exercise method that is learnt rather than 'done'. It is low-impact
(kinder to our joints) and non-aerobic. Movements are performed slowly so that
we can improve accuracy and control, leading to a 'quiet strength' rather than
muscle-bound, and to great improvements in flexibility and spinal comfort. It’s
therefore suitable for rehabilitation after surgery, injury, during pregnancy,
and for any age group. The exercises help the spine move better, reducing lower
back pain; and are very effective with “frozen shoulder” problems.
Mark started me off with basic mat exercises of pelvic
tilts. It’s actually rather complicated, demanding isolation of certain muscles
and a slow uncoiling of the spine rather than simply shoving your bottom up and
down. I had attended aerobics classes in the ‘90s which included some Pilates
exercises; involving imagining a 10p coin in your navel and squeezing all the
stomach muscles around it – the “core stability”, which is the Holy Grail of
fitness. I ask Mark about this but he said as long as I was doing the exercise
correctly, those muscles would be worked, I wouldn’t need to visualise a coin.
It took me about six attempts, but I got it. The breathing rhythm is also
important – I was unconsciously holding my breath, but it’s important to
breathe in time to the exercise, it did take me a while to get the hang of it.
Then I was given a partially inflated ball to place under my head, to help with
neck and head rolls. A lot of tension is locked in the sternum and this
movement really helps to release it, but it needs practise to get it right. The
movement was wonderfully relaxing, especially when simply turning the head from
left to right, so much so that I bought a ball from Mark at the end of the
session, so I can carry on at home.
For those new to Pilates, Mark recommends the book “The
Pilates Bible” by Lynne Robinson, as well as the DVD, alongside attending one
to one sessions and/or classes.
Shaftsbury Chiropractic Clinic is at 3 Bimport, Shaftesbury,
tel 01747 851455, www.shaftesburychiropractic.co.uk.
www.northdorsetpilates.co.uk.