Many gardeners complain of low back pain after a hard day’s work of weeding or digging. While these tasks potentially require a lot of bending over, many gardeners do not realize that leg strength and flexibility or lack of can contribute to the overall health of your low spine. If there is a lack of flexibility in the hamstrings and hip joints then the action of bending over and flexing the spine places a lot more stress on the lumbar area. Gardening is a great form of exercise and like any form of exercise gardeners should maintain an awareness of posture and good alignment. Pilates can set ..read more

Improving your health during the menopause is essential but it’s just as important to prepare your body for menopause as well as looking after it post menopause. Exercise is the perfect way to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing but as your body experiences the changes that come with menopause you may be unsure what is safe and effective for you. Here are some tips to help you achieve your goals and why Pilates is so valuable. Two significant factors for women going through the menopause is health risk to our cardiovascular system and bone strength. Maintaining physical activity not ..read more

Running is a very high impact sport which places the joints under a lot of stress. It is a great exercise for improved cardiovascular fitness, but when practiced alone, especially in high volumes running can quickly take its toll on the body and niggles and injuries may start to appear. Pilates is an excellent choice of complimentary training for a runner as it’s low impact so will not place the body under further stress while strengthening the important core stabilizing muscles and help maintain good biomechanics under fatigue. Over time Pilates exercises can help by activating the lazy muscl ..read more

As the evenings grow darker and the frosty weather closes in, the spreads of delicious food begin to fill your tables. Winter is the perfect time to take up Pilates, and here’s why: Boost Mood and Relieve Stress The darkness that comes along with winter can often overwhelm your mental health. With common conditions such as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) becoming ever present when the dark nights get longer, the endorphins released during Pilates can have a positive effect on mood and stress levels. Avoid Injury Many people become less active as the cold weather arrives, this can lead to mus ..read more

Pilates is well known for helping a bad back, but did you know how helpful Pilates can be if you suffer from shoulder problems? Just like for back issues, we need to look at the whole body to see if we can identify the cause of shoulder pain, discomfort and dysfunction (if you’ve suffered a traumatic injury to your shoulder, then the problem is much easier to identify). A key point to remember if you are suffering is that the major joints in our bodies alternate in their need for stability and mobility. If we start at the feet, the ankle joint is designed for mobility. Working upwards, this me ..read more

Unlike other sports which involve fast movements and cardio fitness, in horse riding the postural adjustments are subtle and require strength and endurance – a slow continuous demand on the stabilizing system. It takes a different fitness to stand or sit in one position for many hours rather than to move around constantly, as the body fatigues more easily in static postures than dynamic ones. Many riders spend countless hours schooling their horses and fixing their imbalances, but don’t look at themselves. Horse and rider are a combination. When training off the horse, we need to look at your ..read more

Improving your health during the menopause is essential. Exercise is the perfect way to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing but as your body experiences the changes that come with menopause you may be unsure what is safe and effective for you. Here are some tips to help you achieve your goals and why Pilates is so valuable throughout the menopause. Two significant factors for women going through the menopause is health risk to our cardiovascular system and bone strength. Maintaining physical activity not only helps address but also protect against these conditions. It’s important to ..read more

New Beginners 6-week Pilates course Chorley Village Hall, Knutsford Road Alderley Edge. Monday 12.30pm – 1.30pm Class size is limited to ensure close supervision and also to follow Covid guidelines. Beginners classes are always very popular and this will be my only Beginners course in 2022. (at the end of the 6-weeks this class will continue at the same time progressing to an Improver level class) If you would like to book a place please email for further details juleshardman.pilates@me.com ..read more

I always promote Pilates as the ideal exercise for anyone and everyone, however in this post I’m going to focus on women and the menopause. Improving your health during the menopause is essential. Exercise is the perfect way to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing but as your body experiences the changes that come with menopause you may be unsure what is safe and effective for you. Here are some tips to help you achieve your goals and why Pilates is so valuable throughout the menopause. Two significant factors for women going through the menopause is health risk to our cardiovascular ..read more

During the bleak winter months, it’s easy to let outdoor activities slide. Therefore, you need a fun indoor way of exercising that will ultimately help you achieve your goals. But before you jump into Pilates exercises, you might want to take a moment to gain a little insight into what Pilates is (and isn’t), and what makes it unique.Pilates really is a beginner-friendly fitness system. Indeed, the adaptability of Pilates exercises for different body types and fitness levels is one of its primary benefits. There are countless ways to modify and adapt Pilates exercises, depending on your a ..read more