An expert has revealed how a 100-year-old form of exercise can promise a "completely new body" and make you look and feel much younger.
Ageing is a natural process, but if you want to take action and feel your best as you get older, adopting a certain fitness regime that promotes healing and regeneration could help you achieve this.
That exercise is Pilates, which strengthens your muscles and gets you moving while also having plenty of anti-ageing benefits. It's also low-intensity and low impact, making it accessible for people of almost all abilities to take up.
To help people understand how beneficial Pilates can be, instructor Abby McLachlan spoke to the Express and shared how it can act as the ultimate anti-ager.
She said: "Pilates is nearly 100 years old, with origins rooted in healing and rehabilitation.
"It was invented by Joseph Pilates initially to help fellow inmates develop muscle strength at an internment camp on the Isle of Man but now is practised in gyms and boutique studios around the world, including at East of Eden in Walthamstow.
"Like yoga, it is a mind and body practise, matching breath to movement, but in yoga, you use the breath to connect the mind and body to a higher consciousness."
Joseph Pilates himself promised a total transformation in just 30 Pilates sessions: "You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions."
The focuses are on spinal alignment and the small muscles that provide your musculoskeletal system with support.
Although it can be low-impact, Abby warned that anyone suffering from injuries or spinal, or postural issues should consult a qualified Pilates instructor and get signed off by a health practitioner before attending a class.
Similarly, pregnant women should ensure they see a prenatal trained trainer, as some exercises are unsuitable for pregnancy.
Abby continued: "A lifetime of poor posture – hunching over your computer or phone, carrying children and heavy bags on one side – can lead the muscles in your back to become weak and strained, leading to joint and disc issues.
"Pilates concentrates on strengthening the deep postural muscles, raising awareness of how one stands and the general alignment of hips, spine and head.
"This awareness alone can go a long way to improving posture, but the strength built with highly targeted, specific exercises will support the spinal column, in effect future-proofing your body."
According to Abby, Pilates works on supporting the muscles around the spine, including the core and the glutes.
It also helps your joints and makes sure they're surrounded by strong muscles, which could in turn reduce your chances of injury.
She added: "It's a form of exercise that can be done into old age without any negative impact on the body and joints, and helps maintain cognitive ability, balance, bone density as well as spinal health.
"Plus it can improve your sex life at any age through the focus on the pelvic floor (plus increased fitness and endurance) - what's not to love about that?!"
Even better, Pilates can be as "hard or easy as you want", done at home or in a studio, with professional equipment or just a chair or mat - "anyone can do the exercises and benefit from them".
Abby McLachlan is a Pilates teacher and founder of East of Eden.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .
