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This photo has absolutely nothing to do with pilates... Apologies. Another apology is for slacking in the "request a post" department. Although I read every blog post request that comes in, it's been a while since I actually followed up with a request. I dig into the folder every now and again but one came in today that made me want to reply straight away.
I started Pilates about 7/8 months ago and my main reason was to strengthen my back. I've always suffered from a bad back and it held me back in sports at school and when I started working after University I really suffered from sitting at desks all day. It's just always been a problem and I once slipped a disk opening the shutters at work! Every time I went to the physio he'd ask what exercises I'd been doing and recommended starting Pilates but I always put it off. My mum has been doing Pilates for six years and always did general exercise classes before that (for about 25 years!) so I joined her class on her recommendation. When Pilates became hugely popular a couple of years ago I was always put off but the idea of "trendy Pilates", classes full of girls in expensive workout gear, drinking healthy smoothies and wearing a full face of makeup. That's fine if you're into it, but it's not for me.
The class I do is local and small, there is usually a maximum of 5 of us in the class and we all turn up makeup free in whatever workout clothes we have. For me the most important thing is that I do the exercises correctly otherwise I will injure my back and there would be no point in doing it. Pilates involves such subtle movements that if you don't do it right, it won't benefit you in the slightest. I work really well in an intimate group where the teacher walks round and assesses each person individuality, making sure they're doing it right and can easily have an overview of the class.
I never really got into Yoga, it's the "be one with yourself" side of things I can't quite handle. Pilates for me is great because it's all about the exercising and building inner strength, it's not really to do with the mind. You definitely get those extra benefits of feeling great and feeling healthy, but that's a result of the strength. The better you get at Pilates, the harder the exercises feel because when you're really using the right muscles, it hurts. It's a bit like when kids try to do sit ups... they make it look so easy! But in Pilates, a sit up is so subtle and when you position your pelvis in the right place and hold in your stomach and bum, it's like you've never really done a proper sit up in your life. All those years paying a gym membership wasted because you weren't doing the exercises correctly.
I have the world's tightest hamstrings, I can't touch my toes, I can't lift my leg up straight, I can't even sit with my legs flat to the ground and my back up straight! When I started I was completely useless and even eight month's later I still struggle a lot, but the improvement is definitely visible. I'm much stronger, my hamstrings are slowly getting there and I can now "roll like a ball" which I could never do before.
Pilates isn't cheap, not if you want a good instructor and especially if you want to do reformer pilates (which uses a machine and is really good!). For me, it's instead of a gym membership so I don't mind paying for it once a week. The great thing about Pilates is that you can do it yourself at home in between classes (I really should start doing that!) but I would recommend if you've never done it before, do a few beginner classes to make sure you're doing it right. There are tutorials online, but I personally worry that without an instructor assessing you, you won't do it right. I often feel like I'm doing it right, but I'm not.
So that's where I'm at with Pilates and I hope this was helpful to those of you thinking of starting. If you have any other questions, tweet me @lilypebbles and if you'd like to request a blog post yourself, send it in here.
Thanks Jenny Louise for requesting this post!
Ask for me for a list of my favourite brands and Jo Malone would definitely be near the top of that list! I tried so hard not to get addicted, it's an expensive hobby, but I've grown up with a mother who almost exclusively wears Jo Malone fragrances... it was bound to happen!
It's not just their fragrances though that draw me in, their body range is beautiful and they have some gorgeous new launches out at the moment. "A Moment for You", their most recent body launch celebrates taking a moment, breathing and just enjoying some alone time. I definitely know how it feels to be addicted to being busy and if there's anything that's going to force me to take a chill pill, it's a long, hard-earned bath! In this range is the Geranium & Walnut Body Scrub mentioned in this favourites video and a new shower oil which is available in three iconic scents.
Let's start with the scrub which I've been using for over a month now and who knew I could get so excited by a scrub?! I like to use this whilst sitting in the bath and it's quite different to some of the harsh scrubs I've tried before. It's incredibly rich and creamy so it doesn't feel that scrubby but it made my skin so soft, I was really surprised. The smell isn't too sweet and has a nice clean scent that lingers on the skin. The 250g tub is HUGE and so I don't think I'll be finishing this any time soon.
The shower oils are new for Jo Malone and they chose to launch with the three scents Blackberry & Bay, Peony & Blush Suede and Lime Basil & Mandarin. I'm not a huge fan of the last two fragrances but Blackberry & Bay is one of my favourites. I love the fragrance and it's perfectly fitting for a shower product. The oil is incredibly luxurious and I love how it makes my skin feel and smell. This is one of those products I've banned Rich from using. It's mine!
Finally, their most recent fragrance launch, Mimosa & Cardamom. Personally this isn't one for me but let me tell you about it anyway, we all have different taste! Mimosa & Cardamom is a "bohemian" scent blending the top notes of Cardamom with the heart of Mimosa and a base note of Tonka Bean. It's spicy and woody with a slight honey scent lingering in there too. I find it to be quite a warm scent, its definitely comforting.
So that's what Jo Malone has been getting up to recently, I hope the little round up was helpful for you. Do any of these new launches take your fancy?
My two favourite primers have been the Too Faced Hangover primer and the Make Up For Ever Hydrating Primer for quite a while now. I reach for one of the two on most days and I find they help to add hydration to my skin as well as prep it for makeup so that my skin doesn't drink up all my foundation. The only problem with both of these primers? Make Up For Ever (£13), despite now being in Debenhams is still quite hard to get hold of and Too Faced is quite pricey (£23). Well there's a reason why Soap & Glory is one of my favourite drugstore makeup brands and they've once again created a great product at a great price.
The One Heck Of A Blot Instant Perfecting Power Primer is a new addition to the One Heck Of A Blot family along with a new liquid foundation that I haven't yet tried. The primer is actually aimed at those with oilier skin types and it aims to control shine and give a slight mattifying finish to the skin. I wouldn't usually go for this kind of product but after giving it a go, it's not quite as mattifying as you expect and it's actually quite similar to my hydrating primers. It's not as 'wet' as my other primers, but has a nice silky feeling and works really well before applying makeup. The Vitamin E gives hydration whilst their Pore-Shrink and Shine-Bloc technology helps combat pores and shine. It's fragrance-free to would be a nice option for those with sensitive skin and at £10 I think it's a really good deal.
Don't let the shine-fighting terminology scare you off, this works well for us dehydrated girls too! Soap & Glory, you've done it again!
