Before starting any new exercise regime it is important to be sure you are fit enough and will not cause yourself harm. Our advice to any new student is to have a medical check up by your doctor. Explain in detail to them what you propose to do and make sure they are happy for you to get started.

To prepare for Pilates, it's useful to consider clothing, equipment, location and so on. It’s actually very easy to make a start, so don’t be put off.

Where to Exercise

You will benefit from finding a quiet space to exercise in. If possible, try and shut yourself away in an area which is free of clutter and distractions, where you will not be disturbed. Ideally, it would be helpful to exercise in front of a mirror (full length if possible) so you can check your technique. Part of the advantage of MyPilatesClub, is the fact that you can take the lessons anywhere you happen to be. So long as you have some private space, this can be at home, at work or in a hotel while travelling.

What to Wear

Gone are the days of worrying about the "right" designer trainers or sports gear to wear. You're not at the gym now! Just try and choose some clothes that are comfortable to exercise in, but not too baggy. A T-shirt and leggings or shorts are ideal. Will you look a mess? Who cares!? No one will see you. Footwear is another easy choice. The answer is ideally none at all unless your health professional has recommended you wear orthotics to train. Socks are not a good idea on slippery floor surfaces, but are OK on carpet. It's also best to tie back long hair and remove jewellery.If you are in your office for example, it may not be practical to change out of your work clothes. However, we have devised some excellent workplace exercises that you can do in your normal clothes. Just shed the excess attire such as jackets, shoes and perhaps ties.

Equipment

You can get started with no equipment at all. However, as a bare minimum you will need to exercise on a thick, soft carpet and you are likely to need a folded towel to place under your head in many exercises. It will soon be appreciated however, that some further equipment is very helpful to your progress and is essential to certain exercises. The main items are:

1. Pilates exercise mat
2. Stability ball
3. Chi ball (or pilates mini ball)
4. Flat exercise cushion
5. Wobble board
6. Foam roll

Some more advanced equipment includes the following:

1. Exercise bands
2. Pilates ring
3. Balance trainer
4. Rotator disc
5. Wrist weights
6. Ankle weights

Really helpful postural assistance and even pain relief can be derived from the use of equipment such as:

1. Seat wedge
2. Back roll
3. Ergonomic mouse mat
4. Keyboard tray
5. Laptop riser

Don't worry about what all these pieces of equipment are at this time. It's not essential to get too hung up on them initially. Just make sure you have a really good mat and a towel to start. We'll introduce you to the rest of the equipment as we progress with the training. None of the equipment is expensive either. Although you should not buy anything that seems too cheap. If the price looks too good to be true, then it's just not worth the risk of buying junk. We are trying to source good quality equipment at a fair price to pass on to you, or to point you toward. This is quite easy for us here in the UK, but we appreciate that a great many students are in the US, Canada, other parts of Europe, Asia and so on. Bear with us and we'll let you know more soon.

When to Exercise

Subscribing to www.mypilatesclub.com is a great way to provide you with the freedom to choose exactly when you wish to exercise. Here is some basic guidance though to help you select your moment:

1. Are you a "morning person"? If so then, that can be a pretty good time to exercise. It can tend to charge you up ready to take on the rest of the day. This is not for everyone though and it is good to select a time of day that suits your energy levels and the availability of clear space in your routine. However, don't make the mistake of allowing everything else in your daily routine to take priority, otherwise your Pilates practice will not get done and you will become discouraged. Pilates can be a life changing experience. You deserve to reap the rewards and so you must give it fair priority in your day.
2. Pilates can be great to help you unwind at the end of a busy day.
3. Avoid exercising too late in the evening as this may disturb your ability to "switch off" and get to sleep.
4. Exercising during the day (even in the office) can be an excellent way to relieve stress and stretch the body out of those terrible tense postural contortions you've been in all day! Think this is an exaggeration? Just try some of the Pilates at Work exercises we have put on video for you and feel how your body unwinds out of its tense, knotted self!
5. Best not to exercise within an hour of eating. Leave it say 1—2 hours if you can.
6. Don't exercise if you are unwell.
7. Do NOT exercise after drinking alchohol or taking sleeping tablets or after taking other medication that could make you drowsy or affect your balance.

How Often and How Much to Exercise?

Remember that with Pilates, it's all about quality and not quantity. The key concept is to concentrate hard and carefully undertake each exercise movement with great care. Our video guidance will put you through a carefully structured routine. This should be followed all the way through. Pilates is not really a process that you can throw together as a series of random small moves. If you are given a particular exercise to practise within a session, our video coach will generally guide you through the repetitions live on the video. Occasionally, you may be given some exercises to practise and unless otherwise indicated, try to repeat 5-8 times.

Never attempt to do what you find a strain. You are clearly not ready if you find an exercise that difficult. Drop back a class and gradually approach the level of exercise again over another week or however long it takes you to progress.

Pilates instructors vary in their advice about how often you should practice sessions in a week. Some would say every day for example. A lot will depend upon your own level of fitness. We would tend to suggest practising the exercise routines we give you in the video classes 3 to 4 times per week. Days off between sessions are good. Each video class is likely to require about two to three weeks practice before it would be appropriate for you to move on to the next. Again, this will vary with each individual, but it is essential that you do not rush through the lessons. Pure Pilates training is NOT a race! Try and practice enough to get masterful at each session within two to three weeks. Any less would concern us that you are being hasty.

What should you do on your days off from Pilates practice? Rest is one important exercise — relaxation is often overlooked and we will consider this further elsewhere on the website. Another important activity for whole body health is some cardio-vascular exercise. Brisk walking is a great routine to get into. Half an hour every day would be excellent. Perhaps an hour of swimming on some of your days off from Pilates could be readily accommodated within your daily programme.

Preparation to Start an Exercise Routine

What are the basic processes necessary to achieve a great Pilates session? Here are a few key factors to bear in mind before starting any form of exercise routine.

1. Hydrate and stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. A good 8 glasses (about 2–2.5 litres) is our basic daily requirement for good health. Drink before and during exercise.
2. Warm up. Failure to warm up properly is a great way to injure yourself. Ask any athlete or sportsperson! Pilates is a gentle form of exercise and some of the exercises constitute a warm up routine in themselves. They are all about gentle stretching and small controlled movements. However, if you are to start a routine to work your core muscles, a warm up routine is very helpful to get your muscles and joints mobilized and generally loosened up. Each coaching video will be constructed to warm you into and out of the routine.
3. Take your time. Remember, Pilates is all about care and control in movement. There are no prizes for finishing quickly! Concentrate on every aspect of each move. This is the way to perfect the optimum physical benefit but also the way to relieve stress through total mental immersion in the routine.
4. If you are not feeling well do not exercise. If you feel pain during a routine—Stop.
5. Practice your breathing prior to starting the routine. We will not necessarily do this with you at the beginning of the coaching videos. It is something you should work on generally from time to time and prior to your practice session. Remember deep breaths through the nose, filling the sides of the lungs deep and full to the bottom (not just puffing your ribs out as you gulp air into the top of your lungs). Then exhaling calmly through the mouth. Try this as often as you can outside of your normal exercise times, so the Pilates style of breathing becomes second nature.