Monday 22 April 2013

Aren’t we all forgetting about……water!?

In our search for the best sports drinks, our love affair with coconut water (thanks Rihanna) and the influx of information on nutrition, are we forgetting about the cheap, freely available and oldest drink in the book…Water!?
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The body is composed of around 60% water. Almost every process in the body requires/uses up water. This must be replaced! By the time we feel thirsty our body is already dehydrated and the consequences of this are far reaching. On average we lose 6 pints of water a day through sweating, breathing, urination and bowel movements.
The multi-tasker that is water:
  • Speeds up metabolism - Studies have found that drinking water literally burns calories as the body works to warm up the water for use.
  • Regulates body temperature - Particularly important when exercising to reduce overheating.
  • Prevents fatigue – just a 5% drop in body fluids = 25-30% loss of energy. 15% loss = death.
  • Reduces headaches/migraines -the Brain is made up of a huge 90% water! Dehydration causes a drop in blood volume to the brain. Headaches when hungover are due simply to dehydration!
  • Lubricates the lungs during breathing - we lose 1-2 pints of water a day simply breathing.
  • Protects and lubricates our joints - Particularly important in the load bearing spine!
  • Helps flush out toxins and the by-products of fat breakdown - important in protecting the kidneys and liver.
  • Prevents constipation - dehydration causes the body to remove water from the colon leading to hard stools. Embarrassing for all involved.
Symptoms of dehydration:
  • Thirst is the body’s last signal to tell you it needs more water, by this point you are already dehydrated. Don’t leave it this late!
  • Dark urine, which smells. Urine should be almost clear with little to no odour. 
  • Hunger – often when we think we’re hungry we are actually simply thirsty. Try to drink a glass of water before food to help take the edge off and avoid over eating.
  • Fatigue – the body needs water to break down energy stores in the body for use.
  • Dry skin - the skin is approx. 70% water. It will look dull if dehydrated.
Benefits of upping your water intake:
A reduction in all side-effects stated above but my favourite one …..
*Studies suggest it can reduce the risk of bladder and colon cancer due to its toxin removing properties.
Men should aim for around 3 litres per day, ladies 2.5. If exercising aim for a little more.
What more could you want!?
Drink more, live longer. (water that is)


Written by:  Hollie Grant  - Pilates Instructor

Friday 22 March 2013

Welcome to Absolute Pilates



Hi and welcome to the Absolute Pilates Plus blog. 

We plan to use this as a forum to share our knowledge and ideas on living a happy, healthy and fulfilling life. Our expert trainers will all contribute on topics that are of particular interest to them. You can expect to read about such topics as, injury prevention, fluid consumption, nutrition, exercise for pregnancies, exercise technology, some of our favourite tips and tricks and many more informative articles on exercise and well being that our experience and education has taught us.

We hope that this blog becomes a regular source of inspiration, motivation and education for you, and a place you can share with us your questions and experiences.

Just to shed some light on Absolute Pilates Plus I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about us.

The studio is located  on the top 2 floors of a apartment building in Parsons Green, London, UK. It was first opened in January 2010. Since then we have been providing our awesome clientele with a place to come and stretch, tone, strengthen and condition their bodies to their potential bests. Although we have flirted with some other modes of exercise (boxing, kettle bells etc) we have now concentrated our expertise into, stationary cycling, Absolute Spin classes and  reformer based, Absolute Pilates classes and Personal training . We feel these forms of exercise are a perfect match in terms of cardio vascular and calorie burning with postural correction, injury rehabilitation/prevention, flexibility and strengthening. With our powers combined we offer every individual the chance to achieve their individual health and fitness goals. See our testimonials  for some of the super people we have helped so far.

The studio is small in size ( currently 9 reformer beds and 7 spin bikes) but large in personality. We are a fun and lively bunch who get a great deal of enjoyment from the work we do. We have a fantastic clientele who are a real pleasure to work with. We love our work, but even more we love having a good time...

We make great efforts to provide a place where people can come and enjoy their exercise, feel safe yet challenged, educated and inspired. We hope this blog reflects our values and can reach out to those who have similar interests as ours.

Thanks for reading and we really look forward to hearing your feedback, questions, jokes, ideas and experiences on our brand new Absolute Pilates Plus Blog!!

“Smile, people will think you know something.” -Unknown
Written by: Nick Morrison  - Head Trainer.