With the holidays behind us, January’s colder winter weather and low light can often affect our mood and body clocks. Being consciously aware of how the winter season affects you alongside regular Pilates can help you to beat the blues. Here’s a few tips on how to get you started.

Keep Moving

When the temperature drops outside, the idea of hibernation comes naturally – but it doesn’t have to mean you’re sedentary. There is clear evidence that shows; regular exercise is important for your wellbeing no matter the season. Regular Pilates can be done from the comfort of your own home and can help to improve your mobility and flexibility, reduce the risk of injury and ease back pain. With just 30 minutes of Pilates up to 3x per week you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll begin to feel better.

Strengthen your Immune System

Regular exercise is proven to strengthen your immune system helping to fight off bacterial and viral infections. This is especially important whilst we are still in cold and flu season at this time of year. When you exercise you also aide sleep, boost circulation, and improve your bodies productivity and resilience to illness, exercise needs to be regular for long-term effects.

Boost your Mood

The physical benefits of movement are clear, but the impact on your mental health is just as important. Research shows that after at least 10 minutes of exercise, the brain releases “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing. When we move, our endorphin levels increase, giving us a natural mood boost. In fact, studies show that people who exercise regularly report an easing in symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Be Mindful

Breathing techniques aid in core activation but, they're also a great tool to help calm the mind. If you've been doing Pilates for a while you may have picked up that each exercise requires a specific breathing pattern, which improves the overall effectiveness of the exercise, it helps supply oxygen to your muscles and most importantly it helps prevent you from holding your breath. focus on anything other than breathing and trying to activate your core, all while concentrating on co-coordinating your muscles to follow allow... it makes it impossible to worry about your packed afternoon, when your next work deadline is or what to cook for dinner!

Instead you are focusing your mind on your breath and being present in the moment and allowing yourself to reconnect with your body

Connecting with People

Although online may not have the same feeling as a face-to-face class, the benefits of connecting with people is still there. Having a chat before class or spotting a familiar face on screen promotes a supportive, inclusive atmosphere as well as working towards a shared goal. And all from the comfort of your own home! Proving online classes equal, if not of more value during the winter months.