Easter Fun

As the Easter holidays approach, children are getting excited for 2 weeks off school and Easter egg hunts galore. Keeping your children entertained over the holiday period can be exhausting and expensive, so time to get creative…roll out your exercise mats and do some Pilates with them in your living room or in the garden (fingers crossed for some beautiful Spring weather). This gives you a little time to stretch and a break from running around and helps your mini me’s to burn off some energy (and chocolate) #winwin

Exercising with your children is FUN and will help to promote a healthy physical and mental state helping to improve core strength and flexibility. There are a range of benefits for children who practice Pilates, including aiding in cardiovascular and general fitness. This is even more prominent in children as their bodies are still developing.

Pilates is suitable for all ages and PATS PILATES encourage you to get them started young, giving them the foundation and understanding of body awareness.

BENEFITS OF PILATES FOR CHILDREN

• Flexibility: The exercises practised in Pilates help to maintain flexibility in children's muscles and tendons. This is useful if they wish to participate in other sports such as ballet and gymnastics, and is also great for their overall fitness.
• Strength: Pilates helps to improve the circulation of blood, strengthening the core muscles of the body - helping children to conserve their energy, as well as keeping them lean and improving their athletic performance.
• Concentration: School can be mentally demanding, and is often a lot for children to absorb. The focus required in Pilates will transfer to the classroom and you may start to see improvements in their academic performance.
• Posture: With many children spending hours staring at a screen each day, they are beginning to slouch. This can lead to a muscular imbalance which may contribute to aches, pains and back problems as they enter adulthood, but Pilates can help to correct this, alleviating the pain and preventing injuries. Children that participate in Pilates classes have better spinal alignment and posture.
• Awareness: Children can gain more awareness of their bodies through Pilates, learning how to move efficiently and gracefully. This is an important time as they begin to formulate physical attributes that they will take through life, for example; they way they walk, bend over, lift heavy objects etc. Pilates can help to establish correct principles of movement that children will continue throughout their adult lives.
• Breath: Pilates incorporates focused breathing techniques which is essential to each exercise. These techniques can help children manage stress and improve their sleep.

Wishing you a very Happy Easter!