January 31, 2020Pilates Workouts
7 Min Pilates Morning Workout with Helena Stenberg
We met with the Pilates instructor, nutritionist, wellness coach and reiki healer, Helena Stenberg, to get some inspiration on Pilates.
Helena wants to inspire people to move more in their daily life, especially women. That is why we found this video extra inspiring where she shares her Pilates routine with you. Watch the video below for guidance and remember to always consult with your doctor and physical therapist for a safe workout.
Watch the video with Helena Stenberg in order to get a really nice flow of exercises to do, in order to start off your day.
The first exercise, is a standing exercise where you stand hip distance apart with your feet and bring the arms up towards the ceiling and focus on your breathing.
The second exercise, is a rotation of the upper body. You stand hip distance apart with your feet, and reach your arms out to the side while you rotate the upper body.
The third exercise, is a squat. You keep your feet hip distance apart or slightly wider, and then bend your legs and sit down almost like you were to sit on a chair, and then lengthen up again.
The fourth exercise, is almost like a squat but now you swing your arms forward as you bend your legs, and as you lengthen up again, you swing your arms up towards the ceiling. While bending your legs you can move the upper body forward, and come down with a slightly rounded back, and let your neck follow the movement of the spine.
The fifth exercise, is a roll down, where you start hip distance apart with your feet, and then roll down from the crown of the head, one vertebrae at a time, until the crown of the head is reaching down towards the floor.
The sixth exercise, is a core and pelvic stability as well as shoulder and gluteus exercise. It is also challenging your balance. Come down onto your knees and hands, then reach the opposite arm forward and lengthen the opposite leg back. Try to do it without shifting the weight to one side or the other.
The seventh exercise, is a swan dive prep. Lie down on your belly and place the hands slightly wider than the mat, and the legs shoulder width apart with an outwards rotation in your hips. Then, start with reaching the top of the head forward, and extend the upper body off the mat, one vertebrae at a time. Engage your abs and slowly come back down one vertebrae at a time.
The eight exercise, is a hip roll. Lie down on your back with the arms by your side and the feet hip distance apart. Then, roll the spine off the mat, one vertebrae at a time, starting from the tailbone and roll back down again, starting from the thoracic spine.
The seventh exercise, is challenging your obliques. Lie down on your back with the hands behind your head, and keep your pelvis tilted towards you, in order to support the lower back. Bring the legs up in table top and then while you extend one leg long, you turn the upper body towards the other leg, which is bent. Then, switch to the other side.
Watch the video to get all the transitions and variations of the exercise. Good luck and enjoy this lovely morning routine.
