The Pilates Workout Your Future Self Will Thank You For

Your future self will thank you for showing up today. This full-body Pilates class is designed to help you build strength, improve posture, and create a deeper connection with your body through mindful movement. Expect a balanced flow that challenges your core, glutes, arms, and legs while leaving you feeling energised, grounded, and refreshed. Whether you're returning to movement or looking to feel your best, this is your reminder that every small step counts.

Transcript

Are you ready to feel strong? Hey, It's Jax, Your Pilates teacher, And that's what today's class is going to be. It's going to be strength. We're going to get into the obliques. We're going to get into these arms. We're going to do a couple of push-ups. Come join me. All you need is a mat, And we're actually going to start standing today. So I want you to come to the top of your mat, And I just want you to swing your arms for me a little bit here, Right? Just move your body from side to side. Let go of any tension that you have. And then start to slow everything down. We're gonna bring the hands to the ribs for me and start to find our Pilates breath. Every time we exhale, We're gonna take a step back and we're gonna meet at the back of our mat. So at the top of your mat, Big inhale, Breathe into the ribs. Exhale, Step back. Inhale into the hands. Exhale, Step back. Good, Two more like this. You're just breathing, And every time you exhale, I want you to feel your abdominals coming together. We're at the back of our mat, Everybody. Take a big inhale, Reach both arms up for me, Palms to the top of the mat, And like you're diving into a pool. Tuck the chin around the spine, Lower everything down. It's four hands to bring us out into a plank. We go right, Left, Right, Left, You're in your plank pose. Push that ground away. Belly's lifting in and up. Forehands to bring us back. We go one, Two, Three, Four. Three, Four, Roll up, Heads coming up last, Little bend in the knees if you need it. Two more, Inhale, Reach the arms up without flaring the ribs, And then round up and over this imaginary beach ball on top of your thighs. Four hands, One, Two, Three, Four. Now pause here, Side plank. We're on that left hand, Come on to the sides of your feet, Reach this right arm up. We're gonna lift this right arm up and over. Think about lifting your hips up. Use that left side oblique. Right hand comes back to the mat. Plank. Four hands to come back. One, Two, Three, Four. Roll that spine up. Take your time. Let the head come up last. Can you believe it's a warmup? Big inhale, Breath. Reach those arms up. Dive forward into that imaginary pool. Four hands to come forward. One, Two, Three, Four. We're on the right hand side. Side plank, Left arm reaches up, And then we reach to the top of the mat. Think about lifting. Lift up from that right oblique, Lift up in that right hip for me. Left hand's gonna come back to the mat, And then shell stretch, Child's pose. Knees together, Take those arms nice and wide for me. Big inhale into the front of the ribs, Back of the ribs, And the side of the ribs. And a big exhale, Just letting it all go. Okay everybody, It was a short warm-up today because it's a short video. Let's come on to our bellies. We're coming into this prone position. Feet are going to be as wide as the mat. You're going to make a little pillow with your hands and let your eyebrows rest there. All right, Bellies lifting in and up, Everybody. We're pressing into our ASIS, A. K. A. Our hip bones. As you exhale, Right leg lifts. We lower. Left leg, Left leg lifts. We lower, Keep going like this. So I want you to think about length rather than height. I don't care how high your leg can go. Instead, How long can you get your hips? Where your glute and the hamstring meet, So that little crease there, That's where I want you to lift up from. Think glutes, Less hamstrings. Of course, The hamstrings are here to support us, But I want you to keep your legs straight. Don't let the knees bend, Yeah? Soft in those shoulders as well, Everybody. Okay. The feet and turn them out to the side. These are going to be fun, I hope. Okay, We're going to lift both legs, Bring the heels together. Open out to the side, Heels together. A lot of inner thighs here for me, Everybody. Head is gonna rest on those hands. Don't let it move. Shoulders down and back. Okay, We're gonna start to add on. Next time your heels come together, Pause. We're gonna bend the knees. I want you to think about lifting your kneecaps up, Dropping them down, Extend the legs, We open. So it's a close, Bend, Lift up, Use your glutes. Lower those knees back down, Extend and open. Open. Couple more rounds like this, Everybody. Think about using those hamstrings to help lift those heels up. One more like this. Protect that low back. Keep those abdominal muscles on. And then we're gonna straighten those legs. Ah, Take a moment. Okay, Arms are gonna go out nice and long. Tip of the nose on the mat for me. We're gonna start to add our arms in. So as you exhale, Right arm, Left leg lift. We lower down. Opposite side. Left arm, Right legs lift. We lower it down. Keep going like this for me, Everybody, Coming into your swimming. I want you to imagine that there's a glass of water on your low back, And it wouldn't spill. So that pelvis is super stable. Soften those shoulders away from the ears. Think, It's the top of my shoulder that's helping me lift this arm, And it's the back of the glute that's working for me. For these last 10 seconds, Keep going for me. I got to take a breath, Y'all. I'm sweating in this room. You're going to hover. So I want you to lift head, Neck, And shoulders. Lift the arms. Lift the legs. Swimming. So you're just taking it one side at a time, Everybody. If this is too much for you, You just keep everything down. You do not have to come into that hover. I'm actually going to take that option today because I'm definitely feeling challenged. I've done three classes. But please, If you want that extra challenge for yourself, You take it. We're here for five. I'm going to jump into that challenge at the end for four. Last three, Keeping those legs straight for two. One more like this and then shell stretch. Nice job. Breathe into the back. Low back, Mid back, Upper back. Let any of that tension go. One more breath here. And then we're gonna slowly come onto our knees, Everybody. Just help us transition to come onto our backs. Like I said, We are going to be hitting these obliques today, Everybody. So let's come onto our backs. Okay, I want you to bring your pointer finger and your middle finger onto your hip bones for me. And then I just want you to walk your fingers in two towards your belly button. All right, Big inhale, Breath through the nose. Audible exhale out pursed lips. Keep doing that for me. So what I'm trying to get you to feel is underneath your fingers is like a tone, Is an engagement, A compression, Whatever word, Verbiage helps you find that connection. Our abdominal muscles are compressing about 30% when we're sitting, Or sorry, When we're using this core in class. So I want you to feel that. No popping the ribs or the belly to the ceiling, Okay? Let's do a couple of cervical nod ab preps just to warm us up. As you inhale, Cervical nod, Look towards the knees. And then as you exhale, Head, Neck, And shoulders is going to lift. Now something I personally like to do is I like to place my hands on my belly, Just as a reminder, Every time I exhale, Bellies going down rather than up. Okay. Now we'll really get into it Inhale lower head neck and shoulders down Exhale, Ab prep. Keep going. So your shoulders are gonna be protracted a little bit. They're gonna be rounded a little bit, But we don't want them up towards our ears. I want you to keep a little bit of space between that chin and that chest for me, Everybody. And the next time head, Neck, And shoulders lift, You're going to pause. Let's bring our left hand behind the back of our head. I want you to take your right hand, Bring it to your right ribs, Your obliques. Draw a diagonal from right to left. You're going to be using this right oblique to twist you to the left. It's all core, Nothing else. Both hands behind the back of the head for me, Everybody. Let your head just completely relax in your hands. We're just twisting to the left. Big inhale breath. Elbows go wide. As you exhale, We twist it to the left. Inhale, Come back to center. Keep going. So don't let that head drop for me at all. I personally like to keep my gaze inside the thighs, Around the thighs, And I'm thinking oblique. To hit, We're here for five. Hips don't do any of the movement for four You're taking your time for three. Our last two. Woo! Our last one. Next time you take it over towards the left, You're going to pause. Three pulses. One. Two, Three, Back center, Two more, Twist. Pulse Pulse Center, Last one, Twist. Pulse, Pulse, Pulse, And release. Woo! Lengthen this right leg out nice and long for me, Everybody. Hands down onto the floor, Leg circles. Left knee's coming into tabletop. You're gonna keep this angle of the leg the same. It's all the femur bone doing the work. We inhale over to the right. Exhale, Draw a circle to the left. Inhale to the right. Exhale to the left. Four more. I want this right hip super grounded, Everybody. So don't let that right glute lift off the mat at all. Use that core to help you stabilize. And then opposite direction. We inhale to the left. Exhale over to the right. Four more like this, Everybody. Just taking your time. Remember, That right hip's gonna be like, I RSVP'd to the party. We're like, No, It's just the left hip party. One more like this, Everyone. Good. We're gonna drop this left foot down. Nice job, Everybody. Figure four stretch, Right ankle on top of the left thigh, And then let's hug this left knee into the chest. Enjoy the stretch in the right glute, Because we're about to work it. Okay, Bridge. Both feet are coming down to the mat for me, Everybody. Hands down onto that mat. No spinal articulation. We're just gonna hinge lift those hips. So as you exhale, I want you to squeeze the glutes, Lift the hips. Inhale, Hover them down just an inch over the mat. Exhale, You squeeze. Inhale, We lower. We're here for three. Really lighten those ribs, Everybody. Try not to let them pop to the ceiling for two. And then next time you lift those hips up high into the sky, You're going to pause. We're going to lift the right heel, Lower the right heel, Just the right, Right heel lift. We lower, Heavy in those shoulders for me, Everybody. Right heel lifts, And we lower. We're here for three. Lift. And lower. Our last two. And the next time you lift this right heel, Pause. It's gonna go heel, Ball, Toe. We hover just an inch. Toe, Ball, Heel. We lift the right heel, Ball, Toe, Hover an inch, Toe, Ball, Heel. Keep going. Your goal here is to keep the pelvis nice and neutral for me. So don't let those hips sway from side to side. We just worked the obliques, So let them support you, And nice and active in that right leg as much as the left. Last two. And then next time you lift this right leg up, Pause, We're gonna lift this right leg up high into the sky, And then drop the hips down and lower the right leg. Nice job, Everybody. Take any stretch that you need, And then we're gonna take that over to the other side with the obliques, Glutes, And that's assorted. So hands down on the mat, Cervical nod, Inhale, Look towards the knees, And then exhale, Head, Neck, And shoulders are gonna lift. All right, Everybody, Right hand behind the back of the head. Let's draw a diagonal from our left oblique over towards that right knee. Hip. So that's where the cross is coming from. Hands are both coming behind the back of the head. And remember, We're staying flexed for me. Big inhale, Breath, Let the elbows stay wide. Exhale, We twist it to the right. Inhale, We come back to center. An axial twist. Inhale, Back center. Keep moving like this for me, Everybody. So I want you to check in with the hips. Don't let them sway from side to side. It's just our torso doing all the work. I want you to think rib to hip. Ribbed hip for five. And then you know what's coming. We're here for four. I programmed them in and I already know what's coming. Our last two. Give me one more full one like this, Everybody. And then next time we twist over to the right three pulses, We lift. Back to center, Two more. Twist. One. Two, Three pulses back to center. Last time we twist. Pulse, Pulse, Drop the head down straight in that left leg for me. Hands on the mat. Use your hands. Press them into the mat to help stabilize the core. Right leg's coming into tabletop. Engagement and activity through that left leg, Everybody. Setting the left glute. We take it over towards the left. Exhale, Circle to the right. You got four more like this. Let the femur bone, So that bone that's in your thigh, Let that be the thing that stirs the leg more than the knee or the calf. And then we reverse. It's an inhale to the right, Exhale to the left. Inhale to the right, Exhale to the left. We're here for three. Last two. And then one more like this, Everybody. Figure four, Stretch. Go ahead. Oh, Sorry. It's the opposite leg this time. My bad. Let's go ahead and bring that left ankle on top of the right thigh. Nice little figure four stretch. You might even bring that right knee a little bit closer into the body. One more breath like this, Everybody. And then our left leg is our finisher. OK, Drop both feet down for me. Go ahead and hands by the sides of the thighs. Big inhale breath. Exhale, We squeeze the glutes and drop them down. Give me four more like this, Everybody. Just stay really active in the glutes here. Think about how long can your low back be. We don't want to back bend. We want to feel the engagement coming from the glutes, Not that low back. Next time the hips lift, You're going to pause. Just the left heel. Left heel lifts, We lower. And lower. And this can be kind of like your North Star as your guiding point. Are my hips leveled? Is my core on? Are my ribs nice and soft? If that's the case, You just stay here and lower and lift that heel a couple times. Otherwise, If you want that final challenge, We're going to lift left heel, Ball toe, Hover an inch, Drop toe, Ball, Heel. So we lift, Heel, Ball, Toe, Hover, Toe, Ball, Heel. Heel ball toe hover toe ball heel we're here for five And then we're just going to lift that left leg as our finisher. Keep with it, Everybody. Nice job. Thanks for coming to class. Our last one here, We're going to lift this left leg up high into the sky and then drop the hips down. Bring both knees into the chest for me, Everybody, Or any stretch that you like. And then we're going to lift ourselves up. We are going to finish with some twists and some saws, Everyone. So first things first, Feet about hip distance apart for me. Arms are going to go nice and wide, Everybody. We're going to twist. I want you to take your biggest twist first. We're going to release, Twist, Release, Twist. It's three. We got three of them. So big inhale breath. Your biggest twist to the right. Exhale, Twist. Inhale, Release a bit. Twist a little bit more. Release a little bit. Twist a little bit more. Bring it back to center to the left. Your biggest twist to the left. Release a little bit. Twist to the left. Release a little bit. Twist to the left. Back center again. Biggest twist to the right, Release a little bit. Twist. Back center. Back center nice. Let the feet go as wide as the mat coming into our saws We're going to twist to the right right thumb down left pinky goes to right pinky toe as you round flex over the knees Imagine someone's pulling your right hand to lift you up unravel to the front So it's a twist to the left left thumb down round up and over pinky to pinky Someone pulls you up with your left hand and you come back one more time each side Try to keep those legs really quiet for me everybody. Let the twist come from the middle of your spine more than anything else. Last one here. Amazing! Give yourself a high five everybody and a round of applause. Thank you so much for coming to class. I hope you enjoyed this quick Pilates exercise video. It is such a great one to have if you want to go on a run, If you want to go on a walk, If you just want to get in some quick movement and you don't have a lot of time, Keep coming back to this video. Let me know how you got on. Once again, This is Jax, Your Pilates teacher. Thank you so much for taking time to invest in you today and I'll see you on the mat soon.