5 Whole Body Exercises in 10 Minutes
“How can we have world peace? Not one man in the United Nations can do my first five exercises!” ~ Joseph H. Pilates
Sometimes you just need to start, and not think “I need to work out for 1 hour”, “I need to work out 3-4x/week”, “I need to get stronger before starting”, “I need to get more flexible to start”. These are just stories that you’re telling yourself that simply are not true.
Reading Joe’s quote above, you can start with the first five mat exercises, which will probably take close to 10 minutes, and that’s enough. Because 10 minutes of movement is better than 0 minutes. Here’s the first five exercises:
- Hundred
- Rollup
- Single leg circles
- Rolling like a ball
- Spine stretch
So, let’s break down these 5 Pilates exercises, shall we? But not the how of each exercise, or the cues for them. Instead, let’s talk about the purpose of the exercise, and what you get out of it. How does it benefit you? Serve you? What do you get out of it? What’s in it for you? Sound more exciting? I thought so!
Hundred:
The most important purpose is it’s a breathing exercise. It activates your core immediately. By working your core strength, you’re working on proper alignment in the body from the head to the toes. It’s your warm-up. Gets the blood flow going. Oxygenates the cells. This warm-up prepares you for a full body workout. Breathing properly helps the exercises be more possible to do.
In every Pilates exercise, there’s consideration for stability and mobility. Here, the stability is your core, and the mobility is in your arms.
Rollup:
The most important purpose is strengthening your core muscles to move your spine with control. No heave-ho, zero momentum. Easier said than done. This exercise will help with breathing deeply and promoting circulation in the body. Lastly, moving your spine slowly will help your digestive system. Bet you didn’t know the exercises for your body helps the outsides and the insides!
Let’s talk about the stability and mobility elements here. Here, the stability is your core and lower body, and the mobility is in your spine.
Single leg circles:
The most important purpose is strengthening your leg and hip muscles while strengthening your abdominals, in particular the TVA (corset muscles) and oblique (side belly) muscles. A healthy hip joint is important for daily movement – walking, stairs, squatting, standing up, sitting down (perhaps all the way down to the floor, and back up).
The stability element is your core, back, and pelvis. The mobility element is your leg up in the air.
Rolling like a ball:
The most important purpose is to strengthen your abdominal muscles while massaging the spine to help reduce tension. You’ll find your natural balance point, and controlling the spinal articulation keeps your spine strong and flexible. That’s right – strength and flexibility. You need both for a healthy spine for as long as you’re going to live.
The stability is in your core, no surprise, right? And the mobility aspect is the spinal articulation.
Spine stretch:
The most important purpose is working the deep abdominal muscles while stretching the entire back and hamstrings. Decompressions of the spine helps you stand taller with better posture. No slouching!
Here, the stability is in the legs, and the mobility is in the spine.
A final word – Joe’s first five exercises is preparation and foundation for later exercises. Because let’s be real, at this point, you’re ready to do more exercises! See how fast those 10 minutes went!
This is why Pilates is exercise for life, everyday living, daily functional movement. Do you have a body? Then you need to do Pilates! Join me in a class. You won’t regret it.