How To Make The Most of Your Pilates Routines at Home - 10 Top Tips
Pilates routines for home have grown in popularity exponentially since the pandemic and it remains a popular way to exercise despite in-person studios reopening. At Lottie Murphy Pilates, we’ve been teaching Pilates online since we started our YouTube channel in 2013 so we believe we are experts in helping you make the most out of an at home Pilates practice.
Whether you have always had an at home practice or are thinking of starting one; we’ve gathered our top tips to help you take ownership of your at home Pilates. We know and have witnessed how life transforming an at-home practice can be and we want to keep you safe on your mat and most importantly keep you enjoying it so you stay motivated to keep up a regular practice.
Firstly…why practice Pilates at home?
It’s convenient and time efficient and technology advancements have allowed for it to be as simple as clicking a few buttons to deliver a premium, personal and high quality Pilates class to your living room.
Download the Lottie Murphy Pilates App to get a premium class delivered to you within minutes.
The pressure is off! There’s no-one watching you, you don’t even have to change out of your pyjamas. Not even getting dressed is standing in the way of your workout. You can squeeze a 10 minute Pilates routine in between zoom calls, a 20 minute one while the dinner is in the oven or a 30 minute class while your child naps.
It’s cost-efficient. No travel expenses or high class fees. YouTube is packed with free Pilates content. And if you want more of a personalised experience with a real sense of community, the cost of a monthly membership at LMP virtual studio and app at £25pm is roughly the same as one in-person class in a London gym or studio.
There’s many more reasons why an at home Pilates practice may work for you such as choosing a class to suit your mood and level but let’s now jump into our tips…
Ten top tips on how to make the most of your pilates routines at home
Prepare your space by making sure you have enough room around your mat to be able to move your arms and legs freely and avoid hitting any obstacles and getting distracted.
Have a cushion handy for extra padding for knees, elbows if needed. You don’t need fancy equipment but a simple cushion can help add extra support and comfort.
Set up your device so that you can easily follow along and see the teacher on screen well.
Turn off other distractions if that’s available to you this will help you stay focused as you won’t see notifications popping up on screen. On the LMP app you can download routines to the device so you don't need wifi.
Choose a routine that feels an appropriate level and pace for you that day. We encourage you to listen to your body and respect your mind at LMP and with a wide range of over 400 classes to choose from they’ll always be something to suit your mood and energy.
Take the time to make sure your starting positions for each exercise is correct. If you need to pause the video to review the exercise then of course you can do that.
Focus on the quality of your movements rather than the pace or how many repetitions you do. Pilates is all about control and precision so slow down and take your time to really focus on your form.
Repeat classes. How amazing that with on-demand classes you can have your favourites and go back to them again and again. This will also help you start to remember the flow of the routine so you don’t have to look at the screen as much as you can focus more on your mindful movement.
Pilates is mindful exercise and it's important to have a quiet and calm environment if you can. Of course, we understand that this isn’t always possible but try to carve out a secluded and calm space within your home that’s just for you and your practice.
Finally if you are after more connection, inspiration and advice than seek out our community online. Check out what classes other members are loving, ask questions or jump into a challenge. Lottie and our LMP members offer encouragement and friendship.