The Power of Pilates @ PowerMoves
Pilates, Pilates and Dance, Pilates Fitness, Pilates Health, Pilates in the Park, Pilates Physiotherapy, Pilates Rehabilitation, Pilates Singapore
After giving birth to her third child, Susie Lawson was determined to lose the extra weight she’d gained during pregnancy. By chance she was introduced to Pilates by a neighbor and, less than a year later, she has lost nine kilograms and seen drastic improvements in her body shape. I caught up with Susie at PowerMoves‘ Pilates studio to find out more.
“It’s a daunting task to lose weight after a baby,” says Susie, “but I was determined to do it while we’re here in Singapore where I have home help to look after the kids while I am exercising. I could not have done this if we were back in Australia!”
“I realised I’d need to be pushed and motivated to lose the weight,” she says, “and the personal attention you get at PowerMoves was just what I needed. They have small classes of two or three, so the instructor notices as soon as you’re doing something wrong and she corrects your posture so that you get the full benefit of the exercise time. She also keeps challenging you to do more, and you really feel it the next day — so you know you’re getting a great workout.”
Susie is also motivated by the beautiful park-like setting of PowerMoves. “It’s a great escape from the city environment and I really look forward to ‘my time’ here. It’s conveniently close to my home plus there’s a fabulous spa just next door!”
A picture of good health, Susie’s enthusiasm for Pilates is contagious and the secret of her success has clearly been the visible results of her progress. “I can now fit into clothes that I haven’t worn in years–I’ve lost seven centimeters around the abdominal area in just eight months”, she explains. “Pilates has changed my perception of exercise–I’m addicted now!”
After such a positive endorsement, I had to give it a go! The Pilates instructor under Mrs. Claudel Kuek put me through my paces on the Pilates Reformer machine, carefully explaining and demonstrating each movement with a combination of action, contraction of the core muscles and correct breathing. There’s a lot to think of at once and you definitely need personal attention to help you get it right. I like the fact that their trainer focuses on quality rather than quantity; each move is carefully controlled to maximise the strengthening and toning effects on the core muscles. “Pilates is all about creating longer, leaner muscles so you get a strong, toned body without the bulk”, she explains.
By Karen Lucas
Written for Mrs Claudel Kuek
PowerMoves Pilates studios in the Park, Singapore
Pilates Singapore SHAPE Awards Winner 2013
Best Pilates Instructors, Best Pilates Studios, Most Beginner Friendly Pilates, Pilates Mat Classes, Pilates Physiotherapy, Pilates Reformer classes, Pilates Rehabilitation, Pilates Singapore
“Newbies will feel at ease in the cosy studios unique to PowerMoves, where they would enjoy personal attention from expert instructors as well as the calming benefits of exercising in lush green settings.”
The SHAPE awards 2013 winners are out! SHAPE Singapore sent out their team of fitness editors and sports experts incognito to gyms, yoga centres and Pilates studios for the best finds! If you are deciding to jump-start your fit and healthy lifestyle today, this list of award-winners will make it easier for you to choose from the best.
PowerMoves Pilates in the Park is proud to be the winner of SHAPE awards 2013 category of Most Beginner-Friendly. Thank you for your votes and for enjoying your every Pilates workout with PowerMoves. Available at three locations of Bishan Park, Rochester Park and Dempsey Hill. We look forward to serving you our best Pilates experience each and every time.
From all your friends on the PowerMoves Team 🙂
GET LEAN & STRONG
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Sculpt a more beautiful physique, improve your posture and feel more confident with Pilates at PowerMoves Pilates-in-the-Park Singapore.
Pilates is one of the most effective workouts for transforming your body, refreshing your mind, and boosting your energy and self-confidence. This form of exercise is a careful blend of strength and flexibility training, where you build endurance and power, improve posture and tone, and enhance coordination and balance.
PERFECT FOR ALL LEVELS
Trying Pilates for the first time may seem daunting, but PowerMoves Pilates-in-the-Park is ideal for those who are just starting out. With internationally qualified Pilates instructors and small personalised classes, you can expect to receive all the guidance and support to get the most out of each session.
Even if you’ve done Pilates before, PowerMoves has something for you. It offers a range of programmes, encompassing private and group classes on the Mat and on the Reformer. There are 100 classes weekly to choose from, offering a diverse and rich repertoire of movements and benefits.
TRANSFORM YOUR BODY, HEAL YOUR MIND
Working out at PowerMoves can result in longer, leaner muscles, improved muscular tone, increased core strength and stability, and improved posture. Over time, Pilates can also help prevent injuries, bring relief from stress and back pain,improve your balance and coordination, boost your circulation, and enhance athletic performance. Plus it is effective in post-rehabilitation cases.
BEAUTIFUL STUDIOS
PowerMoves has been voted as having the most beautiful Pilates studios in the world, and it’s not surprising considering its three locations – Dempsey Hill, Rochester Park and Bishan Park. Rustic and welcoming, these tropical studios offer a tranquil and comfortable environment for those who wish to practise Pilates in style. Call 6472-2221 or visit www.powermoves.com.sg for more information about the body-altering benefits of Pilates Singapore.
Best of Singapore 2013
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PowerMoves is voted Best of Singapore 2013 by Singapore Tatler 🙂
Pilates is not Yoga
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So you have heard that Pilates and Yoga are similar in many ways. Yes, both disciplines help you create greater awareness of your body’s posture and its alignment. Yes, both disciplines improve and enhance flexibility and strength. Pilates and Yoga also emphasize coordinating breath with movement.
Both these disciplines of Pilates and Yoga have amazing benefits. They are both fitness regimes that are integrative; they are associated with stress reduction and increased well-being. They can both also be adjusted to a wide range of people and fitness levels, and both support the achievement of very high levels of body, mind and spiritual fitness.
Pilates aims to reach high levels of fitness goals for the mind and body, however, through a series of controlled movements. The Pilates technique not only has a full complement of matwork exercises, but it incorporates work on Pilates machines as well.
Pilates is a series of controlled movements; movements that are not performed rapidly and/or excessively. The focus is on the quality of the movement and not the quantity or the repetitions. There are additional exercise equipment like the magic circle, elastic band and foam roller one could use to add resistance to help make your workouts more challenging. Pilates has several machines designed to achieve its purpose such as the reformer, the wunda chair, the ladder barrel and the cadillac. Pilates exercises on these Pilates equipment machines are designed to cater to every individual’s needs.
The emphasis of Pilates exercises is to strengthen the abdominals, improve posture, stabilize and lengthen the spine, improve balance, flexibility and overall strength. Pilates gives you a long and lean, evenly-muscled look. Pilates works the whole body; emphasizing control, precision and concentration in both the mind and the body.
Whereas Pilates is scientific-based and its movements are always dynamic and in a flow; Yoga is spiritual-based involving meditation and reflection and its exercises are held in poses.
The abdominal muscles, lower back and butt muscles serve as the center of all movement. In Pilates, this is called the core or the powerhouse. This focus on core stabilization makes one stronger from the inside out and allows the rest of the body to move freely. The low-impact nature of Pilates makes it ideal also for injury prevention, rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
All Pilates exercises are formulated on the six principles of breathing, concentration, control, centering, precision and flow. These principles train the body to move efficiently and expertly with minimal stress on its joints and with maximum benefits on the entire physiology of the body. The Pilates method and using it regularly creates a healthy, vivacious and more symmetrical body which results in a lean, balanced, strong and supple body with very efficient and well-toned muscle groups.
A further listing of benefits that you can expect from the Pilates method include long and lean muscles, strong core and stability, injury prevention, better posture, improved balance and coordination, relief from stress and back pains, enhanced athletic performance, effective post-rehabilitation, and increased self-confidence.
Warm Regards,
Mrs Claudel Kuek
NB Click here to find out if Pilates is what you need to create the makeover in you!
Pilates Singapore Interview with Claudel Kuek of PowerMoves
Best of Singapore Award, Best Pilates Fitness, Expat Living Award, Pilates Award, Pilates Matwork, Pilates Physiotherapy, Pilates Reformer, Pilates Singapore, SHAPE Award, Singapore TATLER Award
Claudel Kuek, Founder and CEO of PowerMoves Pilates in the Park, discusses what PowerMoves Pilates Singapore can do for you!
Learn also what Pilates is, what the PowerMoves edge is, what Pilates can do for you and what the Power Pilates Promise assurance is.
First in Pilates Singapore, PowerMoves is an award-winning Pilates chain of studios, with awards in Most Beautiful Pilates Studio, Most Outstanding Service Quality, and Best of Singapore Pilates; awarded by SHAPE, Tatler and Expat Living magazines.
PowerMoves’ exclusive studios specialize in Pilates Matwork, Pilates Reformer, PreNatal Pilates, Pilates Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates; Group and private classes. Our parkland studios are located at Bishan Park, Rochester Park and Dempsey Hill, with an upcoming branch at East Coast Park. PowerMoves provides the best in Pilates classes to achieve all your health and fitness goals, including weight loss and specific sports-related needs.
All PowerMoves Pilates instructors are physiotherapists who will work with you to correct all physical and physiological issues, with an emphasis on strength and flexibility training.
Your first choice in Pilates always.. PowerMoves!
PowerMoves Pilates in the Park Video :)
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PowerMoves Pilates in the Park is a haven for both mind & body. Work out with us and achieve the body that you desire 🙂
How is Pilates good for you?
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Pilates was originally designed to treat injured and bedridden soldiers in World War I. Although it was developed for clinical and rehabilitation purposes, it has become extremely popular with dancers, gymnasts and celebrities seeking the long and lean-muscled look. Today the Pilates method is widely practised for both its rehabilitation as well as its body conditioning and fitness benefits.
Pilates is an innovative mind-body exercise developed by Joseph Pilates. Blending eastern exercise philosophies with western fitness science, Pilates is a holistic discipline that improves physiological fitness and enhances psychological wellness. It combines the mental focus and specific breathing of yoga and Chinese martial arts with the physicality of gymnastics and other sports movements – creating an entirely new training regime that accentuates controlled grace in power and flowing beauty in movement.
Pilates is effective in rehabilitative and clinical therapy because of its strong focus on good posture, efficient movement and strengthening of proper musculature. With better body awareness through Pilates, one’s motor control and precision in movement can be improved. This results in better, more productive and efficient muscle functions during the workout. The benefits of this mind-body control and synergy can then be applied in all other areas of daily life.
Regular practice of Pilates will also ensure improved balance, coordination and circulation as well as increased core strength, flexibility and mobility. The emphasis on controlled, low-impact movements and correct breathing helps to ease pain, stiffness and rigid joints. Pilates is especially useful for persons suffering from chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, back, hips and knees; issues with postural and biomechanical problems; concerns with sports conditioning and injury prevention.
While weight training exercises tend to build short, bulky muscles, Pilates creates long, lean muscles. It is especially important in the strengthening of the ‘core’ muscles that stabilize and hold you up – giving you better posture to do your daily routine, creating a strong centre so that you can perform all tasks with ease and balance, and ensuring that you move your body correctly to avoid aches and pain. This core stabilization of the body also realigns the body to prevent any muscular imbalances. Pilates teaches you to connect your brain with your body, making all movement and exercises you do more efficient and effective.
Pilates can be physically challenging and keeps your heart pumping in the target zone so you burn more calories in less time. At intermediate and advanced levels, you will be able to move rapidly through the exercises without losing proper form, and your stronger core will take you from one exercise to the next with precision and control. For optimal fitness results, incorporate the principles of Pilates into your regular workout routine to combine form with function, add depth and proficiency towards an intensely beneficial workout each time.
Several benefits of Pilates rehabilitation and physiotherapy include improved postural issues; easy on the joints – low impact in nature; improved balance, coordination and circulation; increased mind-body awareness; enhanced functional fitness and ease of everyday movement.
All Pilates exercises are scientifically-based, gentle and restorative, and can be modified to meet the needs of each individual. Pilates was also designed as a mind-body regime that reduces stress and anxiety through consistent practice.
Call PowerMoves Pilates in the Park for your body makeover today!
Singapore’s SHAPE Awards 2012
Best of Singapore Award, Best Pilates Fitness, Clinical Pilates, Expat Living Award, Pilates Award, SHAPE Award, Singapore TATLER Award
The SHAPE awards 2012 winners are out! SHAPE Singapore sent out their team of fitness editors and sports experts incognito to gyms, yoga centres and pilates studios for the best finds! If you are deciding to jump-start your fit and healthy lifestyle today, this list of award-winners will make it easier for you to choose from the best.
PowerMoves Pilates in the Park is proud to be the winner of SHAPE awards 2012 category of Best Service Standards. Thank you for your votes and for enjoying your every Pilates workout and service with PowerMoves. Available at three locations of Bishan Park, Rochester Park and Dempsey Hill. We look forward to serving you our best Pilates experience each and every time.
From all your friends on the PowerMoves Team 🙂