August means many things to many people, but one thing it most certainly means for great numbers of us, is the chance to jet off to warmer climes and get away from it all. But do you necessarily want to get away from absolutely everything – including your Pilates routine?

It’s the pattern that so many of us go through when we head off on holiday – we drop not only those stressful workday ‘to-do’ lists and deadlines, but also those healthier aspects of our weekly routines. As a result, we all too often return from our time away carrying a few extra pounds and generally feeling out of shape – and out of sorts.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, much of the benefit of Pilates is that its exercises can be done more-or-less anywhere, including in awkward spots such as in the hotel, at the beach, or almost wherever else you might roam while on holiday.

So, let’s take a look at some Pilates routines that lend themselves especially well to those stolen 10 or 20 minutes you might be able to take advantage of at various random times during your summer holiday.

The Hundred

When it comes to warming up the abdominals and lungs, you can be sure that the hundred will prove a challenging, but dynamic exercise; it should be no great surprise that it is covered at the start of so many Pilates classes.

This is a great exercise, and will entail you moving your arms up and down as you take five breaths in, and five breaths out, all while lying on your back. The term ‘the hundred’ refers to the 100 beats of your arms that you will be making at the same time as holding your legs extended , in double knee fold, or feet on the mat (depending on your level of ability) and your head and shoulders off the mat.

Toe Taps

This exercise will entail you moving your legs into a tabletop position while laid on your back, keeping an angle of 90 degrees at your hips and knees. On an inhale, you then bring your right leg down towards the floor, your toes pointed. Your abdominals should also be kept engaged during this process.

Lower your leg as close as possible to the floor, without allowing your lower back to take over. Then, on an exhale, you should be engaging your low abdominals to pull the leg back into tabletop position. This process can then be repeated for the left leg, and 10 sets done in total on each side.

Spine Curl

Great for mobilising the spine and stretching out tight lower backs after travelling.

For the the pelvic curl lie on your back and lift your abs in and up, curl your tailbone up towards the back of your knees and lift your hips until you have a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. You can repeat this 3-5 times.

Cat/Cow

For this, you will need to position yourself in 4 point kneeling; your shoulders ought to be over your wrists, and your hips should be over your knees. To ensure a neutral alignment, be sure to draw your navel up towards your spine. It may be necessary to press your palms into the floor so that you aren’t sinking into your shoulders.

Follow this by, on an inhale, lengthening the crown of your head and your tailbone in the direction of the ceiling, reaching your sternum forward. Then, while exhaling, round your spine into a cat back, reaching the crown of your head and your tailbone down towards the floor. This entire exercise can then be repeated until 10 sets are done.

Baby Swan

For this exercise, lay yourself down on your stomach, with your palms placed flat by your shoulders. Engage your abdominals to ensure that your pubic bone is pressed into the floor. Press the tops of your feet into the floor, followed by inhaling and floating your forehead and chest slightly above the floor. Then, exhale to lower down.

Perform the routine again between five and 10 times, lifting progressively higher each time you do it.

There you go – just five Pilates exercises that can be done with relative ease even in perhaps unlikely locations during your holiday. And if you’re sat at home right now in or close to Brighton while wondering, “are there opportunities to learn Pilates near me?”, remember that here at Brighton Pilates, classes are available to book from us in the local area. Alternatively, you could always take advantage of the Brighton Pilates On-Demand service.