Pilates at Your Desk

Pilates teachers use the "Pelvic Elevator" exercise to train the abdominal muscles in a seated position. When you have a spare moment practice it at your desk to increase the tone and control of your stomach muscles.

1. Sit up straight with your weight evenly distributed on both buttocks.
2. Breathe in and relax your shoulders.
3. Breathe out and draw in your pelvic floor muscles, as if you are preventing yourself from going to the loo. This is floor 1. You should feel no tension in the stomach.
4. Breathe in and relax down to the ground floor.
5. Breathe out and draw in the pelvic floor and continue up to the lower abdominals. You should feel tension below your belly button only. This is floor 2.
6. Breathe in and relax down to the ground floor again.
7. Breathe out and draw in the pelvic floor and continue up to the whole abdominal muscle, as if you are bracing yourself for a punch. This is floor 3.
8. Breathe in and relax down to the ground floor, repeat the whole cycle 3-5 times.

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