KEEP FIT - Pilates will get you hooked

Imagine an exercise routine that you actually look forward to, that totally engages you, and that leaves you refreshed and alert with a feeling of mental and physical well-being. It may sound too good to be true but advocates of Pilates from the USA to the Far East swear by the unique body conditioning system that has attracted legions of fans from every corner of the globe.

Developed by the late Joseph Pilates in the 1920`s, this unique system of controlled movements has been praised by doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors an osteopaths as a safe and highly effective form of exercise. So, in the after-math of another over-indulgent Christmas, what better way to tone up for the New Year than with the help of the world's most successful Pilates teacher and instructor to the stars.

Including the coveted moves that helped Liz Hurley to regain her stunning post-pregnancy figure, Lynne Robinson's new video, Shape Up The Pilates Way, is designed to target the body's key problem areas such as the stomach, thighs, buttocks and arms, whilst boosting your sense of health and energy at the same time. Pilates is an exercise system that focuses on strengthening core postural muscles and developing body alignment - it completely avoids the muscle and ligament damage sometimes associated with other fitness regimes and can easily be practised in the comfort of your own home.

Lynne Robinson, a name now synonymous with Pilates both in the the UK and abroad, has written many books on Pilates and is the pioneer of the patented Body Control Pilates method. Pilates is essentially about mental and physical training, says Robinson. The video, the sixth in Robinson's famous Body Control series, has two new aerobic workouts with premier personal trainer, Simon Bateman. Designed to warm the body and make your workout more effective, these exercises complement the Pilates routines and make for a more dynamic and results driven video.

I know that people use my Pilates' videos regularly because they email me or stop me on the street and tell me that they want more routines to do as they have exhausted the last video! The beauty of the videos are that they are accessible to anyone from teenagers to 80-year-olds - all you really need is a mat and a cushion because its all about how you use your body, she explains.

Robinson, who started her professional life as a history teacher, had her first brush with the fitness phenomenon that would change her life when she sought treatment for a bad back whilst in Australia: I was a typical client - I had a slipped disk in my back and I thought I'd try something different. I came back to the UK and I wrote my first book, Pilates: The Way Forward, with Gordon Thompson who was my trainer in London.

Since her best-selling book was published in March 1997, Robinson has gone from strength to strength - she has sold over a million books worldwide and is planning a trip back to the country where her passion for Pilates all began: I am going to visit Sydney and Melbourne in February with Kellogg's Special K to promote my videos and books - I`ve been doing their New Year promotion for the last two years and it has been the most successful ever.

The pure common sense aspect of Pilates and the fact that it really works inspires Robinson to continue her work all over the world: It is simply about breathing correctly, positioning your body and then working all of your muscles deeply. Its the most enjoyable form of exercise that I have ever done and I try to do a little every day - you should try to do around three hours every week to see the best results, she adds.

As well as teaching in studios, spas and health clubs all over the UK, Robinson is also a consultant twice a year at an exclusive health spa in Thailand called Chiva Som where celebrities such as Liz Hurley, Hugh Grant, the Duchess of York, the England Cricket Team and Pat Cash are among her loyal clients. She also runs workshops in Malta at the Hotel Fortina, which sits on Tigne Seafront at Sliema looking across a bay to the beautiful city of Valletta.

One of Robinson's future aims is to introduce Pilates programmes to children in schools, since there is no age or fitness level limitations. We now have around 500 teachers in the UK and so slowly but surely my dreams are coming true, she smiles. :

For more information about Pilates and contact details of your nearest Body Control Pilates Association teacher visit www.bodycontrol.co.uk.

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