POCKETS OF PILATES

‘Never before have we spent so much of our lives in a sedentary position,’ says Pilates instructor Nathalie Clough (asteriapilates.com). With the advent of smartphones, boxsets and office-based occupations, the pressure on our posture is starting to show. ‘Sitting down encourages the forward flexion of our bodies,’ Nathalie explains. ‘Shoulders roll forwards, creating a tell-tale hunch as our muscles get weaker and our head compensates by jutting forwards.’

While we might expect our couch-potato lifestyles to result in flattened and weakened bums, this weakness ripples throughout the entire body, as muscles designed to work in harmony are thrown out of balance. ‘As