‘My body is on fire!’: my perilous, painful, perfect month of pilates

A growing number of men, including singers Shaggy and Harry Styles, are taking up pilates.

When I realised I could no longer touch my toes, I decided to try it out I realised something needed to change when I nearly toppled over trying to tie my shoelaces.

I was on a busy high street, with people rushing past holding shopping bags, when I saw my open shoelace spooled on the ground.

I bent down to deal with it and felt gravity move against me.

Only a quick flail of my arms stopped me from faceplanting.

When I raised myself back upright, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back.

This can’t be right, I thought.

Bracing my foot on a bin to finally fix my shoelace, it dawned on me.

I’d become rusty.

My core strength was nonexistent, as was my flexibility.

Years behind a desk had taken a toll, not helped by an after-work routine of watching TV or playing video games on the sofa.

But after getting home and doing some research (yes, from my sofa), I found a potential remedy: pilates.

Continue reading...