Derval O'Rourke: Why you should try pilates and how to make my berry oat crumble bars

Derval O'Rourke: "While pilates is generally regarded as a core workout, it does end up targeting the entire body."

Pilates is hardly a new activity, having been invented by Joseph Pilates more than a century ago.

A combination of social media, celebrity endorsements and a pandemic has meant a rapid growth in the popularity of pilates.

So much so that in 2023 the pilates market is expected to reach $11.8 billion. In the last five years, the most popular programme on my online wellbeing
platform has been pilates and it’s a style of training that I’m really enjoying sharing with people.

This week I will chat about pilates and hopefully convince you to give it a go. I will also share with you a recipe for delicious Berry Oat Crumble Bars.

What is pilates?

Pilates is a low-impact exercise that is designed to strengthen your muscles while improving posture, mobility and flexibility. Linking to the adaptability of pilates, you don’t need a lot of equipment to complete a successful pilates session.

To complete your first pilates session, the only thing you really need is an exercise mat. Once you have this, you are ready to start incorporating pilates into your exercise routine. Then when you have experience with pilates, you can start to incorporate weights and resistance training into your sessions to make your pilates workouts slightly more challenging. You can use free weights, or ankle/wrist weights for a more intense arm/leg workout.

While pilates is generally regarded as a core workout, it does end up targeting the entire body, which is fantastic to get the whole body engaged and moving. There are, however, plenty of fantastic pilates movements and workouts available that just target specific areas of your body — arms, legs, glutes.

There are two main versions of pilates — mat-based pilates and reformer. Reformer pilates incorporates the classic movements of pilates into an intense workout that is done on top of a machine. The machine is made up of a moving board attached to a stationary footbar equipped with arm bands and different weights to add more or less resistance.

Pilates done on the reformer machine tends to be a more amplified version of the regular mat pilates as the machine challenges your balance, coordination and strength in slightly more ways.

There are lots of studios that offer reformer pilates classes, I’d highly recommend signing up for a block of these classes and giving it a go.

What are some health benefits associated with pilates?

Not only are there external, physical benefits associated with pilates such as increased muscle tone and improved posture, there are also internal, physical benefits. Pilates can be a way to recover from an existing injury and great for helping to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. Pilates is particularly good for easing lower back pain, this type of back pain is linked with poor core strength.

A majority of pilates movements targets the core which is essential in providing your body with a stable and sturdy foundation for it to move. Our core is very much so our centre.

If our core is out of alignment this has huge ramifications on our coordination and balance. It is very important for us to take care of our muscles as we get older to help us stay mobile and flexible.

These are all physical benefits that come with regular pilates use, but there are also mental benefits associated with pilates too! Pilates can help to reduce levels of anxiety as it is a gentle form of exercise.

This calmness translates into a calm mind as there is not the same type of high stress intensity with pilates as there is with other forms of exercise.

Wellness Tip: Are you making sure that half of your dinner plate is covered by veggies? This is a great way to gauge how much vegetables you are eating and helps to up your intake.

Fitness Tip: When you walk – make it brisk. This will give your heart and your lungs a better workout than walking at a normal pace.

Berry Oat Crumble Bars

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

You can prepare these ahead of time for a handy, healthy treat.

Preparation Time

 39 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 9 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the Filling:

• 450g frozen berries of choice (I used a mixture of raspberries, blueberries & blackberries)

• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 3 tbsp water

• 60ml maple syrup or honey

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

• For the Base and Topping:

• 300g oats

• 100g ground almonds

• 100g butter or coconut oil, melted

• 60ml honey or maple syrup

• 80g soft brown sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Line an 8 - 9 inch square tin with baking paper and lightly grease with spray oil.

3. Add the berries to a pot over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.

4. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl.

5. Add the mixture to the berries, stir to combine. Add the maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract if you’re using it. Stir and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, until thickened. Place into the freezer for 10 minutes. This can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge. You just want it to cool a bit before layering it into the crumble bars.

6. Add the oats, almonds, chia seeds, brown sugar and cinnamon to a large bowl. Mix to combine the dry ingredients.

7. Add the melted butter or coconut oil and honey or maple syrup. Mix well to combine into a dough.

8. Set aside about 1 cup worth of the mixture for topping.

9. Place the remainder into the prepared tin. Spread evenly and pack down with the back of a spoon.

10. Spread the cooled jam over the top.

11. Sprinkle over the remaining dough.

12. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.

13. Allow to cool for 20 minutes on a cooling rack. Then place into the fridge for 1 hour before slicing. If you can prepare them in advance and leave them in the fridge overnight, even better.

14. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze for up to one month.

15. Note: You can also use 1 cup of good quality jam to replace the filling ingredients. Opt for one that is naturally sweetened or has a reduced amount of sugar added.