My doctor told me to start Pilates

The information in this post is based on my personal and professional experience and is not a substitute for medical, physiotherapy or any other professional advice. For any medical question or limitation, consult your doctor or treating professional.

More than once I've heard clients say things like "my doctor told me only reformer Pilates", "my doctor said only mat", or "only yoga, nothing else". On one hand, I'm really happy to hear it. There's an amazing rise in awareness of the importance of movement and exercise. Medicine increasingly understands that alongside medication, it's important to move the body and avoid long periods of rest, which actually only increase pain.

But when I hear that a doctor doesn't approve a certain type of workout, I'm always curious to know what's behind the instruction. And almost always I ask the client to connect me with the professional who gave it, so we can talk together.

In most cases I discover something interesting: the problem is almost never really reformer Pilates, or yoga in general. The problem is specific exercises that this client shouldn't do. Once I sit down with the relevant professional and we go through the client's limitations together, a whole world of exercises opens up that they not only can do, but really should.

So why do they still say "only one type"?

Part of it is stigma. Especially today, when the market has grown enormously and the number of studios rises every week – and with it, the number of less professional instructors. Many clients get injured on Pilates apparatus because of incorrect instruction, or classes with groups that are too big to really pay attention to everyone. So I completely understand a doctor who has seen patients injured on the reformer and therefore says "only mat".

And the same in the other direction – there's a stigma that yoga is always calm, "just stretching". In practice, a yoga class can be no less dangerous (sometimes more) than a reformer class – especially in a large, advanced group.

What really matters isn't the type of workout. It's where you train, who teaches the class, how many people are in it, and whether the class is truly adapted to your physical condition.

So how do you know a studio is right for you?

A few questions always worth asking before you start:

• How many people are in a class?

• What training does the instructor have?

• Does she have experience with your specific medical condition?

• Will you get variations and personal adjustments during class?

My story

And since we're talking about it, here's a personal story. When I got pregnant, I had some bleeding at first, and my doctor told me I wasn't allowed to train. I stopped him and asked – what do you mean, not allowed to train? Training is my job.

He asked whether I wanted him to sign me off for pregnancy bed rest. I said, absolutely not. But let's go deeper for a moment. What does "don't train" actually mean?

Of course he didn't know what I actually do at the studio, so I started getting specific. Am I not allowed to raise my heart rate? Not allowed to lift weights? Not allowed to jump, to dance? He really did rule out most of those. But I kept asking – what about stretching? Low-heart-rate work? Gentle bodyweight movement? Lifting my pelvis? Working my legs? To all of those he said yes.

Slowly, exercise by exercise, we went through together what was suitable, what was off-limits and the risks of each. It was important to me to listen to him and certainly not dismiss what he said – I had waited for and hoped for this pregnancy for a long time, and I knew I wasn't willing to risk it for even a second. But I also understood that his intention was to protect me – he just didn't really know what happens at the studio, which exercises I do and what I work on.

Once we went through everything together, we understood there was no reason not to keep practising yoga and Pilates, but that dance and strength training were less suitable for that period. And I kept training until two days before the birth.

So what do you do with this?

The next time a doctor or physiotherapist tells you "only this way and no other", it probably comes from a real place of concern, and sometimes from experience with other patients who were injured. But don't be afraid to ask questions, be specific, and really understand what's behind the instruction. Because most of the time, what's off-limits for you isn't the type of workout – it's a specific exercise. And once you know exactly what's allowed and what isn't, a whole world of movement opens up that's safe and beneficial for you, at every stage and in every situation.