'Do not dismiss the benefits of Yoga and Pilates' says Sidmouth fitness guru

Don't discount the benefits of Yoga, Pilates and flexibility training.

If you think keeping fit and training are all about the fast cardio think again. Whether you are a runner, a footballer, or a rugby player; whatever your sporting activity and no matter how fit you are, flexibility training will enhance and improve your general fitness.

In previous years yoga was almost dismissed as a weird 'hippy' type exercise, and in fact, a lot of people automatically write it off and think it's too 'girly' or 'too far out!'

There is also an assumption (wrongly) that spending hours in the gym, multiple times a week, or a bit of football training and a match at the weekend is all they need to do. Wrong!

It doesn't matter how fit you are, many people struggle with the simplest of things – touching your toes, sitting cross legged on the floor, even tying shoelaces or putting socks on without sitting down to do it.

Lower back pain is also prevalent, especially as a large percentage of UK workers have deskbound jobs (81% of desk workers are sitting behind their desk for between 4 and 9 hours per day, equating to 67 sedentary days per year!).

It's not a quick fix (is anything?) but try it out, and I can guarantee week by week you will notice an improvement.

You can bend that little bit lower; you stand that little bit straighter; your core gets a little bit stronger. And, the stronger that core, the better your back will be, as stronger abdominal muscles help take the pressure off your back and help keep that spine aligned.

So, before you discount it out of hand, check it out. And don't just try it once, you need to persevere for a few weeks at least.

There are lots of forms of both yoga and Pilates, and we are blessed in this area with a variety of options.

Or, for something a little different try our Flow class, which is a combination of yoga, tai chi and Pilates or specifically for men - Core, Strength and Flexibility.

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