Body confidence advocate and Queen of our hearts Holly Willoughby has a fantastic way of keeping in shape
We are BIG fans of loving the body you're in here at Closer Online - everyone should love themselves for who they are, no matter the body size.
Another person who feels this way is Queen of our hearts Holly Willoughby.
Our Hol never talks about her diet or weight loss at all as she doesn't think it's the be all and end all of life.
PREACH!
Speaking to Prima magazine last year, she said: "I don't want to encourage eating disorders. I try not to focus too much on my appearance. As long as I'm being healthy, that's good enough for me.
"I'm quite active and I try not to let the way I look be the main focus because it's not the important thing."
Oh, Hol. As if we needed any more reasons to love you!
Despite this, we can't help but notice how absolutely fabulous she always looks on This Morning - her wardrobe is to DIE for - but what's the secret to her fab figure?
WELL.
It turns out that Holly took to doing Pilates once a week after the birth of her daughter Belle in 2011!
We've got to say, we're a bit relieved.
Should we ever want to tone up a little to get that Holly glow, it won't be as bad as we thought.
Well, it could have been high intensity gym workouts three times a day and only eating celery, couldn't it?!
Bleh.
Lynne Robinson, from Body Control Pilates, worked with Holly once a week at her home, doing strength and conditioning work to get her back in shape.
The instructor, who has also worked with Paloma Faith, told The Sun: "I worked with Holly for several months, teaching her privately at her home once a week.
"Holly had postnatal mat work classes which concentrated on strengthening and toning her core."
Dr Clare Morrison from MedExpress told us: "Pilates can be highly beneficial for those who have just given birth. Mat-based Pilates exercises are easy to do at home and a good way to stay in shape.
"The exercises focus on strengthening the abdominals, pelvic floor muscles and the back. Deep breathing is central to Pilates, so can be very relaxing for new mums.
"New mothers have specific needs - their abdominal muscles are over-stretched during pregnancy, their lower spine can easily overarch causing backache and they tend to lean forward during breastfeeding which can cause pain in the neck and shoulder muscles.
"But Pilates can help strengthen the abdominal wall to reduce the 'pregnancy tummy', it can help to regain good posture which is needed to nurse and carry the baby around, and it can build up arm muscles to lift and carry the baby more easily."
Clare advised that new mums do a test to check they are ready to exercise: "Before taking part in Pilates, do the Rectus Test. Towards the end of pregnancy, a woman's rectus abdominus muscle often separates – and the rectus abdominus muscle needs to knit together again before starting Pilates. In terms of caesarean sections, it's important to wait five to six months before starting exercises like Pilates."
And there's even a plus for new mums: "The workouts also don't take long – so time-pressed new mothers will be able to weave workouts into their regular routines very successfully."
So there you go!
Lynne Robinson, Founder and Director of Body Control Pilates. To find a teacher near you or information on becoming a Body Control Pilates certified teacher yourself, go to **__www.bodycontrolpilates.comwww.bodycontrolpilates.com.
To find these postnatal exercises, see Lynne's specialist e-book **Pilates for PregnancyPilates for Pregnancy, available at Amazon. For Pilates for all, see Lynne's latest book, **Pilates for LifePilates for Life, £18.99 by Kyle Books.
Have you ever done Pilates? Did you find it really helped you? Let us know over on FacebookFacebook and **Twitter**Twitter**.**
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