If you are someone who is interested in maintaining their health through physical fitness, then you have probably heard of Pilates, a course of whole-body exercise aimed at improving the practitioner’s daily activities with low-impact exercise. Pilates is aimed at forming optimal strength by fine-tuning neuromuscular patterns and muscle balance. The exercise system was invented by Joseph Pilates, a German physical trainer, writer, and inventor in the early 20th century, and was originally called “Contrology” until it took its creator’s name.
Today Pilates is enjoyed around the world as a fun, refreshing form of exercise that has major health benefits, so much so that Instinct Health offers a course in “Clinical Pilates” to their patients! Let’s now take a closer look at Pilates and what it can do for you!
Improves Posture – It turns out your mother was right when she ordered you to stop slouching and stand up straight! Maintaining good posture prevents common maladies like lower back pain, sore shoulders and neck, and headaches. Pilates concentrates on bringing awareness to, and adjusting the body’s alignment by exercising your ideal range of motion and balancing opposing muscles so that you can sit and stand tall without discomfort.
Increases Core Strength – Pilates puts an emphasis on the body’s core, meaning the centre of the body and the muscles surrounding the trunk that provide stability and support. Increasing the strength of these important muscles can help decrease hip and back pain, and improve the body’s overall balance.
Helps Prevent Injuries – The goal of Pilates is to balance the muscles so they aren’t too rigid and tight, but aren’t too weak and loose, either, since both conditions can lead to injuries. The dynamic inner strength that Pilates fosters allows you to better stabilize and support your joints when you are moving, which helps your body to prevent movement related injuries like those that can happen when playing sports.
Improves Mobility And Flexibility – The range of motion at a joint is called mobility. The amount of passive stretch in a muscle is called flexibility. In order to have good mobility you need to have good flexibility, as well as balanced strength. Pilates has you going through a series of slow, controlled movements that work to improve your mobility and flexibility.
Decreases Stress And Anxiety – The act of carefully moving your body while maintaining balance and engaging in breathing to match those actions works as a natural tonic against stress, anxiety and depression. Your increased body awareness soothes the nervous system, turning off the nearly ceaseless fight-or-flight mode that so many of us suffer through in our day-to-day lives. Your cortisol levels go down and you feel calm and in control after a Pilates session, and if you continue to practise the exercises those benefits will become permanent, making you a more relaxed and happier person!
Pilates is truly a wonderful way to tune up your body and mind in a gentle, low-physical-impact exercise process. Why not sign up for an intro lesson and give it a try? Pilates is a lot of fun and it’s good for you!
