Overall Benefits
The Pilates method has always emphasized quality over quantity, and you will find that, unlike many systems of exercise, Pilates exercises do not include a lot of repetitions for each move. Instead, doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant results in a shorter time than one would ever imagine.
One hour of exercise each day can help circulation and stamina, as well as increase oxygen to the brain . Pilates will not increase your heart rate, but keep it stable and under control. Pilates is a mental workout as much as a physical workout. It gives your body the opportunity to reconnect to the mind. By actively using our brain to call upon muscle groups to move, we are exercising our mental self along with our physical self. Most people don’t realize they are getting a workout because of the focus on precision and control, but immediately feel the workout the next day!
Pain & Discomfort Relief
Much of the pain, tension and discomfort in our muscles is caused by incorrect posture and carriage of the body. By stacking your bones, i.e. hip over knee over big toe or shoulders over ribs over hips you are aligning your posture and gate (walk). With conditioning through Pilates, your muscle memory will reprogram itself and you become strong and stable in those weaker areas. A good example is lower back pain, a chronic and widespread problem today. If you look closely at someone with chronic back aches, you will notice either the head or the hips are jutting forward, causing the shoulders to shift back and the weight of the upper torso is supported by the lumbar area of the spine, causing pain in the lower back area. The most common is women who are pregnant. The belly is heavy and pulling the hips forward, while all of the weight of the shoulders is being supported by the lower back. Pilates does not correct the problem areas overnight. It is a progressive workout that takes patience and focus, like Joseph Pilates said, “In 10 classes you can feel the change, in 20 classes you will see a change and after 30 classes you will begin to see and feel and new you.”
Internal Organ Support & Digestive Functions Benefit
Core strength is the foundation of Pilates exercise. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.
Most of the major muscles in our body are supported by bones, but our internal organs and are supported by our torso muscles. The the torso or the "Core" as it is referred to, is not only your abdominals. The core is comprised of the back, the abdominals and obliques. There are many tiny muscles and large muscles that work together to form the core, but for our purposes we will work the 3 major areas. The support provided by core muscles is important to the function of the organs in the abdominal region. Our digestive system and sexual organs are the two main groups we are working to control and support. In order for our organs to function properly, they need space(length) and support from the ribcage to the hip bone.
Without muscles in our torso, our organs would fall out and we would not stand erect! Think of your body like a tree, your torso is the trunk and your arms, legs and head are the limbs. Without a strong trunk the tree would fall, would you?
Pilates is highly recognized as a rehabilitation and exercise regime and is recommended by many medical experts. Please consult a medical professional before any type of exercise.
Please feel free to visit WebMD, LIVESTRONG and American Heart Association for more articles on the benefits of Pilates
