The Benefits of Pilates for EVERY body
Using Pilates to get in shape and stay in shape at any stage of life. ~ Photography Credit: Asia Croson Photography
Introduction
It’s so easy to get caught up in the routine of life, that we forget about how good it feels to move in our body in new and different ways! Whether our routine is long days hunkered over a desk, gardening in the yard, or an intense regime of athletic training for your sports of choice, our routines often create an imbalance in our body and prevent the ability to move freely.
In Pilates, we counter these repetitive movement patterns “undoing the damage” of your typical day to day activity (or inactivity), with movement patterns that
✨ Bring the Body in Balance
✨ Improves Flexibility (So you can reach down and tie your shoes!)
✨ Strengthen your Core aka the “Powerhouse”
✨ Improve and Strengthen Posture and Alignment, taking pressure off the spine and reversing the effects of gravity.
It can also bring a new found love and respect to our body and our mind. When you begin to embrace the strength and resilience of your body, there is nothing more empowering than feeling alive in the skin that you are in.
But you might be asking yourself, is Pilates for me? And if so what are the benefits? Pilates can be good for anyone! Truly. Anyone! Pilates offers plenty of benefits to your body, no matter your fitness background. You’ll improve your posture, focus on alignment, and get one hell of a full-body workout!
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the Benefits.
What are the benefits of Pilates?
“Physical Fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” Joseph Pilates
MENTAL BENEFITS: Self Awareness, Proprioception, Mind + Body Connection, and Control, Self-Empowerment
When pilates was first founded in the early 1900’s Joseph Pilates called his method “The Art of Contrology”. His philosophy behind the method emphasized the innate connection to our mind+body and our ability to overcome modern-day challenges that come with the demands of living a fast-paced life. He emphasizes the ability to find self-empowerment through the mastery of movement that can bring a sense of happiness, health, balance through self-discipline. In books such as Return to Life through Contrology and A Pilates’ Primer: The Millenium Edition he goes on to teach the foundations of his philosophy and how you can use the method to begin to reframe your habits and thoughts about movement. All of which leads you to a greater understanding of self-awareness and self-discipline through training the mind to control the body.
An additional benefit that allows you to become more self-aware is proprioception. As you flow through challenging movements, illustrative cueing guides you to build proprioceptive awareness teaching you where your body is in space and how it is moving. If you are naturally klutzy like me, proprioception is a great tool to develop and helps you prevent falls and accidents both big and small.
PHYSICAL BENEFITS: Core Strength, Balance, Flexibility, Whole Body Strength, Improves Posture
Since the founding of the Pilates method, there have been many studies to prove the benefits of Pilates. One such study from 2016 found that 8-weeks of Pilates classes improved abdominal endurance, flexibility, and balance. [2] Let’s get a better look at the physical benefits:
Bring the Body into Balance
Pilates creates long, strong muscles by taking advantage of a type of muscle contraction called an eccentric contraction. [3] However, when Joseph Pilates developed his method, he did not speak of long, lean muscles and flat abs. Instead, he was more interested in the body as a whole. From his strive for health and vitality, sprung the benefits of a strong core, better posture, and balanced musculature.
In addition to balanced musculature, multiple studies have shown that Pilates can improve your balance overall. As we age it becomes more vital to maintain and strengthen our balance and coordination to reduce risks of falls, injury, and reduction of independence. Between the age of 30-40 statistics show that our balance and coordination begin to decline.[6] By adding Pilates 2-3 times a week and mindful exercises such as breathwork and meditation to your routine you begin to prevent these risks.
Improves Flexibility
Sometimes having the flexibility to bend down and tie your own shoes can be taken for granted until it's no longer an option. With Pilates, you safely work towards increased length and stretch of the muscles and range of motion within the joints [3] While we might not be contorting our body like a gymnast or circus performer, flexibility in our daily lives is important. Being able to stretch and bend to meet the needs of your life should be a realistic health goal and can be improved by adding Pilates to your weekly fitness regimen.
Strengthen your Core aka the “Powerhouse”
More than your abdominal muscles, your core aka “Powerhouse” in Pilates includes the entire trunk of your body. In fact, your Powerhouse includes the deep muscles of your back, abdomen, thoracic diaphragm, and pelvic floor! These muscles are vital to supporting your back and creating proper postural alignment and efficient movement patterns. When the core is strong, the entire frame of the body is supported. Taking away strain from your neck and shoulders and excess weight in your joints. Pilates teaches you how to tighten your core and pull your abs in to get the most out of all of your exercises.
The pilates exercises involve a variety of abdominal exercises that not only improve your strength but also improve endurance. In 2011 a study showed that 2, 1-hour sessions a week for 12 weeks helped to improve abdominal strength and upper back posture. [4]
Improve and Strengthen Posture and Alignment
People who practice Pilates, often have excellent posture. It’s also a reason why people do pilates for back pain reduction and prevention. [5]
Supported by a strong core, good posture is a result of proper alignment that allows the body to move freely. Starting with the foundation of Pilates principles and progressing your practice AKA repertoire, with equipment and mat exercises, Pilates trains the body to move with precision, strength, control, and flow.
SPIRITUAL BENEFITS: Breath Connection, Breath Control, Breath is life!
Although inspired by but not as spiritually based as yoga, Joseph believed that Pilates was about the “complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.” Uniquely, “Spirit” in Latin means breath, and breath is not only a foundation for the pilates practice but breath control is a major benefit. The ability to control the breath can help reduce excess tension and stress in the body and allows us to create more energy and endurance with practice. When harnessed the breath connects us to our life’s energy. It is the direct connection to oxygen that combines with glucose forming ATP in the mitochondria that give us the ability to move. Without the breath, this oxidation process that creates energy metabolization wouldn’t happen. Which means our chi (aka; prana, life force, spirit, energy) would be unable to flow.
You can read more about “The benefits of creating a healthy breath practice”
There you have it!
Pilates is not your average Joe exercise routine, its benefits include:
Develops multiple aspects of physical fitness; strength, flexibility, coordination, speed, agility, and endurance
Boost core strength and stability
Develops proprioception and improves balance and coordination
Enhances body control
Teaches correct muscle activation
Relieve stress and back pain
Corrects and Improves posture and alignment
Refine athletic performance
Prevent injury
Combine strength with flexibility
Increase muscular tone and endurance
Heightened body awareness
Promotes relaxation and the release of tension
Help keep musculature and bone structure in an optimal state
Provides a path to inner harmony through the finely tuned body
Self Empowerment
The biggest benefit of all is that pilates is for EVERYBODY! No matter your weight, age, level of fitness or physical ability, Pilates can be applied to you! The focus on building core strength, proper alignment, uniformly strengthening the body, combined with mind+body connection make Pilates accessible to everyone. The exercises can even be modified just for you and your body. With thousands of variations and modifications for exercises to take special consideration whether you are a man, pre or post-natal woman, recovering from current and/or past injuries, young or old.
Still not sure if Pilates is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation
SOURCES + STUDIES:
1) Siller, Brooke The Pilates Body: The Ultimate At-Home Guide to Strengthening, lengthening and Toning Your Body- Without Machines Harmony; 2000 pp. 7-13.
2) Kibar S1, Yardimci FÖ, Evcik D, Ay S, Alhan A, Manço M, Ergin ES. Can a Pilates Exercise program be effective on balance, flexibility and muscle endurance? The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 16 Oct 2015, 56(10):1139-1146 PMID: 26473443
3) Geremia JM, Iskiewicz MM, Marschner RA, Lehnen TE, Lehnen AM. Effect of a physical training program using the Pilates method on flexibility in elderly subjects. Age (Dordr). 2015;37(6):119. doi:10.1007/s11357-015-9856-z
4) Byrnes K, Wu PJ, Whillier S. Is Pilates an effective rehabilitation tool? A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2018 Jan.;22(1):192-202. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.04.008
5) Emery K, De Serres SJ, Mcmillan A, Cote JN. The Effects of a Pilates training program on arm=trunk posture and movement. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2010;25(2):124-130. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2009.10.003
6) Ju Hyun, PT, MS,1 Kak Hwangbo, PT, PhD,2,* and Chae-Woo Lee, PT, MS1. The Effects of Pilates Mat Exercise on the Balance Ability of Elderly Females.J Phys Ther Sci. 2014 Feb; 26(2): 291–293. doi: 10.1589/jpts.26.291
