You are fit, you exercise regularly so why should you be doing Pilates?
Many people think Pilates is just for ladies but it offers a wide array of benefits. Everyone can benefit from Pilates especially those who are striving for improvements in their health and fitness.
Pilates is a whole-body training programme which although it focuses on the core muscles it doesn’t over develop one muscle group at the expense of another area. While promoting strength and balance throughout the body it encourages flexibility and increased range of movement. By learning to work from the core the body is able to recruit more strength with the added advantage of full range of movement. This is key when wanting to improve your run times or develop balance muscle definition.
While strengthening the deep core muscles it trains the abdominal muscles to pull in helping you to achieve the flat stomach most people crave.
It supports good posture; good posture is a reflection of good alignment and a strong core. Correct postural alignment enables the body to move freely with control. It is this postural alignment that supports a reduction in back pain for many.
Through improved balance and stability common movements such as lunges and single leg exercise can become easier and making more complex movement patterns more achievable. This supports team and racket sports where at pace directional changes are essential.
Joseph Pilates believed Pilates was “the complete co-ordination of body, mind and spirit”. Each movement is practiced with total attention. When exercise is performed with total attention the technique is perfected and the risk of injury is reduced.
The principles — centring, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow — are key concepts that we use to integrate body and mind.
Move Well.
Lisa Hutson
Pilates Instructor