My life has changed for the better in so many way since I took up a regular Pilates workout routine, which eventually led me to become a Pilates instructor. Most people think of Pilates as a form of exercise used to become flexible, but there are a lot more benefits than you realise.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a workout that requires you to focus on your posture and core strength. It’s suitable for people of all abilities, but you’ll need to be flexible and strong enough to perform some advanced exercises correctly.
Pilates’ exercises are based on the concept of developing strength, flexibility, and coordination. These exercises help improve posture and body alignment, which is essential for good health. In addition, they also increase muscle tone and endurance, which makes them ideal for athletes or anyone looking to get fit.
What are the benefits of Pilates?
Pilates is an amazingly versatile low-impact form of exercise which can be done at home or in a studio. It’s great for beginners and experts alike, as it works your core muscles while improving flexibility, strength and posture. Did you just think it was to help make you bendy? Think again! It offers a wide range of benefits to improve your quality of life.
Greater flexibility
OK let’s start off with the most obvious benefit: Regular Pilates workouts can help you achieve greater flexibility, hugely beneficial to daily life, or even other athletic pursuits. Flexibility is about how far your body can bend without pain. Stiffness is often a symptom of muscle tightness or poor posture.
Increased strength
Many exercises in Pilates focus on the core muscles, including your abs, back, hips, chest, shoulders, and neck. These work together to stabilize you while you move around, and help you maintain proper posture. In addition, many Pilates exercises target specific muscle groups, such as your arms or legs.
Better sense of balance
Pilates helps improve balance by strengthening muscles in the core area of the body. This improves posture and makes you feel more confident when walking around.
Improved posture
Pilates helps correctly align the spine, correcting poor posture. Sitting up straight makes your spine strong and healthy, and gives you more energy. You should always stand up straight, but if you’re tired or need some extra energy, try sitting up straight. Avoid slouching, especially when driving.
Increases core strength
Pilates training focuses on strengthening the core muscles of the trunk. These include the transverse abdominus muscle and obliques. Strengthening the TVA muscle helps improve posture by helping stabilize the spine. Strengthening the obliques also helps stabilize the pelvis and hips. In addition, Pilates training improves core strength, which decreases back and hip pain, improves pelvic floor function, and increases athletic performance.
A strong core helps your back stay straight. Your core is more than just your abs—it’s about supporting your entire body. By strengthening your core, you can achieve better posture and reduce lower back pain
Enhanced muscular endurance
In general, Pilates classes call for high rep ranges, typically 15 or more. That training helps your muscles to stay strong for longer. For runners, that translates into your long runs, because you want your muscles to be able to sustain your distance running.
It helps enhance bone strength
Sitting too much can cause osteoporosis and arthritis. When done properly, Pilates can help strengthen bones, by using body weight to move against gravity. The increased strength and muscle mass gained will also add to the support of bones, and improvements in posture and range of motion ensure bones are kept in the correct alignment.
It boosts your oxygen intake
Pilates exercises strengthen the muscles of your back, hips, shoulders, and neck, and improve your posture. This helps prevent injury and improves running form. Some experts believe that deep breathing can also improve endurance performance by increasing oxygen intake.
Assists with injury recovery
In WW1, Joseph Pilates, the creator of Pilates, was using his methods to help injured soldiers recover from their injuries. He was also teaching them how to use exercises to prevent future injuries. Nowadays, there are many businesses offering similar injury rehabilitation services through the use of Pilates.
It prevents injuries
Prevention is better than cure! As Pilates promotes good posture and alignment as well as an increased range of motion it also helps reduce the risk of injury, such as joint pain, back pain, and other injuries that can occur if you don’t exercise.
You’re also less likely to suffer from falls, something that becomes increasingly common as we age.
Finally, the knowledge gained from Pilates, specifically learning how to perform the exercises correctly, can help prevent injuries when performing other forms of exercises.
It boosts immunity
Pilates improves blood flow in the body, thus improving overall health. In addition, Pilates exercises improve muscle tone, strength, flexibility, and endurance. These benefits help increase your ability to fight off colds and other illnesses.
Can help with sleeping
Regular Pilates workouts can improve your sleep patterns. Better sleep results in feeling more rested and energised the following day.
Worried that exercising before bed will wake you up? Try my special pre-bedtime Pilates routine:
It enhances muscular endurance
Pilates classes usually call for high rep ranges, typically 15 or more. That training helps your muscles to stay strong for longer. For athletes, that has a clear benefit. For example, that translates into being able to run for longer because you want your muscles to be able to sustain your distance running.
Greater Stamina
Muscles aren’t the only area that get an endurance boost, Pilates is known for improving your overall stamina. Through a combination of stretching and strengthening movements, Pilates helps improve your endurance. This increases your ability to do things throughout the day, including exercising at a higher intensity without getting tired.
Improves sex life
Of course sports and exercise aren’t the only physical activities that benefit from Pilates, it can make sex better because it helps you to be stronger, more flexible, more mobile and have greater stamina. All of these things help you to do more during sex
Good social activity
Many of my clients really love and benefit from group classes. These allow you to meet and make friends with a range of different people you might not ordinarily come into contact with. Social interaction is hugely important for our mental wellbeing, I find those attending class regularly will often have a pre- or post-workout chat and catchup.
Healthier Blood
In order to improve your blood circulation, you should practice Pilates regularly. By doing so, you’ll be able to reduce your stress level and lower your blood pressure. You can also breathe deeply while performing Pilates exercises. This will allow you to fully oxygenate the blood.
Mental Fitness
Pilates is more than physical exercise. It is a lifestyle change that brings about a new level of health and wellness. By focusing on the mind, it enhances concentration, reduces stress, increases happiness and improves focus daily.
Heightened awareness
Pilates is a great exercise program for improving posture. It also helps you develop a stronger abdominal core and improve your breathing. As a result, you’ll be more aware of maintaining your proper posture, and you might even find yourself engaging your abs while doing everyday activities such as watching TV, driving or performing other routines.
Integrates Body and Mind
As you develop your Pilates skills you’ll start to focus less on getting the positions correct and more on the overall flow. We then concentrate our awareness on whatever activity we are doing, using our senses to guide us as we perform each movement. We breathe deeply and slowly and eventually learn to flow smoothly from one movement to another without stopping.
Increased energy
Breath work improves your cardiorespiratory system, stimulating the release of feel-good hormones, increasing oxygen flow, and improving blood circulation. These benefits help improve your health and fitness level. You won’t be exhausted after doing Pilates exercises, in fact you’ll feel energised for the rest of your day.
Reduces menstrual pain
Pilates exercises are known to increase flexibility and strength in your core muscles. These benefits may reduce or eliminate the discomfort associated with dysmenorrhea (severe and frequent menstrual cramps and pain).
Pilates can help with weight Loss
Exercise and a healthy eating plan are key elements in helping you lose weight. Pilates is a great exercise program because it helps you strengthen your core and improve your flexibility. It also teaches you how to use proper breathing techniques during workouts.
Pilates helps you work out more efficiently, while also getting you fit. I never promote weight loss as a main objective, rather you should focus on improving your overall strength, a side effect of this will be the loss of weight and the gaining of muscle.
Pilates Improves Your Quality of Life
I hope you can see from the above list of benefits that Pilates offers a fantastic way to improve your day to day life, helping you with everyday tasks as well as improving things link range of motion, mental health, and overall strength. Pilates exercise can help improve your overall physical health and body awareness, make it one of your daily activities and you’ll soon notice increased range of motion and a higher energy level.
If this list makes you want to learn more about taking up Pilates check out this article: Starting Pilates as a total beginner: Things you need to know
