Today we will talk about my favourite form of exercise. Numerous studies demonstrate the great benefits of Pilates. If you have not discovered it yet, now is the time.
I will explain what makes Pilates so useful and why every woman and man should try it.
Making your body slim and toned by working all muscle groups, improving joint and spinal health, and strengthening deep muscles can all be achieved through Pilates. Around the world, Pilates is recognised as rehabilitative fitness with a particularly harmonious and broad approach to improving the health of the body as a whole.
Unlike traditional strength exercises, where each muscle is developed separately, Pilates involves all the muscles. This makes it possible to achieve results shortly after training begins. It has been shown that after 36 weeks of training, Pilates strengthens the rectus abdominis muscles 21% faster than gym training.
Pilates exercises focus on back and spinal health, helping address several issues at once: strengthening the back muscles, making them supple, increasing spinal flexibility and thereby eliminating back pain.
Originally, Pilates was developed by its creator to restore the musculoskeletal system after injuries and various illnesses. Joseph Pilates himself was a sickly child who suffered from rheumatic fever, asthma and rickets. Through exercise he healed himself, hundreds of soldiers during the First World War, and thousands of professional athletes and dancers throughout his life. It has been shown that joint pain decreases significantly after just a few Pilates sessions and disappears completely for some people.
Pilates teaches concentration. I say that a Pilates session is the most beneficial hour for our body and brain: a time when soul, consciousness and body are in complete harmony. It is not an easy process, and everyone arrives in their own time — it may be your first, third, fifth or tenth session. When it comes, you will feel the strength and ability to control your mind, recognising that the brain is our tool. It can serve us rather than torment us with endless doubts, fears and thoughts… Joseph Pilates called his method “exercise for human thinking”. And that is truly what it is! Chinese scientists measured changes in brain activity after 10 weeks of Pilates and found an increase in peak alpha power associated with memory performance and other cognitive functions. The researchers believe Pilates could potentially become a useful treatment option for people with brain disorders.
Flexibility, strength and agility will become part of you after Pilates training.
How do you feel right now?
Could you, for example, climb a tree and pick healthy, delicious fruit? Many people have forgotten about it, yet not everyone can actually do it. It does not matter whether you are 25, 30 or 40… When you can lift your leg above your navel and move skilfully in unfamiliar situations, you begin to appreciate and understand your body, its abilities and the beneficial practice of PILATES!