There is a chance you’ve heard about pilates or seen a pilates studio in your area. Pilates has been around since the 20th century as it was first introduced in the United States in 1920 by its founder Joseph Pilates. It was introduced to help recover injured athletes and dancers, enabling them to return to their initial healthy condition.
Pilates later traveled across the world, being adopted by people of all ages, sex, and race mainly for its high concentration properties as well as its low-impact cardio components.
Although pilates isn’t restricted to working one body part, it is highly focused on the core as it ensures that in every exercise you perform, your core remains tight and balanced. This article provides all the best pilates here and the health benefits they have to offer.
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Principles Of Pilates
Before looking at the health benefits of pilates, we will first understand the concept behind this incredible exercise. As in his first book, Joseph Pilates meant for this exercise to achieve the Mind-Body-Soul coordination that would enable performers to get all the benefits pilates offers. The principles include; centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flow.
Centering
This is the fundamental principle of Joseph’s whole philosophy. He needed one to find their center as this allowed all power to flow into all other parts of the body. The first pilates position, the constructive rest, is all about enabling you to locate the neutral spine and working forward from there.
Concentration
Pilates rewards deep concentration for every move one makes in this exercise. Like mindfulness, concentrating on each move you make will help your body get all the benefits from this exercise.
Control
When performing any movement in pilates, it is important to make sure every action is going towards a certain goal. It demands that you focus your mind on every little action you undertake and remain unresponsive any time action is not required.
Precision
In pilates, mastering every movement and focusing on the details will enable you to fully experience the benefits that come with it. Allowing your mind to complete every action requires you to follow a similar rhythm to achieve success.
Breathing
Breathing can be described as the most integral part of this exercise. Allowing your lungs to take in maximum air and breathe out simultaneously with the movements of the exercise will help you progress in pilates. If you are having a problem breathing correctly, practicing it will provide you with far better results in the long run.
Flow
All movements in pilates have a goal to achieve fluidity, grace, and ease of motion. It is important to master these as they can be seen when using a Reformer or Cadillac.
Health Benefits Of Pilates
Now that we have all the principles of pilates noted, it is time to dive into the benefits that come from all the listed principles.
Improves Core Strength
As seen in the first principle of pilates, your core is the most vital part of your body, and when it is stronger, it has a ripple effect that enables other parts to witness the same benefits. Since it is your body’s powerhouse, it helps reduce pelvic floor dysfunction while reducing both back and hip pain.
Improves Posture
The more you do pilates and follow its principles; your posture will improve. This can be due to several things but mostly due to the controlled slow movements that promote the centering of the spine, enabling an upright position throughout the day.
Relieves Stress
Like many physical activities, pilates triggers the brain to release endorphins that keep you in a good mood throughout the day. Also, due to the relaxing characteristics of this exercise, it relaxes your muscles releasing all the tension and stress.
Improves Flexibility
As you continue practicing pilates, your joints will become more flexible due to the careful stretches included in the movements of this exercise. This flexibility allows your muscle to have wider ranges of motion which enables you to be stronger.
Boosts Your Energy
Pilates helps boost your energy levels due to the increased blood circulation, ensuring your body receives all the nutrients from your blood. This enables you to focus better during the day while increasing your stamina to perform harder chores than usual.
Pilates is a great way to get your body active, especially due to how easy and cost-effective it is to get started. After seeing the benefits on your own, you could then begin to seek a more professional approach that might now involve equipment. It not only keeps you sharp and in shape but also allows you to be disciplined.
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