Seven Reasons Why You Should Do Pilates

Pilates has been around for over 90 years. It is an exercise technique first developed by German immigrant Joseph Pilates. He called his exercises Contrology, later to be named after his last name Pilates.

You can do Pilates on a mat and with Pilates’s equipment: the reformer, chair, and cadillac. Whether on a mat or on equipment, here are 7 reasons why you should give it a try:

1. Get long, lean muscles Pilates elongates and strengthens, improving muscle elasticity and giving you long, lean muscles.
2. Better posture is something Pilates can pretty much guarantee. If you take the lessons you learn from Pilates to heart, you’ll stand and sit taller all of the time.
3. Develop a strong core Pilates exercises develop a strong “core,” or center of the body. Often times, back pain results from faulty posture and a weak core. Pilates addresses the muscle imbalances that most typically contribute to back pain, namely weak abdominals, back and glute muscles. Pilates also stretches out the tight and overworked back muscles. Proper alignment is the main factor that helps to alleviate back pain.
4. Increase flexibility Pilates exercises stretch the muscles and increases joint range of motion.
5. Helps to reduce stress by emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration on smooth, flowing movement, you become acutely in tune with your body. You actually learn how to control its movement which is empowering. Your mind is focused on your body and not what you need to do later that day leaving you feeling less stressed and satisfied that you did something good for your body after a pilates workout.
6. Help improve and prevent injuries Pilates focuses on strengthening the small, deep stabilizing muscles which are important and often not addressed with other exercises modalities.
7. Excellent for those that sit at a desk during the day just the nature of sitting all day makes certain muscles tight because they are in a shortened position for lengths of time. Pilates focus on lengthening those muscles.

We recommend training with a Certified Pilates Instructor. Pilates’s sessions are done both in private sessions or classes. The best way to see if Pilates is a great fit for your body is to try it.