Top 4 Health Benefits of Pilates Exercise
Dec 14, 2022
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Proper exercise following an adequate diet is necessary to keep the body healthy. Of course, being healthy comes with the discipline and knowledge to maintain body strength and energy, which is necessary to achieve an active lifestyle. Over hundreds of existing exercises today, Pilates has become one of the most popular. This is because, with its simple method of exercise, it undeniably provides multiple benefits.
Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on strengthening the body, mainly core strength. It enhances the body’s balance and flexibility while positively impacting posture. Considering the many benefits of Pilates to physical health, it also has numerous benefits to a person's general health and well-being. Explore here the benefits of Pilates exercise.
The Popularity of Pilates Exercise
As many people are more in now with mind-body exercises, Pilates has become one of the top choices. Moreover, its numerous benefits, such as improving body functions, strength, concentration, and many others, have become the driving force for many to include Pilates in their regular exercise routines. Given the popularity of Pilates worldwide, many have also shown interest in becoming a professional in the field.
The broader interest and desire for the human body and how Pilates benefits general health have greatly influenced the growing number of individuals undergoing proper training to become professional instructors.
If you share the same interest and passion, you can always be an instructor yourself. Train as a Pilates instructor online or via a traditional program. This way, you'll discover more Pilates skills and techniques to elevate your Pilates routine and possibly pursue a career in teaching Pilates in the future.
The Health Benefits of Pilates
1. Relieve Tension
Muscle inflammations can cause tension and aches all over the body. Doing exercises or being physically active is one key to preventing muscle soreness, including body aches and pains. As mentioned above, Pilates promotes strong core muscles.
Pilates exercise may include simple body movements, like holding your torso and moving your legs in different directions. It eventually strengthens the core over time and helps in relieving muscle tension and pain around the neck, back, and shoulders.
2. Improves Posture
Bad posture is commonly caused by aging or bad habits like slouching, thus leading to muscle fatigue and poor posture. Pilates exercise allows you to move around with ease or achieve good posture. Moreover, this exercise promotes the relaxation of core muscles, including body parts such as the back, shoulder, neck, hips, and many others. Therefore, achieving an improved body posture.
One effective Pilates exercise you can do at home to help with improving posture includes a Pilates bridge. This exercise specializes in strengthening the back and achieving good spine alignment. To successfully do a Pilates bridge, you have to straighten your back by lying down with bent knees, pressing your feet down, lifting your pelvis up, and slowly rolling it.
Repeat the procedure by deeply breathing in and out. You can do it five times per session.
3. Prevents Injuries
Body coordination and awareness allow the prevention of injuries. But how does Pilates exercise prevent injuries?
Pilates can help achieve muscle balance. Thus, it allows individuals to have great control over their body movements, which leads to avoiding injuries. This is possible as coordination and concentration, which enhances body balance and joint stability, are also practiced in Pilates.
Numerous Pilates exercises are especially helpful in improving balance. These include the following:
- Standing Pilates. This pilates exercise strengthens muscles and bones, specifically the hips and legs. At some point in the routine, standing on one foot is required, which helps shift body weight and eventually practice balance.
- Chair Pilates. Aside from enhancing balance, chair Pilates is also a good choice for strengthening the legs. Using a chair, do a single leg lift alternately while sitting down. Other than lifting your legs, you can also try the single-arm lift by simply sitting down and lifting your hand upwards alternately.
4. Increases Energy
Pilates combined with cardio exercise can improve and increase energy in the body. This is possible as burning calories during Pilates exercise routines can promote better blood flow and oxygen circulation, producing excess energy. The breathing exercises integrated with Pilates improve lung capacity and overall body energy. Know that Pilates exercises commonly start with breathing exercises like upper chest, belly, and lateral breathing.
Upper chest breathing, also known as Apical Breathing, is basically having a deep breath that helps with calming the mind and body. Belly breathing or Diaphragmatic Breathing is filling your belly with air. This breathing exercise helps with releasing tension and relaxing the shoulders. Lastly, Lateral Breathing or basic Pilates breathing allows proper breathing when doing Pilates exercises.
Compared to other belly breathing, Pilates breathing will require breathing through the ribcage. This allows the muscles to be fully activated while using the respiratory muscles. All you have to do is inhale using your nose, direct it to the side of the ribcage, and exhale through the mouth. Knowing these breathing exercises connected with Pilates can mean more focused breathing, enhanced concentration, and better energy production.
Conclusion
Understanding Pilates exercise and its benefits are essential, so you get to focus more on exercises that can fit and bring positive results to your physical and general health. With the basic Pilates routines and exercises you can easily do at home, it won’t be hard for you to achieve great benefits in no time.
If you are a beginner asking for help from trained and expert Pilates professionals and instructors, you’ll surely be able to do the exercise properly and safely.