If you find yourself growing bored with your normal workout routine, it’s easy to fall into the habit of not exercising at all. There are tons of unique and fun ways to get more physical activity into your day, and they don’t all involve lifting weights at the gym! One great way to stay healthy and in shape is Pilates.
Joining a Pilates class or even exercising at home using Pilates techniques taught by an instructor has tons of benefits. Contact our office today to learn more about our Pilates programs and how they can help you stay fit and healthy!
What Is Pilates?
Many people believe Pilates is a new-age exercise class for busy moms to take a few times a week. It has been around for a long time! It originated as a form of rehabilitation in the early 20th century. Joseph Pilates created this form of exercise during World War I to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers. How crazy is that? Since then, Pilates has been used for a vast array of exercises, treatments, and strength training.
Each exercise in Pilates begins with controlled breathing techniques to begin the contraction of the core muscles. Exercises can take place on a mat, similar to yoga, or on specialized equipment that uses springs, levers, and your weight to provide resistance.
Utilizing Pilates for rehabilitation purposes has been a growing trend in the physical therapy field for quite some time now. Pilates not only aids in the recovery from bodily injuries, but it also helps with improving overall health, increasing strength and movement, and making your immune system strong.
How Can Pilates Keep You Healthy?
Pilates has several health benefits. It improves motor control, reinforces postural alignment, strengthens joints and muscles, and decreases stress levels. By focusing on the core and promoting even musculature throughout the body, Pilates can amplify your center of balance.
This treatment is effective for a wide range of neurological and orthopedic issues, which is why so many physical therapists are incorporating it into their practices.
Some of the most common conditions treated with Pilates include:
- Arthritis
- Balance issues
- Multiple sclerosis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brain injuries
- Joint injuries
- Stroke.
Pilates can be used for more than just injury rehabilitation. It is a great stress management technique and a good way to strengthen the joints and muscles. It helps improve muscle performance and motor control and reinforce postural alignment. Because it focuses on your core, Pilates can improve your center of balance and promote even musculature throughout the body.
Pilates And Your Immune System
Pilates can improve your sports performance, help prevent injuries, and boost your immune system. Our immune system flows through our lymphatic system. Unlike our circulatory system, lymph depends on our movement and the contraction of our muscles to circulate. Pilates assists with circulating the lymph that collects in our hands, feet, and other places where our extremities connect to our core. Many exercises “pump” and squeeze these areas to get collected lymph moving. This is why the full-body movement required for Pilates exercise is so helpful!
Pilates also focuses on stress relief and calming your mind through breathing techniques and specific movements. This causes the sympathetic nervous system to slow down, which in turn reduces stress and encourages immunity. Fitting exercise into your everyday schedule also promotes better sleep, which is necessary for a healthy immune system.
Ready To Get Started?
Pilates is an excellent source of fitness if you’re looking to improve your balance, blood flow, circulation, or alleviate back pain. This exercise can be customized specifically to a person’s needs and can cater to their current fitness and ability levels.
If you think it might be a good fit for you, contact us today to learn more about the health benefits Pilates can offer you! We’d be thrilled to help you start the proper workout regimen so you can start achieving your health goals as soon as possible.
