6 Reasons To Work Out Using Pilates
Wellness January 20, 2024 Hannah Lamarque
Getting fit is all about how you work out and depending on the type of look you want to achieve, there are a whole range of different activities that you can try. When it comes to balancing both body and mind, however, few exercises do it as well as pilates and if you’re looking to whip yourself into shape and alleviate any stress, the activity might be the one to try. There are a whole load of other benefits to the exercise than just looking and feeling good and once you give it a spin, you might be hooked for life. Ready to be your best self? Pilates will help you to get there.
- Gentle On The Joints
High intensity sports like running are great for giving your heart a proper working out but over time, they can have a detrimental effect on your bones and joints. If you’re looking for an effective way to work out while keeping your body in trim for the future, pilates is an incredible option. With most of the exercise’s moves being performed either in a sitting or reclining position, pilates puts very little strain on your body, enabling you to increase your strength without any risk. The activity is also particularly good if you’re getting over an injury and can have you back on the road to recovery in no time at all!
- Develops The Core Muscles
How you hold your body is all about the core muscles and in order to maintain good posture, increase your strength and move more efficiently, it’s worth whipping them into shape. Pilates works primarily from the core outwards, making it an effective way of exercising even the most hard to reach areas, without straining your muscles. The stronger your core becomes, the better the health of your spine might be.
- Increase Your Flexibility
Do you want to be able to move efficiently into older age? It’s all about flexibility. Maintaining lean, flexible muscles will make getting around and performing endurance tasks much more manageable, helping you to ward off injury into the future. Longer, leaner muscles are much less susceptible to injury or pain in later life, so maintaining your movement can be incredibly important for your future health.
- Works Out Your Body and Mind
Using exercise as a way of relieving stress is a great way of clearing your mind and refocusing your priorities. While activities like group sports, running or cycling are a great way of getting a little clarity, few sports do it as effectively as pilates. Based on proper breathing exercises, spinal alignment and gentle movement, pilates can help you to synch up your body and mind and have better control over the two. What’s more, proper breathing can also help to alleviate any symptoms of stress, helping you to get over any problem that might come your way!
- Challenges Your Fitness
Thought that pilates was all about relaxation? Think again. With intense focus on your body’s strength and flexibility, the activity helps to condition your muscles in very targeted ways, focusing on your total fitness. While you can start out at a beginner’s level, it is very easy to enhance the intensity as you get used to the exercises. Pilates is all about progress and in the activity, there is always something new to be learned.
- Improves Sport Performance
Often, pilates is used as a supplementary exercise alongside other fitness regimes and if you really want to get into shape, it is a great option. Working an entirely different set of muscles than conventional workouts, pilates helps to strengthen your whole body, balancing out your core strength. With the whole body conditioned to the exercises, you will more adept at performing other sports and over time, you might just notice your performance capability increasing. With greater total strength and an improved flexibility, you will diminish your risk of injury and enhance your overall fitness.