Our daily lives require us to perform lots of different movements, from getting up out of bed, to bending over, reaching and twisting. Sometimes we may lose our balance and stop ourselves from falling. The benefits of Pilates are varied – it can help support your daily life in performing these movements more easily. It works on building a better functioning body as a whole, rather than isolating individual muscles.
Pilates can either be performed on a mat or on a reformer bed guided by a Physiotherapist. Clinical Pilates is far more tailored and uses state of the art equipment to help improve your mobility and pain issues, offering both resistance and assistance.
Specifically, what are the benefits of Pilates?
1. Improving Posture
Pilates is praised by doctors, athletes, parents, seniors and office workers as it both strengthens and corrects posture particularly around the hips and lower back, upper back and neck. It also works on the body’s stability through movement.
2. Reduce Back Pain
Most back pain comes from poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle. Pilates addresses muscle imbalances that most typically contribute to back pain – weak abdominals and buttock muscles. It also stretches, relieves and relaxes the overworked back muscles. A well aligned posture is the main factor that helps to alleviate back pain. Pilates helps to strengthen the deep core muscles that support your spine and therefore, posture.
3. Relaxation
It’s well known that exercising reduces stress. Pilates specifically focuses on movement with breath with some of the exercises performed laying down with the support of the Pilates bed. Combining strengthening, stretching and breathing helps to relieve tightness in the body as well as stress. A workout can usually be completed within 30 minutes, and with a physiotherapist guiding exercises tailored to your needs, it makes a very time efficient exercise.
4. Increased Strength and Flexibility
Injuries most commonly occur when we lack strength and flexibility, particularly as you start getting older. Pilates focuses on using and strengthening your deepest core muscle group that supports all activities – from getting out of bed, walking and sitting for long periods. It also works on flexibility in the muscles and joints which in turn should help improve range of motion and thus, help you move with ease.
5. Improved body shape
Clients can expect to see significant changes in their shape within a few months. Fundamentally working on strengthening the muscles that support your posture will ensure you stand taller and therefore, look slimmer!
Summary on the benefits of Pilates
Pilates is suitable and beneficial for all – parents, the elderly, workers, sports enthusiasts. The benefits of Pilates are varied, from simply helping you live daily life with more ease and less stress to improving strength, flexibility and preventing and treating injury.
Contact us now to discuss how Clinical Pilates can help you and book your free discovery session.