Pilates...The new/old thing to do!

I am sure all of you have heard the word Pilates. It has become the new rage for people from the rich & famous, athletes, and your average Joe. What is all the hype about so many people ask? Also, what is the difference between YOGA & Pilates? Yoga is an ancient philosophy that has been in existence for over 3,000 years and includes postures, deep stretching, & meditation for a total mind body experience. Yoga is known for helping to eliminate the body of stress & toxins making for an overall healthier well-being.

Pilates was created in the early 20th century by a gentleman named Joseph Pilates. It was originally used for individuals who were sick or had physical ailments. It was developed primarily for rehabilitative purposes. It slowly became a system that was used in the Dance World to help lengthen and strengthen the muscles of the dancers. Many people have found wonderful results with posture, balance, control, and a strengthening effect within the core muscles. The core muscles include the abdominal, back, pelvic, and gluteus muscles. As core muscles become stronger they will assist in protecting the spine and over time can lead to proper spinal alignment. It has proven to be a very effective and systematic approach and has now become widely used among athletes, dancers, adults, and even small children.

The benefits of Pilates include:
1. Improves Posture
2. Increases Balance & Control
3. Corrects Muscle Imbalances
4. Strengthens Core Muscles
5. Develops Mental Focus
6. Incorporates proper breathing techniques with movement
7. Mind Body Connection
8. Stress Reduction
9. Increased Flexibility
10. Increased Circulation

Many different exercises make up the Pilates line up. The idea is not to do as many repetitions as you can. Typically when people do multiple repetitions their form begins to suffer and there will be little to no benefit for the participant. Pilates exercises are to be done slow and controlled lending precision to each movement and synchronizing your breathe to the movements. It is amazing how much difference this can make in the strength and control of your body. With Pilates you are working many muscles in unison which means that you will not be isolating muscle groups through exercises such as a bicep curl. An exercise like bicep curls is strengthening only the muscles that make up the bicep.

Many people can develop imbalances in the muscle groups of the body from poor weight lifting technique, sitting at a desk for multiple hours in the day, or simply carrying a child on the same hip. When we create muscle imbalances within the body many things such as pain, injury, and sickness can occur. I would recommend trying a Pilates class in your area. A typical Pilates regimen would be at least 2-3 times per week. You will be so much healthier for it. Jospeh Pilates once said, "Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure."