What are Pilates Exercises

Are you looking for ways to improve your fitness level? If yes, then Pilates exercises might be the answer. This type of exercise focuses on core strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and posture.

Pilates exercises are great for toning muscles and improving overall health. They also provide excellent benefits for pregnant women and those suffering from back pain or injuries. Learn more about these exercises and how they can benefit you.

What You Really Want to Know About Pilates

It has been proven and is fairly well known around the world that Pilates is one of the most effective methods for strengthening core muscles and improving overall fitness. A true benefit of Pilates Exercises is that not only are they pretty challenging, but the value of these Pilates Exercises really lie in the fact that they target every major muscle group in the body.

Pilates can literally be done anywhere, these can be done in areas with limited space, such as at home, and when and where conducted correctly, it really does not require that much space to set your Pilates workout area up.

Another benefit of Pilates is that it helps people lose weight. When we feel better about ourselves it has been shown that we will tend to eat less, and be more motivated to stick to healthier eating habits, and meal plans.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a form of physical fitness and body conditioning developed by German gymnast and dance teacher Joseph H. Pilates in the early part of the 20th century. He began developing his method in Germany during World War I, when he noticed soldiers suffering from war injuries. After the war, he opened his first studio in New York City and continued to develop his methods. He called his system “Contrology,” and he believed that people needed to learn how to control themselves physically and mentally to achieve good health.

Pilates Exercises focus more on muscle tone and strength, rather than building the actual muscles and specifically focuses on your core muscles, and as a low-impact exercise, the aim is to strengthen muscles while improving posture and flexibility. Most people would think that your stomach/abdomen area is the main part of your body. Your core does, in fact extend well beyond this area too. If you consider your muscles, nervous system, and your actual skeleton itself, you should come to realize that everything is connected, your core muscles serve as a “foundation” for your other muscle groups, and help promote your wellness and well being.

Pilates Exercises can be performed with or without equipment, making it extremely accessible wherever you may find yourself. Today, there are three main types of Pilates classes: mat work, reformer, and equipment-based. Mat work focuses on core strength and stability, whereas reformer classes use equipment such as springs, bands, and weights to increase resistance. Equipment-based classes include those that incorporate machines, free weights, and bars.

What are the benefits of Pilates?

As we have discussed, Pilates is a great means of improving your health overall by focusing on strength and endurance for and throughout the entire body. By targeting every muscle group, Pilates exercises help you working out muscles that are easily overlooked or not focused on in traditional exercise routines, such as the hamstrings, calves and your gluteal muscles.

Given the underlying fact of muscle strengthening, Pilates exercises are low impact and therefore “gentle” on your joints; this can be amplified by the use of equipment, where one may have specific joint issues or perhaps discomfort.

Although Pilates exercises have typically been considered a workout for women, and “traditionally” conducted within Pilates studios, this is hardly the case anymore. A studio is not required to work out regularly and effectively, whilst Pilates exercises have become easily accessible, and beneficial to all genders and ages. For specific areas of improvement and benefit, webmd.com provides that one stands to benefit from the following perspectives:

  • Flexibility
  • Strength
  • Low-impact

As the saying goes “Prevention is Better than Cure”, Pilates exercises does indeed help us get into and stay in form, which goes a long way in ensuring the minimalization of injuries sustained in sport, and even day to day living, where one might take a clumsy fall, or strain a muscle doing something routine. It certainly is well worth the time and effort in looking into the variety of Pilates exercises available today.

The 6 Pilates Principles

You will undoubtedly come across the mention of the 6 Principles of Pilates. We have summarized this briefly below, and cover it more in depth on our website.

#1 – CENTERING – Bring your awareness to the centerline of your body.

#2 – CONCENTRATION – Complete muscular control requires conscious, deliberate movement.

#3 – CONTROL – Sustained awareness ensures that each movement is precise.

#4 – PRECISION – Sustained awareness ensures that each movement is precise.

#5 – CONFIDENCE – Confidence builds slowly over time.

#6 – POSITIVITY – Positivity is contagious.

 Our website aims to educate and motivate you to improve your health and wellbeing, whilst providing the best resources and information we can on Pilates Exercises, equipment and more.

REGULAR PILATES WORKOUTS ARE KEY TO PROGRESS

Conducting regular pilates workouts and routines are key when it comes to Pilates, it is in no manner or form meant to be a once off, but rather a continual building of your skills, and ultimately your strength on an ongoing basis.

Because of the fact that Pilates helps with flexibility, the ongoing routines help to maintain this flexibility, and pushing yourself further will help increase the flexibility you attain through regular pilates exercises.

Pilates Inspiration

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In 10 sessions you’ll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you’ll see a difference, and in 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body It’s the mind itself which shapes the body.
Quotes by Joseph Pilates

Some folks prefer to do Pilates at home, not only for the privacy thereof but also because of their demanding schedules. We recommend that you grasp the concepts of Pilates first before going solo, which will ensure you are getting the workouts right and therefore the ultimate benefits for your efforts. To help with Pilates exercises at home you can also consider investing in a couple of dvds which will guide you through the routines and exercises, and you can compare your own activities with that of the instructors and make the necessary tweaks and adjustments as required.

More on Pilates DVDs

 

Laboratory Hours

Monday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Tuesday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Wednesday closed Thursday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
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Pilates Equipment Ranges from large to small

A wide range of Pilates equipment exists, ranging from the smaller accessories such as mats, weights and resistance bands to that of the Pilates Cadillac, reformer and Pilates chair.

One does not need to run out and purchase the latest and greatest in terms of Pilates Equipment, however some of the smaller items will make your workouts and efforts a lot more effective than without. As you progress you may also need to ‘graduate’ to the more specialized Pilates equipment, but again this may not be entirely necessary.

Pilates Equipment

From Reformers to Mats - Pilates encompasses the usage of a range of equipment

From Beginner to Advanced, Pilates Exercises are Accessible to All

There are exercises available for all levels of fitness and well being, for beginners to advanced. Making the most of your workout time is best accomplished by formulating your Pilates exercises according to your goals.

It is often times best to start off with a pilates instructor, or studio to make sure you are doing the exercises, and routines correctly. Once these techniques have been mastered it may be easier fot you to perhaps continue alone at home, and this is true for those that are on extremely tight or busy schedules.

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Increased Flexibility

Flexibility is key to helping prevent injury. Working on and maintaining flexibility helps in alleviating those annoying aches and pains.

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Improved Posture

The strengthening of your core will allow for better posture, which in itself has numerous benefits for you.

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Easily Accessible

Pilates is versatile and easily accessible to young and old. Nevermind the fact that you can do your workouts when on vacation!

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Increased Strength

Building up strength gives you the added energy, and stamina to cope with a busy and demanding daily schedule. Together with a myriad of overall wellness and healthy living.