The Many Health Benefits of Pilates

As a physical fitness system, Pilates started out as a way of strengthening abdominal and trunk muscles, often referred to as the “core.” But its very specific movements—hundreds of them—actually bring health benefits beyond making your core incredibly strong. Here are some of the many health benefits of Pilates.

Improves posture

• Pilates exercises help improve your attention & focus.
• Helps you become naturally more aware of your posture.
• You correct any bad habits and achieve proper posture & spinal alignment.
• It becomes second nature for you to check your posture even when you’re outside class, in everyday situations.

Promotes better circulation

• Pilates puts emphasis on deep, proper breathing.
• Proper breathing helps blood flow more freely throughout your body.
• Muscles & organs get oxygen more efficiently.
• Promotes better muscle & organ function.

Reduces blood pressure

• Mat Pilates “reduces clinical & ambulatory blood pressure,” according to a 2015 study.
• The study focused on 44 hypertensive women divided into two groups.
• One group performed for 60-minute Mat Pilates sessions, 2x a week for 16 weeks.
• The other group maintained daily activities without exercise training.

Improves balance

• Balance improves as core muscles become stronger & your spine realigns.
• Coordination improves as well.
• Pilates apparatus and props that promote stabilization are used throughout Pilates sessions.
• Great for reducing falls among the elderly.

Makes you more flexible

• Multiple active stretches are performed throughout every Pilates session.
• The range of motion within your joints improves with every class.
• Your body feels looser.

Helps with back pain

• Studies have proven that Pilates can be more effective than traditional back pain treatments.
• Practitioners testify Pilates gradually relieved their back pain.
• There are specific Pilates exercises designed to relieve back pain.
• Pilates also helps prevent back pain.

Boosts joint mobility

• Strengthens & elongates muscles.
• Joints become more mobile.
• Makes you less prone to weak or stiff joints.
• Helps you ward off arthritis by balancing the musculature within your joints.

Enhances spinal health and strength

• Multiplanar core exercises promote strength and flexibility in the spine.
• Improved spinal alignment.
• Link between spinal health & Pilates affirmed in 2014 study.

Full-body conditioning

• Pilates exercises every part of the body in each session.
• Constant tension builds endurance and strengthens while lengthening muscles.
• A kind of fitness that makes you feel tall, agile, fluid, “well oiled.”
• Better performance in sports, less injury risk.

Reduces stress levels

• Proper breathing is a core Pilates principle.
• Your blood gets more oxygen with deep, proper breathing.
• Efficient delivery of oxygen to your brain triggers a response that tells it to calm down.
• A more relaxed brain leads to reduced stress and anxiety.

These are just some of the many health benefits of Pilates.
Sign up for a Pilates class now, and find out for yourself what other health gains you can get in your own practice.

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