When you think of Pilates, does your mind automatically wander to an image of a lean, perfectly toned body? If so, you’re not alone. Pilates has quite the reputation for strengthening and toning the entire body, especially the core abdominal area. Because the results are so powerful, it’s also often assumed that Pilates is an incredibly strenuous workout.
While Pilates is indeed a workout, it provides a number of incredible benefits for people of all fitness levels. Ready to learn how a regular Pilates workout can have a significant impact in your life? Here are 5 of the top benefits.
Pilates Strengthens the Core
One of the most well known benefits of a regular Pilates workout is how it targets the core area of the body. Unlike other exercises that target the abdominal area, Pilates works both superficial and deeper abdominal muscles.
Pilates Helps Lessen Back Pain
Exercise is an important part of treatment for people who experience chronic back pain, but it can also be difficult to find exercises that support back health without posing the risk of further injury. Pilates is the perfect solution.
Pilates can be tailored to the individual’s fitness level and physical limitations while at the same time strengthening the important core muscles that are so important for optimal back health. Pilates can not only ease current back pain, but also prevent future occurrences.
Pilates Improves Flexibility
Pilates involves movements that incorporate the entire body. Rather than working on one muscle group, Pilates movements stretch and strengthen various areas of the body through smooth, repetitive movements. Those who practice Pilates regularly benefit from overall improved flexibility throughout their entire body. Flexibility is important for preventing injuries, especially as we age.
Pilates Helps You Lose Weight
Many people associate both Pilates and yoga with low impact exercises that are great for toning the body and relaxing but not necessarily effective in promoting weight loss. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though you might not be jumping all over the place, Pilates is a very real, intense form of exercise that burns calories and increases your metabolic rate. Pilates alone can be useful for weight loss, but when alternated with aerobic activity it becomes even more powerful.
Pilates Leads to Great Posture
So many of us have jobs that require us to be sedentary, sitting for hours on end. Few of us pay much attention to our posture and this can take a toll on your health in a number of ways. Not only can poor posture lead to back, shoulder and neck pain, the unnatural stress that it puts on your internal organs can disrupt digestion and a number of other important functions.
Pilates works the entire body evenly, helping to strengthen the muscles involved in supporting proper posture. As your body becomes leaner and stronger, your posture naturally improves.
The benefits that we’ve highlighted here only begin to tap the surface of what Pilates can do for you. If you’ve been thinking about developing your own Pilates routine, we’d like to help you along your path to better health. We offer different styles of Pilates classes designed just for you. Contact Yogacorefit to schedule a class today.