Pilates offers benefits to help with a wide range of issues and is helpful for all ages. Many people are not familiar with Pilates and who can benefit from it, but the more information they obtain, the more they realize the power of physical fitness.
Pilates offers benefits to help with a wide range of issues and is helpful for all ages. This form of training people can do on their own from home, but it becomes a highly effective training option when done in a fitness studio with all the necessary equipment. The system’s focus on the breath can help improve lung capacity and circulation, bone density and joint health, posture, abdominal strength, and body awareness, promoting better sleep.
“People are amazed at the results they get from a custom-tailored Pilates program in our studio,” Jennifer Scherer, certified personal trainer and owner of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio. “When the program is tailored to meet your specific needs, it can do wonders to help you heal, strengthen, and improve overall wellness.”
Science Behind Pilates
Many people can benefit from Pilates training, but they are not yet aware of it. The lesser-known therapeutic workout can help address numerous conditions. A study published in the April 2022 issue of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity reports that physical activity like Pilates can help improve sleep quality in older people. Another study published in the April 2022 issue of the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders says that Pilates may help improve pain and strength in young and middle-aged people with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Additional studies show that Pilates helps with reducing blood pressure, helping older people prevent falls, and more.
Here are 8 facts about Pilates everyone should know:
1. The Core Principles of Pilates
Pilates is a physical activity based on three principles: breath, whole-body health, and whole-body commitment. It focuses on breath, concentration, centering, control, precision, and flow.
2. Pilates and Physical Fitness
Pilates is a powerful way to improve such areas as strength, balance, and flexibility. Unlike many other physical fitness workouts, Pilates is tailored to meet each person’s needs, addressing the area they need to improve.
3. History of Pilates
Started in the 1920s in New York City, it is a system created by Joseph Pilates and his wife, Clara. While he was the person who made the individual exercises and machines, she was the one who developed the protocol to tailor the workout to each particular person based on their needs.
While Joseph Pilates died in 1967, the exercise style he created lives on. He published a couple of books that explained the techniques and theory behind it, used to help others learn and teach the method.
4. Pilates Benefits Older Adults
Pilates can be beneficial to the older population. In the February 2022 issue of the journal European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology, and Education, they report that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. They find that Pilates can help with dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health.
5. Pilates Benefits Younger People
Pilates can help younger people with knee issues. A study published in the February 2022 issue of the journal European Review for Medical Pharmacological Sciences reports that Pilates-based core strengthening exercises can help adolescents with patellofemoral pain syndrome reduce pain, enhance muscle strength, improve functional status, and improve quality of life.
6. Top Benefits of Pilates
The many benefits of doing Pilates includes improving flexibility, balance, cognitive functioning, bone strength, mood, sleep quality, muscle strength, posture, energy levels, and core strength, and it helps prevent injuries. It helps to reduce back pain and stress.
7. Pilates and Pregnancy
Pilates can benefit pregnant women and those who are giving birth. A study published in the July 2021 issue of the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth reports that Pilates exercise during pregnancy improved the labor process and increased maternal satisfaction during the childbirth process. Additional studies have found that Pilates helps women address pelvic floor issues following pregnancy.
8. Pilates Supports Recovery
Pilates can target specific areas and issues so that people can strengthen and heal following injuries, accidents, and surgeries. The exercises can help people get back to where they need to be or achieve a whole new level of physical fitness.
Pilates can help people of all ages, especially those that need to address a wide range of issues,” adds Scherer. “We have helped countless people to feel better, stronger, and improve their quality of life.
If your fitness routine has been feeling a little stale, trying a new kind of class can make it feel fresh again- try taking Pilates!
And if you are looking for a way to either get back into or to begin your fitness journey, Pilates is the perfect way to do it. Pilates can be tailored to your fitness levels and goals!
