Five Reasons to Do Pilates

If you’ve been seeing a lot of images popping up in your newsfeed about new Pilates studios, a new Pilates workout, or your friend trying out a Pilates class, it’s for good reason. 

This core focused fitness trend, is an amazing way to build core strength, and improve your overall physique. 

It is low impact and serves as a great way to reduce several other pains and maladies within your body, which, without you even realizing, may be from low core strength and stability. 

Check out these benefits of Pilates, and why you should give it a try:

• Reduces lower back pain – One of the number one causes of low back pain is poor core strength. When the core is weak, the lower back is one of the first areas to compensate and to kick in to pick up where the core is unable to finish.  For example, coming from a lying position to an upright position, or lifting something up off the floor, should use the strength of the glutes and core.  For many people however, because these muscles are weak, the lower back takes the hit, and the result overtime is chronic lower back pain. 
• Low Impact – Pilates is done on the floor, lying on a mat. There is no impact component involved and in many instances, you will use a blanket, blocks or other props to support your muscles and body so that it is in a comfortable resting position.  The result is that you don’t get injured or make current injuries worse, but in addition, you also are able to work all of the muscles you are supposed to, because the rest of your body is supported and relaxed.
• Improves strength and stability – Anatomically, the core makes up a large part of our torso area. Therefore, it only makes sense that it also plays a large role in helping us to achieve and maintain our balance, have strength and stability in our body when it comes to bending down, getting up, moving from side to side and even lifting and lowering our limbs.  If you feel that you have bad balance, struggle to get up or bend down easily, or seem to always feel a strain in your back when you lift things, it may be a good idea to build up your core strength and boost your powerhouse using Pilates
• Helps in injury recovery – Many physiotherapists are recommending or offering Pilates as part of their individually prescribed treatment protocols for clients. In some instances, there is clinical Pilates offered onsite at the physiotherapy clinic, while in other cases, the therapist will suggest a Pilates studio to attend.  This is because physiotherapists have recognized the role that building core strength can have on helping individuals overcome injury and pain and work towards recovery.  Many issues that occur with the back, hips and legs are often as a result of poor core strength, whereby another area of the body has overcompensated, resulting in injury and strain.
• You feel it working – You might not walk away from your first class with a six-pack, but learn how to activate your core in class and you’ll feel it working. And then you’ll feel, the next day, just how much you worked it.  It’s rewarding to feel sore from putting in the work, and more than that, it’s rewarding to start to feel (and see) progress from your efforts.  Pilates allows you to have all of these things, plus just the good feeling of knowing you looked after your body!