Pilates is more than just a workout—it’s a movement form that improves your quality of life in a variety of ways. Whether you do reformer Pilates workouts, private sessions or mat classes, you’re bound to reap the wide-ranging rewards this incredible form of exercise provides. It doesn’t matter if you work out at a Pilates studio or practice at home—if you do the exercises properly, you’re going to see results.
1. Posture. Bad posture can cause pain throughout your body and lead to health issues in the future. “Neutral spine,” which is the proper alignment of the spine, is a fundamental component of Pilates. Whether you’re lying down, sitting or standing, students are taught to strive for neutral spine. This helps strengthen the supportive muscles around the spine, maintain the natural curves of your back, and position your properly for all your daily activities, including driving and sitting at a computer.
2. Core strength. Pilates is very core-centric—it’s one of the best workouts for strengthening your core. The exercises we do during reformer workouts and mat classes builds and trains our abs to help protect and properly align our spine. Unlike most resistance workouts, Pilates works the smaller muscle groups that are often ignored at the gym in favor or our large muscle groups. In Pilates, we learn to engage our core and all of the little muscles surrounding your abs to support and stabilize our torso and spine. When you learn to do this regularly, you’ll be able to access that connection during workouts at the gym and in daily activities.
3. Body Awareness. The concentration and focus that Pilates requires helps you build a deep connection to all the muscles of your body and how they all work. Over time, this leads you to perform all your movements and activity more efficiently, using the proper muscles and being careful with your positioning. This mind-body connection helps prevent injury and teaches you to be more mindful with all of your movement, both in and out of the Pilates studio.
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