Benefits of Pilates Method

SHA Wellness Clinic

March 7, 2013

Hi all! Surely many of you have heard that Pilates is very good for health but, do you know exactly what are the many benefits of Pilates? With this post we intend to solve many of your questions about the effectiveness of Pilates.

Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates in his search for the perfect combination of techniques such as gymnastics or yoga to make achieving the famous Latin phrase “mens sana in corpore sano”. Besides being considered one of the most complete exercises that exist today, the benefits of Pilates are numerous and help achieve good health and a healthy body.

In Pilates lessons a series of excercises are developed, composed by controlled movements coordinated with the breath, in order to create a harmonious, coordinated, muscular and flexible body.

Through the practice of Pilates, the mind is becoming aware of the capabilities, limitations, strengths and weaknesses of the body to improve the physical and mental state. The health benefits of Pilates are many because it is a global and comprehensive approach that seeks, according to its creator, “to strengthen the body through the use of the mind to master the muscles”.

The benefits of Pilates and its main advantages are:

It is an anaerobic sport so it does not work long term resistance but its benefits are more global and lasting than in many aerobic sports.
Strengthens muscles without adding excess muscle mass, toning the body in a more natural, deeply way and worked not only superficial and including muscles not normally work in the day.
It produces changes in daily life such as improved posture, eliminating common pain caused by poor posture and neck pain, headaches or backaches, as it makes a special emphasis on the correct alignment of the spine .
It improves breathing and therefore lung capacity. Breathing is perhaps the most fundamental part of Pilates and is characterized by lateral or costal breathing, affecting the lateral expansion of the rib cage during inspiration, favoring the respiratory and blood oxygenation.
It works especially abdominal area as the center of the body and thus contributes to lower belly and strengthening the abdomen.
Another benefit of Pilates is that it increases joint flexibility and therefore improves and facilitates body movement and reduces the likelihood of injury.
It increases our ability to concentrate, focus and awareness of our own body and its movements.
As we told you in this post, it can also be very useful to sleep better, because it reduces stress and induces a state of relaxation and well after practice.
It helps eliminate toxins through the breath and oxygenate the skin.
One of the biggest benefits of Pilates is that it requires no machines or appliances to be done, although we do sometimes serve certain equipment like balls (fit balls, bosu balls…) or even elastic beds to do and thus increase the variety of exercises and multiply your possibilities.
From the first class you notice how the muscles work and in three weeks of regular practice (2-3 times a week) very favorable results can be noted. There is a phrase of Joseph Pilates, the creator of this successful method, which defines it well: “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in twenty sessions you will see the difference, and in thirty sessions you will change your body.”
Everyone can practice Pilates: pregnants, elderly people and even children. In addition, for pregnant women has additional advantages as it helps control the urge to go to the bathroom.