Tuesday, May 28, 2013

What Are Pilates?

By Angela Winter


Developed by Joseph Pilates of Germany, Pilates is another type of exercise that is done by many people. It is one of the most commonly practiced type of exercise. Balanced development of the body is the main focus of this kind of exercise and it is attained through body conditioning, core strength, awareness and flexibility. Pilates can provide lots of benefits to the body if done properly and regularly.

Pilates and the effects that it has on one's body:

1. Pilates helps in toning the body and enhance its overall flexibility. But unlike other forms of exercises, Pilates is not focused on using weight lifting exercises to tone the muscles of the body. Instead, it makes use of other different apparatuses to achieve this goal.

2. Pilates also helps in developing agility and muscle strength which is important for a person to perform the activities that are expected for them to do.

3. This kind of exercise also aids in preventing injuries and promotes proper use of body mechanics and correct posture.

4. Practicing Pilates also helps an individual to develop and improve breathing efficiency, making your heart and lungs healthier.

5. Rehabilitation and recovery from injuries is also one of the benefits an individual can get from doing Pilates.

6. For people that is suffering from chronic pains, practicing may help alleviate their experience of pain in effect they experience improved quality of life.

These are some of the benefits we get in doing Pilates exercise but it is also important to remember to ask the help of a Pilates instructor on what form of Pilates exercise is appropriate for you individually. Also, for pregnant women, Pilates exercise is not prohibited but doing this exercise, as with any other forms of exercise, should only be done with the approval of your doctor and with the guidance of a trained Pilates expert.

Now there are 6 important principles of Pilates as outlined by two students, Philip Friedman and Gail Eisen. These principles are as follows:

1. Centering-the center is the starting place in which an individual should have to achieve body control. This is central point in the method of Pilates.

2. Control-Pilates method of exercise also emphasizes the importance of gaining control over your own body, mainly muscle control. A person wanting to do Pilates should be focused in doing it properly to achieve the goal of having control in every aspects of the exercise.

3. Flow or moving with efficiency-One goal to be achieved when doing the Pilates exercise is to attain the proper flow of exercises in a way that the movement of the body should be well-coordinated. In this way, body precision will be achieved resulting in increased stamina and stronger body.

4. Breathing is the fourth principle of Pilates which is also one of the most important principle of Pilates. Doing the Pilates exercise is observed to improve breathing pattern as well as oxygenation.

5. Precision-doing the Pilates 100% correctly is one of the principles that is emphasized. They want Pilates practitioners to perform the exercises properly for them to maximize the benefits that they can get in doing the exercise.

6. Concentration-extreme focus is also one important principle in Pilates exercise. An individual practicing Pilates need to fully concentrate on their body while doing the exercise to achieve smooth transition of movements.

As with any other kinds of exercises, one must do Pilates properly and accurately to obtain the result that they are looking forward to. Aside from that, an individual must have proper discipline for them to actively participate in doing Pilates exercises. Also, for beginners, they might want to consult or ask help from Pilates experts before performing the different kinds of Pilates exercises and making use of different Pilates exercise tools for safety purposes.




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