What Is Pilates and Its Health benefits?

Hello, friends! this article is all about pilates and their health benefits. First of all, we need to know about pilates.

• Pilates is a series of almost 500 exercises inspired by calisthenics (Calisthenics are exercises consisting of a variety of gross motor movements, often rhythmical, generally without using equipment or apparatus, thus in all essence body-weight training), yoga and ballet (an artistic dance form performed to music, using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures). 

• Pilates lengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups in the body in a balanced fashion. It improves flexibility, strength, balance and body awareness.

• Pilates can be an aerobic and non-aerobic form of exercise. Each exercise has a prescribed placement, rhythm, and breathing pattern.

In Pilates, your muscles are never worked to exhaustion, so there is no sweating or straining, just intense concentration. The workout consists of a variety of exercise sequences that are performed in low repetitions, usually five to ten times, over a session of 45 to 90 minutes. Mat work and specialized equipment for resistance are used.

There are two types of pilates

Mat-based Pilates – 

This is a series of exercises performed on the floor using gravity and your own body weight to provide resistance. The main aim is to condition the deeper, supporting muscles of your body to improve posture, balance, and coordination

Equipment-based Pilates – 

This includes specific equipment that works against spring-loaded resistance, including the ‘reformer’, which is a moveable carriage that you push and pull along its tracks. Some forms of Pilates include weights (such as dumbbells) and other types of small equipment that offer resistance to the muscles.

Health benefits of doing pilates regularly

• Enhance your physical flexibility;
• Increased muscle strength and tone, particularly of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips, and buttocks;
• Balanced muscular strength on both sides of your body;
• Enhanced muscular control of your back and limbs;
• Improved stabilization of your spine;
• Improve your body posture;
• Rehabilitation or prevention of injuries related to muscle imbalances;
• Improved physical coordination and balance;
• Relaxation of your shoulders, neck, and upper back;
• Safe rehabilitation of joint and spinal injuries;
• Prevention of musculoskeletal injuries;
• Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep breathing;
• Improved concentration;
• Increased body awareness;
• Stress management and relaxation;

source: better health.vic