What Is Pilates
Pilates is a form of exercise, developed by Joseph Pilates, which emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement.
Core strength is the foundation of Pilates exercise. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.
As you develop your core strength you develop stability throughout your entire torso. This is one of the ways Pilates helps people overcome back pain. As the trunk is properly stabilized, pressure on the back is relieved and the body is able to move freely and efficiently.
Six Pilates Principle
1. Centering: Physically bringing the focus to the center of the body, the powerhouse area between the lower ribs and pubic bone. Energetically, Pilates exercises are sourced from center.
2. Concentration: If one brings full attention to the exercise and does it with full commitment, maximum value will be obtained from each movement.
3. Control: Every Pilates exercise is done with complete muscular control. No body part is left to its own devices.
4. Precision: In Pilates, awareness is sustained throughout each movement. There is an appropriate placement, alignment relative to other body parts, and trajectory for each part of the body.
5. Breath: Joseph Pilates emphasized using a very full breath in his exercises. He advocated thinking of the lungs as a bellows -- using them strongly to pump the air fully in and out of the body. Most Pilates exercises coordinate with the breath, and using the breath properly is an integral part of Pilates exercise.
6. Flow: Pilates exercise is done in a flowing manner. Fluidity, grace, and ease are goals applied to all exercises. The energy of an exercise connects all body parts and flows through the body in an even way. Pilates equipment, like the reformer, are very good mirrors of one's flow and concentration as they tend to bang around and suddenly become quite "machine-like" if one loses ones control and flow.
Will Pilates Help Me Lose Weight?
Speaking from personal experience and observation over the course of many years, I can say with some certainty that anyone who commits to Pilates workouts will create a trimmer appearance, and most will lose significant weight.
Pilates is famous for creating long, lean, fit bodies. There are many ways that doing Pilates supports weight loss and a trimmer appearance:
* Exercise burns calories. How many calories you burn depends on your body type and your level of exertion.
* Creating lean muscle mass, as Pilates does, is one of the best ways to increase your calorie-burning potential.
* Pilates tones and shapes the body.
* One of the best ways to look and feel thinner is to have beautiful posture. Pilates creates a leaner look by emphasizing both length and good alignment.
* Pilates promotes deep and efficient respiration, which is essential for calorie burning and tissue regeneration.
* Engaging in an exercise program, like Pilates, promotes self-esteem and heightened lifestyle consciousness. Both are associated with weight loss.
Pilates is an enlivening workout that can help sustain energy levels throughout your day. However, it is not usually done as aerobic exercise. Therefore, some people enjoy combining Pilates with aerobic/cardio exercise in order to maximize their weight loss.
Some good choices for aerobic cross training with Pilates include:
* Swimming
* Walking
* Cycling
* Running/Jogging
Core strength is the foundation of Pilates exercise. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.
As you develop your core strength you develop stability throughout your entire torso. This is one of the ways Pilates helps people overcome back pain. As the trunk is properly stabilized, pressure on the back is relieved and the body is able to move freely and efficiently.
Six Pilates Principle
1. Centering: Physically bringing the focus to the center of the body, the powerhouse area between the lower ribs and pubic bone. Energetically, Pilates exercises are sourced from center.
2. Concentration: If one brings full attention to the exercise and does it with full commitment, maximum value will be obtained from each movement.
3. Control: Every Pilates exercise is done with complete muscular control. No body part is left to its own devices.
4. Precision: In Pilates, awareness is sustained throughout each movement. There is an appropriate placement, alignment relative to other body parts, and trajectory for each part of the body.
5. Breath: Joseph Pilates emphasized using a very full breath in his exercises. He advocated thinking of the lungs as a bellows -- using them strongly to pump the air fully in and out of the body. Most Pilates exercises coordinate with the breath, and using the breath properly is an integral part of Pilates exercise.
6. Flow: Pilates exercise is done in a flowing manner. Fluidity, grace, and ease are goals applied to all exercises. The energy of an exercise connects all body parts and flows through the body in an even way. Pilates equipment, like the reformer, are very good mirrors of one's flow and concentration as they tend to bang around and suddenly become quite "machine-like" if one loses ones control and flow.
Will Pilates Help Me Lose Weight?
Speaking from personal experience and observation over the course of many years, I can say with some certainty that anyone who commits to Pilates workouts will create a trimmer appearance, and most will lose significant weight.
Pilates is famous for creating long, lean, fit bodies. There are many ways that doing Pilates supports weight loss and a trimmer appearance:
* Exercise burns calories. How many calories you burn depends on your body type and your level of exertion.
* Creating lean muscle mass, as Pilates does, is one of the best ways to increase your calorie-burning potential.
* Pilates tones and shapes the body.
* One of the best ways to look and feel thinner is to have beautiful posture. Pilates creates a leaner look by emphasizing both length and good alignment.
* Pilates promotes deep and efficient respiration, which is essential for calorie burning and tissue regeneration.
* Engaging in an exercise program, like Pilates, promotes self-esteem and heightened lifestyle consciousness. Both are associated with weight loss.
Pilates is an enlivening workout that can help sustain energy levels throughout your day. However, it is not usually done as aerobic exercise. Therefore, some people enjoy combining Pilates with aerobic/cardio exercise in order to maximize their weight loss.
Some good choices for aerobic cross training with Pilates include:
* Swimming
* Walking
* Cycling
* Running/Jogging