7 Ways Pilates Will Improve Your Life
It’s not new news that Pilates does wonders for your physical health.
It is one of the best ways to get in shape, and get in shape fast.
Say “hello” to abs like you’ve never seen before and a workout that will have you feeling exhausted in a way you never imagined — especially when this workout has you doing moves as slowly as possible.
There’s no doubt in our minds that you will love the physical results from your Pilates Platinum classes and, let’s be honest — that’s likely the reason you’re here in the first place.
However, you may be surprised to find that Pilates will improve your life in a number of other ways.
And we love a good kill-two-birds-with-one-stone-type of thing. Or in this case, killing multiple birds with one stone.
Here, the other things you’ll love about the effect Pilates will have on your life.
How Pilates Will Make Your Life Better
1. Say “sayonara” to back pain
Unlike many other workouts, Pilates will not cause your back problems. In fact, one of the main focuses in Pilates is ensuring that your back remains strong and safe.
You’ll hear your instructor say throughout class to pull your abs into your ribs — this is to protect your back (and it doesn’t hurt that this helps keep your abs engaged, which means you’re strengthening at the same time).
By keeping your spine aligned correctly and breathing the right way during Pilates, you will be doing wonders for your back.
2. And say “hello” to a more relaxed mind
You may not think of Pilates class as a way to meditate, but you’ll quickly find out it is.
Because the moves in Pilates are so intentional and require so much focus to do correctly and reap all the benefits of, you’ll need to have a calm mind and focus your attention on what is right in front of you.
You won’t have the mental space to think about what’s on your to-do list or stress about anything that isn’t Pilates-related.
To keep your body engaged and get the most out of your class, you’ll need all your mental energy and attention on the moves your body is doing.
And the great thing about this is that it will not only give you that sense of meditation and “unplugging” during class, but it will give you the tools and the practice to take that concept of focusing on your body and breath into the rest of your daily life.
This means a calmer mind and more overall zen sense of self.
3. Stress will be a thing of the past
When we are stressed, our bodies will often turn to the fight-or-flight response.
This means that our body reacts by releasing stress hormones in order to help our body decide to either fight or run.
And, those stress hormones can really build up if we don’t have a way to work through them. With build-up comes pain and even muscle spasms.
So how do we work through these stress hormones? Why Pilates, of course!
The stretching you’ll do while in your Pilates Platinum class will work those muscles out in a way that is low-impact and very safe for your body.
By getting the stress out of your body physically, it will help you get it out mentally as well.
4. Welcome a new wave of happy
As long as you have your mind and body in the game, you will find yourself releasing some serious endorphins while in Pilates.
And you know what endorphins mean — happiness.
This requires however, that you remain focused on your class and don’t let your brain jump to other things.
5. You’ll discover new confidence
Because so much of Pilates focuses on aligning your body properly and maintaining good posture, you’ll find that translating into your everyday life.
And, it is no secret that the better your posture is, the more confident you feel.
It also helps that your Pilates workout will get you a killer bod, which will definitely be a major boost in your confidence as well.
6. You can still workout while pregnant
When pregnant, you have to be very careful about everything you do to your body.
You don’t want to overwork it, and don’t want to bring unnecessary stress to it.
However, many women don’t want to give up working out while they’re pregnant. And, thanks to Pilates, you don’t have to.
Not only is Pilates safe during pregnancy, it will also help you to enjoy your pregnancy more and help you prepare for labor — which certainly wouldn’t hurt.
The more you work your core muscles (in a safe way such as Pilates), the easier labor will be on your lower back and pelvis as well.
An added bonus is that chances are good your labor won’t be as long as non-Pilates fans.
7. It promotes efficiency
Let’s be honest — a lot of us in the modern world are incredibly busy and just don’t have 2-3 hours to get a solid well-rounded workout in at the gym.
And that’s where Pilates comes in.
With this exercise, you’ll work every part of your body in an incredibly effective way in just an hour.
You’ll get in, get your butt kicked, and be out before you even realize that much time has passed.