The Benefits Of Pilates
The Importance Of Focus: Another distinguishing feature of Pilates is that to practise it you must be totally focused and concentrated. This concentration creates a mind-body connection. A Pilates sequence can help to still the insistent clamour of your daily life, acting like meditation to calm your mind and help you see things more clearly. This focus and attention to alignment and detail makes Pilates unique and very satisfying.
Correct, Controlled Movements:
You should check throughout the exercises that your spine is in neutral (unless otherwise stated), that the abdominals are contracted, that you are not holding your breath at any time, that the muscles not involved in the movement are relaxed (it is common to hold tension in the jaw and shoulders) and that the movements are controlled. All these factors are the key elements that make Pilates so effective.
Stabilizing Muscles:
Muscle imbalances occur through repetitive strain or faulty mechanics, and result in an uneven pull of the muscles around a joint. This imbalance may cause injury to that joint. The pain that results inhibits the postural or stabilising muscles around the joint and, as a result, these muscles weaken, making the injured joint more unstable and more susceptible to further injury and pain. And so the cycle repeats itself. Even when the area is no longer painful, these muscles do not automatically strengthen again. This is why injuries tend to recur. To recover fully, the muscles in that area need to be specifically strengthened and their co-ordination retrained.
Trunk or core stability requires strength, endurance and co-ordination of the stabilizing abdominal, pelvic floor and lower back muscles. Stability is vital to support and protect the lower back from injury, to help with general postural alignment and to allow the release of the hips for greater freedom of movement. So, better core stability can reduce the chance of injury. Improving it is often the way to get rid of back problems that you may have suffered from for years. Core stability exercises are a crucial part of Pilates, which focuses on improving the strength and control of stabilizing muscles.
The Endorphin Effect:
You may have regular exercisers talking about the high they get from activity: this is the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are stimulated by exercise and have similar effects to opiates. Tests have shown that people who suffer from illness and depression are significantly helped by taking exercise. font>
