Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness, believed Joseph Pilates,creator of the worldwide popular exercise system known as pilates.This holds true even more so today as our lifestyles increasingly includeexperiential activities and adventures that challenge our physical and fitness levels.
So how does pilates fit into our lives?Outdoor activities such as hiking, trekking, biking, and various sports have becomepopular alternatives or add-ons to indoor workouts for many fitness enthusiasts.Holidays based on activities such as water-sports, safaris and more have gainedmuch popularity, too.All these require a person to have a certain level of fitness that is not just based onconventional definitions of size or speed of muscle. To enjoy these activities safelywith minimal stress, requires our bodies to have a strength based on good control,strong core, balance and stability.And, that is where an integrated total body exercise system like pilates comes in.Because all of the above, and more, are the focus of a well-programmed pilatesworkout.
What is pilates about?
Joseph Pilates is believed to have been way ahead of his time in his understanding ofmovement and exercise, as applied to our bodies.This, over 100-years-old, exercise system was called Contrology by Joseph Pilates,during his lifetime. A very apt name as the essence of pilates is controlled, precisemovement.
In recent years there has been an alarming increase in the number of cases reported due to workout-relatedstress and injuries to the body resulting from the many workout programmes beingoffered for strength, weight-loss, mind-body focus, flexibility, sports etc. Theprevailing trend of creating a competitive environment, re-enforced by peer pressureand group psychology has people attempting to push limits of strength, endurance,and speed beyond their capabilities or with lack of professional guidance.
Pilates as a stand-alone fitness programme creates a balance of strengthwith mobility while integrating endurance, muscle toning, and impacting injury-prevention. As a whole, resulting in better posture, stronger core, and awell-balanced muscular system.
The mind-body focus through these workouts builds a body awarenessthat enables a person to move better and stronger whether you arerunning, playing a sport, or doing daily-living activities.
Thats what makes pilates a total body integrated workout programme that bringstogether varied fitness and workout goals.
More than just fitness
The scope of pilates goes beyond being just a fitness workout.Pilates, as part of the training regimes of professional athletes andsportspersons, helps enhance performance and has a significant impact on injury prevention.
The springs-based resistance training pilates equipment is used in rehab andsports injury clinics across the world.When adapted for special populations, pilates addresses many concerns suchas osteoarthritis, hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer survivors, disc-relatedspine issues, and shoulder, hip, knee problems.Pilates workouts for pregnant and postpartum women are effective andbeneficial for addressing their unique needs.
What is a pilates workout?
The pilates system of exercise is broadly described asmat work with bodyweight exercises, andsprings-based resistance training done on equipment designed by JosephPilates (that he referred to as apparatus).
Mat pilates classes are popular offerings in fitness centres that format larger groupclasses.The huge popularity of pilates workouts, overseas and in India, is due tothe resistance training workouts done on varied pilates machines, the most popularof which is the reformer.
The resistance training on pilates machines contributes to the versatility andadaptability of pilates workouts.
Workouts can be specifically programmed forindividual goals, fitness levels and needs, making the machines an integral part of the pilates workouts.
Pilates workouts using the resistance of springs are especially effective forachieving goals of strength, balance, mobility, and flexibility.
Along with a strongcore, lengthened spine, and good posture is what pilates is well known for.Pilates is most effective when taught in a personal training session. Individual-basedsessions are preferred as customised pilates sessions as they are amazing in the quality ofresults that can be seen within just a few sessions.
Often perceived to be a workout that involves stretching, pilates is actually a strengthand conditioning workout for the mind and body.
Its benefits apply to both men and women, as the goal of these workouts is creating abalanced body, strong from the inside and outside.
After all, most of the elitesportspersons and athletes worldwide have pilates as part of their fitness andtraining regime.
(The author isco-owner The Zone Mind & Body Studio)
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Put your mind to it - Deccan Herald
