Benefits of Pilates

“The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is gaining the mastery of your mind over the complete control over your body.”- Joseph H. Pilates

Let me start off by saying I love Pilates and am obsessed! Yes, I am biased when it comes to Pilates. The reason why I am is because it was a critical component in my path of remission of rheumatoid arthritis. Without being able to walk for about 2 months when I fell ill, it made my body weak and I lacked balance. I did some research to find out what exercise program would work best for my body and found out that Yoga and Pilates were both suggested. I tried Yoga but it was very difficult for me because of swollen, achy, stiff joints and I didn’t see any improvement so I opted to try out Pilates. My body literally transformed. It was one of the best decisions I made. Doing Pilates along with eating healthy sped up the process of my recovery.

Here are some of the benefits that I personally experienced:

o   Improved core strength and stability

o   Improved flexibility

o   Improved posture and balance

o   Gained long, lean muscles and toned body

o   Reduced stress, reduced achy and swollen joints

Pilates is a refreshing mind-body workout that emphasizes on proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment while concentrating on movement. You become extremely aware of your body and able to control its movement. You will know right away if a part of your body is not feeling “normal” and possibly injured.

You should definitely schedule a Pilates private session to see if it’s for you but make sure that it is classical Pilates. In my opinion, it is the best form of Pilates compared to the contemporary Pilates that is being taught at some studios. I have tried both classical and contemporary to see the differences. Based on my experience, the authentic classical Pilates have more emphasis and control on the form of movement to prevent injury compared to the contemporary Pilates classes.