Pilates Will Change Your Life

Be in control of your body, not at its mercy! – Joseph Pilates

I have been a fitness instructor for as long as I have been a professional interior designer! It seems strange now that I would have embarked on two new careers at the same time. But while these paths seem so different they have really complemented each other beautifully over the past 20 years!

After my girls were both in elementary school I finally had the time to join a gym and started working out again – but there always seemed to be an excuse of one kind or another to miss the group fitness classes that I enjoyed so much. Work, after-school activities and sporting events – not to mention taking care of our busy household, cooking and cleaning – it was really hard to add-in a workout, too. When I decided to go back to college to get my interior design degree working out was the last thing on the list of priorities. That’s when I had a revelation, if I actually taught the fitness classes then I HAD to ATTEND! NO MORE EXCUSES! It may seem crazy – but this strategy has worked for the past 20 years. Working out is no longer an option – it’s a duty, to myself and those I teach.

After 10 years of teaching Step Aerobics and Kickboxing I started having knee and lower back issues. It was around the same time that I was introduced to Pilates at a fitness convention. (I at least attend a weekend convention every two years to keep my certifications current.) I loved taking these classes in both traditional Mat Pilates and Reformer - the large apparatus Joseph Pilates designed to facilitate his exercise program.

Joseph Pilates was a German national living in England at the outbreak of WWI and he was put into an internment camp. In an attempt to keep others healthy he began to teach fellow camp members the concepts and exercises he had developed over 20 years of self-study in yoga, and other forms of physical fitness. It was at this time that he began devising the system of original exercises known today as Pilates.

While working as a caregiver in the camp hospital he took springs from the beds to create spring resistance equipment for the bedridden. Today this form of Pilates uses a piece of exercise equipment called a “Reformer.” Whichever form of Pilates you do, the basic premise is to use your own body weight to build strength and flexibility and improve overall health.

When people find out that I teach Pilates classes the most common response goes something like this; “What is Pilates? I hear it’s something like Yoga, only different?” And in some ways they are correct. There are a lot of similarities with Yoga in that the mat-work version is similar because it can be done without any equipment – just a mat. But where Yoga is typically a series of postures that are held – Pilates is a series of “movements”. It is the repetition of these movements that focuses on building core strength. Most people think that the “core” is just another word for abdominals – but the core is so much more!

I use the analogy of a dumbbell to describe the “core” to the new attendees in my class. I look at the core of your body as three parts. If you hold a dumbbell on end the top represents the shoulder girdle. At the bottom represents the hip girdle. And in the middle are ALL the abdominal and back muscles and the spine. It’s these three elements of the body that make a strong core and give the body stability. It is this strong core that, when activated, provides better balance. So often in our classwork I put the body into positions of imbalance in order for my pupils to learn to activate their “core” to gain balance.

Here’s what I consider the basics on what Pilates is and does as a fitness discipline;

BREATHING
Learning to use your breath is the first step in learning Pilates. When you use your breath to engage your core strength you support your back naturally! In Pilates you breathe in through the nose and exhale forcibly through the mouth on the exertion portion of the movement. The benefits of learning how to breathe properly are increased lung capacity and circulation. Not to mention that a good breath releases tension and reduces stress!

STRENGTH
Pilates not only focuses on the abdomen and back muscles, Pilates is a TOTAL BODY WORKOUT!

FLEXIBILITY
Stretching is a major emphasis of Pilates - through flowing movement warms up every aspect of the body. Flexibility, particularly of the lumbar spine, helps prevent lower back injuries. Pilates cleared up all of my lower back issues!

BALANCE
Balance is learned – we must continually practice it. By putting the body into imbalance Pilates allows the body to naturally work towards balance. Better balance lowers the risk of injuries.

POSTURE
Because Pilates focuses on the strength and position of the shoulder girdle it leads to improved posture! Proper posture reduces back strain and fatigue – PLUS proper posture helps you look MAAAAARVELOUS!

BONE DENSITY
Basic Pilates uses your own body weight for load bearing exercises. I also use light supplemental dumbbells in my classes as a way to build even more strength. In addition to helping prevent injuries, load bearing weight is particularly important for mature women to prevent osteoporosis

JOINT HEALTH
Pilates is done with slower movements that are controlled and focused so the risk of injury is lower as you use your muscles to move your body parts, NOT momentum.

BODY AWARENESS
In my classes I focus on teaching my students how our bodies are innately good at compensating for weak muscles. When the stronger muscles take over (because our body thinks it’s easier) it doesn’t allow the weaker muscles to strengthen. It often takes beginners a few sessions to really understand the connection of the core and the rest of the body. But what I love best about teaching is when I see the little light bulb go off in my student’s head – they have just made the connection to their body which in turn improves health, mind and well-being!

Pilates is one of those disciplines that might take a few classes for you to connect with, but I promise if you take the time to learn this incredible form of fitness, it will change your life – like it did for me and hundreds of the happy people I have taught!

PS: I highly recommend taking at least a few classes with a certified Pilates instructor BEFORE you turn to training videos. A seasoned instructor can teach you the necessary nuances involved in core training and give you feed back to make sure you are maintaining proper form through the movements.

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. – Joseph Pilates