14 DAY TRIAL // Working out can be as much as a drag as it can be fun once we give it an honest try. The same goes for Pilates, a form of exercise that, although counting over 40 years of being documented and embraced by millions of people around the world, is still regarded as silly and, to some extent, useless. Below are six of the best reasons to put all prejudice aside and give Pilates a try, as highlighted by fitness instructor Nicole Nichols of the Daily Spark.
The best part about Pilates, as Nichols points out, is that it’s not necessarily a workout routine (say, like aerobics or weight training), in the sense that it does not “end” when we leave the gym. Because of this, Pilates has often been referred to as a lifestyle, since whatever we learn in the class about posture and flexibility stays with us in the outside world as well. Thus, by going to a Pilates class, we can look lighter by as much as 10 pounds by simply improving our posture, the instructor says.
“Pilates helps you improve your posture, and the simple act of standing with good posture can make people appear 5-10 pounds thinner (and more confident, too). You try to incorporate all of the elements into your daily life – engaging your abs, standing tall, relaxing your shoulders, moving with grace. Pilates exercises help you do all those things, and standing taller and more confidently is a bonus, too.” Nichols explains.
Pilates is also very fun, even if it might not seem so from the outside. Anyone who has ever watched one such video or infomercial must think that these exercises are the easiest in the world, wherefrom the widespread misconception that Pilates is basically useless since it doesn’t help with weight-loss or building muscle mass. Yet, if we give it a try, we will see in almost no time that not only does it fulfill both these counts, but it’s also extremely fun since it allows for more equipment than just the mat. Resistance bands, balls and mini balls, rings, foam rollers and even weights (dumbbells) can all be used with Pilates exercises and, what’s even better, once we learn the routine, we can safely practice it anywhere, including at home, without the risk of injuring ourselves.
As we noted in a previous piece, Pilates is also ideal for relaxing and strengthening the muscles, which, in turn, also leads to increased flexibility. Helping define and build a stronger core is also on the to-do list of these special types of exercises and, here too, they do not fall short on their promise. Speaking strictly from a medical point of view, Pilates is also highly recommended in the case of lower back pains, since it alleviates them and, at the same time, improves mobility, as a recent study has also revealed.
One last reason we should all at least try Pilates to see how it works for us is that it is one of the best forms of relaxation so far. Because it places considerable emphasis on body awareness, a Pilates class invariably means a break from the troubles and the stress of the day. This is why, when we emerge from a Pilates class, we literally feel like a brand new person, Nichols concludes by saying.