jeudi 16 mai 2013

What Are Pilates?

By Angela Winter


A type of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates of Germany, Pilates is being practiced by a lot of people already. It is also known as one of the most widely-practiced type of exercise. The main focus of this type of exercise is balanced development of the body that can be attained through core strength, awareness and flexibility and body conditioning. If done appropriately and regularly, Pilates can give a lot of benefits to the body.

Effects of Pilates to the body:

1. Pilates helps in toning the body and enhance its overall flexibility. But unlike other forms of exercises, Pilates is not focused on using weight lifting exercises to tone the muscles of the body. Instead, it makes use of other different apparatuses to achieve this goal.

2. Developing muscle strength and agility is another effect of Pilates on the one's body. These characteristics or development that is achieved when practicing Pilates is important for a person to do activities that needs the use of muscle strength and agility.

3. Prevention from injuries and practicing the appropriate use of proper body mechanics and proper posture is another effect of Pilates.

4. Practicing Pilates also helps an individual to develop and improve breathing efficiency, making your heart and lungs healthier.

5. Practicing Pilates can also help in a person's rehabilitation and recovery from injuries.

6. For people that is suffering from chronic pains, practicing may help alleviate their experience of pain in effect they experience improved quality of life.

These are some of the benefits we get in doing Pilates exercise but it is also important to remember to ask the help of a Pilates instructor on what form of Pilates exercise is appropriate for you individually. Also, for pregnant women, Pilates exercise is not prohibited but doing this exercise, as with any other forms of exercise, should only be done with the approval of your doctor and with the guidance of a trained Pilates expert.

Two students, Gail Eisen and Phillip Friedman outlined the important principles of Pilates. Here are those principles:

1. Centering is the first principle of Pilates that is mainly focused to achieve control over the body with the use of a starting point.

2. Control-Pilates method of exercise also emphasizes the importance of gaining control over your own body, mainly muscle control. A person wanting to do Pilates should be focused in doing it properly to achieve the goal of having control in every aspects of the exercise.

3. The third principle of Pilates is Flow which is also known as moving with efficiency. This principle of the Pilates exercise is focused on attaining a well-coordinated movement of the body which may be attained if a person has proper flow of exercises. In effect, the body will have increased stamina and become stronger because of the body precision that you have gained by doing the Pilates exercises making the principle of flow as your guideline.

4. The fourth principle of Pilates is breathing. Considered as one of the most important principles of Pilates, once a person starts to do Pilates exercise improve oxygenation and improved breathing pattern is expected to be a result.

5. Precision-doing the Pilates 100% correctly is one of the principles that is emphasized. They want Pilates practitioners to perform the exercises properly for them to maximize the benefits that they can get in doing the exercise.

6.The last principle of Pilates is Concentration. doing Pilates, one should concentrate on his/her own body for them to internalize what area of the body needs more improvement and development.

Doing the Pilates exercise appropriately is of high-importance to ensure that you will be able to reach that you have set for yourself. The six principles of Pilates are important guidelines that should be followed for individuals to attain the benefits of doing the exercise. Another thing that an individual must remember to do is to ask the help and guidance of Pilates experts and trainers especially for beginners for them to be able to make use of the tools and do the exercise properly.




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