The Benefits of Pilates
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Despite being almost 100 years old, Pilates isn't showing its age and continues to offer many benefits. And these are benefits that everyone can enjoy!
1. Your Best Posture
It's the perfect recipe for your health and well-being! "Pilates techniques use numerous muscles, mostly the abs, lower back and glutes," explains osteopath Caroline Bonnière. "By strengthening these different muscle groups, we're able to better carry ourselves. A toned transverse muscle means a straighter back.
These techniques let us develop, relax and strengthen the muscles that are responsible for good posture. This general spinal mobilization can relieve some pain. It's incredibly effective at preventing all sorts of chronic illnesses such as lumbago, rheumatism, osteoporosis, etc."If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, Pilates will encourage you to straighten up and extend your spine, rather than hunching over.
2. Straightening Up Naturally
During Pilates sessions, you should pay attention to performing each exercise very precisely, correctly aligning your body, and centering your core.
How you perform the movement or pose is an essential part of Pilates. Your aim should be to copy the moves as accurately as possible while paying attention to where your body is and how it should be working! It's something we often forget about when caught up in our day-to-day lives. Movement by movement, session by session, you'll get better at doing the actions and they'll gradually seem more natural. And these good habits, supported by increasingly strong muscles, will begin to stick.
Whether you're at work, at home or out and about, you'll find yourself naturally straightening up!
One more tip: "Always start by positioning and lengthening your spine, whatever the pose, and exhale with each action, because this is the point at which your muscles will become stronger."
3. A Straight Back and Flat Stomach
Another undeniable benefit of Pilates is the fact that you'll have a firmer figure by working your muscles. A toned transverse muscle, for example, means a flat stomach. And you'll soon see the difference! It's a difference that, on top of the sense of well-being you'll get from these sessions, will give you a mental boost.
And you'll be left feeling that body and mind are in harmony. Worth a try, don't you think? So when are you going to give it a go? We look forward to hearing all about it, whether you're a Pilates novice or expert!