What is Pilates?

Perhaps you've heard of or wanted to try the Pilates Method (now often referred as Pilates). Pilates, for those properly able to participate, has tremendous physical and mental benefits: stronger muscles, more flexibility, better posture and balance. Through Pilates, you can experience a stronger abdomen, back, neck, shoulders and pelvic region, to name a few—not to mention the improved mobility and flexibility reported often from participants.

Pilates combines both eastern and western thought toward a program that delivers great overall results without all the repetition of weight training, sit-ups, etc. And with the focus of Pilates on proper mental focus, technique and breathing, it's a great workout for reducing stress and anxiety, while increasing an overall sense of wellness and well-being. All in all, Pilates is very effective overall in terms of its mind-body benefits.

And like walking or running, Pilates done on the mat can be a great " anytime, anywhere" exercise—all one needs is comfortable clothing and a soft surface (carpeting works just fine). Many people practice Pilates in their hotel room on a business trip. Finally, there are simply a great variety of exercises that form Pilates, and they can easily be utilized and modified for a range of experience and challenge, from beginner to expert.

Some principles of Pilates:

In Pilates, the focus is on " the core"—your trunk, including the abdomen and pelvic region. A variety of generally slower, deliberate movements are performed (not unlike yoga, but the "poses" are performed in very different ways). The movements in Pilates are done in a very controlled fashion. There is an emphasis on entire body movements, but Pilates will often emphasize and isolate particular groups of muscles: the abdomen, glutes and thighs, shoulders and triceps.

The controlled movement is key, and proper breathing is essential. It requires concentration, and in an on-the-mat class, this is often helped and encouraged by an instructor who gently reminds participants of proper alignment, breathing, and focus. Some Pilates classes will include or utilize a stretchband in some portions of the class or a video for added variety, stretching or resisistance.

For more information about Pilates or how to integrate it into your workout routine feel free to contact me: jldowd@gmail.com

Another Reason Flexibilty is Important

The flexibility of your body correlates with the flexiblity of your artieries. Flexibility is one of the main aspects of physical fitness along with cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance. As we get older it is normal for our arteries to begin to become stiff. No one knows the exact cause of this stiffening but it begins to occur in middle age. It has been shown that higher levels of physical fitness seem to delay the the development of the age-associated stiffening of our arteries. We know that this stiffening of the walls of our arteries has been found to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease like heart attack and strokes as well as death. None of us want stiff arteries for it is just logical that blood will not flow as well in a stiff artery. It is also shown that people with lower flexibilty have higher blood pressure.

A recent study found that stretching exercises, but NOT strength training or aerobic exercise, improved (by 23 percent) the flexibility of the carotid artery, the main artery in our neck that carries blood to our brain. These are some of the first scientific studies I have seen that actually shows that flexibility exercises, such as yoga and/or pilates might help keep us healthy longer and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. This is very exciting information! Since heart disease is the number one cause of death in our country, this could be life-saving.

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