32 Health Benefits of Pilates
Pilates that we know of was originally developed by Joseph Pilates, who dedicated his entire life to improving physical and mental health during the early 20th Century.
Today, Pilates is well-known across the globe and is a popular choice of exercise for hundreds of thousands of people.
But have you ever thought about its benefits and exactly what is Pilates good for?
Just for your convenience, we have listed 32 health benefits of Pilates below.
1. Great for killer abs and core strength
Pilates really hits your core muscle (or ‘powerhouse’ as it is called in the Pilates world) and have effects on your lower back, abdomen, hip and pelvic muscles. Not only is a strong core essential for exercises but also for everyday tasks such as carry heavy items and picking up your shopping.
As well as helping you to better your body frame, core training also helps to achieve those flat abs that we all crave for.
2. It is a good workout for your entire body
Even though the main focus is on your core strength, Pilates also plays a part in developing a full-body workout. It ensures that no specific muscle is overdeveloped and underdeveloped, giving you that perfect lean body you are looking for.
3. Perfect rehab for back pain
It’s not always guaranteed and certainly not a quick fix, but many people have seen their back pain gradually disappears after practicing Pilates.
4. Gives you a great backside
You will not find specific exercises which solely benefit your backside. But with whole-body Pilates workout, a major bonus is that every single exercise involves your backside in some way or form.
5. Improves your posture
Poor posture forms as a result of bad habit such as slouching at your desk and chair, which can eventually cause back ache, neck ache, headache, etc. The bad habits will result in asymmetrical muscle development, where some muscle are weaker than others. Pilates can help to strengthen those underdeveloped muscles and get rid of bad posture.
6. Places no pressure on your knees and joints
Since Pilates consists of slow and controlled movement, there is minimal impact on your joints, so it’s ideal for those who cannot (or do not want to) take part in high-impact sports and exercises.
7. Pilates is for everyone
It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, fit or out of shape, flexible or not, Pilates is one of a handful of exercises which can benefit everyone.
8. Boost your mental health and encourages you to improve your focus and concentration
Pilates helps to create a body & mind relationship, where concentration, focus and meditation come together to help boost your mental health.
An important part of Pilates is that it pushes you to focus on your body, breathing and how they all work and move together. It is with focus and concentration that you are more likely to benefit from the exercise.
9. Improves your sports performance
Many sportsmen and women find that their body are misaligned due to the one-sided nature of certain sports e.g. swinging a tennis racquet or golf clubs.
As Pilates helps to balance your body, develop muscular symmetry and align your posture, sportsmen and women find that Pilates can help to reduce the likelihood of injuries.
10. Increases your flexibility
It was Joseph Pilates who said: “true flexibility can be achieved only when all muscles are uniformly developed.”
So rather than saying you can’t do Pilates because you are not flexible enough, you should actually participate in Pilates exercises to improve your flexibility.
11. Improves your sex life
There are several exercises which mimic the similar action of the Kegel exercise (which strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and consequently supports the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum).
Exercises which involve lifting your pelvic floor, strengthen those muscles and can also increase your pleasure in the bedroom.
12. Improves your blood circulation
The more flexible you are, the better your blood circulation is, as blood can flow more freely through your body and this can help to promote cell growth, organ function and gives you healthier skin and as Joseph calls it, for “bodily house cleaning”.
13. Makes you more aware of your body
On top of giving you the body that you are looking for, the heavy focus on breathing, your posture and controlled movement will translate into your everyday life as you become more aware of how you are treating your body. This could be from basic things like sitting on your sofa to picking up your shopping bags.
Pilates also teaches you to have symmetry and coordination, to hold in your navel, square your shoulders and be aware of your posture. This will all come naturally over time as you become more aware of your body.
14. Pilates can make you smarter and solve problems
A study carried out in China where scientists have measured changes in brain activity during Pilates exercises, found out there was an increase in the brain’s alpha peak power after 10 weeks of training, which plays a part in your ability to think and solve problems.
15. Gives you better spinal health & strength
A study in 2014 has discovered that there is a link between Pilates exercises and increased spinal alignment. The conditioning of the muscles around the core and back helps to promote better spinal health.
16. Prevents the risk of injuries
Similarly for the benefits it has for sportsmen and women mentioned at point 9, you are less likely to obtain any risks from receiving injuries through regular Pilates. This applies to everyone, from the elderly to the professional dancers.
17. Gives you strength but without the bulky muscles
You are more likely to associate Pilates with a long, lean and toned body as you don’t see bulky muscle as a result of it. This is due to how the exercises elongate and stretch your muscle which plays a part in toning your body.
18. Gentle but challenging
Don’t be fooled that many exercises are in reclining or sitting positions, nor the fact that it is a low-impact form of exercise that doesn’t put pressure on your joints. Pilates is a perfectly gentle and safe exercise for everyone but still challenging enough, as there are categories ranging from beginner to advanced.
As the challenge and intensity increases, your body adapts to the exercises and your body conditioning improves.
19. Understand your body’s limits and to test yourself without causing pain
Pilates does not encourage you to compete other participants and to “win”. It is more about understanding your body’s limit and knowing where your limit is. With regular exercises, you will gradually notice that your threshold increases and without any pain either
20. Great exercise during and after pregnancy
One of the great benefits of Pilates is how it can help with spinal and pelvic alignment. This is particularly beneficial for pregnant women and women who have just given birth, as the physical changes that come with pregnancy can put a strain on your alignment.
During pregnancy, Pilates can help to maintain your level of fitness, strengthen your pelvic muscles and also promote efficient body mechanics. These are ideal as your body prepares for the strain of childbirth.
During childbirth, the strengthened pelvic floor will also make it easier for mothers-to-be to give birth.
And after the pregnancy, Pilates can help you to recover and return your pre-pregnancy body.
21. Can assist with weight loss
Many people have wondered whether pilates is good for weight loss and some studies have shown that it can certainly help with that, particularly as Pilates promote lean muscle.
22. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety
According to Joseph Pilates: Tension can get built up in the muscles but through gentle stretching and conditioning that comes with Pilates, it can help to metabolize the stress hormones that are built up.
Naturally, less stress in your body also means less stress in your mind.
23. Boosts your stamina
Through regular and repetitive sequences of exercises, your body is adapting and gradually learning to endure with such exercises for longer each time as your endurance improves.
24. Gives you a lean, tall body…
We have mentioned earlier that Pilates does not give you bulky muscle, as the elongation and stretching of your muscles are more likely to promote a lean, tall body.
25. Versatile and very adaptable to your needs
Thanks to the variety of ranges in difficulty and also the array of poses, it is easy to find Pilates exercises that are just right for you, without feeling left out from the rest of the class.
26. Raises your energy level
As you are learning to improve your breathing technique, improve your blood circulation throughout your body, increase your flexibility and improve your spinal health, Pilates will make you feel good and naturally boost your energy levels.
27. Learn how to move efficiently
For some people, modern living and occupational hazards mean that we forget how to move efficiently and this can put a strain on our body. Pilates is a great way to “re-educate” our bodies on how to move efficiently and create balance in your body.
28. Assists with recovery from injuries
Joseph Pilates used his techniques to rehabilitate injured soldiers during WWI.
Today, if you search for ‘Pilates injuries recovery’ online, and you will see hundreds of businesses providing injury rehabilitation via the use of Pilates, thanks to its low-impact exercises and how it strengthens your whole body.
29. Strengthens your immune system
Just like many gentle exercises which encourage muscle movement and breathing, Pilates can play a part in boosting your immune system. Hopefully, this will help to reduce the amount of sniffles you get during the winter.
30. Improves your breathing irregularity
There is such a big focus on your breathing and blood circulation that it will gradually help to improve any breathing irregularity that you may have.
31. Alleviates the fear of falling for the elderly
Fear of falling is a major health risk for elderly people, not only because of the physical risk but how it might affect their quality of life.
A study carried out has linked Pilates to not only improving the balance of older women (amongst many other benefits mentioned above) but also reduced their fear of falling; something you don’t often see from other exercises.
32. Helps musicians with their posture and lung capacity
Many musicians suffer from various pains in their arms, neck and/or shoulder due to repetitive motions, hectic lifestyle, excessive force and awkward positions that come with being a musician.
But Pilates can help to reduce a musicians’ pain as well as fixing the poor posture that comes from awkward positions or carrying heavy objects.
It can also help to improve a wind musician’s lung function and capacity thanks to the breathing exercises that come with the exercise.