Not sure if Pilates can help you?

Hello, everybody it’s Gemma from Bodyfixit. I hope you’re well. We quite often hear from people who have heard about pilates but they are not really sure if it can help them or if pilates is suitable for them because they have previous aches, pains or injuries and don’t really want to make them worse.

So I thought I would do this quick blog discussing how pilates can help you to be able to move better and feel great.

Pilates is a great form of exercise, which is really beneficial if you’re noticing a lot of stiffness, particularly in your lower back, neck and your shoulders. People often say to me that they feel like their your shoulders are coming up towards their ears, making them feel like they haven’t gotten much of a neck, particularly sitting at a desk. If you are noticing you are feeling a little achy and stiff pilates is a great way for you to reduce aches and stiffness and get you moving freely.

When doing the pilates exercises it is important to connect your brain with your body. Using this concentration we focus on keeping the pelvis still whilst moving parts of the body. Simultaneously we are actively getting your abdominal and pelvis floor muscles working which strengthens the main core but also the the supportive muscles within the body which help to provide strength and stabilise for example getting the gluteals and latissimus dorsi working.

Why is this important you might ask? Well pilates strengthens muscles which we subconsciously use on a day to day basis. This allows you to go about your everyday tasks without aches and pains. For example it’s a great way for you to be able to do your tasks around the house, and be able to do your gardening without any aches and stiffness and feeling like you can move freely. We have a couple of clients, one of them said, “Do you know, I can bend down and I can scrub the bathtub without feeling achy and sore afterwards?” Another one said she can go in her allotment and do the digging, and all the weeding that she needs to do, but not have the aches and the stiffness afterward, which is a really good result for them both.

The second reason to try pilates is actually that you will begin to feel stronger. Gaining muscle strength will help you to maintain a stable pelvis which helps to  look after your lower back, and any previous injuries that you might’ve had.

Pilates also helps you to improve your flexibility. People often feel nervous about doing a pilates class as they aren’t particularly bendy or can’t move as well as they used to but pilates really helps you feel more flexible and move more freely.

Doing pilates also helps to improve your posture. This is important as it allows you to sit a little taller and improve how you stand. Furthermore if you sit a lot during your day for example at a desk or driving having stronger muscles through doing pilates help you to improve how you sit at your desk or in the car and also have less aches and stiffness after a working day.

The third reason why you should try pilates is actually that it’s some quality me time. We allow lead quite busy lives and a pilates class is a great time for you to come in for an actual class, or an online class where you are focused on you. You’ are not focused on anybody else that you take care of or your to-do list. By focusing on your body and how you are doing the exercises you are able to just de-stress and relax, listen to what body needs, and what it’s saying to you. Pilates is  a great way to get moving in a really safe and controlled way, and be able to enjoy a class environment with other people as well makes it a social part of your week.

So, those are my three reasons why you should try pilates. If you would like more information, please just contact us at info@bodyfixit.co.uk.

We offer a free beginner’s taster class, if you would like to join us please click here for more info

We hope to see you in a pilates class soon

Gemma