7 Ways Pilates is Unique From Other Types of Exercise
Most types of exercises strengthen, lengthen, and tone your muscles. A good number also helps you in weight loss, posture and breathing. So, what does Pilates do that other types of exercise don’t? What makes it so special? Continue reading to learn more!
1). Pilates Promotes Whole-body Fitness
Pilates focuses on the entire body; your core, lower and upper body. It yearns to improve strength, posture, and flexibility. This type of exercise regimen promotes flexibility and muscle development and improves a wide range of joint motion all over the body.
Pilates also puts a lot of focus on full-body fitness, including the mind and breathing. This leads to integrative fitness which is not easy to find in other types of workouts. Most athletes find Pilates an effective foundation for all their other exercises. It is also very popular in rehab centres.
2). Pilates Integrates The Mind, Spirit, and Body
According to Joseph Pilates, the inventor and great promoter of Pilates exercise, the greatest secret of this form of exercise are that it brings complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.
When you attentively practice every movement, your body, spirit, and mind unite to bring forth results that cannot be achieved anywhere else. The six main principles of Pilates that help to integrate spirit, body, and mind include:
- Centring
- Control
- Concentration
- Precision
- Breath
- Flow
3). Pilates Flattens your Belly and Tones your Body
Did you know Pilates is majorly known as a flat belly workout? Pilates is one of the best ways to build a strong core. It can help improve your abdominal muscles, causing your stomach to flatten, and tone up all your body muscles, including the waist and inner thighs. Most other types of exercise miss out on some muscles regarding tone.
4). Pilates Improves Posture
Pilates can improve your posture because there is a strong emphasis on balance and body alignment. It helps you to counteract the effects of stooping when working or sitting down for long hours on a couch or desk. Through Pilates, you learn good posture in exercise and when carrying on with your daily life.
5). Pilates Minimises Stress
Pilates can help treat anxiety and depression by providing an opportunity to socialise and change chemical levels in the brain. It also provides a great distraction from negative thoughts, something that reduces stress, enhances mindfulness, and promotes the creation of a self-care routine. Though other sessions do reduce stress, the level of efficiency is incomparable with what Pilates can do.
6). Pilates Promotes Higher Body Control
When practising Pilates, you move your body in various directions and in more challenging manners. This is quite different from other exercises that are more specific and controlled. You require more focus and better breathing techniques for successful movement which helps you learn control.
7). Minimal Weight Loss While Looking Fit
Let’s be honest, a good number of people who work out mean to lose weight, but they’re those that would like to remain as they are, only look fitter. That’s especially the case for underweight adults who feel that they are too slim even after eating a lot.
If that sounds like you, Pilates could just be the solution for you. Being minimally cardio, you’ll only burn a few calories yet tone your body. Better yet, you could maintain your body weight while working on your core to look superb!
Final Thoughts
Pilates is an effective exercise for both beginners and experts, young and older adults. The focus on body-mind connection, proper alignment, and building core strength make it a worthy choice among many.
Join The Upwell Health Collective Pilates Community
Would you like to access all these benefits and more? Join our Pilates community here at Upwell Health Collective. We will introduce you to a trained Pilate, especially when you have particular concerns or past injuries. A qualified physiotherapist conducts all our clinical Pilates classes in an intimate setting.
Please call us today on (03) 8849 9096 or book an appointment now.