Five Ps of PILATES
Pilates has a much longer history that you might have thought. It was developed in the 1920s by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates and made popular by dancers.
It has since been adapted and used by physiotherapists in rehabilitation as well as becoming a popular form of exercise for people like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and thousands of mere mortals worldwide.
So why is Pilates different to other forms of exercise?
Number One - Posture
Pilates is a body conditioning method that works in a different way to any other fitness technique. It targets deep postural muscles, building strength from the inside out. The results you see from Pilates will impact on every area of your life, from gardening, driving to standing in the queue for a coffee.
Number Two - Pelvic Alignment
Pilates makes you aware of how your body works and helps you to spot when you are out of alignment. This will reduce the risk of pain from certain conditions as you get older.
Number Three - Pressure Free
Pilates places no pressure on your joints, in fact it strengthens the ligaments around the joints and gets synovial fluid flowing to prevent pain and increase mobility.
Number Four - Power House
Pilates builds core strength, not just your abdominal muscles but also the supporting ligaments of your spine and pelvic girdle. Joseph Pilates called this the Powerhouse.
Number Five - Performance
Your body will develop long lean muscles as well as a deep sense of wellbeing from the mind and body connection meaning you perform better in every area of your life.
If we want to get down to basics, Pilates also strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. So, P number six could be Pee…. Pilates strengthens the pelvic floor muscles reducing any leakage. That has to be good.