After teaching more than 6,000 classes and as the founder of Studio PP wellness and Pilates studio for over a decade, I know why Pilates works for every “body”. Whether you’re just starting out, an elite athlete, injured, a fanatic or a senior (or somewhere in between) the foundations of Pilates movement are for all abilities, ages and body types.
Everyone knows the physical benefits of Pilates but keeping a regular Pilates practice can also help you relieve stress, sleep better, maintain a positive mood and improve your overall energy levels. Regular resistance training like Pilates is one of the best tools in your healthy, fit, happy, anti- aging toolkit.
So, here’s my x5 top reasons why you need Pilates in your life!
1. Strengthens Your Core
Your core is central to the way you move – The core muscles of the body are the deep muscles of the abdomen, back and pelvic floor. With hundreds of possible core exercises and modifications, Pilates workouts can be tailored to individual needs. The simple but super transformative strengthening routines I’ve developed work your core throughout the entire full body workout. I’m proud to say I’ve helped many women ‘discover’ or ‘re-discover’ their core over the past decade – no matter what stage of life! These simple moves mean you can easily understand how to activate and work your core easily & efficiently, to leave you feeling connected, empowered and strong in body and mind.
2. Get Toned ALL over!
Longer, leaner muscles are the ones we ALL want! I’ve worked with thousands of women to develop my unique Studio PP method. My training philosophy combines Pilates with functional strength and conditioning, cardio and flexibility that mindfully conditions, sculpts and tones all your muscle groups. Focusing the mind, harnessing your breath and using internal resistance is an extremely powerful way to tone and condition the entire body.
3. Levels up Your Posture
They say sitting is the new smoking! We’re all working longer days and seated and hunched over for long periods of time. A healthy posture is a reflection of good spinal alignment that is held by a strong core. It’s critical for us to elongate the spine because that’s the key to helping you achieve greater flexibility, strength, efficient movement patterns and a more balanced posture. Let’s face it – alignment is everything when it comes to pretty much everything in life, and it starts with the body!
4. Boosts body confidence & self esteem
See Posture above! Even the way you stand and carry yourself feeds in big time to the way you perceive yourself. A daily Pilates practice increases your energy and stimulates all your happy hormones and we all know the more energized and happy we feel will improve our mood and positive relationship with self. Too often we focus just on the physical benefits of exercise and Pilates without really taking into account the mental benefits. Pilates is proven to reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and reduce negative emotions. Pilates is a viable self care practice to help us balance our lives and increase inner serenity and “feel-good”.
5. Hello flexibility!
If you practice Pilates regularly, it will change your body. Pilates improves your muscle tone by creating long, lean and strong muscles – rather than tight and bulky ones. In a Pilates class expect a healthy combination of strength and flexibility working toward a safe increase in length and stretch of the muscles and joints without the technicality of some complicated yoga moves. Overall Pilates is more functional and can be less intimidating than Yoga if you’re new to the practice.
Once you start to see ALL of these results and realise they’re long-lasting results – you’ll be hooked on the practice like I am!
So isn’t it time you started a Pilates routine? Or if you’re already hooked and are keen to refine your Pilates practice I’m excited to be able share my insider tips guidance & advice at my STUDIO PP immersive Workshops.
