Top 5 Benefits of Pilates Mat Exercise
Pilates exercise is a worldwide phenomenon, Popular with the general public and among elite athletes. The simple reason is that Pilates works like no other fitness method. Here are the top five benefits of this amazing technique.
No Team. The Pilates mat exercise uses your own body for resistance. This type of back-to-basics exercise is now the top fitness trend according to a recent survey by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Pilates mat exercise is one of the few fitness methods that uses your own body for resistance. This freedom from any equipment or gym means you can do it anywhere, anytime – perfect for our increasingly mobile lifestyles!
Mat exercises are the original Pilates workout. Interestingly, the special equipment you find in Pilates studios was first created by Joseph Pilates for people who couldn’t do mat exercises due to disability, illness, or injury. This is not a criticism of Pilates machines or any other type of exercise equipment, but if you want a fabulous workout without equipment, the Pilates Mat routine is for you!
Big Breath. Joseph Pilates emphasized breathing, and each Pilates mat exercise has a breathing pattern. Large, expansive breathing combined with precise, controlled, fluid movement results in a truly exhilarating experience. You feel energized after a Pilates workout instead of exhausted!
A complete workout. According to fitness research, the body needs three different types of exercise: strength training, stretching, and cardiovascular conditioning (better known as aerobic exercise). You need all of these exercises, because any one of them alone will not keep you healthy.
The reason for this is that from the age of 30, both men and women begin to lose muscle tissue throughout their bodies. You need strength training to restore muscle tissue. Aerobics and stretching won’t do this. On the other hand, you need cardio for heart health that stretching and strength training can’t provide. And lastly, you need stretching to gain flexibility and, yes, you guessed it, strength training and cardio don’t do this.
Physical conditioning methods that combine these three exercises are called full-exercise techniques. The Pilates mat exercise at the advanced level is not only a complete method, but one of the few exercise methods that does this.
Healthy Joints. There are no jerky movements in Pilates. This prevents damage to your joints. The movement is controlled, precise and fluid. This type of joint-healthy movement means that Pilates is an exercise you can do for the rest of your life! This cannot be said for many of the exercises we love to do, like running and walking to name just a few, which cause wear and tear on our joints.
Relief for most back problems. Nearly 100 years ago, Pilates discovered that by strengthening the muscles around the center of your body, popularly known as core muscles, most back problems go away. Today, doctors agree that most back problems are best resolved with exercise rather than surgery or medication. This is one of the reasons I refer to Joseph Pilates as the Einstein of fitness. His exercises and his core strength principles are widely used by physical therapists and trainers around the world.
Now that you know the fantastic benefits of Pilates exercise, it’s time to give it a try. Pilates will change your life!