“I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They would be happier.”
Joseph Hubertus Pilates.
Named after its creator Joseph Pilates, Pilates is a series of exercises that focus on stretching and toning muscles. While most people believe Pilates is an exercise regimen primarily concerned with enhancing core muscle strength, it is so much more!
The main principles of Pilates, including flow of movement, centering, stability, and control of breathing, have the combined objective to restore the body to a place of balance by gaining healthy postural alignment, relieving overworked muscles, and gaining spinal mobility. Finding and utilizing one’s core strength allow for greater ease and freedom in movement. Workouts are performed on specialized, spring-based resistance equipment as well as on the mat. By toning and aligning the body through the use of Pilates, the goal of Pilates is to enhance movement, fitness and health in all areas of your life. Pilates is also an excellent method of injury rehabilitation spanning from back pain to brain damage. It addresses chronic symptoms and its exercises help treat joint problems and muscular tension.
Who can benefit from Pilates? Anyone. Whether one is young or old, super fit or convalescing from an injury, the main benefits of Pilates are:
- Improve Athletic Performance
- Increase Power
- Develop Body Awareness
- Develop Posture
- Balance the Body and Develop Muscular Symmetry
- Develop Core and Abdominal Strength
- Develop Greater Range of Motion
- Decrease and/or Eliminate Back and Neck Pain, Joint Pain
- Decrease Physical Stress
- Minimize Risk of Injury
- Connect Body and Mind Through Low Impact Exercise
Pilates dramatically transform the way your body looks, feels, and performs, and Women can particularly benefit from practicing Pilates. Not only because it increases muscle strength and endurance (pelvic floor, buttocks, back, and abdominals), but also because Pilates, if combined with Physical Therapy could improve a woman’s health in a way that no other exercise method can. A Pilates based physical therapy (PBPT) can help and improve women in the following areas or with the following issues:
- Pre-and Post-Natal Conditioning
- Incontinence
- Pelvic Floor and SI joint Pain
- Osteoporosis
- Breast Cancer
- Menopause
PBPT is grounded in the therapeutic movements and techniques of classical Pilates as well as traditional physical therapy. Women who have had babies often need more directed attention than they would normally get in a general Pilates class. Pilates classes designed specifically for post-natal strengthening can greatly improve pelvic floor function, minimize incontinence issues, decrease pelvic floor and SI joint pain. Women who are dealing with osteoporosis or osteopenia can also benefit from PBPT with modified Pilates exercises that focus on body alignment, spine lengthening, increased balance and coordination, and core muscle strengthening and that do not put the client at risk of vertebral fracture. The benefits of PBPT for women who are battling breast cancer or have recently completed treatment are numerous. They include: decreased chance of lymphedemia, increased range of motion, increased strength in the scapular and upper back muscles, decreased compensation patterns, increased overall fitness and wellness.
Often, these conditions to be treated successfully require knowledge of physical therapy administered by a specialist. To receive the maximum benefit in a safe way, Pilates classes taught by a Physical Therapist/Pilates instructor would be ideal.
For more information on Pilates for women, please contact:
Zeina Grifoni, MPT Synergy+ 415.258.8228 zeina@synergyptpilates.com
