Pilates a fantastic low impact lifestyle exercise – By Ashley Weyers

Way back in 1912, Joseph Pilates went to England and joined Scotland Yard as a self-defense instructor for detectives. At the outbreak of World War I, he was interned with other German Nationals as an “enemy alien”. While incarcerated, he refined his training methods by adding springs to beds to allow bed ridden patients to exercise and showed other internees the benefits of his unique exercise methods.

A lot of these innovations led to his equipment design later on. The influenza outbreak of 1918 that killed thousands in England, did not affect one of Joe’s students and he used this as an example of how healthy his exercise regime is. After the war, Joe returned to Germany, where his exercise methods gained favour with the dance community. The exercises were added to some of the dance methods used, but Joe decided to leave Germany after the government asked him to teach Pilates to the army.

In 1926, Joe immigrated to the United States where he started teaching ballet students his exercise methods. The Pilates exercises focus on “awakening” dormant muscles and muscle connections within the body and brain, thereby strengthening the “core” muscle groups. Pilates is focussed on the following areas:-

Rhythm & Breathing
Breathing is the deep, focused inhaling and exhaling that initiates motion within a specific exercise and has a specific rhythm attached to it. The goal is maintain continuity from repetition to repetition, creating smooth transitions which help our body to learn to move more efficiently.
Control & Concentration
Control and precision are direct by-products of the strong mind-body connection developed by proper breathing and concentration. By using the principles of control and precision, enables you to move more effectively, with less strain on the body. While control is the physical key to re-energising your body, concentration is the mental key, which aids in enhancing body awareness.
Centered & Balanced
All movement radiates outward from the center in Pilates and the ultimate goal of Pilates is to create an even and balanced musculature. This applies to the mental as well as physical states of our bodies. By learning to work from your core muscle groups, can help you to move in a more centred and balanced way.
Relaxation & Whole Body Movement
An essential but often under emphasized principle of Pilates is Relaxation. It goes without saying that learning to release unnecessary tension in our bodies helps us to find ease and flow in movement and in the rest of our lives. The Pilates exercise work best when you are relaxed, in fact an amazing feeling is when you consciously relax your body and suddenly you can feel a specific muscle “engage”.

A personal benefit that I have found doing Pilates is that my muscles are not as sore and do not ache for days after my exercise classes. I have fewer headaches and back ache and I sleep much better at night. It has also helped reduce my stress levels and I have found that even if I have not followed a healthy diet for a few days, I still maintain my weight easily.

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