The past few years have been incredibly challenging as we all went through huge changes with the lockdowns, and we continue to live with those worries and restrictions.
The effects of reduced social interaction with friends and family and being limited to how many times you can leave the house, really did start to have an impact on not only our daily routine but our mental health.
Prolonged isolation can leave us with feelings of loneliness, anxiety and boredom and these emotions can stay with us long after we are out of isolation.
All this emotion can lead to big changes in our behaviour, resulting in a reduction or increase in certain habits.
People feeling stuck in a rut and being unmotivated, often find they might comfort eat and snack more throughout the day. Motivation to do daily exercise can dip and it’s scary how we can fall into the habit of just doing nothing, purely because it’s easier. So with all this, it can be hard to get back into the flow and be more active.
If Pilates has always been on the list of those things you wanted to do, but never got around to, or didn’t know if you would like it… then here are 5 reasons why you should give it a go, especially if you are struggling with the points mentioned above.
1: Strengthen your mind and body connection.
Pilates aims to connect the mind to what the body is doing and focuses on improving our proprioception. So we really learn to understand the position of the body and how it is moving.
This perception doesn’t always come naturally and does need to be practised.
Which makes this type of movement so mindful.
Thinking about your joint stability as well as mobility, the counter-balance and range within the body… It doesn’t leave much time for the mind to wander or overthink, which is a positive and powerful thing.
2: Practising good movement
Fed up with getting aches and pains?
Pilates looks at your range of motion and gets your joints and muscles to move as efficiently as possible.
Now this can be challenging; after potentially years of bad movement habits, injury or surgery meaning our joints and movement can become unbalanced; resulting in pain, inflammation and even creating a knock-on effect to a different part of the body.
Moving efficiently helps to realign and strengthen the body; reducing stiffness and pain, whilst improving joint mobility and imbalances in the body.
If you’re not convinced yet… the exercises we do in Pilates, allows us to naturally stretch through our movements, to release tight muscles and strengthen weaker ones. The emphasis is not on stretching per-say, rather just moving to your own range which means that each exercise is comfortable and safe. With regular practice, flexibility increases as a result.
The more you practice, the more you will notice the difference.
“In 10 sessions you’ll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you’ll see the difference, and in 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body” – Joseph Pilates
3: It’s a great way to get back into exercise.
As mentioned before, it is so easy to fall into a slump and let productivity go down. But Pilates is one of those practices where the advanced stuff can so easily be broken down. You can work to the level you are comfortable with and you don’t have to do the hard stuff to get a great workout.
4: Easy access and even better, it can so easily be done in the comfort of your own home.
Trying an online class is super easy and requires minimal effort… you don’t have to leave the house, there’s no travel involved and you can even have a cuppa by your side.
All you need to do is put on some comfy, flexible clothing, grab a mat or a rug and you’re set.
The perfect thing about Pilates matwork is that you can do it anywhere with little or no equipment, as so many exercises are focused on using your own body as a resistance.
In my classes all we need is a mat and a thin cushion to go behind the head, then occasionally we use stretch bands, tennis balls and thicker head cushion, and if you don’t have some or all of those, then you can easily substitute them out… For example a band can be swapped for a scarf, use thick and thin cushions or pillows for head cushions.
Other equipment like balls, rollers and toning circles are super fun to use and do add more of a challenge as they require even more awareness. This takes your Pilates practice to that next level, but it isn’t essential and learning the fundamentals is so much better when it’s just you and the mat.
5: Gives a healthy distraction and provides another opportunity for socialising.
As mentioned, all the lockdown restrictions had, and still can be causing prolonged feelings of anxiety, loneliness and uncertainty in so many of us.
Pilates is not only a mindful activity, which is amazing in combating anxiety but also depression as it releases endorphins. Endorphins are the happy hormones that are released when you exercise. They promote positivity and give you that sense of achievement. Being active can make you feel more productive, which can only lead to a variety of more positive behaviours throughout the day: less procrastination, reduced cravings and comfort / boredom eating to name a few.
So many of my clients have said that the online zoom and in person classes are not only keeping their bodies and minds healthy but it also gives another opportunity for socialising and to see familiar faces each week.
So there are 5 pretty good reasons why Pilates could become one of your new hobbies!
If I have convinced you, and you would like to give a class a go then we’ll love for you to join us, either in person in one of our local classes running in North devon, or in our Virtual Studio, check out the Pilates & Virtual Studio pages on our website to find out more.
With love, Jess