What is Pilates?
Pilates is the set of exercises created by the German Joseph Pilates in 1920, performed on the floor or on exclusive equipment that seek the connection between body and mind, restoring and recovering health and also promoting an increase in the quality of life in healthy individuals.
The method also guarantees physical conditioning and can be used for physical rehabilitation or as a fitness alternative. Its main advantage is that it is accessible to everyone, from high-performance athletes to seniors with limited mobility.
With over 500 types of exercises that can be practiced at different intensities, Pilates is accessible to anyone because above all it respects individual abilities and needs.
All exercises aim to strengthen the deep stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, promote joint mobility, re-educate movements, improve body awareness, enhance posture, and create healthy muscles.
The movements performed during Pilates provide stretching and strengthening that may seem simple, but they act on the body in an integrated and individualized way.
The method is considered one of the best exercise options because its benefits include improved breathing, stress reduction, and improved body balance and coordination. It also enhances motor coordination and joint mobility, promoting injury prevention in healthy individuals.
Pilates is the most widely used treatment for spinal pathologies because it acts on the deep stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, especially the transverse abdominal muscle, and generates joint mobility for the spine safely and without overload.
Pilates works with few repetitions, which is why there is greater control of the exercises, always promoting conscious movement in each exercise performed.
Pilates can also be practiced by people of all ages, with a wide variety of ailments, such as: bone and muscle problems (for example, osteoarthritis), and even chronic pain, since it involves low-impact exercises, with few repetitions performed with quality rather than quantity, which generate efficient results and thus the muscles and joints suffer less wear and tear.
Therefore, it is essential that classes are led by specialized professionals who pay attention to their students and have a good background in Pilates, in addition to keeping in mind the limits and needs of each individual.
In general, classes are given in individual sessions or for small groups, and last for 1 hour.
The exercises are very varied and progressive, they can be done on the floor or on equipment and many of them are done lying down, which makes the exercises easier for those who suffer from pain or joint problems.