6 WAYS PILATES CAN IMPROVE YOUR DAILY LIFE
Pilates is much more than just ‘another’ form of exercise. All across the world, a regular Pilates practice has helped people to totally transform their lives - not just physically, but mentally too. And you don’t have to take our word for it! Studies have consistently shown how Pilates can improve functional movement and overall quality of life. Want to know more? Keep reading!
6 ways Pilates can help you to feel better every single day:
1. Reduces your low back pain
Lower back pain is one of the most commonly reported ailments across the world. It can range from a mild ‘niggle’ to chronic pain that impacts every part of your life, and can be utterly debilitating. Fortunately - as scientific studies conducted in 2018 (1) and 2019 (2) have shown - Pilates can help! Both studies found that after 12 weeks of regular equipment and mat-based Pilates, people experienced a significant reduction in their pain levels and could perform functional everyday movements more easily and comfortably. In particular, adding Pilates to their routine helped to restore and develop the lumbo-pelvic muscles (aka the lower back) through building core strength and focusing on improving stability and posture - all of which contribute to a reduction in lower back pain. And this is just one of the studies that shows these beneficial results - there are many, many more!
2. Keeps you healthy and mobile as you age
It’s a fact of life that as we get older, we start to slow down and can experience some physical decline. But there are steps we can take to keep our bodies - as well as our minds - young at heart. The first step? Pilates. Here at SmartFit, this is something we’ve known it for a long time, with some of our older clients being prime examples! But it’s always good to have science-backed proof. As shown in recent research from 2021 (3), the low-impact and core-focused practice of Pilates helps to improve functional mobility, gait, postural stability, bone health and even overall quality of life, particularly in older adults. This study also specifically found that Pilates reduced their participants’ fear of falling, which becomes increasingly common as we age. It’s these kinds of physical issues that can cause us to become even less mobile: the less comfortable a movement is, the less we will move. It’s a vicious cycle, but it’s one we don’t have to fall into. Take matters into your own hands now and join a Pilates class with us - or book one for that older loved one so they can feel the difference for themselves.
3. Supports your mental health and wellbeing
There are many factors that can impact how we feel everyday - sleep quality, energy levels and self confidence to name just a few. Regular exercise of any kind - including Pilates - has long since been proven to improve all three, but more recent research has focused on Pilates’ ability to boost psychological wellbeing and physical self-perception (4). What does this mean in daily life? That you’ll have more self confidence and a more positive perception of yourself both in the mirror and as a person. This is the case for people of all ages, from students (4) to the elderly (3). If you’re someone who is prone to suffering with anxiety, depression or regular fatigue (and let’s face it, that’s the majority of people these days!), you’ll also be interested to learn how Pilates can help to vastly improve the feelings of these unhappy conditions (5) as well as providing a significant mood boost for both men (6, 7) and women (5, 7).
4. Helps you achieve your physical goals
We all have things we want to achieve - in our careers, in our relationships and physically within ourselves. When it comes to finally conquering those physical goals, there’s clear evidence to support that Pilates can help you to become stronger, support weight loss and improve your flexibility (10). Love to run or play sport? Pilates could be your route to better muscular endurance, flexibility and abdominal strength (8), as well as your balance and reaction time (11) - all of which are associated with countless physical pursuits including running, soccer, tennis, golf and more. Most sports tend to over-work specific muscles too, which can lead to injury. Think about your dominant arm when playing tennis, for example. Pilates is a great counter for this, as instead of over-working one muscle group (or side of the body), it focuses on correcting imbalances and muscle development between the left vs right sides of our bodies, and the global (big) vs local (small) muscles, which is beneficial to each and every sport.
The other benefit that may be most surprising to you? Cardiorespiratory fitness (9). Despite being low-impact, science has also shown that regular Pilates supports good cardiovascular health, which can play a big part in reducing your risk of certain diseases too.
5. Improves your posture
Modern work-life means most of us spend * a lot * of time hunching over phones and laptops. And it’s starting to cause problems - for up to 80% of us in fact (12). Why? Our bodies are simply not built to be in that position. Doing so causes our back muscles to become weaker while our chest muscles (pectorals) get tighter, which disrupts the natural curvatures of the spine. And the weaker and tighter they become, the more your body is drawn into that position, worsening the problem even more. Soon, your ‘upright’ standing or sitting position will be hunched over even when you’re not looking at your phone - and this may have already happened! As well as causing you pain (most commonly in the neck, shoulders, back and hips), this kind of posture can drastically impact your sleep, digestion, mood, confidence and more. Other culprits for bad posture include slouching (such as when you’re watching television), stress causing you to bring your shoulders up closer to your ears, and sitting positions like crossing one leg over the other. But don’t panic - there’s a way to undo the damage. Did you guess it might be Pilates? Unlike other exercises or sports, Pilates is specifically designed to protect and optimise the biomechanics of the human anatomy that keep us functioning optimally. As science has shown (13), the result is better postural alignment so you can stand tall and proud, whatever life is throwing at you.
6. Prepares you for a healthy pregnancy and motherhood
During pregnancy, your body goes through a beautiful journey of changes. But it can be a challenging time, both physically and mentally. Growing a tiny person can lead to back pain, pelvis/spine misalignment, low energy and more. As shown in studies, Pilates can help you during pregnancy by building up your back muscles to improve posture and reduce aches (14), and ensuring you maintain balance and stability (14) as your body changes shape. It can also help you to sleep better during pregnancy (14) and improve your pelvic floor strength (15) to support labour and post-natal recovery. Once the baby arrives, thanks to Pilates you’ll also have a strong and stable upper body so you can carry and cuddle your bundle of joy pain-free. At SmartFit, we have a number of highly qualified Pre-Natal Instructors who lead small group Pre-Natal Reformer classes and Private Sessions - the choice is yours.
As you can see above, whatever your personal goals, age, gender or situation, Pilates can help you to lead a healthy, positive life able to move comfortably and without pain. Treat yourself to a Private or Small Group class with us, and feel the changes in your own life. Even better? If you’re new to Private or Group, we’ll give you 50% off your first class. Contact us to book.
REFERENCES:
(1) The effectiveness of 12 weeks of Pilates intervention on disability, pain and kinesiophobia in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Cruz-Díaz D, Romeu M, Velasco-González C, Martínez-Amat A, Hita-Contreras F.Clin Rehabil. 2018 Sep;32(9):1249-1257. doi: 10.1177/0269215518768393. Epub 2018 Apr 13.PMID: 29651872 Clinical Trial.
(2) Application of Pilates-based exercises in the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. Małgorzata Eliks, Małgorzata Zgorzalewicz-Stachowiak, and Krystyna Zeńczak-Praga. Postgrad Med J. 2019 Jan; 95(1119): 41–45. Published online 2019 Jan 12. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2018-135920
(3) Pilates Reducing Falls Risk Factors in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Larissa Donatoni da Silva , Agnes Shiel, and Caroline McIntosh. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021; 8: 708883. Published online 2021 Sep 1. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.708883
(4) The influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing. Su Yeon Roh. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Apr; 14(2): 192–198. Published online 2018 Apr 26. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836088.044
(5) Home-based Pilates for symptoms of anxiety, depression and fatigue among persons with multiple sclerosis: An 8-week randomized controlled trial. Karl M Fleming, Susan B Coote, Matthew P Herring. 2021 Dec; 27(14):2267-2279. doi: 10.1177/13524585211009216. Epub 2021 Apr 19.
(6) Acute effects of Pilates on mood states among young adult males. Karl M Fleming, Mark Campbell, Matthew P Herring. Complement Ther Med. 2020 Mar; 49:102313. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102313. Epub 2020 Jan 25.
(7) Effect of Pilates and taiji quan training on self-efficacy, sleep quality, mood, and physical performance of college students. Karen Caldwell, Mandy Harrison, Marianne Adams, N Travis Triplett. Clinical Trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2009 Apr;13(2):155-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2007.12.001.Epub 2008 Feb 20.
(8) Pilates for improvement of muscle endurance, flexibility, balance, and posture. June A Kloubec. 2010 Mar;24(3):661-7. J Strength Cond Res. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c277a6.
(9) Pilates Method Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Rubén Fernández-Rodríguez 1,2, Celia Álvarez-Bueno 2,3,*, Asunción Ferri-Morales 4, Ana I Torres-Costoso 4, Iván Cavero-Redondo 2 and Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno. Journal of Clinical Medicine. Published 23 October 2019.
(10) Investigation of the Effect of 8-Week Reformer Pilates Exercise on Flexibility, Heart Rate and Glucose Levels in Sedentary Women. Asian Journal of Education and Training. Vol. 6, No. 2, 226-230, 2020 ISSN(E) 2519-5387
(11) Babayiğit, I. G. (2009). Pilates exercise positively affects balance, reaction time, muscle strength, falling number and psychological parameters in older women over 65 years of age. Middle East Technical University Institute of Social Sciences Physical Education and Sports Department, Ph.D. Thesis, Ankara: METU.
(12) Back Pain Fact Sheet, NINDS, Publication date March 2020. NIH Publication No. 20-NS-5161
(13) Effect of mat pilates exercise on postural alignment and body composition of middle-aged women. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Jun; 28(6): 1691–1695. Hyo Taek Lee, PhD, Hyun Ok Oh, PhD, Hui Seung Han, MS, Kwang Youn Jin, PhD, and Hyo Lyun Roh, PhD, PT.
(14) The effects of clinical Pilates exercises on functional disability, pain, quality of life and lumbopelvic stabilization in pregnant women with low back pain: a randomized controlled study. Emel Sonmezer, Manolya Acar Özköslü, Hayri Baran Yosmaoğlu. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2021;34(1):69-76. doi: 10.3233/BMR-191810.
(15) Pilates program design and health benefits for pregnant women: A practitioners' survey. Melissa Mazzarino, Debra Kerr, Meg E Morris. Bodyw Mov Ther. 2018 Apr;22(2):411-417. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.05.015. Epub 2017 May 31.
Pre-natal Pilates at SmartFit Pilates Studio