Pilates

Learn all about Pilates

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Pilates Method exercise is designed to give you a leaner, stronger,

healthier body that is flexible and pain-free.

Over time, the consistent practice of Pilates can completely transform your body,

give you more energy, and greatly improve your health.

"After 10 sessions you will feel a difference, after 20 sessions you will

see a difference, and after 30 sessions everyone will see a difference ."

- Joseph Pilates (creator of the Pilates Method)

Pilates is one of the fastest growing forms of exercise in the world. In the U.S., Pilates participants have grown in number from 1.7 million in 2000 to 10.5 million in 2004 – more than 500% growth in just four years! And it continues to spread around the world. Why is the Pilates method experiencing such dramatic growth, and how can it benefit you, too?

Developed from the rehabilitation techniques of Joseph Pilates, Balanced Body Pilates is a safe, sensible exercise system using a floor mat or equipment, that will help you look and feel your very best. No matter what your age or condition, it will work for you. Pilates improves core strength, flexibility, agility and economy of motion. It can even help alleviate back pain and other chronic ailments.

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Learn more in these pages about Pilates.

The Pilates Method (sometimes simply Pilates), pronounced /pɪlaˡtiz/ ("Puh - LAH - Teez"), is a physical fitness system that was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. Pilates wrote at least two books about the Pilates method: Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health:

A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education.

Pilates called his method Contrology, which refers to the way the method encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles. The program focuses on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and are essential to providing support for the spine.

In particular, Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and strengthen the deep torso muscles, which are important to help alleviate and prevent back pain.

Pilates follows principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation. It is not merely a collection of exercises but a method developed and refined over more than eighty years of use and observation. Pilates is simply a physical fitness process that requires the control of the mind, strengthens the body’s core, and provides a self-confidence and well-being.

While Pilates draws from many diverse exercise styles, there are certain inherent ruling principles that bring all these elements together under the Pilates name. One interpretation of Principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing Movement.

What is Pilates exercise?

Pilates exercise is a form of isometric exercise developed and practiced to simultaneously stretch, strengthen, tone, and align the body, while eliminating excess tension and strain on the joints. Pilates-style workouts have been used by dancers and athletes for decades.
Pilates exercise is designed to:

How Do I Get Started with Pilates Method Exercise?

The best way to learn Pilates exercise is to take a class at your local gym/studio or hire a personal instructor, which usually costs $50 - $100 per hour. Once you learn how to do the moves, you will be able to do many of them on your own.

Pilates equipmentThere are also some very good beginners Pilates videos available. You can find them at many online and offline stores. As you get more advanced, you may want to invest in some good Pilates equipment, which you can also find on the Web.

Remember, performing Pilates exercise can strengthen, lengthen, stretch, balance, tone, relax AND energize your body in a short amount of time. But you must perform the exercises at least 2 times per week in order to see significant results. The great thing about Pilates exercise is that, once you learn to do the movements well, you will actually look forward to your workouts!

The Pilates Method is for:

Those who require more specific guidance for their exercise programs.

Pilates as Physical Rehabilitation

by Kate Wilson, M.A.

 

While Pilates is a Powerful discipline, its full capabilities as a rehabilitation tool have yet to be discovered.

Pilates is the rage. Everywhere you look, models and celebrities are touting the benefits of this body conditioning method. Books, magazines and Web sites are praising this exercise program for its ability to improve posture, develop whole-body strength and enhance physical as well as mental conditioning. "Pilates studios" are opening around the country, while yoga and aerobic instructors are adding "The Pilates Method" to their offerings. The media has created a new level of awareness as it presents tribute to the success of this fitness phenomenon.

The current focus has meandered from the original purpose of the exercises. Joseph Pilates created them to assist patients in rehabilitation by combining elements of gymnastics, yoga and other disciplines he had studied. Without the benefit of elaborate equipment, he utilized readily available materials, such as chairs and bedsprings, to design exercises for hospital patients. These exercises were intended to strengthen muscles, enhance blood circulation and utilize focused attention in a disciplined routine.

As a dedicated Pilates student, I can attest to its multiple benefits as a method of rehabilitation. For the last two years, Pilates has been a powerful and positive force in my life. In 1965, I was a passenger in a car that was hit by two vehicles. As a result of spinal cord damage at the T12 and L-1levels, the prognosis stated I would never walk again. After several months of physical therapy, I was told not to expect any additional progress as a consequence of my extensive spinal cord damage and muscular atrophy. Fortunately, I proved the doctors wrong and began walking with the assistance of leg braces and canes.

While living in New York City in 1993, I suffered from debilitating knee pain, exacerbated by frequent falls. I was referred to multiple physical therapists, yet flunked out of each program because they either increased my pain or were limited to passive therapies, such as ice, ultrasound and electric stimulation. Several physicians recommended a total knee replacement, but I was determined to keep my knee and conquer the pain. My rehabilitation breakthrough began when a colleague at Columbia University witnessed my daily pain and suggested I contact Taaj Jaharah, a sports trainer and registered massage therapist. During my initial visit, Jaharah said, "Let us work on the pain first." Her statement set the tone for the rest of our sessions. She broke the pain cycle slowly, which allowed me to do strengthening exercises on a daily basis. For four years, through consistent daily exercises, I began to build strength and awareness in my muscles. One very special measure of my newfound physical strength occurred when I accomplished a full press, freestanding handstand in class.

In 1999, my career led me to Cambridge, Massachusetts. I still walked with two canes, leg braces and suffered from consistent knee and hip pain. I was eager to find another practitioner who could help me continue to develop my strength and assuage my pain. After working briefly with several practitioners from various disciplines, I contacted Martha Mason, a certified Pilates instructor. I described my physical challenges to her and she explained the philosophy and practices of the Pilates Method.

When I first began Pilates, I did not fully realize the importance of finding a certified instructor. Pilates is a rigorous program that requires more than 600 hours of supervised work, extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology and training on the usage of Pilates equipment. I quickly learned to appreciate the extensive training required to be certified. I have now been working for two years on an intensive rehabilitation program with Mason. Unlike physical therapy, which only concentrated on my injured knee, we focus on whole-body strength. Since Pilates exercises are not weight bearing, I can perform them without irritating my knee. She has shown me that doing 10 to 12 repetitions of an exercise eliminates boredom and more importantly, not working through pain prevents further injury.

We have adapted many of the basic Pilates exercises to my capabilities. Through Masons creativity and my concentration, we have jointly perfected exercises that have enabled me to reconnect messages between my brain and muscles. I have learned to mentally locate an inactive muscle and recognize the slightest movement in it. Moreover, I have identified atrophied muscles and slowly built their strength. Through concentration, I have learned to "let go" of the stronger muscles and engage the weaker ones. In turn, my hard work has paid off. As circulation was restored and muscles redeveloped, sensation and. color returned to my legs. I have gained one inch in my atrophied right calf, and my glutes and hamstrings have been re-activated. Also, the strength in my torso has improved my gait, stability, posture and balance.

As an instructor, Mason brings to each session her extensive technical knowledge, complete focus on my capabilities and the ability to challenge me without producing further injury or frustration. As a student, I bring to each session my full commitment, focus and willingness to be challenged. Together, we share the excitement and success of our mutual efforts.

Unfortunately, the potential of Pilates as a form of physical rehabilitation has yet to be realized. As I practice this mentally and physically challenging process, I am grateful for the creative genius of Joseph Pilates, who created an innovative approach to physical rehabilitation. I hope the current national interest in Pilates will not only continue but expand to greater heights.

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Kate Wilson, M.A., is president of Wilson Educational Consultants in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She works with colleges and universities to improve the delivery student services, using her expertise gained as a college adminis­trator for 25 years. She is a frequent presenter at higher education professional conferences on issues related to student services. Contact her at katewilson@att.net.

Reprinted from American Fitness March/April 2002, Volume 20, Number 2, pages 25-27
American Fitness Copyright 2002. All Rights Reserved

More on Pilates:
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