Just a few minutes of stretching every day can help a woman develop and maintain a flexible body for life. And that’s not all. Increased flexibility means a straighter back, pain relief in the joints and muscles. It prolongs fatigue and improves the body shape. Pilates is the secret to an amazing body and one of the ways to develop flexibility at any age.
The Secret Power of Pilates Exercise
Just 15 years ago Pilates was not practiced so widely. Developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900’s as a rehabilitation technique for prisoners of war, it has become very popular among many fitness trainers who apply Pilates methods both in aerobic and strength exercises. (The Pilates routine I use – here) Pilates develops not only large, but also small groups of muscles which rarely work. The exercises involve 95% of the muscles. Pilates includes several exercises from yoga. But, there is a difference between yoga and Pilates. Pilates strengthens your abdominal muscles, stretches the spine, allows one to strengthen the muscular corset. According to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (2006), participants who practiced Pilates for 4 weeks experienced more relief from their symptoms than those who practiced regular treatment programs.
At first it might seem that the exercises do not require hard work; it looks like a slow motion movement like yoga. But, after 20 minutes of exercising, you start sweating and feeling your muscles burning. When it comes to Pilates results, it has always been about the quality of your work. You don’t do a lot of repetitions for each move with Pilates but you do them with full concentration and precision, which brings you much better results than repetitious cardio exercises.
The Pilates Body: The Ultimate At-Home Guide to Strengthening, Lengthening and Toning Your Body- Without Machines
