10 lesser-known benefits of Pilates that might convince you to add it to your daily routine
Pilates, then known as Contrology, was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century and he dedicated his life to improving both physical and mental health. There are so many benefits of Pilates which go a long way toward enhancing daily life and feelings of well-being.
You may already be aware of some of the widely accepted benefits of increased core strength, improvements to bone and joint health, improved balance and coordination, and helping to support pelvic floor health and function. But, did you know there are many other Pilates benefits that positively impact daily life?
Here are my top 10 lesser-known Pilates benefits…
Pilates boosts your mental health and improves focus and concentration
Pilates helps to create a body and mind relationship, where concentration, focus and meditation come together to help boost your mental health. An important part of Pilates is that it pushes you to focus on your body, full breathing, and how your muscles all work and move together. It is with focus and concentration that you are more likely to benefit from the exercise.
Pilates gives you the chance to distract from negative thoughts as Pilates can give you the opportunity to change the levels of chemicals in the brain such as serotonin, cortisol and endorphins.
Pilates can increase your pleasure between the sheets
2. Pilates improves your sex life
In Pilates exercises you’re encouraged to breathe down into your pelvis to stimulate your pelvic floor muscles, these small movements allow the pelvic floor muscles to contract and relax (which strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and consequently supports the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum). Increased awareness of these pelvic floor muscles and how they both relax and contract can increase your pleasure in the bedroom.
3. Pilates makes you more aware of your body
With its focus on breathing, alignment and controlled movement, this will eventually translate into your everyday life as you become more aware of how your body moves, how it is aligned and moves through space. This could be from basic things like sitting on your sofa or at your desk, to picking up your shopping bags.
Pilates also teaches you to have symmetry and coordination, to centre your ribs over your pelvis and to bring your head over your ribs so you are better aware of your posture in all daily positions. This benefits you as it will all come naturally and without conscious thought over time as you become more aware of your body.
4. Pilates assists with recovery from injuries
Joseph Pilates used his techniques to rehabilitate injured soldiers during WWI. Today, if you search for ‘Pilates injuries recovery’, and you will see hundreds of businesses providing similar injury rehabilitation services through Pilates. You will be surprised at how many people get given Pilates exercises on a daily basis to recover from injuries.
5. Pilates is perfect rehab for back pain
Pilates helps you to focus on smaller movements and muscle groups that act as scaffolding for your spine. Whilst nothing is guaranteed, and certainly not a quick fix, but many people have seen their back pain gradually disappear after practising Pilates.
At Lauren Hilton Pilates we are trained in Pilates for rehab applications and are passionate about supporting our clients into full health. As a fully equipped Pilates studio, we utilise all of the Pilates apparatus with our 1:1 clients so that movements can be supported by the springs and pulleys of the reformer or tower bar.
6. Pilates places no pressure on your knees and joints
Since Pilates consists of slow and controlled movement, there is minimal impact on your joints. This is naturally ideal for those who cannot (or do not) want to take part in high-impact sports and exercises.
7. Pilates improves your posture
Poor posture usually occurs as a result of slouching at your desk and chair, or craning your head forward whilst on your phone, this can eventually cause backache, neck ache, headache and more pain. Poor posture will result in asymmetrical muscle development, where some muscles become weaker than others. Pilates can benefit you to strengthen those underdeveloped muscles and alleviate bad posture.
8. Pilates improves your blood circulation
Another benefit of Pilates is that the more flexible you are, the better your blood circulation is, as blood can flow more freely through your body. This benefits your heart health and also makes your brain a lot sharper. This can help to promote cell growth and organ function, and gives you healthier skin, and as Joseph calls it, for “bodily house cleaning”.
9. Pilates can help with your sleep and reduces insomnia
One study found that regular Pilates can help with your sleeping pattern. A good night’s sleep was an important part of living for Joseph Pilates and this will have a natural knock-on effect, such as a better mood and more energy. Better sleep leads to a healthier and happier life. A 20-minute Pilates exercise can make such a difference and you will see how your life improves mentally and physically.
10. Pilates improves mood and reduces anxiety
Tension can build up in our muscles and also in our minds. Pilates helps you to tune in to your breathing and encourages you to feel what muscles are working, this helps to build your skill of presence and build the skill of interoception. By tuning in we become present in the moment, our nervous system knows we are safe and in doing so anxiety and stress decrease.
If you’d like to reap the reward of these lesser-known Pilates benefits (as well as the widely-known ones!) add Pilates to your weekly routine - step into our Beginners class to build your knowledge and foundation or join our online membership to fit classes in around your daily commitments, adding just 10-minutes a day will make a difference.
Lauren x
At Lauren Hilton Pilates, we’re passionate about supporting clients with Pilates every day, we truly believe that Pilates is a transformative movement practice that once in your life, you’ll never want to live without! You can start Pilates at any age, and any stage – it is never too late to start.
Find out more about our Pilates At Home membership here, or you can sign up here:
Roll out your mat with Lauren wherever and whenever it takes you. Our unlimited Lauren Hilton Pilates At Home membership gives you access to a curated selection of on-demand Pilates workouts at home or on the go.
