5 ways Pilates helped me shape my health and transformed my feelings about exercise…
Pilates has helped to change my life for the better. Here is how Pilates can help change yours too!
Woman working out on a reformer
First, an small introduction about Pilates. The internet defines Pilates as “a full body exercise that involves a series of controlled movements that target the core muscles and improves strength, flexibility and balance.” It was developed by Joseph H. Pilates, who had a background in exercise and physical therapy, and was inspired by calisthenics, yoga and ballet. Pilates can help with pain relief, posture, flexibility, balance, coordination, stress relief and more. It can be done on a mat or on several apparatuses like a Reformer or a Chair. Mat Pilates is the most accessible as all you need is a towel, mat, instructional books or YouTube videos.
And now on to the show… Here is what I learned from time doing Pilates.
1. I learned that exercise doesn’t have to be cruel and unusual punishment
I have tried various forms of exercise growing up: sports, running, Tae Bo, Turbo Jam, dance workouts, Yoga, etc. However, for a large part of my life, I just learned that most types of working out involved huffing and puffing and extra amounts of sweat. And that wasn’t really fun or something to look forward to, at least for me. But when I turned 38 and had gained quite a bit of weight, I realized that in addition to trying to eat differently I had to move differently because I didn’t want to be heavy or stiff AF. I also didn’t want to find something that seemed like a headache or something I just didn’t want to really do. In came Pilates- I was feeling totally lazy and I didn’t want working out to feel like it had felt before- like a sweaty mess chore. So I decided to explore mat Pilates and then if I liked it, I would also try Reformer Pilates. What did I find? I could wear whatever I wanted, I didn’t have to jump around like a crazy person,I didn’t feel like I had to pass out or have to work out for too long to feel like I was becoming strong and it was pleasant, mindful and enjoyable. It challenged me in a relaxed but significant way. Mat Pilates started with my lying, sitting or sometimes standing on a mat and engaging in movement to test my strength, balance and core. Reformer Pilates added the challenge of resistance on an apparatus to help further aid the Pilates movements. It didn’t stress me out, pressure me to do things in an unenjoyable way and it didn’t feel like a punishment. I was able to stick to Pilates at about 2-3x a year for the last year and now I find that I need to engage in this type of exercise because it puts a smile on my face and helps me feel strong but relaxed. Exercise finally didn’t feel like a punishment and I learned to love this type of exercise and movement. And more movement is better than none at all.
2. It helped me build discipline and a sense of endurance
Pilates helped me train my body to move fluidly, but it also helped me learn to to build disciple and endurance. Through Pilates I worked to support the weight of my body by holding my body in certain positions and repeating certain movements. Workouts in the beginning were 15-20 minutes long ( I didn’t want to overly pressure myself at first),and I was able to eventually work towards completing up to an hour long workout. My arms, legs and my core got strong! My shoulders also looked and felt really nice. Initially, it was very challenging because I had never done the work before, but with each workout that was completed, I was able to do better in completing the movements with form and my arms and legs were able to keep my body up without me falling over or trembling and shaking into submission. With each passing workout, I felt more accomplished, disciplined and built a sense of endurance. And isn’t that always fun?
3. It helped me prioritize my health over my vanity or looks
My earlier exercise life focused on weight loss. I didn’t think of becoming strong, I didn’t think about being able to pick things up with out hurting myself, I didn’t think about the health of my back or how the blood flowed through my body. I used to exercise for all the wrong reasons and now I realize... No wonder I hated exercise! It was all about the pressure to look a certain way and I never really was able to keep it up. With Pilates, I was able to develop good exercise habits and I was able to sit or lie down and enjoy the way my body moved. In addition to learning to enjoy movement, I was able to feel relief in my back when it started to feel too stiff, it helped with stress relief, it helped me feel solid and steady in my core, it helped me improve my posture, it helped me better develop my balance (it was total shit before!) and it helped my body develop and strengthen muscles that I normally didn’t really access with other types of exercise. It wasn’t just about how I looked or how I wanted to look, and Pilates helped open up that path for me. It was about how I felt and how good I wanted to feel in my body.
4. It helped me build a regular active mindfulness practice
As a coach and psychotherapist, I am big on mindfulness! As mentioned in my other blog posts, mindfulness can be said to be the foundation of many therapeutic practices. It is good for the mind and body. Mindfulness is about being present in your body and in the here and now without judgement. There are both passive and active forms of mindfulness. A passive form of mindfulness could be something like engaging in meditation or just focusing on sitting still and observing yourself. Active mindfulness can be something like exercise such as Pilates or Yoga. While in my Pilates practice, I am engaged and focused on the way my body moves and the way I breath the whole way through. I am purposely in the moment and paying attention to how I move in the present moment versus being distracted or in my mind about what is going on in the past or in the future. Mindfulness is good for your mental health and wellbeing and Pilates provides an active form of mindfulness while working on your physical fitness. It gives me a solid 20-60 minutes of mindfulness 2-3x a week. Now is that healthy or what?
5. it provided me a consistent way to engage in stress reduction
As a person who works in mental health and coaching, all I have to say is that you have to have ways to reduce stress! While there are many things that can aid in stress reduction. I felt that staying in bed all day and watching Netflix, might not be the only type of stress reduction I needed. I had to do something in addition to watching Netflix. In came Pilates. Pilates became a wonderful way for me to incorporate regular stress reduction methods to my week. Knowing that I could at least do 15-20 minutes of movement, mindfulness and guided breathing helped me feel like I was doing something good for myself. With Pilates, I could challenge myself, I could relax, I could support my body and my back, I could feel strong, I could feel at ease, I could feel pretty and graceful and more! This exercise just felt so well rounded to me and while I am not exactly going to be winning any competitions any time soon ( like bench pressing a high amount of pounds), I know my mental health is going to be a little bit better because of it.
Curious to try Pilates? I would definitely give it a chance! Whether it’s mat pilates (which is more accessible) or Reformer Pilates, make an informed choice and sign up for a class or press play. Give it some time and dedication and see whether this may also help your body and mind. Because at the end of the day- all we want is wellness!