Alleviate back pain, build strength, and increase flexibility with Pilates

In recent years, Pilates has gained widespread recognition as an effective exercise method for improving overall health and wellbeing. Its unique approach to physical fitness, which emphasizes core strength, body alignment, and controlled movements, has proven particularly beneficial for alleviating back pain, building strength, and increasing flexibility. Here's a closer look at how Pilates addresses these key areas.

Alleviate Back Pain

One of the most compelling reasons people turn to Pilates is its ability to alleviate back pain. Back pain, particularly lower back pain, is a common complaint and can result from poor posture, muscle imbalances, or lack of core strength. Pilates addresses these issues in following ways.

Core Strengthening: Pilates focuses heavily on strengthening the core muscles, which include the abdominals, obliques, lower back, and pelvic floor. A strong core provides better support for the spine, reducing strain on the back and helping to prevent or alleviate pain.

Improved Posture: Pilates exercises promote proper alignment of the spine and pelvis. By encouraging a neutral spine position and correct posture, Pilates helps to reduce the risk of developing back pain due to poor posture.

Muscle Imbalance Correction: Many back pain issues stem from imbalances in muscle strength and flexibility. Pilates exercises target both the deep stabilizing muscles and the larger muscle groups, helping to address these imbalances and provide better support for the spine.

Build Strength

Strength is a fundamental component of physical fitness, and Pilates offers a comprehensive approach to building and maintaining it.

Functional Strength: Unlike traditional strength training, which often isolates muscles, Pilates emphasizes functional strength through controlled, multi-dimensional movements. This type of strength is practical and translates well into everyday activities.

Balanced Muscle Development: Pilates promotes balanced muscle development by working both the major and minor muscle groups. This helps to prevent overuse injuries and ensures that all muscle groups are equally developed.

Resistance Training: Many Pilates exercises use resistance equipment, such as springs on a reformer, to provide an added challenge. This resistance training enhances muscle strength and endurance while also promoting flexibility and coordination.

Increase Flexibility

Flexibility is another key benefit of Pilates. Many people find that their flexibility improves significantly with regular practice.

Lengthening Muscles: Pilates exercises often involve slow, controlled movements that stretch and lengthen the muscles. This helps to increase the range of motion and improve overall flexibility.

Improved Joint Mobility: Pilates exercises often involve the full range of motion for the joints, which helps to maintain or increase joint mobility. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with stiff or restricted joints.

Postural Awareness: Pilates encourages mindfulness and awareness of body alignment. This heightened awareness helps individuals to identify and address areas of tension or tightness, leading to improved flexibility over time.

Pilates offers a multifaceted approach to fitness that is particularly effective for alleviating back pain, building strength, and increasing flexibility. Its focus on core strength, proper alignment, and balanced muscle development makes it an excellent choice for individuals seeking to improve their physical health and overall well-being. Whether you're dealing with back pain, looking to enhance your strength, or aiming to boost your flexibility, incorporating Pilates into your routine can provide significant and lasting benefits.

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Can you come to this?

I’m hosting a field trip and I’d love for you to take this adventure with me!

Take a break at work and join me for a free Virtual FieldTrip with Creative Mornings. I’ll be teaching a heart-opening yoga flow for desk workers on August 24 at 12 pm ET.

Backbends are some of the most therapeutic yoga postures. They improve spinal flexibility and stimulate the nervous system to relieve stress and anxiety. Through continued practice, you’ll see a change in your spinal flexibility.

✔ Learn gentle stretches to awaken the body

✔ Improve spinal flexibility with this heart-opening yoga flow

✔ Relieve stress and anxiety

No prior experience or any special equipment is needed. This workout can be done from anywhere with just an exercise mat. All levels are welcome.

To join the event, all you have to do is register, grab your yoga mat, and take a lunch break with me.

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Increase your flexibility with yoga

There’s an older man in my neighborhood who picks up trash on his walks. He usually uses a trash pickup tool to reach trash on the ground.

One day, I noticed that he didn’t have the tool. When he bent over to pick up a piece of trash, he didn’t have the range of motion he needed and he toppled over. Into the street! As a city bus approached!

He was unable to stand up on his own.

He was so embarrassed. He was still embarrassed days later when I passed him on the street.

Here’s what I learned from this:

1. Flexibility and balance are important as we age.

2. Don’t let embarrassment prevent you from accepting help when you need it and don’t let fear stand between you and the life that you want.

3. It’s never too late to increase your flexibility and improve your balance.

When it comes to improving your flexibility, you’ve probably been scrolling through Instagram looking for workout inspiration. You’ve been admiring all those cool yoga accounts but feel too intimidated by the gravity-defying yoga poses. You feel unmotivated, tired, and you don’t know where to begin. Or maybe, you’re already practicing yoga and want to advance in your practice but aren’t able to keep a consistent practice.

Here are a few tips to increase flexibility with ease:

1. Consider why you want to improve flexibility and why you struggle increase it. There are many reasons why we struggle to increase flexibility including bone shape, body proportion, body awareness, intention, strength and length of tissue, past injuries, genetics, and lifestyle. Good news! The reasons why we struggle are also the things that can help us improve our flexibility. For example, you can’t change the shape of your bones but you can change the angle of the bone so that you can more easily enter a yoga pose. For instance, in Half Pigeon pose, if it’s difficult for your front leg to be parallel with the mat, try bringing it closer to your body.

2. Consider your body’s shape. As beginner yoga practitioner, I struggled to find examples of others who looked like me. I researched different poses and did not find anyone who looked like me or had my body type. Without this information, it was sometimes difficult to know how to get into a pose or what my body would look like in the pose. Consider you body’s proportion and that you may like to make more space for yourself in a pose so that the pose is comfortable for you, you enjoy your practice, and you continue to practice. It’s okay to enter a pose differently than others. For instance, instead of keeping your knees together in child’s pose, consider doing this pose with your knees far apart. It’s okay to enter a pose differently than others

3. Be consistent and practice your stretches every day. Start with a few minutes and work up to an hour or more. Try doing these stretches after a workout or while watching TV. Try these yoga stretches: crescent lunge, malasana, wide legged forward fold, half pigeon and double pigeon, and standing and seated forward fold.

4. Commit to working with a professional fitness instructor or stretch coach to help you reach your goals. I’m working on front splits. I’ve tried to work on this on my own in the past but just haven’t been able to get to where I want to be on my own. I realized I need a little help from an expert so I committed to working with a stretch coach. It’s not always easy to admit when you need support but occasionally we all need help. It was not easy but, after just one session, I was able do things I haven’t ever been able to do. I visibly progressed in just two hours!

Random classes aren’t going to work. One day, you’re on YouTube. Another day, you’re on Pinterest. On another day, you’re doing your saved Instagram or Facebook workouts. You don’t need to do everything. To get the results you want, you’ll need to focus your efforts on the right things. Try a proven method rather than a series random of workout videos that will not get you the result that you’re looking for. You need a structured plan and one-on-one support.

Learn more in the Couch to Consistent course where you’ll see how to stop struggling, make time for yourself, and workout regularly.

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