Pilates

Pilates is a method of low impact body conditioning developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates.  Pilates is described as a mind-body exercise that requires core stability, strength, flexibility, attention to muscle control, posture, and controlled breathing.  Joseph Pilates described his method as the art of controlled movements, which should look and feel like a workout.   While Pilates has been around for nearly 100 years, it’s still gaining traction.  There’s good reason why it continues to be a popular mode of exercise particularly for those not wanting high impact exercise.  Pilates focuses more on muscle tone than building muscles and it specifically focuses on your core. By Core we mean your sides, your back and your hips.

Some of the aspects of Pilates, the movements, the mindfulness may remind you of yoga but there are several core differences.  Both forms of exercise involve balancing of muscle groups and core work, but with Pilates, the focus is much heavier on the exercises that get the core work. In yoga, there is more of a variety of movement and emphasis on stretch and improving mobility.

As with any exercise its important to make sure you have a qualified teacher/instructor.  Whether it’s as an individual or in a group, pitching the exercises to your level and building up the difficulty slowly is crucial.

Simone Amps takes our individual and class sessions here at the Physiotherapy Rooms LTD.  Simone has dedicated a large part of her career to pilates, she loves it and is a fantastic teacher.  We regularly progress our clients rehabilitation through some form of Pilates exercises this is why we brought Simone to our clinic to give further options to our clients rehabilitation.