I recently wrote this article for the The Ebell's bulletin newsletter. What I wrote was too long for their newsletter, so I thought I would post it here in it entirety. Pilates is a system of principles that is an exercise method. This is a method that can be applied to any other exercise or activity. It is controlled movement from a centered and balanced core. As the body moves throughout the day it adapts to experience less stress, in a sense it takes the easy way out. This adaption isn't always healthy or beneficial for the body. Little adaptions over time can add up to a big muscle imbalance and sometimes pain. Consistent practice of Pilates aligns bones and muscles and in a sense straightens the body out, left to right, front to back, and inside to outside. There are so many reasons to do Pilates, here are the top 10. Reason Number 10 to do Pilates Increased physical body awareness Pilates is a focused method that can only be performed correctly if one can mentally find the muscles first. Your body will become “smarter”, you will be able to access and control parts of your body that you didn't even know were there. Reason Number 9 to do Pilates Improved Posture Consistent Pilates practice means more balanced muscles, stronger supportive skeletal muscles which turns into a better posture. Now the major muscles groups have the foundation they need from underneath. Otherwise the major muscle groups have to two duties, support the skeleton and perform big movements. Reason Number 8 to do Pilates Create a youthful spine Flexibility is needed not just in the major muscle groups but also in the directions the spine moves. The spine should be able to bend forward, backward, sideways and twist around right and left. If the spine is restricted in any of or all of these ways, muscles, tendons, ligaments can become “frozen”. They become unable to perform their normal functions. Reason Number 7 to do Pilates No strain on the joints Pilates is done using your own body weight for resistance. Learning how to support those body parts creates intensity. This intensity builds muscle without a strain on joints, in other words you aren't holding a heavy object with one hand and moving it around for example. The heavy object can put strain on the wrist joint and the elbow joint. The hand is one of furthest parts away from your center. Reason Number 6 to do Pilates The average person doesn't stretch at all. There are 3 daily activities that make the body tight and stiff, they are walking, standing, and sitting. To deal with these repetitive activities stretching is a must. Most people don't do any stretching on their own even though the body always feels good afterward. A regular Pilates class, mat or private, will give you a consistent time to stretch those always tightening muscles. Just 1X a week is beneficial. Reason Number 5 to do Pilates Abdominal strength directly correlates to longer life span. Recent studies have shown that people with strong abdominal muscles live longer than people with limb muscle strength but not abdominal strength. So if your arms and legs are strong but your core isn't, then you won't live as long as one who has strong core regardless of their arm and leg strength. Reason Number 4 to do Pilates Prevent back strain. Everyone knows that strong ab muscles support the back. In Pilates we don't see the back as separate from the front. Front, back, and sides from the shoulders to pelvis make up the core. Pilates works in each exercise movement incorporating all of the core not just the stomach area around the belly button. Pulling the shoulders down, reining in the ribs, keeping the stomach in, tensing the inner thighs, and most importantly engaging the pelvic floor muscles activates the whole range of the core. Your back is your core, your core is your back. When your core is strong your back is strong. Reason Number 3 to do Pilates Won't pee yourself when laughing or coughing. The time to work your pee muscle is now. Not just when a woman is pregnant or when you first notice leakage during a sudden sneeze. One fitness magazine stated a couple of years ago that the most important exercise people are not doing is working their kegel (pee) muscle. Pilates stresses the importance of tensing these deep supportive muscles at every exhale. These muscles hold your organs inside your body. What is really great about learning to work the pee muscle is it automatically turns on the ab muscle shaped like a belt underneath the other ab muscles. It is like a 2 for 1 deal. This starts the body developing a beneficial muscle firing pattern. Reason Number 2 to do Pilates Reduce your pant size in 3 months Pilates has great hip/glute exercises that when done 2x a week will lower your pant size by one size. Correct form makes all the difference, the deep muscles get stronger and the outer most muscles get smaller. And the Number 1 reason to do Pilates is......... Won't have to look down at a pooching belly anymore. With all the focus and intention behind the movements in a Pilates class the stomach muscles in front will get smaller. The more muscle there is on the body the more the body fat percentage goes down and the higher the metabolism. This means: the more muscle you have the more calories are burned. Pilates builds muscle in your core, so stronger core equals smaller stomach. If you are in the Los Angeles/Larchmont area please join me in the weekly Pilates mat class on Friday mornings at 10am at the Solarium in the Ebell. Wishing you life long core strength. Kim Parker