What To Love About Pilates

I was having a conversation with my teacher today about Pilates and how it can be beneficial to anyone; we also talked about how we know some people just don’t like it. As long as you’re safely moving your body, I’m happy for you.  It’s important to find something that helps you build muscle mass and increase your heart rate – especially since only 51% of adults get an adequate amount of physical fitness. I like to run, lift weights, and even dance, but there’s just so much to love about Pilates that it will always be part of my active life.

I’m Constantly Learning

I’ve been actively doing Pilates for almost 20 years now and I’m still learning more all the time. Right now I’m learning new-to-me exercises that were originally taught by Joseph Pilates. I’d never learned some of them before, and it’s interesting to see how some have changed over time. Seeing videos and photos of Mr. Pilates teaching and practicing the exercises has given me a new perspective on his intentions for each exercise. 

The more I learn, the more variety I have in my own practice and in my classes. I’m also never bored! The course I’m taking now has us working from the foundational exercises all the way through the most advanced ones. It’s been exciting bringing the things I’ve learned into the studio. 

Functional Movement Helps Me Move Better Through Life

Another big thing that I love about Pilates is that I am continually learning more about how to move my body through functional movement. Simply, functional movement is moving your body in all the ways it’s meant to move, which then helps me everywhere else in life. 

Consider a squat. That’s functional movement! Every day you squat over and over, from sitting down in a chair to picking something up from the ground. In Pilates, you will work on your strength, flexibility, and mobility to do squats better. Over time, it is easier to get up from that low chair or to pick up a dropped sock. 

Another example is walking. You might think, “How can I walk better?”, but you can. When you walk, your legs flex forward and then extend backward at the hip. In Pilates, we do various side-kicking exercises that involve this same motion. There are also exercises that help to stretch the hip flexors and hamstrings so that you can get a good, full range of motion in your stride.

Pilates is a Challenge

When you break it down, Pilates is a lot of the same movements done slightly differently with gravity pulling against you in various ways. With the apparatuses, there is also the help or resistance of the springs. The challenge of mastering these movements in different ways is something many people love about Pilates, myself included. It takes time, patience, and consistency, but when everything finally clicks into place it is so gratifying. Then, you move on to another version of the exercise and get to put all the pieces together again. 

You Don’t Have to Love Pilates

While talking about Pilates, my teacher shared how her dad isn’t a fan. He did it for years because his wife made him, but he eventually quit and now goes to a physical therapist. He is committed to it, it helps him, and he likes it. She is happy her dad is taking care of himself, and he’s happy he doesn’t have to do Pilates anymore! So Pilates might not be your thing, and that’s okay. But maybe you do give it a try and find lots to love about Pilates, just like my teacher and I.