The Hidden Wins From Doing Pilates

I often say that Pilates helps you to move better for all the things you do in life. That’s why I love it so much when clients tell me of a win they’ve noticed in their day-to-day life that they credit to doing Pilates. Some “wins” may be obvious to outsiders, while others are much more personal; here are a few of my favourite ones. 

Less Bathroom Trips

A client once told me something she noticed while she was on vacation that made her life easier and more comfortable, thanks to her consistency with Pilates over three years. Now, if you’re a traveller, you know how busy vacations can be; you’re finding your way in a new place, sightseeing, making reservations, and taking all types of transit. During all this busyness, of course you need to find a washroom more than once. For many women, when they need to go, they NEED to go, which can be annoying and even stressful in an unusual place. Well, my client said that on this trip, this was no longer the problem it once was! She was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. 

A Better Memory

A friend of mine who is also a Pilates teacher shared a story with me about one of her clients who had just been diagnosed with dementia. His doctor had recommended Pilates to help with concentration. (Yes, Pilates can help your brain health!) My friend taught her client the exercises as well as the order of them and how to set up the apparatuses. She said that in the beginning, it took her client some time to get focused, but with consistency, he was able to remember what to do and his concentration improved. (Note that we’re not saying Pilates stops dementia; but this one client did have improvements with his memory.)

Safer Showers

One of my favourite client stories is of a lady who had been in a head-on collision and in several accidents after that. She suffered from chronic pain, headaches and poor balance, and was stuck in the vicious circle of needing to get stronger but also having to be careful not to do anything that would cause pain flare-ups. After several months of consistent Pilates, she came to me with an exciting personal win. She had noticed that as she stepped into the tub one morning, she was able to step one foot in and then the other – without it clipping the edge of the tub. She didn’t know when exactly she became able to lift her leg high enough to do that, but she’d been catching her back foot on the edge for years. 

By doing Pilates, she had gained enough glute and core strength to balance steadily on one foot, and with improved mobility, she could lift her leg higher. Knowing this, I knew she also would have a better balance and range of motion, making going up stairs more easily, too. These wins are things that would reduce her risk of falling. 

No More Back Pain

A lot of people are referred to Pilates to help with back pain. One of my clients with this problem regularly put her back out every few months and turned to Pilates for help. She often spoke of her back pain, and she missed class several times in the first year due to it. Still, she kept coming to class, and her back “went out” less and less. Soon she was able to add in strength training a few times a week without hurting herself. And now, a few years in, I can’t even remember the last time she mentioned her back hurting.  

Pilates Really Does Keep You Moving

I have many more great stories. I also know that there are wins that some of my clients haven’t even recognized in themselves. Sometimes, it takes stopping Pilates for the person to experience the issue or pain coming back, which is when they realize how Pilates was helping them. In many cases, these people find their way back to Pilates. And if not, I hope we’ve taught them how to do Pilates well enough that they could do the mat work on their own.