WHAT EXACTLY IS PILATES?
Are you seeking Pilates information? Are you a beginner?

Search no more...simply put, Pilates is a system of body conditioning and toning designed to strengthen and lengthen the body's muscles with emphasis on focused controlled breathing.

It is an ideal anti-aging exercise, because it tones and strengthens the muscles without any impact on joints - ideal for you - beginner or seasoned athlete.

Pilates improves posture and strengthens parts of the body that age attacks.

It is a method that aims to create a balance in your body, encouraging the use of your mind to control your muscles. The program focuses on the core postural muscles that help keep your body balanced and are essential to providing support for your spine. This is essential to maintain healthy joints and importantly neck and back pain.

Pilates floor based and machine based exercises focus on the core powerhouse region of your body, which consists of your deep abdominal and back muscles. The vast array of exercises progresses you through movements that mimic everyday functional activities.

It can benefit anyone at all, ranging from triathletes to ballet dancers, from new mothers to older people with arthritis, including those who suffer from lower back pain. Widely used by dancers, Olympic and professional athletes, sports teams, singers and actors, Pilates is becoming more commonly used by individuals of varying ages and ability.

YOU CAN DO IT. TRY THESE PILATES EXERCISES NOW FOR YOURSELF.

More Pilates Information - History of Pilates

As a child, German-born Joseph Pilates suffered from a multitude of illnesses resulting in muscular weakness.

Determined to overcome his frailties, he dedicated his life to becoming physically stronger.

He studied yoga, martial arts, Zen Meditation, and Greek and Roman exercises. He worked with medical professionals and his wife Clara, a nurse.

His experiences led to the development of his unique method of physical and mental conditioning, which he brought to the United States in 1923. In the early 1930s and 1940s, dance instructors and choreographers embraced Pilates’ exercise method. As elite performers, dancers often suffered from injuries resulting in a long recovery period and an inability for peak performance.

Unique at the time, Pilates’ method allowed and encouraged movement early in the rehabilitation process, by providing controlled assisted movement. It was found that reintroducing movement with controlled forces early in the rehabilitation process hastened the healing process. As a result, it was not long before the dance community at large adopted Pilates’ work.

More than 70 years later, Pilates information and techniques began to gain popularity in the rehabilitation and exercise setting. Within the rehabilitation setting, most Pilates exercises are performed on several types of apparatus – the Reformer, Barrel, Wunda Chair and the Fitball. The apparatus work evolved from Pilates’ original mat work.

On the apparatus, springs and gravity are used to assist an individual to be able to complete movements successfully, aiding in a safe recovery. Ultimately, by altering the spring tension or increasing the challenge of gravity, an individual may be progressed toward achieving functional movement.

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" The goal of Controlology (Pilates Method) ..... "the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind and the ability to perform life's daily activities with zest and ease."