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Who Should Do Pilates? Every BODY!

By On August 14, 2016 · 3 Comments

IMG_6324RTSince becoming a Pilates instructor, I never tire of answering the question: “What do you do?” I love what I do, and I love talking about it! Though everyone’s interest is piqued, the responses to my line of work are quite varied.

The worst response I heard was dismissively delivered by a rather fit mid-aged man: “That’s like stretching, right?” Ugh! The runner-up worst response I unfortunately hear frequently: “Oh, I could never do that! I’m not strong enough!”

These responses express the same misunderstanding of Pilates, that it is somehow limited in its application and/or appeal. On the contrary, Pilates is for every BODY. No matter your age, gender, activity level, limitations, or goals, Pilates is for you!

spineWhy can we say that with such assurance? Because Pilates is a philosophy, an approach, to fitness and well-being. Based on a solid understanding of movement and anatomy, the goal of Pilates is to create properly balanced strength in and throughout the body for better function. When a body is balanced from top to bottom, left to right, front to back, and (most importantly) from the inside to the outside, it will function better with less pain and less injury. Every BODY will benefit from such an approach.

low back painWhatever our habitual motion, or non motion, Pilates will balance you out. With Pilates, the cyclist will find length in their spine and hips and create strength in their shoulder girdlecouple walking on beach and neck. The office worker will find and strengthen their pelvic floor and open their chest. Runners will develop lateral muscle and movement to compliment their repetitive linear movement. The hypermobile will find stability and the inflexible will find mobility. This is what happens when the body has properly proportioned strength. This is what Pilates does.

So who should be doing Pilates? #PilatesForEveryBodypeople walking sillouette

3 Responses

  • Bernard Clyde January 27, 2017 at 11:13 am · Reply

    I didn’t realize that Pilates was more of an approach to well being. I’m usually the first to say I can’t stretch very well, so it’s good to know that Pilates isn’t just about stretching. Our bodies withstand a lot of wear and could benefit from being more balanced.

  • Johnny McCarron February 22, 2017 at 1:24 pm · Reply

    I’ve been trying to get into pilates, so I’m happy that I read this article. Maybe I should go ahead and get started. After all, pilates helps you with things like flexibility and strength. It is a great workout. Do you have any tips about finding a good pilates instructor?

    • Pilates Studio City February 22, 2017 at 1:44 pm · Reply

      Thank you for reading our article! Pilates definitely helps with flexibility and strength! We recommend you doing an internet search to find a local studio. From there you can look them up on yelp.com to read reviews about the studio. Hopefully, you find one that works for you! Stand tall!

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