Have you heard of a fitness workout that is thought to help your mental and your physical health at the same time? Pilates is an exercise routine that allows you to build flexibility and long lean muscles. This particular way of getting your body in great shape is favored by the female sex because the way the muscles are shaped during the workout. Males have been known to do it as well and while for the most part the workouts are the same, males often do more reps and at a more intense pace. It is also great for both sexes as a form of rehabilitation from injury similar to swimming.
Pilates was created by a man named Joseph Pilates, who was a physical-culturist born in Germany in 1883. In the mind of Mr. Pilates he was trying to help people of the first half of the 20th century who wanted to strengthen the human mind and body. This is because Pilates believed that both mental health and physical health are related and feed off each other. If you’re either mentally or physically unhealthy, one may not reach full health in the other factor of his or her life.
Pilates is great for getting long lean muscles, it also is a way to build strength and endurance in your legs, core, arms, hips, and back. By putting a lot of emphasis on your spine and pelvic alignment many people who practice Pilates see health benefits almost immediately. This also provides the person improved balance, flexibility, and coordination. Your Intensity levels may be increased over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises. No muscle group is under or over used to make sure that the muscles are very proportionate creating the long and lean look that is desired by many users of the exercise.
In today’s Pilates some props are used to get a better workout, these include but are not limited to, small weighted balls, foam rollers, large exercise balls, rotating disks, and resistance bands. These exercise are best known for being a morning workout however, they can be done at night as well.
The original six principles of Pilates
1.Concentration
- Pilates demands intense total focus. One has to concentrate on what they are doing all the time. This will help you concentrate on your entire body for smooth movements during the workout. The way the exercise is done is more important than how fast and how many times you do the movement. This is why it is so important to concentrate while doing it.
2. Control
- Joseph Pilates was very concerned with body control. He stressed that you need to be in control of every movement during the exercise. Control of your body and mind are key in this exercise. All exercises in Pilates are done with control with the muscles working to lift against gravity and the resistance of the springs and thereby control the movement of the body.
3. Center
- Getting one’s body centered is easier said than done. In Pilates one must obtain the center of his or her core to do the workout correctly. The core is the center of the Pilates workout. Everything you do is using core strength to perform the exercise.
4. Flow
- The goal is to provide the person exercising with fluid movement to get long lean muscles definition. All of the Pilates technique asserts that physical energy exerted from the center should coordinate movements of the extremities. Everything is happening at once and everything flows together.
5. Precision
- Precision is key to a great Pilates workout. Everything in Pilates must be done exactly how it was intended to. Taking shortcuts or doing exercise wrong will not give the benefits that are intended. Even if the person working out is burning calories: if not done correctly overall benefits will be lost.
6. Breathing.
- This is key to stress relief and tying all of the other 5 principals together. By starting with nice deep breaths and continuing these same breaths throughout your workout, you will stay focused, free flowing and have the precision needed to get a great workout while doing Pilates.
Can A Workout Guide Help Guide You In The Right Direction?
You’ve decided to start working out. However, when you look into the best types of exercise to suit your purpose, you’re faced with an overwhelming plethora of choices! Do you join a gym, do aerobics or just start jogging around the block every day?
Different types of exercises suit different people and different weight loss / fitness goals. You also need to factor in things like – what type of exercise do you most enjoy doing. Or to put it another way – what type of exercise is going to be sustainable for you in the long term. There is no point deciding to take up running if you hate running or have health issues that would make running unfeasible. Likewise, joining a gym is out if you can’t afford the membership fees or there isn’t one convenient for you.
The Walking Workout – Walking Your Way To Better Fitness
One of the most convenient, easiest and popular ways to exercise is walking. Walking is an excellent form of exercise and suits pretty much every level of fitness. Additionally, nearly everyone can fit some walk time into their daily routine, even if it’s just walking the dog on a daily basis. It’s relatively easy to find an exercise partner to go walking with you, which provides added incentive to keep doing it. As you get fitter, you can increase the distance and intensity at which you walk too.
Aerobics – A Great Fitness Workout Option
Another very popular type of exercise, especially for women, is aerobics. In some countries, free or cheap council-run aerobics classes are a popular alternative to joining an aerobics club. If you think aerobics might be something you’d like to try, be sure to get hold of an aerobics for fitness guide. This will show you how the various types of exercises will benefit you and importantly, how to do them correctly.
Joining A Gym To Work Out
Yet another option is joining a fitness center or a gym. This gives you the option of having a variety of workout programs and equipment available to suit. Most also have trainers who can help you plan an appropriate workout and answer any questions. When choosing a fitness center, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Good service is essential and well-maintained equipment of paramount importance. Exercise equipment in good condition and maintained correctly doesn’t generally squeak, rattle or make a lot of noise when used!
The Ultimate Convenience – Working Out At Home
You may even decide to purchase your own exercise equipment to set up at home. That’s the ultimate in convenience! However, it is an expensive outlay so be sure to select the best equipment for losing weight the way you want to lose it. If you don’t plan to do much strength training, don’t go overboard buying a ton of strength building equipment.
Choose The Right Exercises With A Workout Guide
Regardless of the type of exercise you choose, most workout guides advise you to start out the same way. Begin with a low level of intensity then build up to higher levels of intensity as your strength and fitness improves. If you start out by doing too much too soon you’ll run the risk of injuring yourself, possibly seriously. Also, bear in mind that depending on the type of exercise being done, workout guides written for women may differ from those for men simply because of differences in muscle bulk and strength.