Pilates is one of the most popular and fashionable fitness programs at present, and you can feel the full swing of Pilates atmosphere in major fitness centers. Its prosperity today may be attributed to its founder, Joseph Pilates, hence the name Pilates. He is a sickly man. For the sake of health, he gradually integrated the eastern and western health preserving methods, such as yoga and Tai Ji Chuan, with some movements designed by himself, and later gradually formed the Pilates of today.
The biggest feature of Pilates is that it is easy to learn. It not only moves gently, but also exercises the arms, chest and shoulders purposefully, and at the same time enhances the flexibility of the body. Moreover, this sport is not limited by the location of activities, and can be practiced in professional gyms and living rooms.
1. Pilates is a combination of eastern and western sports concepts.
Westerners have always paid attention to the training of physical muscle ability, such as waist, abdomen, back and chest. Orientals, on the other hand, pay attention to the training of breathing and concentration. Meditation, yoga and Tai Chi are good examples. Pilates combines the flexibility of the East with the fortitude of the West. Its movements are slow and clear, and every posture must be coordinated with breathing. Therefore, Pilates is suitable for people of any age, especially those who lack exercise, need to touch the computer for a long time and work from nine to five. Stretching and lengthening is also one of the most important exercises in Pilates. Its special feature is that the muscles will not thicken after exercise. By exercising the core parts of the body (waist and abdominal muscles, including transverse abdominal muscles, oblique abdominal muscles, oblique abdominal muscles, rectus abdominis and erector spinae), the spine will become soft and tough. Therefore, Pilates can not only improve the body lines, but also have a very good effect on correcting the neck and spinal cord.
2. Pilates is safe
Its movement speed is relatively peaceful, it is static, and it will hardly cause damage to joints and muscles. At the same time, the combination of static and dynamic movements makes the body nervous and relaxed, including the change of pace and meditation, which makes it easier for exercisers to control their own bodies and reduce the negative effects caused by posture errors. Pilates brings comprehensive exercise to your body with very simple equipment. As long as there is a quiet space and a soft carpet, you can practice and achieve the perfect combination of body and mind.
3. Pilates emphasizes the control process during rest.
This enables the trainer to enhance muscle strength without increasing muscle volume. Pilates' light equipment practice is to follow the principle of small weight and multiple times, so that the muscles are full of elasticity and will not be too prominent. Its exercise intensity is not particularly great, but it pays attention to control, stretching and breathing, which plays a very good role in shaping women's waist, abdomen, buttocks and other key parts. This is more suitable for women's requirements for physical beauty in real life.
In China, Pilates has quietly entered people's lives, opened corresponding courses in various gyms, and formed a certain scale group.
The Star Effect of Pilates
Elva Hsiao Elva, an Asian diva, is a fanatic of this fitness method.
Elva became attached to Pilates in 2005. When she first came into contact with Pilates, she was deeply impressed by this simple but effective exercise of muscle strength training. At first, Elva did Pilates for half an hour before going to bed every day, and lost 3 kilograms in 14 days. From then on, Elva fell in love with Pilates. Elvia is preparing a book about Pilates because of her success in practicing Pilates diligently. Among many Pilates moves, Elvia will recommend those that she has personally exercised and have remarkable effects to everyone to share the fun of Pilates.
Some big-name Hollywood stars, such as Madonna's pilates exercises to restore her figure after childbirth, have achieved amazing slimming effects. In addition, jennifer lopez, Sharon Si Tong, Julia Roberts and others also rely on persistent Pilates to keep their impressive figure. The huge star effect also makes the popularity index of Pilates rise sharply, which has set off an upsurge of Pilates movement around the world.
Let the muscle lines stretch
The main function of practicing other sports in the gym may be to exercise the heart and lungs. Pilates stretches your muscles directly, so it will make you feel awkward and uncomfortable during exercise. You want to turn left and right, you want to turn up and down, you want to inhale and exhale, and all kinds of postures incredibly strengthen your coordination and mobilize the muscles that you may not be able to mobilize in your life. If you think a posture is not so difficult to look at and uncomfortable, it is quite comfortable to do. Needless to say, it must be wrong.
Rigid-flexible exercise
One of the important reasons for the recent popularity of Pilates is that it is not limited by the venue. You can practice on the mat or even on the floor. Compared with yoga, it is more prominent in the combination of Chinese and western, which not only combines the "rigidity" of westerners who pay attention to physical muscle and functional training, but also integrates the "softness" of orientals who emphasize the integration of body and mind during practice, and each posture should be coordinated with breathing.
Pilates can not only improve the external shape of human body, but also have special effects in treating some diseases. For example: body edema, low back pain, constipation, fatigue, varicose veins and so on.
Relax in stretching and breathing.
Most people who work in offices have fat around their waists, and Pilates is a very targeted exercise. In any case, your muscles should be tense, and your legs should be stretched as far as possible to match your breathing. Imagine that your head is about to hit the ceiling. In the beautiful music, the fitness instructor is guiding you to practice. No pressure, no irritability, in this environment, I really feel that I am a person above everything, only intoxicated with sports.
Doing Pilates can get the following benefits:
A healthy and soft back
Pilates can give more support to your spine and create more space between your vertebrae. These extra spaces will not only make you look slimmer, but also give you more flexibility and turn your spine from a hard stick into a string of pearls. This new soft spine can help you avoid spinal degeneration problems, such as slipping. It can also help you become more elegant and relaxed in your activities.
Gentle training
If your figure is out of shape, Pilates can easily join any of your body-building plans. Pilates will not bring any pressure to your joints, and will not bring any damage to the cartilage and ligaments around your joints, especially your knee and shoulder joints. This will make your muscles more coordinated and draw your attention back to your inner worries. Pilates recovered quickly, more like going to physical therapy. In fact, unlike other sports, you can do it safely every day without worrying about excessive muscle and joint pressure. But in order to achieve the exercise effect, you only need to do Pilates three times a week. However, you must persevere, which is the key.
Improve your mental outlook and vitality.
Pilates can promote your emotional health. Smooth movements can calm your mind and relieve mental tension. When you lengthen and strengthen your muscles, it can help you to promote the operation of the circulatory system and eliminate your nervousness. Every movement will make you feel calm, coordinated and full of energy. Focus on getting rid of your stress, and you will get physical and mental health.
Better balance and coordination
When you are in your forties and fifties, your balance ability will deteriorate due to muscle atrophy and loss of sensitivity of nerve receptors. Pilates reverses this aging process by stabilizing your core. Pilates will move to your delicate deep muscles to help you keep your body stable and make your spine softer and stronger.
Relieve pain and stiffness
If you are troubled by the pain of osteoarthritis, you will find that doing Pilates can lengthen your body and reduce the pain. Proper exercise is very important for treating arthritis, because stretching can increase your flexibility and reduce your pain and fatigue. Stretching allows nutrients to flow to your muscles and tendons. They can make your muscles healthy and minimize the possibility of injury. Pilates can also stimulate the production of joint lubricants, which can relax the muscles of your legs, back, neck and shoulders and relieve pain and tension.
Quickly return to the body shape before pregnancy.
Many female friends will ask me why my stomach is still so flat after giving birth to two children. It's not long, but you need to do some exercise often and you will see the effect. Muscles have a good memory. You just need to do a little exercise and they will return to their original state.