I found this story on the Deliciously Ella website. The author of the site is Ella Woodward, a young girl from London who had to deal with postural tachycardia syndrome. The disease, as Ella describes, caused terrible weakness, incessant pain in the chest and stomach and forced her to sleep 16 hours a day … The six-month treatment brought almost no results, and Ella decided to change her life overnight, first of all by changing her diet: giving up sugar , milk, processed foods in favor of whole plant foods. And this radical decision has brought results! A healthy lifestyle experience and is dedicated to the Deliciously Ella website.
In the article below, Ella asked one of her Pilates teachers, Lottie Murphy, to talk about why each of us should do Pilates regularly and give some tips for newbies.
A few months ago I also started to practice Pilates, for a number of reasons, primarily because I am expecting a second child and these exercises help me to deal with persistent back pain. After spending several months in the studio, I am ready to agree with everything that Lottie has to say. Read:
Just as diet hobbies come and go, sports training trends come and go. However, Pilates, although it has become popular recently (in comparison, for example, with yoga), undoubtedly should enter everyone’s life and stay forever. Joe Pilates developed this training technique in 1920 to rehabilitate soldiers returning from war. Joe once said that “the first condition for happiness is a healthy body.” I believe that movement really equals happiness, and from a holistic perspective, ideally, we would like to move in a way that works for all our organs, is functional and does not cause pain. Pilates is the perfect type of movement.
As a Pilates instructor, I get asked the same questions all the time. For example, what is Pilates really? Do you need to be naturally flexible in order to do it? Isn’t it solely aimed at strengthening strength muscles? I want to tell you what Pilates is and why you should make it a part of your life forever.
What is Pilates? There is no definite answer to this question, since you can talk about Pilates endlessly. It gives you everything that jogging, yoga, or strength training won’t give you. In Pilates, you will have to sweat and shake yourself up. This is your strength training and flexibility training at the same time. Not only does it improve your mobility and muscle tone – Pilates helps train coordination, balance and posture.
It is also a kind of psychological training. The lesson requires intense attention and concentration: it is necessary to perform all movements technically correctly and completely control your body. Thus, Pilates helps to get rid of stress, that is, it trains the mind, body and spirit at the same time.
Training gives an extraordinary feeling – and this is beneficial for your appearance!
Personally, I can’t imagine not doing Pilates. He taught me to breathe correctly, and this, frankly, can change my whole life. It relieves and protects my joints and back from any pain. Low back pain is becoming an epidemic today due to sedentary lifestyles.
Pilates is also important from an aesthetic point of view: it helped me maintain the strong and slender physique of a dancer, although I have not danced for about three years. If you regularly practice Pilates, you will change your body! Pilates makes me strong. And that strength is different from the strength you gain in the gym by lifting heavy weights. You won’t get pumped up biceps, but you will be able to hold the plank for longer than you ever imagined. We lose a certain percentage of our muscle mass every year, and Pilates is a great workout to help maintain health throughout our lives.
Pilates will make your life more fulfilling. If you are a beginner or even if you exercise regularly, here are some tips to help you make your workout even more rewarding.
- Starting position. To get the most out of each exercise, make sure you take your time and set yourself up properly. The starting position is a key factor in the correct execution of the exercise. Make sure you are properly aligned, belly breathing correctly, and focus on what you have to do before starting each new exercise.
- Be patient. The results of Pilates training come with consistent and regular work.
- Be fully present. Try to focus on what you want out of each exercise, be it strengthening a specific muscle or lengthening the spine. Mindfulness is a very powerful force.
- Slow down your speed. Pilates is accompanied by smooth movements and does not tolerate haste. Faster does not mean harder, sometimes the slower you move, the harder it is to perform the movement. The Pilates technique was originally called contrology (“contrology”, or the study of self-control).
- Find the best teacher! Perhaps your ideal teacher will be very different from your best friend’s ideal teacher. There are many different styles and approaches to Pilates, and even the coach’s voice matters. You should look forward to the class and be able to feel the instructor. Visit different classes, meet different teachers to find out who is right for you.