Or maybe this should read for the 2020 decade in light of the pandemic.
Joseph Pilates was certainly ahead of his time in his ability to create exercises designed to stretch and strengthen our bodies in the opposite direction to the way in which we spend much of our day.
Consider the following:
Do you spend a decent proportion of your time in the car? The school run, chauffeuring the kids, trips to the beach, the supermarket…
How much time do you spend on your laptop/ desktop?
How much time do you spend on your phone?
How much time do you spend sitting - watching TV, eating, socialising?
Most of the above involves sitting in a static position, often hunched, rounded shoulders, little movement. Certainly no stretching. Our bodies are designed to bend and move in multiple directions and yet we don’t do this enough on a daily basis, our spines are often static in a slight forward bend for hours at a time. That's why sitting for long periods makes us feel stiff and uncomfortable.
If we add this time all together in an average day and balance it alongside how much time you may do physical exercise including walking and stretching then you will probably comprehend why we feel stiff, inflexible and older than we actually are.
Pilates allows our bodies to move in all directions. Pilates makes us aware of our own bodies and their own uniqueness, we focus and think about where feels restricted, tight, uncomfortable, & we then target those areas. We learn to correctly align ourselves, to breathe to release tension and allow the muscles to lengthen and relax. Pilates is a full body conditioning workout that uses our own body weight to build strength and endurance. Sometimes, we use light weights in my classes to build on that strength BUT that is always optional. My classes are about you and you finding your way with your body. Each body is unique, exercise should be unique for you too.
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