Pilates is a body conditioning
routine that seeks to build flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination
while decreasing muscle bulk and elongating muscles. In addition,
pilates increases circulation and helps to sculpt the body and strengthen the
body's "core" or "powerhouse". Pilates uses controlled movements in the
form of mat exercises or equipment to tone and strengthen the body.
For decades, it's been the exercise of choice
for dancers and gymnasts (and now Hollywood actors), but it was originally
used to rehabilitate bedridden or immobile patients during World War I.
Joseph H. Pilates, the founder of the pilates exercise method, was born in
Germany and was an accomplished athlete. He developed the Pilates
exercises to strengthen his body. He based these on various exercise
methods from around the world, among them the mind-body formats of yoga and
Chinese martial arts.
Joseph Pilates believed that our physical and
mental health are intertwined. He designed his exercise program around
principles that support his philosophy, including concentration, precision,
control, breathing, and flowing movements.
There are two ways to exercise in pilates.
Today, most people focus on the mat exercises, which require only a floor mat
and training. These exercises are designed so that your body uses its
own weight as resistance. The other method of pilates uses a variety of
machines to tone and strengthen the body, again using the principal of
resistance.
