What’s the deal with Pilates, and why is everyone doing it right now?

This is something that sparked my curiosity, so I decided to find out for myself. Pilates has many overall health benefits, just like any other type of exercise, but there are a few aspects of this unique workout that make it stand out.

Connection of Mind and Body

If we’re strictly talking about the physical component of Pilates, it is already a challenging workout. However, Pilates focuses heavily on improving your mental toughness by emphasizing the mind and body connection. This workout consists of a series of postures that help with overall balance, coordination, alignment, and strength.

While moving through these poses, you are also training your mind to focus on your breath, to be aware of the sensations in your body, and to push through until the end of each pose— even when your entire body is shaking. Madeline Ryan, a Group Fitness instructor at The Rec reveals, “the focus on breathing and listening to your body is just as important as your form.” Combined with the bodyweight strength training, the mental aspect of Pilates is one benefit that makes it such a unique exercise.

Core Focus

Another benefit of Pilates is that it is a full-body workout with your core at the center of each posture. Proper Pilates technique will call for tucking the hips under yourself and pulling the belly button into the spine, ensuring that your core is being worked for the duration of the workout. This focus on the core allows for overall increased stability and better alignment throughout the exercise. Because the midsection is utilized so heavily in each Pilates movement, your core strength will improve over time.

Confidence

My favorite benefit that comes from consistently doing Pilates is the renewed confidence that I feel in my body’s abilities. I have been doing Pilates two to three times per week for a couple of months now, and each time I go, I can feel myself getting stronger. I am able to dig deeper into the postures and do more movements without taking as many modifications as before. For this reason, I feel that Pilates is a great exercise to incorporate into your weekly workout routine to boost your self-confidence.

Pilates is one of many great workouts you can do to improve your overall physical fitness. However, the emphasis on a mind/body connection, core strength, and confidence in your body is what makes this my new favorite exercise. Whether you hop on this workout trend, or you stick with your go-to exercise routine, remember to move your body every single day and

Be Well, Auburn.