After a “brief” hiatus, we are back to wrap up this series on the “why’s” of Pilates, finishing with... Performance. Pilates is a movement retraining system and has sport-specific applications for improving motor control and mobility. If you are a golfer, you might spend time on asymmetrical, crossbody movements that target rib and pelvic synchrony and dissociation to improve trunk control during your swing. If you are an Olympic weightlifter, you might practice slow, control

Many people have the perception that only tall, slender folks participate in Pilates. But often this image is perpetuated by… 4. Postural Corrections …that develop from practicing Pilates. When clients tell me that their primary goal for their Pilates practice is weight loss, I have to be honest and explain that Pilates is probably not the most direct route to decreasing body mass. Building lean muscle mass through resistance or weight training and aerobic exercises may be mo

Let's suppose you are looking for a way to maintain your current level of function and promote your overall physical... 3. Wellness For some, Pilates will serve as a means of sustaining gains made in physical therapy to manage chronic pain or prevent declines in function. Perhaps you have a degenerative neurological condition and are looking for a safe way to exercise and prevent further loss of mobility and strength between physical therapy episodes of care. Or perhaps you h

We talked about using Pilates for the purposes of rehabilitation, but what other reasons are there to practice Pilates? How about… 2. Fitness Pilates can be applied in a fitness context for individuals looking for a form of exercise to increase endurance, strength, and mobility. Pilates may become the primary form of physical activity for some people and that is wonderful! There are plenty of exercises and flows in Pilates for advanced movers to strive toward and polish for a

Why should you try Pilates? What value can it add to your life? In my opinion, there are 5 primary reasons to practice Pilates. The first… 1. Rehabilitation Pilates is an excellent rehabilitation modality to restore function after surgery, injury, illness or other physically-impairing health event. Joseph Pilates initially developed the Pilates repertoire to rehabilitate his own health ailments and improve his quality of life, concerns he felt were not adequately addressed b

What do you think when you hear the word “Pilates?” In my time teaching Pilates and working with patients as a physical therapist, I have been exposed to so many different perceptions of Pilates. In fact, many of the beliefs regarding Pilates from people who have never tried it before have led me to believe that Pilates needs to hire a new PR representative. I, myself, held some of these notions before practicing Pilates and then completing my instructor training. Thoughts li