Pilate Exercises and their Health Benefits (History and Apparatus)

Pilate Exercises and their Health Benefits (History and Apparatus)

Healthy living is not mainly based on a healthy meal or a balanced diet. When the body has been subjected to too much stress or when one has been put under much pressure, the body needs more than a healthy meal to satisfy the taste buds or give energy. It also needs to relax the mind’s tensed muscles.

Exercise has been tested and trusted to be one of the ways the human body can relax. The irony of exercise is that it may appear strenuous and tiring, especially when doing it for the first time. But in reality, exercise does help you calm your nerves.

The major importance of exercise is not only to help your body stay in good shape but to improve your brain’s capacity and keep it energized to handle any form of workload.

Our world today is filled with so many exercises one can venture into. Some of these exercise routines existed in ancient times, while others were introduced in recent centuries.

One recently introduced exercise in the past century is the Pilate exercise. If you have been on a long search on which exercise routine is good for your body and mind, then this read is for you.

What is Pilate Exercises?

Pilate while being an eponym, is a form of mind-body exercise that not just helps you to exercise or boost the performance of your body, but that of your mind.

After a very long and stressful day, we tend to feed our body with the right meal to nourish and replenish its strength. We forget about how much the brain has been pressured during the day. Pilate Exercise helps cool off the brain and body after a hectic and exhausting day experience.

History of Pilate Exercises

Everything that has existed in the world, and still exists, has a history. The Pilate exercise did stem from somewhere too.

Pilate Exercise was developed in the first half of the twentieth century by a German physical trainer, Joseph Pilate. He hailed from Monchengladbach in Germany. He had a father who was a gymnast and his mother a naturopath.

The Pilate Exercise was obviously named after its developer who was an émigré to Britain and then America. He developed it with the sole purpose of developing the human mind and body, he called it the Contrology.

These days, Pilate exercise is practiced in Australia, Canada, South Korea, the U.K, and the U.S.

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Apparatus used in Pilate Exercises

Pilate referred to the equipment he used for the Contrology as apparatus. The apparatus is named after him. He further divided them into two parts, based on their functions. They include:

Small Portable Pieces

These equipment are not just easy to acquire. They are used to carry out locomotor activities during Pilate exercises. A list of them includes:

1. Pilate Mats:

Pilate mats are used for exercises aimed at improving the powerhouse of the body. Body parts like the abdomen, muscles of the back, gluteus, hips, and pelvis are targeted when using the Pilate mat.

2. Pilate Rollers:

Control and balance are essential for the body and mind. Learning to challenge your core control is therefore an important exercise to take on. Pilate rollers provide an imbalanced surface to enable you to challenge your body control.

3. Pilate Balls:

Some muscles can be hard to reach when exercising with weight-lifts and carrying out surface exercises. Pilate bells help you to reach those muscles that cannot be reached when exercising in the gym.

4. Pilate Hoop:

The Pilate hoop is also called the Pilate ring. It is used to challenge your body’s balance, tone the muscles of your lower and upper extremities, and help your body develop resistance.

5. Pilate Elastic Bands:

Pilate elastic bands can be utilized to work out the upper and lower bodies, especially the pushing and pulling movements that promote recovery, muscular building, and endurance.

Among all these listed above, the Pilate mat is the most easily acquired and also the most simple apparatus of all.

Large Pieces

These are very contrasting to the Small Portable Pieces. They are not only large in size as the name implies but are also very heavy. They include:

1. Pilate Reformer:

Focusing on core strength and appropriate muscular engagement, Pilate’s reformer enhances, among other things, sports performance, back discomfort, injury rehabilitation, weight loss, balance, bone density, and posture.

2. Pilate Cadillac (Trapeze or The Cadillac):

The Pilate Cadillac is used for people recovering from injuries with equilibrium and vertigo. It allows the users to practice resistance and grow in the stability of movement.

3. Pilate Chair:

The Pilate chair is of three types; the Pilate Wunda chair, the Pilate armchair, and the Pilate high chair.

The PilateWunda Chair was designed specifically for the dancer named Kathy Grant.

The Pilate armchair is also known as Babe chair but is not been in use in recent times.

The Pilate High chair (Electric chair) is used to raise the body vertically in diverse positions.

Health Benefits of the Pilate Exercises

As earlier mentioned, this ancient yet effective means of exercise works for both the development of the mind and body. Here is a concise list of the benefits of Pilate Exercise.

1. It boosts the body’s natural ability to burn fat.
2. It improves posture.
3. It increases energy.
4. It reduces menstrual pain in ladies.
5. It improves flexibility and mobility.
6. It encourages playfulness.
7. It improves cognitive function.
8. It improves motivation.
9. It improves one’s sex life.
10. It boosts your mind.
11. It promotes mindfulness and body awareness.
12. It increases core strength.
13. It decreases back pain.
14. It reduces stress.

It is noteworthy that Pilate exercises are not just to help you stay fit and healthy, they are exercises to guide people through the healing process of their various injuries.

Conclusion

Now you know all about Pilate Exercises and their Health Benefits (History and Apparatus). Let the Pilate exercise keep both your body and brain on par in terms of effectiveness through a constant relieving and relaxing routine. Pilate Exercise will give you the prowess you need to pull through a hectic day and constantly keeping you refreshed.

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