How pilates changed my life

Sunday 28 October 2018

How Pilates Changed My Life
Do forgive me for the overly dramatic title of this post, I'm not usually one to write things clickbait-style. Sports and fitness has been an important part of my life since I was a teenager, and I love to do a mix of high and low-impact exercise to keep things interesting and varied.

In a recent post, I talked about the importance of finding a fitness routine that works for you, in order to get the most out of exercise and really feel the benefits of it. A crucial part of my current routine is pilates - in short, I absolutely adore it and incorporating pilates into my fitness routine has made a huge difference to my overall wellbeing.

I first began pilates during my year abroad in Spain, as I was looking for classes where I could meet people, and I was also incredibly stressed as I had began writing my dissertation. Although I was already playing badminton a few times a week, I wanted to do a different type of exercise that was slower-paced but still challenging.

I get the impression that a lot of people have a certain idea of what pilates is like and this often puts them off; something along the lines of girls in pretty leggings doing downward dog, doing a few stretches, breathing and grabbing a juice afterwards. I have been to a few classes recently where newcomers have turned up and been surprised when they've actually broken a sweat or found the class difficult!

Whilst although admittedly pilates classes are dominated by girls in pretty leggings (myself included lol), this perception is clearly changing as I'm seeing more and more men joining classes too. Since I began doing it regularly I've noticed massive changes to my fitness, my flexibility and my mental health too. The most important aspects of pilates are strengthening your core muscles and improving posture, form and flexibility. 

A lot of pilates work is concentrated into holding difficult positions and using controlled movements to work all parts of the body, largely through the core. Often, the key is to isolate movements to one or two areas of the body such as your glutes or legs, which helps to build body strength in those areas. It takes a lot of concentration and patience and there are plenty of movements that seriously challenge your balance!

It's also a great way to tone up your physique if you do other cardio-related exercises. I found that after quite a few months, areas which I didn't like such as my inner thighs and arms were less wobbly.  I stand a lot taller and I notice pretty quickly if I'm slouching in my chair.

A problem I had for a while was not noticing tension or bad posture, things that can cause serious damage to muscles and lead to common issues like back or leg pain later in life. Pilates has helped me to notice these problems morw quickly, particularly in my neck and back more easily, and stretching is of course, a fundamental part of pilates. 

It's great exercise for anyone who sits all day in a office, which can really take a toll on the wrists, lower back and hamstrings, all of which can get ridiculously tight considering you're sat down for a large amount of the day. Stress is a huge part of daily life that can affect people and exercise is so helpful for switching off and looking after yourself.

Pilates gives me that time to fully switch off from everything, stretch tight muscles and ensure that stress from work and the everyday annoyances that come with living in London doesn't come home with me after a long day. I currently go to classes straight after work every Monday and it's the best way to start my week, especially considering that the first day back at work is always the most frantic!

I'd really recommend getting into an activity like this that allows you to slow down as well as bring in a different element of fitness into your routine. I can't imagine my life without it now!

Thanks for reading! Do you do any fitness or sports that has changed your life for the better? I wanna hear all about it...

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How Pilates Changed My Life



4 comments

  1. It sounds like Pilates is perfect for you! I have zero balance and I suspect any attempts by me would end up with me in a heap on the floor.
    Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

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    1. It's such a great activity to get into - my balance is so much better since I first started!

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  2. I love Pilates - I started doing the Blogilates challenges last January and I was blown away by how difficult some of those moves are. I hadn't even realized how weak I was in my core and lower back and strengthening those areas has definitely helped my posture!

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    1. I got interested in Pilates the same way, I found out about it and same omg some of the moves are so difficult! So glad to hear how much of a difference it's made to you too!

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