Over the past 10 years Pilates has enjoyed explosive worldwide growth and popularity.
#Pilates has 11.6M posts on Instagram. It will probably be a few hundred more tomorrow. New studios are popping up every week and teacher training programmes are becoming increasingly oversubscribed.
As a method of exercise it is truly transformative, which is probably why it is enjoying this huge surge in popularity. There are so many reasons why you would do Pilates, but here are five of my favourite reasons to get involved!
ONE: It’s the intelligent choice
Pilates is an intelligent form of exercise. It’s not just about choreography, repetitions, how fast or slow you go. All of those things are relevant but they are part of a bigger more holistic picture. Pilates done well is about correct biomechanics. It’s a true study of movement.
TWO: It’s adaptable
Pilates isn’t “for” a specific demographic. It’s for absolutely all of us. If you can move will benefit from Pilates. You don’t have to stop if you become pregnant and you can use it as part of injury or post surgery rehabilitation. Or you can use it to hone a perfectly healthy physique. Pilates honors each individual body in a way that few methods of exercise can.
THREE: It improves your relationship with your body
Everybody’s relationship with their body will be unique. But like every relationship it takes lots of love and care and also some work. We often don’t think about being in a relationship with ourselves, but it can be helpful. We have all heard the advice, “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live”. Pilates gives you the tools to do this. It builds a strong, functional and flexible you.
FOUR: It’s a practice
I love that Pilates is a practice. By practice, I mean a repeated application of a particular method. The method is a set of principles to be applied to various movement patterns. And as you progress you get better and better at the application. You dedicate time, thought and physical energy to it and it transforms your body in return.
FIVE: It’s fun!
The importance of doing fun stuff is often overlooked. Getting enjoyment out of life gets wrongly deprioritized. I think it’s time to re-prioritize it. One of the reasons I love Pilates is that it sparks a level of joy that even Marie Kondo would be proud of. We all know that exercise releases endorphins. Not only does Pilates give you that endorphin hit, but honors how we were built to move. Which goes straight back to the first reason I love Pilates – it’s smart.
So what’s not to love? If you haven’t experienced the transformative magic of Pilates yet, come and see what it’s all about!
E x
