Valentine's Candy: To Eat or Not to Eat?

As a Licensed Physical Therapist/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a third generation Certified Pilates Instructor, I teach my clients the method developed by Joseph Pilates some 97 years ago. The goal of the Pilates Method is to strengthen the person's core (trunk) muscles that attach to the spine and pelvis in order to help him or her perform life's daily activities with zest and ease. This exercise method helps people to feel more energy and endurance, and it can help people recover from and even prevent physical injuries.

     How about you? Do you tend to get injured easily? Do you feel tired all the time? Perhaps you should consider starting out slowly in a beginners' Pilates program to increase your own physical health and zest for life.

     In the Pilates method, I approach core stability training by engaging postural muscles first (stabilizers) then the actual target muscles (prime movers) to create the desired movement. This ensures that each movement has a stable base of support. This also improves "proprioception," which is where your joints become more stable during movement.

    Why is proprioception important to you? Recent research performed by Physical Therapists shows that chronic back pain is associated with loss of proprioception and until that is relearned the back pain will continue because the spine cannot appropriately respond to forces even though the original injury is healed.

    Pilates also improves posture. Proper posture allows the body to be aligned as vertical to gravity as possible to decrease the force/load on muscles and joints. Along these lines, Pilates helps recruit the correct muscles and avoid unnecessary strain on the body. As one gains more insight into their body they achieve increasingly fine muscle isolation and muscle integration for better overall posture and functioning.

    But will Pilates bulk you up like a body builder? No. The exercises develop flexible rather than bulging muscles. Joseph Pilates was influenced by watching animal's movement patterns. He stated, "Watch a cat rise after a nap, he stretches deliberately flexing each muscle as he arches up then with extreme balance he attacks his prey." A specific Pilates exercise called the roll up and roll down enhances cleansing/emptying of the lungs as well as stretching muscles so that the body is supple as that of a cat and does not develop musculature like that of a workhorse.

    How do you find a skilled Pilates instructor? Ask how many hours of training he or she went through before beginning to teach. The National Pilates Alliance recommends at minimum approximately 400 hours of training prior to taking on the general public in private or small group classes. The teacher should be versed in functional spinal anatomy and have spent at least 60 hours in personal practice and 60 or so hours of being observed teaching by a certified established Pilates Instructor. This will ensure success in the true Pilates experience.

     In summary, The Pilates Method helps you gain automatic control over your muscles and balance around every joint, protecting you from injury and disease and increasing your energy and zest for life. Through repetition of the Pilates movements, proper movements become your body's automatic and natural reaction to life's physical stressors. In addition, you develop grace, balance, and a sturdy body by learning to recruit all required muscles consistently.

Yours in Fitness,

Linda S. Roberts MS,RPT,CSCS