Maintaining bone health is a lifelong challenge; it’s never too early to start. In fact, bone strength can begin to decline as early as age 40, slipping at an average rate of 1% per year without proper maintenance1. A well-rounded strength-training workout, like Pilates, targets all major muscle groups and benefits virtually all your bones. It’s especially valuable for the hips, spine, and wrists—areas most prone to fractures. These exercises help build bone strength and promote better balance. If you’d…
Read More
Training for better balance is essential no matter what age you are. Whether young or old, good body balance reflects good balanced muscle development. It reduces the risk of injury, improves athletic performance, and maintains better functional movement for a lifetime. Balance is everything. Luckily, you can start from anywhere, improving your balance one step at a time. The following are some Pilates-influenced step-by-step exercises to build better balance. Why exercise builds balance. Balance and exercise go hand in hand…
Read More
How Exercise Benefits Your Brain Function Have you ever had to jog your mind? Or pick someone’s brain? Perhaps, some days, your mind feels like a sieve! Or you can’t wrap your brain around something? Exercise can benefit your brain! As young as 8, we know exercise benefits brain development. But across our lifespan, physical activity is so vital for our brains to help with cognition, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve our quality of life and sleep patterns. Here…
Read More
A Healthy Spine knows when to be stable and when to be limber, when to brace against external forces and when to transfer those external forces throughout the body. In these 6 Pilates mat exercises, we’ll look at some stretches to increase mobility, as well as exercises to increase stability, all to build a healthy spine. Your body’s ability to pass back and forth between a strong spine and a fluid spine; whether twisting, stretching, walking, and/or running, is what…
Read More
Did you know Pilates has been a popular form of exercise since the 1920s, and for good reason! The form of fitness is safe, low impact, and appropriate for everyone from ages 10 to 100! The Pilates method teaches students to move better through its focus on nine specific principles which incorporate mind, body, and spirit. What are the Key Principles of Pilates? There are nine key Pilates principles, all related to mind, body, and spirit, that are practiced in…
Read More