A Beginner’s Guide to Pilates and Why You Should Wear Pilates Socks

You have probably heard about Pilates, but you are not sure what it is all about. The first and main idea of this particular workout technique is that it includes exercises that will concentrate on strengthening your body with the idea to use core strength to do it. That will provide you the possibility to improve your overall well-being and general fitness too.

It is similar to Yoga, but it concentrates on flexibility, balance, and posture. The chance for you to injure yourself is lower, and you will have a wide array of exercises that you can do along the way.

Apart from that, it focuses on mind-body connection, because you will have to be aware of the way your body moves as well as breathing while exercising. You will need appropriate equipment such as leggings and socks for Pilates, which means that you have to prepare yourself thoroughly.

It all started in Germany by Joseph Pilates who was gymnast and carpenter. He invented this particular form of exercises as the program for injured soldiers and dancers when he lived in the United Kingdom.

He believed that mental and physical health is connected closely, and in the ’20s, he went to the USA and opened the first studio in New York.

Can Anyone Do It?

Since Pilates is the program of exercises that will provide you with gentle strength training, but you can also choose a challenging workout based on your previous experience. Most people do not have a problem with exercises, because the first idea was that injured people could do it. It is suitable for both people who exercise regularly and beginners.

If you have just started, it is important, to begin with, basic exercises, and as soon as you master them, you can start making advanced moves. Before you choose to do it yourself, it is way better solution to have a private instructor or to enter classes. That way, the instructor will make sure that you are doing exercises correctly.

If you want to determine whether you should use a private instructor or sign a class, you should check here.

You should also contact your doctor especially if you have some chronic condition, to see whether you will have the ability to deal with the workout without additional issues. If you have the following problems, Pilates is a great solution for you:

• Herniated disk
• Risk of blood clots
• Unstable blood pressure
• Osteoporosis

Health Benefits of Pilates

• Great Posture – By starting Pilates class, you will be able to understand how to maintain and gain good posture. Most exercises will require that your body is always in alignment. This is extremely great if you have lower back pain or other back issues. Check this link: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/bad-posture-and-how-pilates-can-help/ to see how Pilates can help with your posture.
• Increase Muscle Tone – Since the use of these exercises will mostly involve significant use of muscles that you are not using on a daily basis. After you pass the soreness, which is a common thing for beginners, you will find that your muscles will become much better and more toned than before. This is good for elders because muscle tone tends to fall with inactivity and age.
• Abdominal Muscles – This particular program will focus on strengthening your core, which the most important muscles are abdominal ones. The main advantage of Pilates is that you will have a flat stomach after a few months of frequent use, of course, based on your current state.
• Improves Your Balance – We have mentioned above that Pilates require a mind-body connection, so you will be more aware of how your body performs and moves along the way. It means that this particular program will help you improve your physical balance and you will be able to restore the usual mind-body balance that will improve your lifestyle.
• Flexibility – When we age, we tend to lose the flexibility of our muscles and bones. If you want to restore it without too much hassle, you should try these set of exercises. After some time passes, you will notice on how more flexible your body will become. This is important because that way you will avoid injuries from falls.
• Reduces Stress – While doing exercises, you will think only on your posture, and you will stop thinking about daily responsibilities that will increase overall stress to your daily basis. You will also be more focused on breathing so that you can enter in the almost meditative state. The best thing about it is that you will feel great afterward.