What do you consider a good investment? Buying a house? 401K? Those are great investments, but what about your health and longevity to live every day to the fullest?
Create a healthy now and a healthy future by investing in Pilates. Here is why:
LONGEVITY
Pilates was designed with longevity in mind. Private Pilates sessions are catered to the individual and utilize the unique equipment and spring tension to support and challenge the body in all planes of motion. Whether Pilates is done on the mat or with large equipment, the exercises are meant to work on abdominal and back strength, posture, flexibility, and breath.
FULLY CUSTOMIZED
The fully customized approach in a Private Pilates session strengthens and stretches your individual body in all the right places. Where you may be tight, the right exercise can lengthen AND strengthen joints to build balance and a pain-free life.
VARIETY AND PURPOSE
The Pilates repertoire has at least 500 exercises which can be modified to work with people with painful backs, shoulder issues, knee problems, as well as a variety of issues. It also provides valuable cross training for those who engage in sports or do repetitive activities like biking and running.
WELL TRAINED TEACHERS
It takes over 600 hours of classroom learning, practice teaching and observing for a Pilates instructor get to the point they can begin seeing clients. Tack on continuing education each year, teaching a variety of individual bodies over time, counsel with other instructors and their experience and knowledge becomes even more diverse.
Whether an instructor is teaching a client on the Reformer, Trapeze Table (Cadillac), Spine Corrector, or Wunda Chair, they know just the right amount of spring tension and adjustments on the machine to suit your body for each exercise. PRO Club even has its own in-house teacher training program, so the quality of education is consistent among the team of instructors.
STRENGTHENS IMMUNE SYSTEM
Pilates exercises can even specifically strengthen the immune system. Your immune system is essentially made up of the body’s lymphatic system. Lymph circulates through lymph nodes clusters spread throughout the body and is scanned and filtered by immune cells for viruses, bacteria, and any other types of foreign matter.
For lymph to be propelled through the body to go through this screening process, it relies on a couple of specific musculoskeletal muscles that act like a pump. It is not an automated system like our cardiovascular system. Therefore, quite literally our ability to ward off virus and disease relies on the movement of our bodies that involve two muscles specific to Pilates!
The two main muscles that provide movement of the lymph tissue throughout the body are the Transverse Abdominus and the calf muscle.
The Transverse Abdominus is the deepest layer of abdominals and is called upon in every movement in Pilates to serve the greater health of the spine, as well as, to assist as an accessory pump to the lungs for strong healthy breathing and circulation. It is one of the essential muscles used pervasively in the Pilates Method.
The Calf muscle also known as the Gastrocnemius is used like a pump in several Pilates exercises and in most cases while the body is horizontal, preventing that fresh blood and lymph from needing to fight gravity.
Interested in trying Pilates? Sign up for a PRO Club Pilates Perfect Start Session to try it for yourself.
By Beth Lippman, Senior Pilates Instructor at PRO Club
