Los Altos, CA
Introduction to the best full-body workout!
Our health affects every aspect of how we live our lives, from work, activities, our relationships, and how we fare in retirement. As a result, your health is the best long-term investment that is the foundation of your most priceless possession.
Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on a full-body workout that helps improve your ability to remain injury free while staying active. This is an important priority if you want to continue to enjoy the activities you love most as you get older. The Pilates method of coordinating strength, flexibility, and balance allows for a safe means to recover from injury. My initial interest in learning more about Pilates was sparked by many of my patients describing how much a comprehensive version of well-guided Pilates helped their neck and back pain. For anyone who is easily flared up or recovering from injury, this works best with one on one attention to help with personal modifications and feedback that you have the correct form.
Pilates at PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness
Many of our teachers over the years gained their passion for becoming Pilates instructors from their own Pilates success stories recovering from an injury. The combination of Physical Therapy and ongoing Pilates support is very effective at putting you on the right track to a happier lifestyle. By strengthening the core muscles surrounding your spine, Pilates can help alleviate pain in the areas surrounding your neck, shoulder, back, hip, and knees. The controlled movements and deep breathing techniques used in Pilates can help to rebalance your tight and weak muscles. Regular one-on-one or small group guidance from an instructor skilled in rehabilitation can be an effective and enjoyable way to manage and prevent pain.
Incorporating Pilates exercise can be an effective way to relax your neck and shoulders. The deep breathing techniques used in Pilates can help to reduce muscle tension that you may be experiencing in the neck and shoulder from sitting at a computer for extended periods. By strengthening the muscles around your neck and upper back, Pilates can help stabilize joints that contribute to the feeling of tension and pain. Additionally, Pilates emphasizes proper posture and alignment, which can help to reduce strain on the neck and shoulders.
How can Pilates help you?
Pilates can help improve your core strength which are the muscles that surround and protect your spine from injury. Pilates also involves a range of exercises that focus on flexibility and mobility, which can help to increase the range of motion in your hips and improve overall function. Additionally, controlled and precise movements can help to improve your muscle balance and coordination, leading to better stability and support for your hips and spine.
Pilates is also often recommended for people with knee pain because it is a low-impact form of exercise that can help to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint. By strengthening the muscles around the hips, knees, and ankles, Pilates can help to improve the stability of the knee joint. In addition, the focus on proper alignment and control of movements can help reduce strain on the knee.
By regularly practicing a guided, personalized program with the correct form, you can improve your strength, enhance support for your spine and joints, and gain flexibility in your surrounding muscles. Pilates is not just about any exercise program that helps you to feel and look your best. The quality of your exercise program can make a vast difference in preventing future injuries that costs time, money, and frustration later.
Pilates helps you to gain awareness of focusing on your quality of movement while you exercise to prevent recruiting the wrong muscles that cause pain later. Your body will thank you for giving the care it deserves by helping you to move better and live a happier life. Overall, incorporating regularly guided Pilates workouts into your routine can be an effective way to manage and prevent pain.
Your well-being is not an expense. The more you invest in your health now, the less you will need to invest in fixing your health later. Being the best version of yourself will improve your life and the lives of everyone around you.
Free Guide: “10 Reasons Why Pilates Will Ease Your Pain and Reshape Your Life.”
16 pages on how anyone can benefit from taking part in this specialized workout!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Gladfelter, MPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Women's Health Physical Therapy Specialist at PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness
Kim Gladfelter is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, educator, author, and co-founder of PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness. She is known as a keen, well-rounded expert of healing through movement and women’s health specialist in the Silicon Valley area.
Kim has helped men and women of all ages to stay active and feel their best. She also writes about managing pain in her health columns, blogs and the local Los Altos Town Crier newspaper as well as reaches out to the local community, support groups, schools, libraries, and sports centers to advise and educate on body awareness and therapeutic exercise.