Introduction
Do you ever feel like your mind is constantly racing? Do you have trouble focusing on anything, no matter how hard you try? If so, let me introduce you to the perfect stress buster: Pilates. Pilates offers many benefits for the mind and body, including building strength without adding bulk, improving flexibility, and decreasing tension in the muscles and joints. But most importantly for this article’s purposes, Pilates Northern Beaches has been found to be an effective tool against stress!
Exercise helps reduce stress.
The benefits of exercise are numerous and widely known. It helps you sleep better, makes you happier and reduces stress levels. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. These are just a few reasons why it’s so important to make time for physical activity in your life.
In fact, people who get regular physical activity experience less anxiety than those who don’t regularly work out or practice other forms of movement like walking or gardening (1). In one study on how exercise affects mental health, researchers found that 60 minutes per week was enough to improve people’s emotional well-being (2). This improvement could last up to 6 months after stopping exercising!
Exercise is particularly helpful for reducing stress because it releases endorphins—the body’s natural painkiller—into the bloodstream during workouts (3). While this may not seem like much at first glance, it can make a big difference when done consistently over time: research shows that even 10 minutes per day can reduce stress levels by up to 68%! If going outside isn’t an option due to inclement weather or other factors, try doing some yoga poses indoors instead – these exercises will give you similar benefits without putting yourself at risk from illness brought on by being exposed too long outside in bad weather conditions.”
Pilates uses breath control to calm the mind
You’ll learn to breathe in ways that calm the mind and body. Pilates uses breath control to help you focus and it can be an important tool in relieving stress.
Breathing is an essential part of Pilates, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. The basic idea is that when you breathe efficiently, your core muscles will be stronger and more stable—and so will all other parts of your body! When we’re stressed out or anxious, our breathing tends to get shallow, making us even more tense than we were before. If you learn how to use proper breathing techniques during a Pilate session (and practice them at home), then those methods will become second nature for calming down whenever life gets stressful for you too
Pilates also helps create an inner focus and awareness.
Pilates is a mind-body exercise. It requires you to focus your attention on the sensations in your body and your breath, which can help you relax and manage stress.
For example, if you’re feeling anxious about a presentation at work or before an important meeting, Pilates can help you focus on creating a positive outcome by practicing what it calls “focusing on one thing at a time.” Focus on breathing deeply and slowly while doing each movement in the exercise routine—even if it feels like no one else is paying attention to their bodies but you!
Focus inwardly as well: become aware of how each muscle moves during exercises like crunches or hip circles. As strange as this may sound, research shows that being aware of different parts of our bodies—like muscles we don’t generally think about—can reduce anxiety because these are areas where we have some control over our well-being.
Pilates builds strength without adding bulk.
With Pilates, it’s important to understand that you won’t be adding bulk. As a low impact exercise, it works your muscles from the inside out and strengthens your core. Because each muscle works in conjunction with others to move a joint, this style of training can help prevent injury by strengthening weak links throughout the body.
Pilates stretches tight muscles and is perfect to release tension in your body.
Pilates is all about stretching and lengthening your muscles, connective tissue and fascia (the thin membrane surrounding muscles). In order to do this effectively, you need to understand how all of these three components work together.
The elasticity of your muscles and connective tissue determines how well you can move in any given direction. If you have tight muscles and/or ligaments, it will be difficult for those areas to move freely – which means that they won’t function properly. As a result, over time this may lead to dysfunction or pain in other parts of the body such as joints or even discs in between vertebrae (spine). Overuse injuries like tennis elbow are another example: when we use our hands too much over sustained periods of time without adequate rest days between training sessions then eventually something will give way because our body simply cannot cope with such demands placed upon it!
Pilates engages your mind, allowing you to tune out distractions.
As you practice Pilates, you’ll become more aware of the way your body moves and feels. That awareness will help you tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand.
Pilates focuses on breathing deeply. When we’re stressed, our instinct is often to hold our breath or breathe shallowly; this can make us feel tense in our chest and shoulders which contributes to stress as well as mental exhaustion. Breathing deeply encourages relaxation by releasing tension in these areas of the body while helping us physically calm down so that we can process information better and make better decisions about how to respond when faced with a stressful situation.
Pilates can help you find a sense of calm and can relieve stress.
It’s no secret that exercise can help you de-stress. But did you know that Pilates is one of the best ways to get in a quick workout without adding bulk? It’s effective, too. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that women who practiced Pilates for 6 months saw an increase in strength and flexibility while reducing body fat—all while enjoying improved mood, self esteem and social support.
But it’s not just about physical benefits; when done right, Pilates can also help you find a sense of calm and relieve stress. This is because when you focus on your breathing during each exercise, as well as on keeping your core strong throughout every move (which will help avoid injury), you direct more energy toward controlling your emotional state rather than letting it control you. As with any type of exercise or therapy technique that helps us relax into ourselves instead of against ourselves (such as tai chi or meditation), there are many benefits associated with these types of practices: decreased anxiety levels over time; better sleep patterns; improved concentration at work; higher self-esteem through regular physical activity coupled with appreciation for one’s own body image…the list goes on!
Conclusion
Pilates is a great way to relieve stress and find your center. The breathing, concentration and focus required will help you feel relaxed while working out. Additionally, Pilates helps you build strength without adding bulk so that your muscles will be toned and ready for action!