Pilates For Posture

 Though stereotypes are dissolving with each generation, there are some that persist – in part, because they are based on real differences between men and women.

While some women can and do achieve the upper body strength of some (even very fit) men, the overwhelming majority of males have a natural advantage in this area. Male aesthetic values, the source of which isn’t clear, reinforce this and so they tend to work on upper body more than some other areas, relative to women’s efforts.

Women, in part out of a desire to be seen as attractive, will focus exercises more on buttocks and legs. But here they also have a slight natural advantage for some exercises. A woman’s pelvis tilts at a different angle than a man’s. This affects the style and efficiency of squats, for example. Women will benefit by tilting the feet outward with legs further apart, while not needing to squat so low.

Overall, (most) women have less muscle mass than men (though they have additional layers in the stomach) and a higher percentage of body fat on average. As a result, a well-designed female routine focuses less on bulking up, than toning and achieving flexibility. Women are more likely to incur injuries by lifting too much, too soon as they build up.

Men are somewhat less flexible on average, partly due to natural differences in joints, partly owing to attitude. Men tend more often than women to short change their warm-up routines, including essential stretching exercises.

All these differences (and many more) are a matter of degree, of course. Both men and women can benefit by adapting some aspects of the routines of the opposite sex.

Women are more likely to be more open to trying something new or different, such as yoga or Pilates. These focus more on being aware of different body parts, in order to maximize flexibility and overall fitness. They focus very little on achieving strength, though this is often (in part) a consequence of a good yoga or Pilates routine.

For example, several yoga routines focus on balance. But balance is optimized when all the muscles help support the joints and skeleton at correct angles in a dynamic way. That is both the cause and consequence of improved strength in the muscles that help achieve that balance.

Pilates, in particular, is a coordinated system for achieving better strength and posture and breathing by using one to aid the other. It concentrates more on controlling muscle groups than building them.

Both yoga and Pilates and many other systems popularized in the West in the last 20 years or so focus on the integration of mind and body, one helping the other. Both systems are helpful as therapy for certain spine and joint problems.

While men and women will continue to lay more importance on some exercise values – and hence routines – than on others, both can benefit by peeking over the fence to see how the other half-lives.

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So here’s a portrait of yoga in the 21st Century: this ancient discipline, created thousands of years ago to enhance the meditative experience (the asanas or poses commonly used in hatha yoga were in fact designed to enable meditators to sit quietly, calmly and comfortably for hours on end), is now “a total body blast,” with users urged to “get hard core” and “feel the groove,” all so “your torso will look buff.” At least that’s how Ellen Barrett, the relentlessly sunn (more…)

Not everyone is made for high-level exercising. But you can become fit without bouncing around in a leotard, battering your joints. Forget all the huffing, puffing, lugging, lifting, and straining. Movement therapy is a gentle – yet effective – group of sports that include yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. Just don’t be fooled by their mild manner. These activities can whip you into shape without breaking a sweat.

All three have ancient Eastern roots and are merely different interpretations of the same principle: keeping your body and mind in harmony naturally leads to better health.

It wasn’t until recently that modern science confirmed the many physical benefits of yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. With them, you can improve your balance, flexibility, and strength – no matter what your age, weight, or fitness level.No Pain – but great gain

Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates are gentle enough for anyone to try. If you consider yourself in bad health or disabled in some way, you’re a perfect candidate for these movement therapies. You can ease into the programs slowly and set your own pace. It’s easy to stick with them and you’ll see improvement quickly.

Here are just some of the benefits you will get from these soothing approaches to fitness.

• When you were a child, tripping and falling meant just another minor scrape. But as you get older, taking a tumble can have serious and crippling effects. If your sense of balance is as bad as Humpty Dumpty’s,these are the safest forms of exercise for you.

Just like the trick to growing tomatoes is to keep the main stalk strong, the trick to great balance is to keep your core muscles strong. The bands of muscle in your abdomen, lower back, and buttocks are the center of strength and control for the rest of your body.

All three examples of movement therapy are relatively stationary,but because they strengthen your core muscles, your balance will improve quickly – preventing falls – and you’ll develop greater flexibility and strength. Soon you will be moving with confidence again.

• Tai chi and yoga are especially recommended for people with arthritis.Gentle yoga can improve arthritis in your hands, for example, and tai chi’s precise, flowing movements help keep your joints limber, relieve your pain, and keep you active.

• The dance-like stretches, poses, and maneuvers within each of these movement therapies will gently strengthen and tone your body. Pilates is especially good as a strength-training workout.

• Add yoga or Pilates to your exercise regimen if you need to improve your heart health.

• In today’s hectic world, it may be hard to squeeze an extra 30 minutes of exercise into your schedule – at least without feeling even more stress. The beautiful thing about movement therapy is that it combines stress relief with exercise, so you kill two birds with one stone.

All the activities – tai chi, yoga, and Pilates – are done slowly, with intense focus on proper breathing and posture. They all relax your body and calm your mind.

As you can see, you can boost your overall health with these joyful, health-giving movements.Things to know before you give it a go

Just to be safe, make sure that you take these precautions before starting any new exercise program.

• Get your doctor’s approval on your fitness plan, especially if you’ve badly injured your back, neck, knees,or shoulders in the past.

• The stretches, poses, and movements of these therapies should not hurt. If you feel pain, stop and check your technique before continuing.

• Pilates is the most intense of the three exercise forms. You may want to try one of the less strenuous programs first if you are out of shape.

• Be forewarned, you might get addicted to these calming sports.

While there is no way to spot reduce fat through exercising or diet alone, one of the best ways to ensure a flatter stomach is by strengthening your core.  In recent years, several forms of exercise have become popular that address this group of muscles, which are located in the abdomen, lower back and pelvis.  They’ve been endorsed by Hollywood celebrities and models, who tout the longer, leaner look they’ve achieved through these low-impact exercises that are popular for their flowing, graceful movements and ease of practice.  Many can be practiced at home, though some may require special equipment.  Pilates, yoga, and use of an exercise ball are the most popular examples of these core exercises.

Pilates is the newest craze in core exercising, though it has been around since the first World War.  The focus here is on form and breathing.  Every move has to be carefully conducted, involving all parts of the body.  The main theories include precision and control, rhythm and flow, concentration, balanced muscle development, and centering.  Statistics show there are over 14,000 Pilates instructors in the United States and millions of practitioners.  Moves are easily modified for all fitness levels.  While some complain that Pilates includes complicated equipment and high-priced lessons, there are many instructional videos available that allow you to practice at home for a fraction of the cost.

Yoga is a spiritual practice that originated in India thousands of years ago.  It is not only a form of exercise, but also a way of life for many.  Yoga involves several postures, or asanas, that come together in various sequences.  Yoga poses can be easily modified based on your fitness level.  No special equipment is needed, though some might purchase a yoga mat, block and strap.  There are several variations of yoga in the West, and it is no longer solely a spiritual practice, as many who practice it only regard it as a form of exercise.

The exercise ball is a large inflatable ball used to perform various exercises.  The most popular are sit-ups and push-ups, as the ball forces you to maintain your balance while performing these basic exercises.  This continual balancing act strengthens your core muscles.  Many videos are available, and some incorporate yoga or Pilates as well.  The ball is easily deflated for storage and usually costs less than $20.  It is a convenient way to practice balance in your own home and use traditional exercises to strengthen core muscles.

No matter what exercise method you choose, these are not created for quick weight loss, but rather to give you a longer, leaner look.  You may notice a reduction in inches before a significant drop in body weight.  Be sure to follow a sensible diet, and if cravings are a problem, try a natural appetite suppressant like hoodia to keep you on track.

We all know how difficult it is to stay in shape and find time to exercise – but most especially for women with babies or small kids. There’s the sleep-deprivation factor, no time and priority changes. So what are the fitness options for busy Moms?

The fact is, the more you can take of yourself and the better you feel, the stronger you will be physically and emotionally to take on the day with the “little ones” and all of life’s challenges.

Below are some quick, but effective, exercises – specifically designed for the busy Mom – for the back and shoulders to keep you strong and prevent future injuries that may occur with poor lifting biomechanics and poor posture. The heavy weight of not just the baby, but also all the fun gadgets you’re expected to lug around. It’s no surprise that our bodies need a little help to get through the day.

Rotator Cuff Strengthener

For this workout you will need a light theraband. The beauty about this piece of equipment is that it’s small enough to carry in your bag or your stroller. Now you have no excuses – you can do these exercises on the go, at the park or when you have a few moments to spare.

You can do this exercise either seated or standing; hold the elbows close to the waist with palms facing the sky holding the theraband. Pulling the hands away from each other externally rotating the shoulders

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps

Muscle focus:

Rotator cuff muscles are the small muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. If these get weak from over use you could end up with bicep tendonitis or other potential injuries. This is very common with Moms as everything is usually done with one hand while holding the “little one” in the other.

Tricep push-up extension

This is the one time in your life you are going to need arm strength, the biceps are going to get over worked from the motion of picking up the baby so it’s important to balance these out and keep the triceps strong as not to put unwanted strain on them.

Hands are directly under your shoulders and knees are on the ground in a modified push-up. The pelvis is slightly pressed forward creating work in the abdominals that stabilize the spine. Place the theraband under the right hand on the floor and extend opposite arm in a tricep extension. Whilst extending the working arm be careful to keep the wrist in line with the hand not to create any unwanted tension/strain.

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side

Muscle Focus:
• Drawing your shoulder blades down activating your upper back muscles, engaging abs at all times. Keeping your abs strong and being aware of contracting them is very important as they play an important role in stabilizing and protecting the back.

• Translating this in to functional activities such as picking the baby up out of the crib will really save your back.

Spine extension with pulses

Over time in pregnancy our posture completely changes due to the increased weight of the baby bringing our body forward and causing the spine to round forward with the shoulders. This causes the back muscles to become very stretched out and weak.

Seated up right with legs in front of body shoulder width apart, hands over your head. Hinge forward from the hips leading with the sternum, biceps are by your ears. Hold this position and slightly pulse the arms behind the body mobilizing the shoulders and working the upper back. Return back to an upright position to repeat the movement again.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 Pulses

Muscle Focus:

Upper back and hamstring flexibility. This exercise will strengthen the mid upper back and open up the tight thoracic area of the spine, correcting bad habits that the body formed through pregnancy.

Butterfly ab curls

Keeping you abs strong is essential for keeping your whole body strong and restoring poor posture left over from pregnancy.

Lying on the floor with heals of feet together and knees bent to the side in a frog like position. Arms are straight over you head, circle arms around and lift the head neck shoulders off the floor exhaling pulling in the abs hold for 5 seconds and return back to starting position.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 reps

Muscle Focus:

As you exhale and bring the head neck and shoulders off the floor think of pulling your abdominals in up and back to the spine. Moms, this is a time you can practice doing your kegal on the contraction working the pelvic floor.

One of the most popular forms of yoga is Pilates yoga. People all over the world practice Pilates. This form of yoga has been praised for aiding people with developing a spiritual and body connection. By doing exercises to develop strength, muscle tone, flexibility, and better posture, people who do Pilates get themselves into better shape mentally and physically.
Joseph H. Pilates developed Pilates Yoga in the 1920′s. As a child Joseph was sickly and frail. He grew tired of watching other children run around and play sports and became determined to not only improve his health but also strengthen his body. This began his journey on this now popular mind/body fitness movement. He began to overcome his physical limitations through exercise and soon became an accomplished sportsman. When he was detained as a German national during World War I, he trained other detainees with his exercises, even helping bedridden patients.
After Pilates was released, his exercise method was gaining popularity in the dance world. He immigrated to the United States and opened a fitness studio in New York City with his wife, Claire. Many of his clients were dancers, some from the New York City Ballet. Several of his students went on to open their own studios, spreading this form of exercise to places outside of New York City. Pilates continued to teach until his death at the age of 87.
Pilates supports fewer successive repetitions and more control over body movement. It is a method of total body conditioning training and strengthening entire body alignment. It stretches and strengthens muscles, builds endurance and restores muscle balance. It aims at developing graceful bodies that move more efficiently but don’t result in bulky bodies. Pilates believes ‘change happens through movement and movement heals’. By performing movements, the body will learn by its actions. The methodical form of exercise will stretch, strengthen and balance the body while performing proper breathing techniques.
Pilates exercises are done on mats or with the aid of apparatuses. The One Hundred pose is one of the most common poses. It consists of lying on the floor on your back with your waist to the floor. Place your arms by your side and legs pointed up in air. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off mat as you pump your arms like a bird. Hold this for the count of 100. This exercise will strengthen abdominal muscles, as well as, warm up the body for more exercises.
Joseph Pilates combined yoga with stretching, creating the popular form of exercise today. It is known for its ability to produce core strength, which is a balanced development of the trunk muscles that stabilize movement. It also helps to control and expand yoga poses safely. Pilates had much success in treating bedridden soldiers during the war. Today, this exercise program is used not only for fitness but also widely used in rehabilitation processes. He believed you could train the mind to control the body. His discipline program is designed to bring mobility back to the body through a less vigorous, slow, concentrated effort. This makes it safe and easy for anyone to use.

Back pain sufferers are constantly searching for natural back pain remedies before resorting to extreme measures like medications and surgeries. Exercise has become very popular for people of all ages in trying to relieve back pain.

One very widespread exercise is Pilates which is an exercise that focuses on strengthening and improving flexibility of the muscles that support the spine. By doing these exercises, back pain is eventually eliminated over time, which varies from person to person.

Pilates involves a series of stretches that are carried out in a specific order. Concentrating on several muscle groups at the same time is vital in order to have the spine aligned properly. The ultimate goal is to achieve total body health.

The Pilates routine is based on several principles which include proper alignment of the spine leading to better posture, correct breathing, improved flexibility and reduced stress levels.

Most Pilates exercises are designed to be performed on a soft mat on the floor. In the more advanced classes, resistance equipment is also integrated into the exercises. Movements are performed in a specific sequence with some repetitions and an emphasis on proper breathing. Pilates and be done either in a group setting or alone by acquiring pilates exercises on tapes or books. As with every exercise routine, the movements should be customized to account for specific fitness levels to avoid injury. By practicing Pilates 2-3 times a week for 45 minute to 1 hour sessions and maintaining a healthy diet you can also achieve your optimal weight.

As with any exercise regimen, if you have determined that Pilates is the back pain remedy for you, check with your doctor if you have a spinal condition that has already been diagnosed. Your doctor can help you determine whether Pilates is an appropriate form of exercise for you, and it’s critical that you rely on his or her judgment to avoid further complications.

Continue with an exercise program can be difficult when you are pregnant, and can be completely avoided, especially during the first trimester when you may feel nausea and fatigue. An easy way to stay active with Pilates, a mind / body exercise method that strengthens the most important muscles you use during pregnancy and childbirth: the abdominals, pelvic muscles and back. It is also a great option for those days when you exercise, but you do not feel like pushing too hard.

You probably know that Pilates is the latest fashion to hit the gyms around the world, but what you may not know is that Pilates is great exercise for pregnant women. The dynamic that moves the challenge to help build muscle strength (needed for a lot of labor and delivery), flexibility and above all, good balance, something that required as pregnancy progresses. So Pilates is for you? Let’s find out! What is Pilates? Pilates, developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1900s, has traditionally been used by professional dancers to keep your muscles flexible, strong and flexible. Joseph Pilates created a routine of movements of body-sculpture to improve posture, strengthen the abdominal muscles and the company and vice versa, without using any weights. Although the original version uses all kinds of machines for wild Modern Pilates has been adapted for us regular people and you can do with just a mat.

Yoga Pilates can remind you with its intense focus on body position, breathing and balance, but is more dynamic in that it moves through poses and movements rather than static poses and some forms of yoga. Pilates exercises are generally performed with very few repetitions, but each one is accurate, controlled and moves through several planes of movement.

Because the movements are so controlled, Pilates can be a great choice during pregnancy because it has time to adjust its posture and alignment for maximum support and challenge. You do not need special equipment, other than a rug to get a great workout, and although it is always better to take a class taught by an expert, there are books and videos available to you to do at home at the time.

As a practicing chiropractor, I see many patients who regularly attend yoga or pilates classes. Both groups of patients seem to derive benefit from their classes yet the philosophy of both is quite different. One seems to have a physical base for instruction while the other seems to have a spiritual base as its origin.Let us have a look at both of these excellent activities and see what we can find out.Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany.] Today there are many millions of practitioners.Pilates called his method Contrology (from control and Greek -logia), because he believed his method uses the mind to control the muscles. The program focuses on the core postural muscles which help keep the body balanced and which are essential to providing support for the spine. In particular, Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and aim to strengthen the deep torso muscles.Essentially it’s an exercise style that involves training your muscles to improve posture and alignment. By focusing on your core strength, you enhance the little muscles in the body so you’re better able to support the larger ligaments, tendons and joints. When our muscles are weak they make compensations for each other which lead to instability and injury.

Take your back for instance: if your posture is bad, your lower back and hips will then adjust themselves accordingly which means they’re essentially out of place. Pilates encourages you to think about how you perform everyday movements. It heightens your body awareness which in turn improves your overall agility, flexibility and strength. It helps you ensure your body is working at its optimal level all the timeThere are three types of pilates, the most popular being the mat workout, where much time is spent on the floor using gravity and your own body weight to create resistance. There is also a pilates class that incorporate weights and one that uses special equipment. Joseph Pilates developed these machines which allow people to do the pilates moves using a pulley-system of resistance. Most places however only offer the mat workout.

Now let us look at Yoga. Yoga has been defined as follows:-* Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility that is achieved through the three … * a system of exercises practiced as part of the Hindu discipline to promote control of the body and mind. Many people think that yoga is just stretching. But while stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body  through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits.The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement (vinyasa-style yoga) or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. The poses are a constant, but the approach to them varies depending on the tradition in which the teacher has trained. Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that dates back more than 5000 years ago. The word “Yoga” came from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate.” Yoga then is about the union of a person’s own consciousness and the universal consciousness. Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. The Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is done through exercise, breathing, and Meditation – the three main Yoga structures. In Yoga, the body is treated with care and respect for it is the primary instrument in man’s work and growth. Yoga Exercises improve circulation, stimulate the abdominal organs, and put pressure on the glandular system of the body, which can generally result to better health. Breathing techniques were developed based on the concept that breath is the source of life. In Yoga, students gain breathing control as they slowly increase their breathing. By focusing on their breathing, they prepare their minds for the next step – Meditation. There is a general misconception that in Meditation, your mind has to go blank. It doesn’t have to be so. In Meditation, students bring the activities of the mind into focus resulting in a ‘quiet’ mind. By designing physical poses and Breathing Techniques that develop awareness of our body, Yoga helps us focus and relieves us from our everyday stress. Now that we have had a brief look at both Pilates and Yoga, we can see that the philosophy of these teachings overlaps and is congruent with the philosophy of chiropractic which states that there are three main causes of subluxation in the body.These are nerve interference, influence of outside toxic substances and stress. Ask your chiropractor to advise you as to which of the two activities would be best suited to your needs!

What is Pilates?
That’s a great question and if you have never given this form of exercise a shot then perhaps it is time that you get up off the couch and see what the craze is all about.
Pilates, originally developed by Joseph H. Pilates, is a series of over 500 exercises that are designed to strengthen, lengthen and tone the muscles.
Pilates is also designed to improve your flexibility and improve your posture. After all, who doesn’t want to be more flexible and have better posture?
Pilates, a theory based on many dance and yoga movements, is highly recommended by physicians and exercise physiologists as one of the safest forms of exercises available.
It is gentle enough so that almost everyone can do it and reap the benefits.
Especially if you find yourself suffering from low back pain, Pilates is a great decision since its design is built on the principles built to improve your flexibility, stability, and strengthen your abdominal and back muscles. The controlled movements of Pilates help to keep you safe while you exercise.
Pilates is not a method of exercise based on endless repetitions, but rather, Pilates’ foundation is such that you perform fewer repetitions but with intense focus and concentration on each and every single movement of the activity.
With Pilates you also concentrate on your breathing again to help you really concentrate your focus on the movements of your body.
Pilates’ exercises can be performed on a mat on the floor using a video or DVD or either by taking an instructor-led class or by performing a series of exercises on specifically designed Pilates’ equipment such as the Pilates Reformer.
There are also other types of Pilates’ accessories such as the Pilates’ Magic Circle or even the basic exercise ball.
All of these Pilates’ accessories can help to enhance your exercises sequence by adding more challenge to the movements, creating more resistance and helping you to mix it up so that exercise boredom doesn’t set in.
With Pilates’ accessories as you gain more experience with the movements, you may find the accessories to add a bit more punch to your workout.
Pilates is an amazing form of exercise that can help you to regain your form, lengthen your muscles and relocate the flexibility that disappeared somewhere throughout the years.
Give it a try and you may decide that Pilates turns into your new best friend.