Why You Should Be Doing Pilates

Pilates at age 57 (left) and at age 82 (right)

When Joseph Pilates created his original mat work, which he called Contrology, more than a century ago he declared that if you would faithfully perform your Contrology exercise regularly only 4 times a week for three months you will find your body development approaching the ideal, accompanied by renewed mental vigor and spiritual enhancement. So yes, Pilates will not only promote change in the body, but also the mind and the spirit.

He promised that you would obtain long, lean muscles; a strong body; and a flexible spine.

"If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old; if it is completely flexible at 60, you are young". - Joseph Pilates

The Pilates Method is based on 6 Principles:

• Concentration

• Centering

• Control

• Breath

• Precision

• Flow/Rhythm

Trust me, it’s not just another workout routine. You are working to change the body by:

• Developing the small and large muscles

• Learning how the body was designed to move

• Working towards uniform development

In the next couple of weeks, I will delve more into the six principles of Pilates. Hopefully, you will follow along. If you are hesitant to give Pilates a try, maybe just maybe knowing more about the principles behind the method will influence you to try it out.