Pilates Mat Excercises For Your Health
Primarily, pilates mat exercises are designed to improve the strength, posture and coordination of the body. It is called pilates mat exercising because of the mats used as cushions to protect from the hardness of the floor. Using a pilates mat is certainly helpful to avoid unnecessary aches and pains or bruises but is not necessary to the philosophy of pilates exercises. It's the same way with yoga. The cushions are not really an integral part of yoga. As a matter of fact, yoga is an exercise that does not require any equipment at all. Be that as it may, pilates mats, yoga mats and exercise mats are helpful exercise aids. They come in different colors, textures and sizes. Some are extra firm while some are extremely soft. There are pilates mats with Hawaiian printing as well as uniform color designs to choose from. A standard, brand new pilates mat can cost anywhere from twenty to forty dollars. When properly done, pilates mat exercises significantly strengthen the core muscles of the body. These muscles are found in the torso of the body. Everything from the pelvic, hip, back, abdominal and chest muscles are stimulated during pilates mat exercises. The real target of pilates mat exercising is more on physical balance. The muscle toning that comes with it is just a beneficial by product of the true purpose of pilates mat exercises. The philosophy of pilates is to align the spinal cord into its proper position. Results of this re-alignment are reflected in fluidity and grace in movements as well as acquiring the habit of proper posture. Common lower back pain problems are also addressed by this re-alignment. All in all, pilates is so powerful a tool that physical therapists use it to rehabilitate patients with lower back pain problems. Even though the focus is in the core musculature, pilates mat exercises are also beneficial to the body as a whole. However, pilates mat exercises are not that easy to perform. If you think that you can just grab some instructions for doing some pilates mat exercises, then you should know that pilates is performed with precise movement patterns, coordinated breathing and correct muscular control. Pilates mat exercises are not the simple repetitive movements of jogging, weight lifting or abdominal crunch exercises. Neither is a pilates mat exercise routine performed with short or extended bursts of energy. Instead, pilates mat exercises are intensely focused movements that require precise execution. It will always be highly recommended that beginners should join pilates classes to understand the principles of pilates better. After all, you can't align your spine properly if you just follow the motions. You need to know how the motion is done and what else needs to be done when the motion is in progress. And then, there's the question of coordinated breathing. Exactly when do you inhale and exhale? How fast is the motion supposed to be? Pilates mat exercises are not executed with fast, jerky movements but with slow fluidity and precision. Sometime, pilates routines require you to hold a position for a certain amount of time. For those with more than passing knowledge of pilates mat exercises, you can add the following exercise to your repertoire. Its almost like doing abdominal crunches but in a better way. This pilates mat exercise is called a single leg stretch. You need to lie on your back with your legs positioned straight out. Be sure that your pelvis is level and to relax your rib cage. Do some sequential breathing exercises before you actually begin. Once ready, slowly inhale and slowly pull in your knee towards you so that it's almost touching your chest. Assist this movement with one hand on the ankle and the other on the knee itself. At the same time, raise the other leg a few inches off the floor. Exhale and lift your head and shoulders off the floor. The shoulders should be relaxed even in this position. Make sure that your abdominal muscles are pulled in. Do these exercise with both legs alternating, Remember the breathing pattern. |
