Pilates
Source:
Kid's Health
Pilates (pronounced: puh-lah-teez) improves your mental
and physical well-being, increases flexibility, and strengthens
muscles. Pilates uses controlled movements in the form
of mat exercises or equipment to tone and strengthen the
body. For decades, it's been the exercise of choice for
dancers and gymnasts (and now Hollywood actors), but it
was originally used to rehabilitate bedridden or immobile
patients during World War I.
What Is Pilates?
Pilates is a body conditioning routine that seeks to build flexibility,
strength, endurance, and coordination without adding muscle bulk. In
addition, pilates increases circulation and helps to sculpt the body
and strengthen the body's "core" or "powerhouse" (torso).
People who do pilates regularly feel they have better posture, are
less prone to injury, and experience better overall health.
 Joseph H. Pilates, the founder of the pilates exercise
method, was born in Germany. As a child he was frail, living
with asthma in addition to other childhood conditions.
To build his body and grow stronger, he took up several
different sports, eventually becoming an accomplished athlete.
As a nurse for Britain during World War I, he designed
exercise methods and equipment for immobilized patients
and soldiers. In addition to his equipment, Pilates developed
a series of mat exercises that focus on the torso. He based
these on various exercise methods from around the world,
among them the mind-body formats of yoga and Chinese martial
arts.
Joseph Pilates believed that our physical and mental health
are intertwined. He designed his exercise program around
principles that support this philosophy, including concentration,
precision, control, breathing, and flowing movements.
There are two ways to exercise in pilates. Today, most
people focus on the mat exercises, which require only a
floor mat and training. These exercises are designed so
that your body uses its own weight as resistance. The other
method of pilates uses a variety of machines to tone and
strengthen the body, again using the principle of resistance.
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Before you begin any type of exercise program,
it's a good idea to talk to your doctor, especially if
you have a health problem.
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