pilates for prevention

7/28/2019 Pilates for Prevention

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PILATES FOR

PREVENTIONby Jacqueline Ambrose

ilates is an intelligentorm o exercise de-signed to simultaneously

strengthen and lengthen mus-cles, ocus your breath and co-

ordinate the mind and body. Ourwork lives oten take a toll on ourphysical selves. Many weekendwarriors can attest to aches andpains, strains, or worse when theypursue their recreational lives.Joseph Pilates intended his ormo exercise, which now bears his

name, to give people energy toenjoy their lives.

Pilates is core-based exercise.Without a strong back and ab-

dominals, sitting at a desk can be-come very painul. Even a simplegame o catch, a swing o the golclub, or a game o tennis can leadto injury. Pilates can be a way toprevent such injuries in our dailylives and enhance our recreation-al selves. Mr. Pilates believed that

the rst pre-requisite to happi-ness is physical tness, whichhe dened as; the attainmentand maintenance o uniormlydeveloped body with a sound

mind capable o naturally, easilyand satisactorily perorming ourmany and varied daily tasks withspontaneous zest and pleasure.(Return to Life Through Control-ogy, 1945, Joseph Pilates). Attainhis vision by practicing the Pilatesexercises presented here.

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Certain orms o back pain and in-

juries can be prevented rom hav-

ing a strong core. Pilates combats

weak and imbalanced muscles by

teaching you to scoop your ab-

dominals or pull your naval toward

your spine. Try to imagine your

belly button as a button that can

asten to your spine or think o

anchoring your belly down with a

heavy weight as you lie on your

back. Lower back pain is most

oten caused by pushing your ab-

dominal muscles away rom your

spine, which leaves little support

or your paraspinals (muscles that

run along your spine.) The Hun-dred is one o many Pilates ex-

ercises that ocus on this action.

This core exercise is the ounda-

tion o a good Pilates session (see

gure 1).

Muscle pulls in your legs can be

painul and debilitating. Increas-

ing fexibility is a undamental goal

o Pilates. Single Leg Circles ar-

ticulate, stretch, and strengthen

your leg in the hip joint as well

as stretch the iliotibial band (the

muscle that runs along the outer

part o your thigh) (see gure 2).

Stress rom work and amily lie

can get in the way o enjoying our

recreational lives. The mind-body

connection necessary in Pilatescan reocus us. Concentrate on

the movements you want to per-

orm and pay attention to the

way the body perorms them; o-

cus completely on the movement

without letting your mind wander.

Allow the body to be totally im-

mersed in the action it is trying to

accomplish. Breath is the link be-

tween mind and body and it is the

driving orce o lie. Pilates de-

signed his exercise to cleanse the

body through oxygenation. By tak-

ing ull deep inhalations through

the nose and ull exhalations out

through the mouth, a person is ex-

pelling the stale air and taking in

resh air to revitalize the system.

Our brain and muscles need this

system to unction and in turn re-lieve stress and relax. An exercise

called Breathing is benecial to

optimize our breathing.

Start by lying down on a mat, Reformer or Cadil-lac with your knees bent and together. Place your

knees over your hips. Stretch your arms long, byyour side.

Pump your arms up and down as if you were slap-ping water while breathing in through the nose for5 counts and out through the mouth for 5 counts.

Continue this action for a hundred counts of breathand arm pumps. The goal is to lift the head, neckand shoulders, while maintaining a flat back andscooped belly.

Lying on a mat, Reformer or Cadillac with one leg upto the ceiling at 90 degrees, slightly externally rotated.

Draw a circle with the leg by moving it across the bodyas you inhale, down and back up to the ceiling as youexhale 5 times and then reverse the direction.

Accenting the leg on the way back to the top will givegreater emphasis on the stretch.

The goal is to circle the leg from the hip, while keep-ing the body stable on the mat and the leg straightto stretch the hamstring and back. To keep the bodycompletely still on the mat it will be necessary toscoop the abdominals.

FIGURE 1: THE HUNDRED FIGURE 2: SINGLE LEG CIRCLES

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The goal o a Pilates workout is to energize the body

and leave you eeling invigorated rather than exhausted.

The combination o strengthening the abdominals by

scooping your belly, lengthening through the legs and

breathing correctly can play a major role in preventing

injury. It can also be un to work your body in a new way.

Consider Pilates as a means o remaining strong, limber,

energized and injury-ree.

Lie on your back with the feet resting on amat.

Lift your hips and articulate your spine torise, lifting your chest to form a bridge using

one inhalation. Bring the breath to the front,side and back of the lungs.

Hold the breath for 5 counts at the top andexhale as you role down through the spineto come back to the mat.

FIGURE 3: BREATHING

Jacqueline Ambrose is a Pilates instructor at Perormance Physical Therapy.

She is an apprentice instructor, and she is completing her certication training

at Jen McWalters Studio. She also teaches at the Lincoln School and the East

Side/Mt. Hope YMCA. Jacqui is an accomplished synchronized skater and she

placed 4th in the World Championship on Team USA.

Performance Physical Therapy offers mat classes and private Pilates

sessions which utilize the reformer, barrel and chair. Call today!

CALL 401-726-7100

www.performanceptri.com

pilates for prevention

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