12 scientifically proven benefits of Pilates – Part 2
In our previous article, we delved a little into the biological effects of Pilates. We continue from there now, and in the following, we will approach the matter from a new perspective, as we will also examine the psychological effects of Pilates.
- Deeper muscle activation leads to better nervous system function.
Every movement we make engages a certain area of the brain. The brain sends messages to the muscle fibers via the spinal cord (obviously, this process is much more complex than that, but we don't want to pretend to be doctors – this much is more than enough for understanding).
When we learn to "activate" our muscles on command (such as activating the core in Pilates), we can activate a chain in the body that we likely haven't used for a long time. The core is not just made up of six-pack abs – there are exactly 29 muscles in it. By working all 29 of them, we can cleanse our nervous system. Let's explain it with a simple example – when we open a tap that no one has used for years, the water will initially flow intermittently and slightly discolored; however, the longer and more often we use the tap, the better the water will flow (we apologize to all our plumber readers).
A healthy nervous system enables communication between the brain and the body, and stimulates the release of happiness hormones.
- During Pilates, we calm down and relax.
We can read about the beneficial effects of meditation in many places. In summary, meditation:
- alleviates tension and depression,
- helps in treating insomnia,
- sharpens the mind,
- stimulates creative thinking,
- relieves stress,
- helps in managing chronic pain,
- alleviates negative feelings,
- helps overcome addictions,
- lowers high blood pressure and improves heart health.
When we hear the word meditation, most of us imagine a Buddhist monk floating between heaven and earth in a lotus position. However, meditation is not just about this – in fact, it's not about this at all.
Although meditation indeed originates from Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese traditions, in modern psychology, the emphasis is much more on concentration than on spirituality – quieting the mind, focusing attention, and excluding distractions are the essence.
Why are we talking about meditation when the topic of the article is Pilates?
During Pilates, we only need to focus on one thing – our body. Whether we want to or not, we must block out all distractions from our minds, as this is the only way to perform the exercises correctly.
With Pilates, we can gain all the beneficial effects of meditation. Plus points are also awarded because during Pilates, we don't sit still and don't feel the whole thing is a huge waste of time.
- Pilates relieves body tension.
Our body and brain tell us we have two options when we find ourselves in a stressful situation – we can fight or flee. This can be a real (e.g., when we narrowly avoid a car accident) or an imagined stressful situation (e.g., public speaking). In such cases, our brain provides us with a large surge of stress hormones to prepare us for battle or flight.
In the past, this hormone surge was extremely useful, and even today, we can benefit from it when we are truly in danger. But let's be realistic – how often are we truly in danger? Stress usually occurs when we get stuck in traffic, or when our boss comes up with another crazy request on Friday, half an hour before the end of working hours. We can't run out of traffic, and we certainly can't get into a fight with the boss. What do we do with stress hormones then? We suppress them.
As a result, muscle spasms and pains occur.
The gentle stretches of Pilates break down accumulated tension. And if our muscles are not tense, our brain won't be stressed either.
"A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex problems of modern living." Joseph Pilates
For those who enjoyed reading this and the previous article, we have good news – we are not even halfway through the benefits! In our next article, we will discuss four more benefits.