When it comes to pilates, some women end up being die-hard enthusiasts or tend to only dabble. If you’re in the latter group and are thinking of stepping into a pilates routine– it’s useful to know the benefits of pilates for women first.
There are a range of pilates benefits, helping people with all types of fitness goals and experience. Enjoying those benefits is all about being consistent, and when you’re supported by the expert trainers and uplifting community at Vaura – sticking to it becomes easy. Keep reading to learn about the uniquely awesome power of pilates benefits for women.
Pilates 101 – what is it?
Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that provides complete body conditioning, but places specific focus on your abs, lower back, hips and glutes.
It’s considered low impact because pilates exercises are gentle on your joints. This is achieved by most exercises involving your body weight or light weights (such as dumbbells) for resistance or using equipment which absorbs the force of a movement while performing it.
Because of this, pilates for women has become a popular form of exercise – not only body strengthening and toning, but also, for functional mobility, flexibility, posture correction, injury prevention and recovery.
8 key benefits of pilates for women
The benefits of pilates for women are abundant and can be enjoyed by studio-goers of all fitness levels. Vaura delivers curated beginner, intermediate and advanced pilates workouts, to keep your benefits flowing. There are a range of advantages when sticking to a pilates routine – which can enhance your lifestyle in a range of different ways, depending on what you’re looking for.
1. Strong focus on your abs
Pilates hits your core (or, in pilates speak, your “powerhouse”) unlike any other workout. It’s an effective method for developing, balancing and reinforcing your abs1. This is why pilates benefits for women is recommended during postpartum, as core exercises restrengthen and reunite your abs if they separated during pregnancy.
2. Helps to ease back pain
It’s common for adults to experience back pain at some point in their life. Your back is involved in most of your daily movement – leaving the slightest twinge to cause a heavy amount of discomfort.
Pilates has been shown to significantly reduce back pain and return general functionality – even for those with chronic back problems2. Many pilates for women exercises achieve this by stabilising your lower back, alleviating stress and increasing mobility.
3. Easy on your joints
The slow and controlled movements in pilates put minimal impact on your joints. Because of this, many people see reductions in joint pain and increases in range of motion3.
This pilates benefit for women is facilitated by using the pilates reformer; the padding on a reformer is as thick as multiple yoga mats, taking the pressure off your back and knees. And to eliminate joint stress, pilates workouts can be adapted and carried out lying down.
4. Improves your focus levels
Many pilates exercises involve breathing exercises, encouraging you to focus on the connection between your breath and body. Some Vaura classes mix elements of both pilates, and yoga, part of the challenge being the coordination between your mind and body. These exercises help make your movements more mindful and precise, which is practical for injury prevention.
5. Helps with pelvic floor strength
Many pilates exercises help support the pelvic floor- this can include bladder control, reducing the risk of prolapse and improving recovery postpartum.
Your pelvic floor can be engaged during core, breathing and specific pelvic floor exercises. The usefulness of pilates for the pelvic floor is why we created our Nurture class, providing women with a guide for prenatal pilates and postpartum exercise
6. Improves sport performance
Many Vaura members take part in other forms of exercise, including various types of sport. Women’s pilates is a useful form of exercise to implement in a wider training plan, as it delivers full body conditioning for your sport of choice, while usually being lower in intensity.
Light pilates sessions like our Stretch class can help you recover in between training or games. For those who thrive off healthy competition, exercising with a friend helps you push and support each other during a pilates class.
7. Targets flexibility
Improved flexibility is a constant pilates benefit for women. With gentle and easy to understand bodyweight exercises, your flexibility and range of motion can be enhanced4. To get motivated to exercise, many Vaura members set flexibility-based goals, usually involving specific movements.
What’s awesome about being more flexible, is that it helps you do other exercises with more depth. Allowing you to develop your form and get even more value from each movement.
8. Support mental wellness
Joseph Pilates (the inventor of pilates) called his workout method “the thinking person’s exercise.” When performing pilates movements you reduce stress hormones in your body. What sets pilates for women apart from other forms of exercise is that it includes many yoga techniques. Breathwork and mindfulness practices help calm your mind, allowing you to escape and gain perspective on everyday life.
Pilates for women can benefit a range of different experience levels and backgrounds. Next, learn how reformer pilates can transform your sleep quality.