Stretch & Strengthen

Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007 to MARKETSPACE > Home Recovery

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

Pilates stretches & strengthens in the same movement & is helping people stand straighter. Jodi Thiessen reports on the gentle exercise craze.

Developed in the 1920s by German-born Joseph Pilates who was an avid body builder, skier and gymnast. Pilates exercises the whole body and improves strength, flexibility, coordination and stamina.

The abdominal muscles are the core of this exercise regime, and are incorporated into every movement. Pilates creates long, lean muscles and has been used by professional dancers since its inception. A recent high demand in Hollywood has seen stars such as Julia Roberts, Madonna, Glenn Close, Jodi Foster and Courtney Cox jump on the bandwagon in the quest of a lean "dancer's body".

There are both floor exercises and exercises on machines, with strange names like Reformer, High Chair, and Wonderchair.

Weight resistance machines at the gym will strengthen one muscle group, however, the human body is extremely versatile and naturally uses more than one muscle group at a time. Pilates' equipment matches this versatility more closely and up to 80-100 exercises can be performed on one machine.

Most types of yoga will stretch the muscles but not strengthen them. Weight machines will strengthen the muscles but not stretch them. Pilates stretches and strengthens in the same movement.

The hardest part of Pilates initially is the mental focus, thinking about what muscles are in use, the body alignment and the correct breathing. This in turn helps with stress management.

Director of Room to Stretch, part of the Clinic of Esthetics in Los Angeles, Josette Lamotte, has been practicing Pilates for 15 years and has seen a massive rise in its popularity. She explains: "It is one of the more popular body conditioning techniques today."

It's great for rehabilitation and general fitness as it develops a good strong abdominal center. Everyone gains a better awareness of their body. A 7-year-old, a triathlete or a 90-year-old can do the exercises.

"Pilates works all the muscles in the body,achieves graceful movements, alignment and body awareness," says Lamotte. "Because it is a no-impact balance system it works very well for everybody, including injured people."

It is also beneficial for post-surgery patients. It helps lymphatic drainage because it pumps and stretches in the way the lymph flows, helping the healing process after procedures such as liposuction.

So how does it feel? It feels like the exercise is working from the inside out and after a class you feel an inch taller than when you started!

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