3 Amazing Benefits Of Pilates…That No One Told You About!

“I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.” — Joseph Pilates in 1965, age 86.

We all know Pilates is excellent for improving posture, flexibility, balance and mind/body connection. Here are some amazing benefits you may not know about;

Increases Brain Plasticity

Brain plasticity or neural plasticity is the brains ability to undergo biological changes, allowing itself to form new neural connections which is particularly important for optimal brain function, injury or disease. It was previously thought by many researchers that this neural re-building while natural occurring in childhood, could not be enhanced in later life, thereby limiting an individuals control over cognitive diseases such as Alzhiemer’s and dementia.

But now it is widely accepted that exercising your brain DOES help the brain form new connections and stimulate self-repair. So how does it work and what do you do?

Researchers are not yet clear on how it works but are clear on what to do. Reading out loud, learning a new language or musical instrument and particularly mind/body exercises like Pilates, all to help to jump-start the brain and stimulate reorganization which the brain cannot do on its own. The bottom line is that stimulating your brain through visual, auditory and somatic work, will help activate your nerve cells response to stimulus within your brain, and therefore optimizing your mental and physical wellness.

It Is Good For Scoliosis

While your spine is naturally curved when observed in side view, this critical component of your skeletal structure is supposed to be straight from side to side. Scoliosis is a type of lateral curvature in your spine that produces an “S” or “C” shape when viewed straight on. This condition harms your posture, and it can also cause crippling back pain.

Scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes scoliosis, but this condition doesn’t appear to be linked to behaviors or habits like bad posture. Instead, scoliosis seems to occur at random, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try Pilates for scoliosis exercises to fight back against the symptoms of this condition.

When you have scoliosis, the muscles on one side of your spine are tense and taut, and the muscles on the other side are lax and undeveloped. Both of these misaligned components of your musculoskeletal structure must be addressed to generate any relief from scoliotic symptoms, and by providing you with more control over the muscles in your spine, Pilates can give you the tools you need to improve your posture both at the studio and at home.

Boosts Your Immune System

The immune system  is a collection of billions of cells that travel through the bloodstream. These cells move in and out of tissues and organs, defending the body against foreign bodies (antigens), such as bacteria, viruses and cancerous cells. When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. This is when we are more susceptible to infection and disease.

The main contributor of a healthy immune response is our lymphatic system. This is basically our body’s waste disposal system. Although it has millions of vessels just like the blood system, the lymphatic system has no strong pump to keep lymph moving. Instead, lymph is moved by breathing, walking, intestinal activity, and muscle action.

The rhythmic movements of a well designed Pilates session stimulates blood flow and lymph flow. Throughout your Pilates session, as your muscles contract and release, lymph vessels are squeezed and lymph is pushed along and filtered through lymph nodes on its way back to the veins and the heart.

This means when you finish a Pilates session, you’ve effectively restored health to the body via the immune system. It’s no wonder you feel so good after a workout!