Pilates Teaches Balance For Body, Mind

Clients frequently express concern about maintaining balance while what they are really expressing is apprehension about potential falls or imbalance.

Balance is not only a state of equilibrium; it is also the act of maintaining symmetry, poise and equilibrium. Sometimes clients forget that the concept of balance is more than physical, and balance and imbalance extend to our entire lifestyle.

Whether a homemaker, a woman traveling the career path or a retiree, it’s very easy to become wrapped up and trapped in a lifestyle that is out of balance, rushing from place to place, eating processed and unhealthy food, sitting at a desk in front of a computer for hours and ending the week with no time designated for healthy exercise.

So, most people know they want to create more balance, but how?

First, make a commitment to yourself. Many people find that hiring a personal trainer who respects their goals will help get and keep them on the right track. Let’s face it, despite what infomercials promise, there is no quick fix here. The answer is not in a bottle of supplements or a gimmicky device that will end up on your yard sale table.

A healthy, balanced lifestyle is created by daily choices; so consider Pilates as an exercise method that is efficient, effective and reliable for improving your appearance, your health and your life.

Since a client may practice Pilates two or three times a week, the benefits of this exercise system develop a more sculpted body and a more stable person, physically and mentally.

When Joseph Pilates devised this system nearly 100 years ago, he created a series of exercises that focus on strengthening the core, or the powerhouse of your body. Since the core, or center of the body, includes the front and back of the torso between the thighs and armpits, clients who regularly practice Pilates’ exercises develop longer, stronger and leaner muscles.

Today, many people associate Pilates with yoga-like exercises or stretching. That concept may be partially true, but it is a definition that is so simplistic that it’s nearly inaccurate.

Pilates can be performed on the mat or on complex apparatus, or both, during a single training session. Pilates requires concentration, focus, and practice in order to build strength and develop flexibility.

A well-educated trainer encourages clients of become more aware of her body because in addition to the adjusting springs on the apparatus, clients use their own body as resistance. Many clients are so conditioned to sitting and walking out of alignment, they find correction and balance a bit uncomfortable at first.

Just like learning any new skill, the more you do, the easier the exercises become. The beauty of Pilates’ exercises is that they can be modified to entice beginners or even the most seasoned practitioner.

Pilates’ students quickly embrace the challenge these exercises offer, and they soon realize that there are additional benefits in terms of mental clarity and focus.

In time, clients become more balanced, physically and mentally, and those are goals well worth achieving.

Nancy Hawkins Riggs is the founder and owner of Forever Fit Foundation, a personal training business specializing in Pilates, Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, Yamuna Body Rolling and sport specific training. Forever Fit Foundation accepts clients at three sites: Dover and Lewes, Del., and Mendenhall Station, Pa., just over the Delaware line. A certified athletic trainer, she earned her bachelors degree fro the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in exercise science and sports medicine from Miami University in Ohio. Please call (302) 423-1816 or (302) 698-5201 to schedule an appointment for more information.