Most people want to see tangible benefits from their workout routines. From increased endurance to bigger muscles or more flexibility, everyone has something they can stand to improve with the exercise of their choice.
However, fewer people consider just how important a smart fitness habit is for their everyday life. It’s not just about running a mile or lifting heavy weights; it’s just as much about having good posture at work and doing daily chores without straining your back.
The connection between exercise and quality of life might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think “workout.” Still, it’s one of the most beneficial aspects of Reformer Pilates.
Find how Reformer Pilates can enhance your everyday life, from desk work to daily chores.
Mobility and Flexibility
Pilates is an effective method of increasing flexibility, which, by extension, improves mobility. When the body is flexible, it can more easily adapt to sudden movements and avoid injury. While this is useful for fitness purposes, it may be more useful in everyday life than you think.
Being flexible can be essential for basic tasks such as reaching behind you to put something in the backseat of the car or picking up a dropped pen from under your office desk. Without proper flexibility, even these seemingly menial tasks can lead to unexpected pinched nerves or a twinge of pain that takes a few days to go away.
The Health-Span
One of the most important contributions that Reformer Pilates can make to anyone’s life is to stay consistently healthy over a lifetime. Pilates gets the muscles working, which studies show is associated with a 21% decrease in all-cause mortality when practiced as part of a normal routine.
Additionally, the mixture of aerobic and anaerobic exercises included in a Pilates session helps keep the heart strong, resulting in an average of anywhere between four and nine years of extra lifespan free of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
The effects of Pilates become especially noticeable in later life when many other exercise types fall by the wayside due to their lack of adaptability. Thanks to its focus on balance, Pilates decreases the risk of falls in aging adults, often a significant health problem for elders. In 2021 alone, almost 40,000 individuals died due to accidental falls.
Balance
Speaking of balance, this is one area in which Pilates excels. The various exercises strengthen all body muscles responsible for balance control, from trunk stability to leg stabilizers.
This helps a person maintain balance, which is valuable for older adults and anyone who has ever had to carry a laundry basket down the stairs or walk while holding a child. These tasks become less cumbersome (and less dangerous!) when the body is fine-tuned with regular Pilates.
Posture
In the modern workplace, it is not uncommon for a busy professional to spend multiple hours per day sitting at a desk. Just a lunch break and the occasional trip to the bathroom could account for six or more hours each day in one place! Such behaviors contribute to poor posture, placing unnecessary strain on the hips and lower back.
Pilates keeps the posture in line by strengthening muscles evenly, allowing the body to pull itself into the correct position naturally. While it still takes discipline to make minor adjustments to posture throughout an entire day of using a computer, the body will be naturally engaged to help if Pilates is part of a person’s regular fitness regimen.
That means less back pain after a hard day’s work and more energy and willingness to participate in hobbies during free time!
What About a Standing Desk?
Some people who work longer hours might balk at the thought of posture correction using Pilates. Why not just use a standing desk instead? Standing for work is not much better than sitting at a desk, especially when it is a person’s only form of exercise.
It can strain the feet and even cause tendinitis if workers adjust the standing desk keyboard incorrectly for their height. It is essential to incorporate additional movement therapy to improve your health and life.
Keep Yourself Healthy and Happy With Pilates
Pilates is not just for burning calories; it’s also a powerful tool to increase your quality of life, whether at work or during your time at home. Small changes in flexibility, posture, and movement can keep you safer and make life more enjoyable.
It can even help you live longer! To try Pilates and see if it’s right for you, contact RTR Pilates today to sign up for a beginner class.
