Mental Health Benefits of Pilates
Posted June 12, 2021
Stress is one of the most dangerous health issues faced by millions of people around the world today. In fact, the global average number of stressed people out of 143 countries is 35%! Stress can have a severe impact on your physical and mental health and should never be left untreated.
Stress Management and Relaxation
Pilates may just be the perfect stress remedy! The nature of a Pilates workout makes it perfect for dealing with and reducing stress. Physical exercise can decrease stress-inducing hormones, like cortisol, and instead help release the body’s feel-good hormones, like endorphins or serotonin. This will give your mood a natural, much-needed boost and can even help you feel good, physically!
Practicing Pilates regularly as a form of exercise can also help improve your ability to respond to and deal with stress, allowing you to become more resilient to external stressors in the future.
Depression, Anxiety and Pilates
These are not three words you hear together often – and yet Pilates has shown to help with anxiety and depression, in addition to the stress-reducing properties it offers. Research has shown the significant benefits physical exercise has provided, in terms of reducing feelings of depression and anxiety.
Pilates can assist in reducing or managing feelings of depression by providing the opportunity to socialise with others; by changing the levels of important chemicals in the brain (such as serotonin, endorphins, and cortisol); and even by providing a distraction from the elements in our lives that cause us to feel anxious, depressed or stressed.
Pilates places a large emphasis on mindfulness and breathing during exercise, which can extend past your workout regime and into the daily managing of your life, helping you to become a calmer, more self-aware person.
Self-Confidence Boost
A Pilates exercise program offers the perfect trifecta to boost your self-confidence: looking good, feeling good and the irreplaceable feeling of accomplishment!
Despite being a low-impact workout, Pilates is still a fantastic method of getting into shape. Pilates focuses on using your body weight, breathing and careful movements to work on and strengthen your muscles. While this may not sound like a quick way to a smaller pant size, the combination of careful, controlled movements and breathing while constantly holding your own body weight up can be exhausting! Dedicating yourself to your Pilates workout program will ensure you see visible improvements in your body in no time, boosting your confidence and helping you stay motivated.
Pilates is both the work and the reward, all in one and all at once! While a Pilates workout can really test your ability to control your body, as well as test your strength, the release of happy hormones like serotonin and endorphins will decrease your perception of pain and discomfort and heighten your perception of pleasure and feelings of happiness.
Lastly, dedicating yourself to a physical exercise program and seeing all your hard work pay off is the greatest reward. Regardless of your goal – lose weight, exercise more, become healthier – having set, worked toward and achieved a goal will provide a huge boost in self-confidence and morale.
Sign Up For Pilates
Club Pilates is a forward-thinking, passionate and growing Pilates franchise with several locations in Queensland, including Noosa, North Lakes and Sippy Downs, as well as up and coming locations in Innaloo and Unley. Our Pilates instructors are highly trained professionals that are fully equipped to help you get into an exercise regime that will work for you!
If you want to start your Pilates journey, head to one of our local Pilates studios to begin!
