Women’s health is multifaceted. We have a lot to think about when it comes to taking care of our mind and body as we juggle friendships, family, work (and so much more), all while taking care of ourselves.
Pilates has been a powerful tool for me to stay strong in both mind and body while raising a family, building a business, and weathering the many storms along the way. In my 10 years of training, I am constantly reminded (by the thousands of women who train with us at Lindywell) that Pilates is one of the only forms of exercise that can help us women achieve all of this, often just once. training alone!
Let’s explore the powerful connection between Pilates and women’s health and how it can positively impact your well-being at every stage of life.
The main force
This is one of the most popular benefits of Pilates, and it’s worth talking about. For women, core strength is important to improve posture, reduce injury risk, and improve balance and stability. It also supports overall pelvic health, which is important in every area of ​​a woman’s life.
Pilates helps strengthen exercises that target the abdominal, lower back and pelvic floor muscles. Combined with slow, controlled movements, focus and precision, these exercises engage the core muscles, helping to strengthen and tone them.
Try these pelvic floor exercises to experience the power of Pilates for your core.
Stress management
Stress is a normal part of life, we all experience it in some way. However, when stress is chronic, women may see effects on menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and digestion, in addition to typical symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, and lack of focus.
Pilates is a powerful way to reduce stress because it emphasizes the connection between mind and body. This helps restore the nervous system and, in turn, promotes awareness and relaxation. Deliberate breathing, a core principle of the Pilates method and a central component of the Lindywell approach, also reduces stress levels.
Here are some other interesting ways that Pilates can reduce your stress that you may have never thought of:
- Relieve muscle tension. Pilates helps relieve muscle tension and improve blood flow, resulting in reduced physical stress.
- Increased endorphins. A consistent practice of Pilates can increase endorphin production, which can help reduce stress and improve mood.
- Improved sleep. Pilates can also help improve sleep quality, which can help reduce stress and promote overall health.
At Lindywell, we focus on short, effective workouts to make it easier for you to prioritize daily movement, and as a result, reduce your stress and feel your best every day. Join for a free 14-day trial or login and press play on your next workout!
Spine health
As Joseph Pilates said. “If your spine is stiff and inflexible at 30, you are old. if it’s fully flexible at 60, you’re young.” Very few forms of exercise focus on spinal health. However, this is the key to reducing back pain, maintaining good posture, and enabling lifelong physical movement.
For women during pregnancy, a healthy spine is also essential for maintaining a healthy posture as the belly grows and the center of gravity changes.
The twisting and stretching movements in Pilates keep the spine young, flexible and strong. One of our favorite exercises at Lindywell is Rolling Like a Ball, which is great for your spine and fun. Try it at home to give your spine some love and a laugh.
Body image
Body image is a significant concern for many women. In fact, a survey of 4,250 women in 2022 found:
- 88 percent say their body weight or shape is at least moderately important.
- 87 percent have dieted to change their shape or weight.
- 60 percent say how they feel about themselves is greatly influenced by weight, shape or size.
This is something I personally struggled with for many years, and as a result I also dealt with low self-esteem and anxiety. For some women, it can also lead to depression and behaviors such as restricted eating or excessive exercise.
Pilates has been incredibly supportive in my journey of appreciating and nurturing my body. Thanks to the physical strength I was building, I felt more confident, and thanks to better posture, I also walked more confidently. But more than that, however, Pilates encouraged me to focus on what my body can do on a daily basis. Whether it was a lot or a little, this helped me develop a more positive self-image.
At Lindywell you are seen, heard and supported no matter what you are going through with a non-competitive community of women. We all want to celebrate off-scale wins and cheer each other on.
Physical strength
You don’t need to exercise 60 minutes a day or lift heavy weights to gain strength. In Pilates, we build strength with body weight in addition to playing with fun props such as light hand weights, resistance bands, a Pilates ring, or a Pilates ball. And at Lindywell we do it within 10 minutes too.
Pilates not only provides targeted muscle training, but every movement is effective. For example, Swimming targets the entire back of your body, from your upper back and triceps to your lower back, glutes and thighs. It also helps strengthen your core, as with most Pilates movements. Check it out here.
Most Pilates exercises are like this, allowing you to work your entire body at the same time, resulting in a balanced and comprehensive workout. Due to the low impact nature of these movements, almost anyone can do them.
Pilates and women’s health go hand in hand
Women’s health is all about building resilience, strength and flexibility in mind and body. Pilates at Lindywell helps you achieve all that and more through full body movement, focus on breathing and effective workouts that can be done in just 10 minutes. If you’re ready to love yourself more, appreciate your body, and feel strong and confident, it’s time to try Pilates.