Health Topics 
                            - 
                                
                                
                                    Healthy Living
                                 
                             
                            - 
                                
                                
                                 
                             
                         
                     | 
                    
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                
                                
    
    
        
            | 
             June 2012 
             | 
         
        
            | Total Body Conditioning With Pilates | 
         
        
            | Yasmin Chohan | 
         
        
            |   | 
         
        
            
            
                
                    
                          | 
                        Pilates was founded by                 German born Joseph H 
                        Pilates, a sickly child who                 suffered from asthma, rickets                 and rheumatic fever. He practiced                 breathing and invented and promoted               the Pilates method of physical fitness. | 
                     
                    
                         
                        
                            - Pilates focuses on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and are essential to Total Body Conditioning With Pilates Yasmin Chohan providing support for the spine.
 
                            - In particular, Pilates teaches                   awareness of breathing and                   alignment of the spine.
 
                            - They strengthen the deep torso                   muscles which are important to help                   alleviate and prevent back pain, bad                   posture, spondylitis and injuries.
 
                            - Pilates for an hour is equal to 60-minutes of running, 30-minutes                   of weight lifting and 10-minutes of                 stretching.
 
                            - Unlike some forms of exercise,                   Pilates DOES NOT overdevelop                   some parts of the body and neglect                   others.
 
                            - While Pilates training focuses                   on core strength, it trains the body as                   an integrated whole.
 
                            - Pilates promote strength and                   balanced muscle development as                   well as flexibility and increased                   range of motion for the joints.
 
                         
                        Pilates is not a weekend or overnight workout. Within a few weeks you may notice changes in not just how you sit, stand, walk, or move, but even in the way you speak, or perhaps an increase in self-confidence and image as you project yourself to others.                
                         
                        One of the best things about the Pilates method is that it works so well for a wide range of people. Athletes and dancers love it as do seniors, women rebounding from pregnancy and people who are at various stages of physical rehabilitation.
                        
                            
                                
                                    Centering 
                                    Control  
                                    Flow  
                                    Breath  
                                    Precision  
                                    Concentration 
                                    These six Pilates principles are essential ingredients in a highquality Pilates workout. The Pilates method has always emphasized quality over quantity, and you will find that, unlike many systems of exercise, Pilates do not include a lot of repetitions for each move. Instead, doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant results in a short time. | 
                                 
                            
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                    | Yasmin Chohan is Pilates Consultant, Mumbai | 
                                 
                            
                         
                         | 
                     
                
             
             | 
         
    
 
 
                                
                             
                         
                     |