Pilates
Today I would like to tell you about the trend in fitness, which for me was a real discovery and an escape from the severe pain in back and shoulders, associated with hours of sitting in the office 7 years ago.
This direction is called "Body and mind" And among them a worthy place belongs to the system of exercise called "Pilates".
It allows for a short enough time to not only correct the shape and improve your health, but also to put in order thoughts, to get rid of negative feelings and filled with new ideas.
The system was developed in the early 20th century American German-born Joseph Pilates, who originally used it to rehabilitate soldiers with injuries of the spine during world war 1, and then adapted for professional athletes and dancers. And although since then it has been more than 100 years, the basic idea of John. Pilates is still relevant: "health is the first requisite of happiness." He believed that to achieve happiness one must be able to control your body. "If in thirty years you enslaved and in the form of - you are old. If at sixty you are flexible and strong, you are young."
There are eight principles of Pilates, which should be strictly adhered to:
Relaxation. We must put aside all sad thoughts and problems and just enjoy the unity of body and soul. Correct breathing. You must learn the correct deep chest breathing, the rhythm of which should coincide with the rhythm of the movement.
Concentration. All attention must be concentrated on the sensations, the rest is discarded.
Accuracy. The exercises are repeated as accurately as possible, to the smallest detail.
Smooth. The movement should resemble a dance, coherent and thoughtful.
Visualization. To perform some of the exercises require the use of visual images.
Muscular control. Pilates teaches you to control certain muscle groups.
Regularity. To get the maximum result, it is necessary to systematically train, without making any big breaks.
Pilates has a number of significant differences from other sets of exercises, which makes it very popular. These include:
Stretching. Its main direction – stretching of muscles and strengthening them. Therefore, after training it is possible even to rise a bit.
Quality. Pilates not after a number of workouts, the main thing – to do everything perfectly right, working through even small muscle.
Security. This brand is not traumatic sport that has no age limit.
A reasonable approach. All the exercises are well thought out and aimed at training all muscle groups. Efficiency. It helps to work and lead in excellent shape even the most problematic areas such as abdomen, buttocks and thighs.
I would like to tell you about a basic exercise which is my favorite - Roll Down.
Everyone has their own version of a Pilates roll down and this is mine.
Stand with your feet hip width apart. The knees should be soft and not ‘locked’. The natural curves of the spine should be present, with your ears, shoulders, hips and ankles stacked on top of one another. There should be a lengthened feeling to the back of the neck and the eyes looking straight ahead, arms should be relaxed by your side. Breathe laterally thinking about expanding the ribs to the side and back.
As you exhale, engage the lower abdominal muscles and lower the chin to the chest. Make sure there is a gap between the chin and the chest, be careful not to jam the chin down. Continue to roll down one vertebra at a timestarting from the neck down to the lower back. Try to feel each vertebra moving as you roll through the spine.
As you roll down, be careful not to collapse through the waist, imagine you are rolling up and over a large ball. Keep the hips over the ankle bones as you roll down. Your arms and shoulders stay relaxed.
Roll through the spine until the back is making a nice long C-curve shape. You will feel a stretch through the lower back. In this position, focus on your breathing again and imagine you are puffing up the lower back muscles with your breath. Hold the stretch there for three deep breaths.
Exhale and engage your abdominal muscles and start to stack the vertebra, slowly coming up to standing. As you roll up, remember to keep the hips over the ankle joints and be careful not to take all the weight into your heels. Gradually return to your start position imagining you have created space in between each vertebra.
During your roll down, take care to notice what is happening in your body. Do you start to stand more on one foot than the other? Do your feet roll in or out? Do you feel big chunks of the spine roll down or up at once? Does a particular part of your back feel more of a stretch? By noticing these things you become mindful of your body and can start to make the changes needed to create a better posture.
As you do this exercise it may help to imagine you are pressing your back into a wall (but keep the natural curves of the spine). The head rolls forward and pulls the body away from the wall, little by little.
Please note that if you have very tight hamstrings then you may want to bend the knees a little more to make it more comfortable.
After completing four or five of these roll downs, you should start to feel looser through your spine. These are a great way to start or end a day!
Foto: http://propilates.livejournal.com/
http://fitline.kh.ua/%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%83%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D1%8F-%D0%B8-%D0%BF/
https://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/magazine/2013/11/ibiza-pilates-roll-down
