You may have heard the word “Pilates” thrown around at
your local gym. You might even know that it’s one of our many corporate
wellness service
offerings. But how much do you really know about what Pilates is and
why you should give it a go? Let’s dive in!
Essentially, Pilates
is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while emphasizing
proper postural alignment, flexibility, and targeting the core. Movements are
all slow and controlled, and the focus is on quality of movement, not quantity. The result is a unique mix of
gentle but challenging movements.
Fun fact:
the creator of Pilates (Joseph Pilates) actually dubbed his exercise regimen “Contrology”
(it was only later named after him) and was inspired to create the concept by
the classical Greek ideal of a man balanced in mind, body, and spirit.
There are two basic forms
of Pilates; mat-based and reformer-based. The Reformer is a specialized machine
used for Pilates. The classes we offer through our corporate wellness services
are of the mat-based kind and aim to condition deep stabilizer muscles while
strengthening and elongating bigger muscle groups resulting in improved
posture, balance, and coordination.
Okay so that all sounds
great…but why is this service part of corporate
wellness?
Well, just think about what
sitting at your desk for hours on end does to your body. Most of us have less
than ideal posture and are slumped at
our desk for most of the day, which can lead to pain over time. Luckily, Pilates
emphasizes strengthening your core, which includes all the muscles responsible
for your ability to sit up straight. By learning to not only engage but also to
strengthen the muscles responsible
for stability in a sitting position (abdominals, back, shoulders), you will not
only adopt better posture, but you will be able to sustain it for a longer period of time. This
translates into your muscles being strong enough to withstand a traditional
workday without fatiguing and allowing you to hunch over, therefore avoiding
pain.


Need a way to sell your
employer on the idea? This
study found that
when employees exercised at work they reported managing their time better,
having more pleasant interactions with colleagues, and increasing their
productivity. They even reported going home more satisfied at the end of the
day. That sounds like a win-win to me!
Talk to your employer today
about our incorporating our Pilates service into your work day to boost
productivity and satisfaction at your organization.
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#healthylifestyle, #energy, #productivity