I want to be more flexible!
I used to be really flexible but not anymore – I have really tight hamstrings, will Pilates help? My back doesn’t move very well any more, can Pilates help?
If I had a £1! Firstly why are you not flexible anymore? Is it because you could these things at 8 or 18 but by 28/38 or 58 you have been doing nothing to keep this flexibility and mobility going? Usually yes. If you parked your car on your driveway for 40 years would you expect it to move? Probably not, but many of us do exactly that with our bodies.
We are leading more sedentary lives
And if we don’t put some effort into GOOD movement patterns we will seize up.
How does Pilates help with you gain flexibility?
A good Pilates class will work on many levels - addressing alignment with each movement, creating the much needed CORE, getting YOU discovering where your body is in need of a bit of extra attention to get your joint movements back to where they should be, not where your lifestyle has put them. Each exercise will not only WORK a muscle but will STRETCH another. It's pretty clever.
But its important to build strength as well as stretch.
There is little gain in being mega flexible unless you are planning on joining Cirque Du Soleil or the Royal Ballet and even they wouldn't want you unless you had amazing core control, strength and ability. You are no good to them if you keep breaking down. If you are going to sit at a desk all day then you don't need that level of flexibility.
Consider that your mobility/flexibility needs to match up to your requirements.
You most certainly need to move stuff to stay healthy, more if after a day at work you want to do more strenuous activity like regular football matches (playing not watching!) or running or any other sport. Slightly less perhaps if you prefer to watch.
A common complaint from runners are hamstrings being tight, usually one side only. So the urge to stretch constantly is usually what you do..BUT consider this in a different way. Why are they tight one side and not the other? Maybe it's because there is something wrong in the knee that means the hammies are having to work so much harder on that side, or maybe something in the calf is affecting the knee, so that's not moving quite so well as it should and it means the hammies are working harder too..or maybe its the foot! Something in the foot, the strike pattern is affecting the ankle, that affects the lower leg, that affects the knee..but HEY, YOU feel it in the hamstrings. So now we are back to alignment again.
Get your joints moving and keep them moving.
Movement is lubrication for joints, be they spinal, hips, knees etc. The more you move the healthier they stay. It's not just the fluid in them its the ligaments too, when they stay nice and pliable along with the muscles, it all helps to keep a joint both stable and strong.
Join in our foundation courses, book a one to one, join a Pilates with Props class and see what we do and how that can help you stay fitter longer. Also check out our NP Health Webinars too, they are a great source of information for staying healthy. Or get in touch, use the form below and tell us what you need help with. We are happy to help you as much as we can.