Pilates for your heart!!

As you may know February marks American Heart Month, a month dedicated to bringing awareness to heart health and what you can do to keep your heart healthy and strong.  Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States? Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.  Did you know that Pilates can play a big part in your life to helping you keep your heart healthy and happy?

It turns out some of the most common causes of heart disease include:  lack of exercise, being overweight, high blood pressure and stress. All things that a regular Pilates practice can help you with!

Long before heart disease was a common household term Joseph Pilates was talking about the benefits of his method of exercise (which he called contrology) in terms of heart and whole body health.  In his book Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states,”Contrology exercises purify the blood in the bloodstream and whip it into instant action with the result that the organs of the body receive the benefit of clean fresh blood carried to them by the rejuvenated bloodstream.”   He also stated,” you should be exercising every muscle in your body in order to improve the circulation of the blood so that the bloodstream can and will carry more and better blood to feed every fiber and tissue of your body. These exercises induce the heart to pump strong and steady.”

So how can the Pilates method help you keep your heart healthy?

1.  Pilates can get you moving!  The Pilates method of exercise can be adapted to ANY body and can give you the tools you need to add more movement into your life!  Adding safe, efficient movement into your life can help you lose excess weight, get stronger, feel more energized and better condition your entire body.  Movement is a key component to creating a healthy body and a healthy heart!

2.  Improve circulation!  Joseph Pilates specifically designed his exercise method to increase blood circulation and improve whole body health.  By learning to breath properly and coordinate breath with whole body movements you will stimulate your body to work more efficiently inside and out!

3. De-stress ( and lower that blood pressure!)  Exercise is a natural de-stresser and a mindful movement practice like Pilates that combines breath and movement can be especially effective in helping you create a sense of calm in your life and your body!

Want to learn more about how Pilates can help your heart?  Schedule a complimentary Pilates session today!