As you well remember, we already talked to you about the benefits of practicing yoga , well, now, we bring you the best tips for doing Pilates exercises at home and their benefits. This discipline, named after its inventor, is the best way to combat the sedentary lifestyle and stress that condition the style of our society, increasingly tending toward immediacy and comfort .
At the beginning of the 20th century, this visionary, Joseph Hubertus Pilates , devised a routine of hundreds of exercises, the well-known Pilates postures , which combined Greek and Roman, Eastern and even animal movement methodologies, and, all of this, with the aim of achieving a perfect balance between mind and body . That is, think about it, have you ever read about an exercise that guarantees peace of mind, control over your body and breathing and that also helps you get rid of stress, anxieties and other psychological burdens? With these basic Pilates exercises , which you can do in your living room, you will begin to notice physical and emotional changes in your daily life. Shall we begin?
Doing pilates exercises at home will allow you to achieve a perfect balance between mind and body
5 pilates exercises at home
1. Roll up
It is one of the most common exercises to do at home, since it works very well and is not difficult to do. Its function is to achieve greater stability and mobility , working and strengthening the abdomen, without losing sight of the sequence of the spine.
How is it done? It is very simple. Lie on your back, with your legs close together and stretched, your arms stretched above your head, in line with your shoulders, and your palms facing the ceiling. You get up, with a sequential movement of your back , taking off, vertebra by vertebra, from the mat and rolling forward until you sit down, with your legs fully extended .
2. Pilates push-ups
Very easy to do and with many benefits, there is a reason it is one of the most common. You will start standing, upright and with your legs very close together, and then bend, little by little, until you touch the mat with your hands . The third step would be to move, always slowly, with your hands as guides, to a plank position, and then lower your chest towards the mat by bending your elbows. Once the push-up is done, you return to the original position and start again.
The advantage of this exercise is that it serves to strengthen both the upper torso and the back , which makes it an essential activity in your daily life. You will feel more balanced and notice how your back becomes straighter and your arms and shoulders gain strength.
3. Rolling back
Just as there is a rolling up, there is a rolling back and, as the name itself indicates, it is about rolling, but, this time, backwards. First you sit on the edge of the mat, with your legs together and your knees bent towards your chest . The hands should be holding the ankles and these, in turn, should be as close as possible to the buttocks. Now, with your elbows bent and your chin pressed to your chest, begin to roll backwards , inhaling until you try to reach the area of your scapulae (don’t worry, it will most likely be difficult at first, but, little by little, you will gain flexibility) and then, exhaling, return to the original position.
It is one of the easiest and most practical exercises to do at home because it not only helps your balance, but also massages your posterior area . It is not for nothing that it is one of the most effective Pilates exercises for the back . Remember, as always, to be well concentrated and, above all, to control the respiratory sequence well .
4. The saw
The following exercise requires a little more effort, but, at the same time, it is one of the most beneficial . At first it may be more difficult than it really is, because it is impressive, but once you get to work, you will see that it is not complicated to do. First of all, you should know that this is an exercise in which you are going to rotate the spine , so you have to pay close attention and do it carefully and, above all, do it well. You will work your hips, hamstrings and, of course, you will notice your core more balanced and strengthened .
You should be sitting on your sit bones with your legs open, wider than the width of your hips, your feet flexed and your arms crossed. Twist your trunk, inhale first , to the right, without moving your hips, and then exhale and bend forward. Meanwhile, pull the navel towards the spine and extend the arms in opposition, aligned with the shoulders, that is, one towards the left little finger and the other backwards and with the palm facing the ceiling. Then, inhale and slowly return to the starting position and repeat the process .
5. Scissors
One of the favorites to do at home and one of the most beneficial and comforting Pilates postures , because it involves areas of the body that are very important for this discipline: legs, spine and abdomen. Of course, you should do it when you have acquired a little more experience, because it requires a lot of concentration and discipline. And how will it benefit you? It will guarantee greater flexibility in your legs and hips , greater control over the abdominal area and will improve your posture and balance in general, by working the muscles that surround the vertebrae . Sounds great, right? Well, get busy!
Lying on the mat, stretch your legs upward until they form a 90-degree angle . Afterwards, you lift your spine a little from the mat and, in that position, with great control of the abdominal area , you hug one of the legs and bring it towards you, while the other returns to the original position, lying and stretched on the mat. You hold that position for a second or two , and proceed to change legs and so on, up to about 10 repetitions.
That’s it, the top 5 Pilates exercises at home. As you can see, these are easy exercises to perform and the only thing you need is a mat to perform them optimally without hurting yourself. If you want to know and you liked this article, leave a comment!
Leave a Reply