In our quest for good physical and mental wellbeing, is Pilates a top recommendation? Let’s explore if practising Pilates gives an unrivalled feelgood factor to our days and irresistible long-term benefits for our health.
I’ve donned my leggings to investigate:
- Is Pilates good for your back?
- How do people feel after practising Pilates?
- How can Pilates be incorporated into a working day?
- What is Reformer Pilates?
I am lucky to have one of Europe's best-known Pilates pioneers, Michael King, to give me the low down.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is low-impact exercise that focuses on flexibility, balance, strength and posture. Examples of the controlled movements in Pilates are pelvic curls, chest lifts, single leg stretches, leg circles and back extensions.
Pilates was developed over a hundred years ago as a method of injury recovery for dancers and army soldiers by Joseph Pilates from Germany. He believed that modern lifestyles and ‘bad’ posture could lead to poor health.
One of the best things about Pilates is that people of all ages and fitness levels can take part. A good teacher – like mine – will adapt the exercises to suit you.
Is Pilates good for your back?
“Pilates is excellent for your back, and it’s beneficial for your whole body as well” Michael King from The Society for the Pilates Method and My Academy tells me.
“At its core, Pilates teaches you how to activate your centre – your core – and ensures that every movement you make is connected to that core. Given our modern lifestyles where many of us spend extended periods sitting, this can create significant tension in the back, particularly in the thoracic region. Pilates helps alleviate this tension in your upper and middle back by encouraging movement and strengthening the muscles that support your posture.
So, while Pilates is definitely good for your back – whether it’s upper back tension from sitting or lower back issues from prolonged inactivity – it’s also incredibly effective for overall body conditioning.”
Steph Greenstreet from the Greenstreet Collective in London agrees: “I have a chronic back condition called spondylitis. 100% yes to Pilates being good for my back! Pilates has encouraged me to engage my back in a healthy way, improve my posture and do the necessary stretches that preserve my movement in the long term.”
University researchers in Brazil also proved in their recent scientific study ‘significant improvement in pain, flexibility, resistance and strength of trunk muscles’ in the group with low back pain who practised Pilates.
Why can Pilates be great for wellbeing?
“On the physical side, Pilates is brilliant for building sustainable strength” continues Steph, “and each class offers a new challenge! There are always ways to make things harder or easier.
And mentally, Pilates offers a space to focus on oneself and take a step back from the problems outside of a class.”
Sounds good to me. The managing director of Posturite, Chris Jones, was intrigued by the benefits of Pilates and started offering free Pilates classes to staff at the ergonomics company this year. The classes take place in the office itself at lunchtimes (pictured below!) as an experimental employee wellbeing initiative. There was superb take-up by both men and women.
94% of the Posturite staff taking part said they took the Pilates classes for their physical wellbeing above all. But then 100% reported that the Pilates classes had had a positive effect on their mental wellbeing too.
Feedback on the benefits of the Pilates classes included:
- I’m particularly inflexible so Pilates has really helped with body conditioning. Also nice to have that hour’s mental break.
- I feel less stressed, and more manoeuvrable.
- I've noticed improved posture, increased flexibility, reduced tension and stress, and better overall body coordination and balance.
- The Pilates helps my flexibility, especially when I had a stiff neck.
- The classes are strengthening my stomach muscles and I’m using muscles that I don't usually use. It’s also good for me to take a break from the digital world.
- Pilates is reducing some back ache and helping with a pre-existing injury.
- I feel like I have more energy and I feel good to have got a workout in.
How to integrate Pilates into a busy working lifestyle
Sarah Greenstreet is a lawyer for the world's largest law firm and still finds time for her beloved Pilates. “Pilates gives us a way to find a community and step back from our busy work lives. Especially when we can make friends in classes and encourage some accountability to our movement journeys, particularly when work gets hectic.”
Even 5 to 10 mins a day of Pilates, focusing on a different area of the body each time can be useful. A wonderful way to dive into a Move More in ’24 approach to a working day.
Michael King advises:
“The key is not about committing hours each day but rather finding moments throughout your day to address areas where you’re holding tension. Many Pilates exercises, especially mat work, can be done at home, making it easier to integrate into your routine.
I often recommend that clients aim to practise Pilates daily, even if it’s just for a short time. You might come in for a session two or three times a week, and on the other days, focus on the areas where you feel the most tension – whether it’s the upper back or lower back. By making small, consistent efforts, you’ll see significant improvements over time.”
I asked the Posturite staff how they felt directly after the lunchtime Pilates classes, when they’re working in the afternoon?
- I'm full of energy and ready to work!
- I feel more active and alert in the afternoons.
- Slightly less tense both physically and mentally.
- I feel refreshed and focussed in the afternoon.
- I’m happy that I've done something useful. Pilates doesn't make you sweaty so you can carry on work fine without a shower.
Not everyone felt energised! But they did feel good:
- I feel tired but satisfied, happy and chilled.
- It really makes me more aware of my posture, which is something I often overlook. Additionally, I felt much more relaxed and stretched out after each session. It's a great way to break up the day and focus on my well-being.
- More relaxed and I feel like I have had a great stretch!
Practising Pilates at work with your colleagues can work. Yes, it was a little odd to be on all fours with Dave from Accounts Payable… but who cares?
The majority of Posturite team members who hadn’t yet tried a Pilates class at the office said it was because they were hybrid workers who weren’t in the office on that particular day - or they didn’t really like exercise classes. Only a few replied that they would be too self-conscious to do Pilates in a work setting.
Getting new men and women interested in Pilates
Pilates is inclusive. I’m no gym bunny, and I did not look svelte in my old baggy T-shirt and leggings, yet I found the new Pilates lessons at my workplace unintimidating. 20% of my classmates had never done Pilates before and a further 33% had only tried it once.
Steph Greenstreet, a strategist for a leading media company, enthuses that “Pilates is one of the most inclusive ways to start a journey of movement! It's fun, but not as intimidating as HIIT. We can take each class at our own pace - do not be forced into doing any movement that feels too much! Push but also preserve yourself.”
Is Pilates growing in popularity?
“Yes, since the early 2000s, Pilates has expanded significantly” Michael King tells me. “Classes are now available in most fitness clubs, whether it’s mat work or apparatus-based.
It’s also being used in various settings, from physiotherapy to professional sports. Athletes from different disciplines, not just dancers, but also rugby players, footballers, and tennis professionals are incorporating Pilates into their training.”
Keen cyclists with tight hamstrings can find Pilates very useful.
Older people diagnosed with osteoporosis could also try combining physiotherapy with Pilates as a great way to help manage osteoporosis, and also to strengthen the supportive muscles around the spine and hips.
What is Reformer Pilates?
Reformer Pilates uses a ‘Reformer’ piece of equipment which is a large rectangular frame. It has runners sliding smoothly along and helping you achieve the ‘flow’ Pilates principle. With the Reformer, exercises can be made more or less challenging; it can be either resistive or assistive.
Mat Pilates and Reformer Pilates share many similarities – it’s mainly the equipment that differs. You could try Pilates first – where all you need is a mat and some comfortable clothing – and then progress to Reformer Pilates at a studio if you like.
“My sister and I fell in love with the movement of Reformer Pilates and have never looked back!” says Sarah Greenstreet. “We got into Pilates as a way to promote our physical health in a different way – we were used to high energy HIIT classes but knew that we also wanted to find ways to build strength.” I love how The Greenstreet Collective has built an intersectional community based on movement, inclusivity and empowerment for women.
Your best wellbeing success could well be different to mine – perhaps the Run and Raves along Brighton seafront (“Friday night runs with banging tunes”) are more your style? Or your serotonin levels go off the scale when you gallop across a muddy field on Petra the pony.
But I do think Pilates is a brilliant wellbeing choice for many of us. To be a wellbeing winner, an exercise programme needs to dish out feelgood vibes to both your body and mind. Pilates delivers.
