Pandemic Pilates
The current state of affairs has challenged many of us at levels we’ve previously just read about in the news. We’ve been brought to our knees in every sense of the expression. Some have lost loved ones, many have lost jobs and what’s worse, we’ve had to rapidly acclimate to physically distancing ourselves from one another, which has dismantled our social support systems – at the very least, reduced them to Internet interactions and video conferencing. Economic uncertainty and social isolation can have a serious effect on mental health.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take cyber-seeing you over the alternative, but it doesn’t eliminate the fact that it can, and likely will, leave a lasting, detrimental effect on wellbeing. For that reason, I’d like to highlight some ways you can use physical fitness, and particularly, Pilates to keep up your spirits during this challenging pandemic time.
Physical Fitness As a Mood Elevator
A favorite Joseph Pilates quote: “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” Aesthetic benefits aside, there is scientific backing to Mr. Pilates’ claim about the role of mood and physical fitness. Physical activity -- the act of moving your body -- creates a chemical reaction in your brain that releases serotonin (the happy hormone). You’ve undoubtedly heard of the runner’s high or the post-workout glow. It’s yours for the taking – you just have to work for it.
Think of Pilates as a purification system of sorts. Move and sweat, cleanse and rejuvenate. Repeat often.
Research backed by the American Psychological Association (APA) highlights both short- and long-term benefits as it relates to exercise and mood. Immediate benefits include the aforementioned post-workout endorphins. Long-term benefits point to increased remission rates for those struggling with depression and anxiety, such that the APA recommends physical activity in tandem with other therapies.
Functional Joy
Another favorite Pilates quote: “Change happens through movement, and movement heals.” I think of Pilates as an all-encompassing therapy. There is the compoentn of being physically active, which can diminish many of the day-to-day aches and pains. Put simply, it stems from the use it or lose it mantra: move more to maintain function. In this sense, exercise in and of itself is generally good for the body.
The corrective, alignment aspect of Pilates teaches us how to move through life – correctly. Working toward optimal balance in movement helps prevent injury, maintains function and vitality.
Pilates Mind-Body Connection
Herein lies my ultimate reason for doing Pilates. The internal shower. Pilates referred to it as an internal shower. Not to be confused with the Yoga mind-body connection – the Pilates approach is different.
Some exercises, like your favorite cardiovascular exercises (mine is running), are a great way to get out of your head and expel energy. Another form of purification. Pilates, done properly, requires full concentration, which connects the mind and body in a wholesome, perceptible way. Mind and body work together to complete the exercise. With that, I’ll end on yet another favorite JPIlates quote: “It is the mind itself which shapes the body.”
