Today, it is difficult to choose the most suitable exercise programme in the flood of different exercise programmes. Online exercise programmes and various exercise aids promise us results in all different areas: weight loss, improved well-being, improved posture, but also calorie burning, muscle building, etc. But is it really so? Does it really matter which exercise we choose if we want to improve our posture and spinal health?
What do ''healthy spine'' and ''healthy shoulder girdle'' mean?
A healthy spine is a STABLE and MOVABLE spine, surrounded by sufficiently strong muscular structures, with the vertebrae placed in the most optimal position so as not to cause tension in the muscles, but also the other way around: the muscles must be properly developed, strong and flexible so as not to affect the position of the vertebrae in the spine.
A healthy shoulder girdle consists of: a properly flexible and stable shoulder joint, scapula and clavicle, and strong muscles surrounding the shoulder.
What exercises do we need to do to ensure both stability and mobility?
While most exercises strengthen the large muscle groups, which can have a partial effect on improving posture and correcting some spinal and shoulder joint problems, they leave out the smaller muscle groups and specific muscle groups that are linked to the spine and shoulder girdle.
Benefits of Pilates:
Pilates exercise focuses on improving flexibility with a particular emphasis on the spine, strengthening the most important muscle groups (hip muscles, gluteus maximus, trunk muscles, spinal extensor muscles, other joint stabilisers), aiming for correct, controlled execution of exercises, and body awareness. Performing the exercises with low loads allows the body to activate the appropriate muscle groups, and the whole programme eliminates asymmetries, inappropriate compensations and returns the body to symmetry. The correct, focused breathing helps the body to perform the exercises more correctly and to further activate the muscles. Pilates also properly strengthens the stabilisers of the trunk: the deep abdominal muscles, the pelvic floor, the multifidi, thus preventing or eliminating many lumbar spine pains. After just a few exercises, the mobility of the whole body will be improved, and other positive effects reported by people who exercise regularly are: reduction of headaches, improvement of general well-being, better coping with stress, improved mobility, elimination of pain in other joints (hips, knees, elbows, wrists).
When you are looking for the right spinal exercise, exercise aids, Pilates and Pilates aids, you will never go wrong.
We recommend you start with amatworkout , but later you can diversify your workout with Pilates machines: link to machines: reformer, chair, half cadillac