Should you take up Pilates because you have a health problem or because you want to keep fit and improve your general well-being? The short answer is that it is good both as a cure and preventative, a balm and a tonic, and people who attend our classes at Perfect Fit Pilates do so for all of the above reasons.
The dual role of Pilates as a medical treatment on one hand and a physical training method on the other is bound up in its history. Pilates takes its name from Joseph Pilates, whose father was a prize winning gymnast and whose mother was a naturopath, so it perhaps no surprise that the system should own something to both of them.
Joseph published two books on Contrology, as he called it. The first was entitled A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionises the Entire Field of Physical Education, which reflects his father’s influence and approach, and the second, entitled Return to Life Through Contrology, which owes a debt to his mother, and is more concerned with the healing properties of Pilates.
The principles put forward in both books are the foundation of the method as it is practised today. Lower back pain, shoulder, neck and RSI problems are typical of the medical problems that Pilates is particularly well suited to treating, and its consistent success in these areas in the reason that patients are often referred to us for physiotherapy by their doctors or specialists.
On the other hand, as Joseph claimed, Pilates offers a revolutionary approach to physical education, and as his preferred name for his method makes clear, the emphasis is very much on muscle control and exercises designed to develop core body strength and stamina, which are key to sporting and athletic success, as well as prevention or treatment of sporting injuries.
At Perfect Fit Pilates we hold classes designed to address all of these needs, from Mat Classes, suitable for beginners and designed to in instil basic techniques, through Studio Reformer Classes for more advanced students and employing a variety of specialist equipment, to Private Sessions designed for people referred because of individual problems.
Check them all out here on our website. Whether you’re looking for exercise or therapy, Perfect Fit Pilates offers an enjoyable and effective way of achieving your goal.