When you think about ways to relieve stress, things like meditation and Yoga Will probably think about. And even if there are both legitimate ways to reduce anxiety and increase your mood, there is an activity you probably don’t think about – but you should be. Surprise, It’s Pilates.
Pilates has recently skyrocketed in popularity thanks to their ability to build strength and improve flexibility and mobility. But it can improve your body body connection and lower your stress hormones as well. We talked to a Pilates instructor to find out more about the link between Pilates and stress reduction – and I even tried a month to try it.
Experts displayed in this article:
Elma Ngakiki a Pilates instructor for Viking club.
Why is Pilates stress decreasing?
Pilates is one of the best ways to relieve stressaccording to Elma Ngakikia Pilates instructor for Viking club. “It is not only a workout, but through breathing work, conscious movement and the release endorphin, it is also a powerful tool management tool,” she says. “There are many scientific research studies that prove that practicing pilates can increase your mood, lower cortisol levels (stress hormone) and help with depression and anxiety.
Such as a small 2020 study in Supplementary therapies in medicine Found that pilates reduced anxiety and feelings of fatigue and improved mood. Another small 2022 study in Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that pilates reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and decreased cortisol levels during the day.
“In Pilates, we use controlled breathing techniques that help lower cortisol levels and relax the mind,” says Panagaki. “The conscious movements increase your focus and concentration and help release stress. Building a strong body helps with pain treatment from injury and chronic pain, which is a potential cause of continued stress.”
Over time, a structure of too much stress is bad for your health and can lead to problems such as gastrointestinal problems, immunotaists, diabetes, heart diseasedepression and more, according to American Psychological Association.
How to create the perfect stress-busting pilates training
For stress relief, Panagaki recommends pilates exercises that focus on breaths, spine and stretch. “My favorite exercise is Catcone Conpose As it mobilizes the spine, releases the tension from the lower back and increases your mood, as it stimulates circulation along the spine, she says.
Some other exercises that Panagaki love includes:
- Roll down (standing or sitting): decompress the spine
- Spinal Twist: relieves tension from the spine
- Children’s Position: Standing Your Lodge and Promoting Deep Breathing
- Neck stretches: The area where most of our stress accumulates in our body
For beginners, Panagaki recommends making Pilates two to three times a week, for 30 to 60 minutes sessions. For more advanced practitioners, Research performances Making Pilates three to five times a week can produce significant results for stress management.
“Personally, I make a 10- to 20-minute stretch routine every day with neck and shoulder distances, cat cospose, spinal twists and hip openers,” says Panagaki. “Saw a big difference in my sleep quality, and it helps me start my day more safe and in a better mood.”
My experience of doing pilates every day for a month for stress relief
I took a page from Panagaki’s book and decided to start the day with 15 minutes pilates every morning for a month. What better way to put the tone on my day? I have a Peloton subscription, so I followed instructors such as Aditi Shah, Anna Greenberg and Kristin McGee in their intermediate Pilates training.
I have made food pilates on and off for about two years, so I had a good base – but if you are new to the exercise, definitely take Panagaki’s advice above and do not strive to do it every day directly outside the gate.
The first days of my Pilates challenge, I did not feel really different during the day. Sure, I felt calm and relaxed immediately after, but my good mood didn’t necessarily last all day. But I began to notice a significant difference in my state of mind around the end of week one and definitely during week two.
Of course I am a little loud and I also have a hard time releasing things. For example, if something annoying – but not a huge deal in the big thing – happens at work or in my home life, I am usually still reputation for it hours later. But I began to notice during the month that things rolled off my back faster than before.
I also had more energy during my days when I started them with Pilates. I thought it would have the opposite effect. I’m not really one Morning training Person, so I wasn’t used to waking up and jumping straight into motion – I assumed it would leave me to feel sluggish and exhausted. But I was happy to deal with longer workouts later in the day and did not think I felt ready for the bed at 20 as I usually do.
I tracked my mood on the Apple Health app throughout the month, and the amount of “nice” days (noted with a yellow star) that I had was really surprising to me. Even if the month is over, I will still keep pilates in my daily routine. After all, we could all use a little less stress in our lives.
Danielle Zickl is a freelance writer who has 10 years of experience covering fitness, health and nutrition. She got a BA in writing from Ithaca College. You can find her work here on PS, and in many other publications including the self, well+good, runner’s world, outside driving, peloton, women’s health and men’s fitness.
