Pilates
My favourite hobby
Pilates is a form of exercise and body conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, mostly as a method of injury recovery for dancers. Bar, who has a distinguished background as a dancer herself, is no stranger to the wear and tear these athletes endure. “Fine-tuned as dancers are, when we’re at our peak, dancing at least six days a week, several hours a day, it’s grueling, and the repetitive motion puts stress on the same muscle groups again and again,” she says While dancers are especially vulnerable to repetitive motion injuries, they happen to all of us occasionally. That’s why, over time, it became clear that Pilates could benefit a much wider range of people — including people who aren’t injured at all. “As human beings, we are creatures of habit,” Bar notes. “We walk a certain way, we take the stairs a certain way, we stand a certain way and we sit at our desk a certain way. So, our muscles get imbalanced because of overuse. What Pilates does is help to counteract that.” Some of the principles that guide the Pilates method include concentration on each movement, use of the abdomen and low back muscles, flowing, precise movement patterns and controlled breathing. Depending on the exercise, Pilates routines can be performed on specially designed apparatuses, including a bed-like structure called a reformer, or more simply on a mat or blanket. Pilates is a form of strength training, but it doesn’t look like some of the other strength training exercises you might be familiar with. Pilates focuses more on improving muscle tone than building muscles, but the result is similar: greater stability and endurance. Pilates isn’t going to bulk you up — if anything, it’s designed to cultivate a longer, leaner look. Still, it can lay a strong physical foundation for muscle-building activities — and may even reduce your likelihood of injury. More on that later.