Beat The Winter Blues with Pilates
It goes without saying that Pilates is great to practice all year round, but we’re no strangers to how the seasons can change your mood and habits, especially when it comes to a fitness routine. We’re here to provide answers to common questions as well as key areas of benefit to keeping up with (or start!) a regular Pilates routine this winter.
Will Pilates Help My Mood?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (ironically acronym-ed SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during cold-weather seasons, beginning in Washington, DC as early as late fall. Sufferers tend to experience feelings of depression or hopelessness, and present with low energy, sleep issues, and even weight gain, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. In short, those “winter blues” you’ve heard about are a real thing.
Pilates is here for you in more ways than one.
Pilates Breathing
Proper breathing brings fresh air into the body, improves circulation, builds stamina, and allows muscles to work to their fullest. It can also help you feel more balanced and calm, as it quite literally clears your mind and brings things into focus that may have seemed unreachable. Breathing is a core pillar of the work you’ll do in any Pilates class, with benefits beyond pushing through a difficult exercise.
Deep breathing is an essential part of Pilates exercise. When you make a conscious effort to exhale fully, you’re working to get rid of every bit of stale air and allowing fresh, invigorating air to rush in. Joseph Pilates was adamant about deep breathing, as he wrote in his book Return to Life Through Contrology: "Lazy breathing converts the lungs, literally and figuratively speaking, into a cemetery for the deposition of diseased, dying and dead germs as well as supplying an ideal haven for the multiplication of other harmful germs.”
While that might be a little dramatic, focusing on working with your breath is a fantastic boost to your immune system, your overall health, and your overall mood.
Close Community
As with most group exercise, students at Fuse eventually begin to develop camaraderie, even a friendship with one another as time goes on. As you create a more consistent schedule for yourself, you’ll come across familiar faces from week to week. Having those people in class with you, everyone working so hard to reach their goals, is one of our favorite experiences to witness and keeps all of us coming back to work day after day. It’s what truly makes Fuse feel like a home away from home.
Studies have shown that partnering up for workouts can help you stay on track and increase your enjoyment of that workout. A 2016 study conducted at the University of Aberdeen found that working out with a friend not only helped to increase exercise frequency, but it provided a dose of emotional support, too. Not to mention, the post-class coffee date tastes that much better!
Jump into a group Mat, Tower, or Reformer class with a friend and experience for yourself how the small nature of Fuse Pilates group classes offers built-in support and camaraderie.
Flexibility & Mobility
I want nothing more than to curl up under a blanket with tea (let’s be honest, it’s a hot toddy) when the temperatures drop as much as the next person. However, we must keep movement as a regular part of our lives so our blood circulates, our bodies don’t get too stiff, and we keep up our health while colds and viruses are more prominent. Pilates gives many opportunities to stretch the body in an aligned, correct position, so you can work out those cold weather kinks in a safe way.
Most notably, we tend to shrug our shoulders really tight when walking outside in the wind and cold, causing tightness and strain in the neck and back. Take some time this winter to take care of yourself, and keep your body feeling good so you can enjoy the blanket snuggles that much more.
Can Pilates Help Winter Sports Performance?
Pilates is designed to offer targeted and focused exercises that will increase the leg strength of an athlete and enhance their confidence level by offering increased stability and mobility. Strengthening your core, back, and legs with Pilates can bring energy and power to your snowboard or skis and can help improve your performance.
Winter athletes can make moves on the snow and lean into turns safely knowing they’ve strengthened their bodies and primed their joints to withstand any position or fall. Whether you’re a regular on the slopes or just getting started, adding a few Mat or Apparatus classes into your schedule this winter will make sure you’re ahead of the game.
Most notably, the rotation and quick reaction time of many winter sports are hard to recreate in many traditional gyms or disciplines, so we specifically recommend Pilates to those who partake in particularly twisty winter sports. Pilates takes care to move the spine in all directions in every class, ensuring you can handle whatever the slopes throw at you.
Are summer sports more your style? Pre-season training can enhance your safety and performance and is well-suited to help keep your body in shape during a long winter season. You’re not off the hook!
Pilates Practice Is For Life
The best part about a Pilates studio and particularly Fuse is that the class repertoire is so varied, as long as you’re choosing to move one way or another you’ll reap the benefits we’ve talked about in this article.
Don’t let the winter cold freeze up your momentum - a little birdie tells us the Fuse Holiday Tree Sale will be the perfect time to grab the membership to keep you accountable!