"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn

Transcription

1 "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn LENGTHEN. STRENGTHEN. ENERGIZE.

2 Contents Pilates for the younger generation Pilates in the classroom... 3 Pilates in the classroom... 3 Benefits of Pilates for young people... 4 Benefits of Pilates... 7 Brief history of Pilates... 7 PILATES IN THE CLASSROOM 2

3 "There are three things to remember when teaching: know your stuff; know whom you are stuffing; and then stuff them elegantly." ~ Lola May Pilates for the younger generation Pilates in the classroom All fitness facilities seem to cater to adults and people with money to spend. Children and youths are just in need of physical activity as adults these days. The time spent behind computers, hunched over lap tops, carrying bags and back packs full of books, cell phones attached to ears, fingers texting wildly. These activities are becoming more and more prevalent. Over time it all adds up to big business and pay cheques for doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and any other health professionals. Preventative measures are always best. It is like studying a bit every night for that upcoming final exam or practicing with your team every week for that final match. Taking care of your body also has to be done from the beginning, little by little, to make sure that it s in working order and decent shape for those challenging and stressful times. For those young people off to university, the difficult and challenging times can be the final high school exams to get marks for university entrance. For young children it can be the anxiety of getting into the right sports league. For other young people it can be a matter of their health, everything from recovering from injuries sustained throughout sports or threat of disease such as diabetes due to obesity. For some young people, girls in particular, maintaining regular activity can be a challenge after a certain age. Maybe the child does not possess the aptitude for team sports, or have that ability for dance or track and field. Maybe the sports and physical activities offered at school aren t for every young person s thing, but it s still important to find something that allows a young person to address as many of the requirements of fitness as possible. Pilates can offer many of these. But aside from that, doing Pilates can enhance a lifestyle because regular and consistent practice of Pilates will benefit the body in many ways: increased energy, increased confidence, coordination, balance and stability; side effects of Pilates are relaxation, mediation, enjoyment, a feeling of accomplishments. The regular discipline of practicing Pilates in a group can create a sense of team work and belonging to a group. For some young people who are not a part of a sports team, drama club, band or any other group may miss out on team activity. Pilates Patio wants to offer this opportunity to young people through after school, before school and/or lunch hour classes throughout the school week and year. Pilates in the classroom Pilates Patio s goals are to bring Pilates to the classrooms for young people in schools. We are not here to provide physical education. We are here to introduce and add something new to the lifestyles of young people. Through the exercises of Pilates on the mat and with small props like stability balls, foam rollers, bands to challenge more young people both physically and mentally. They will learn skills that can be applied not only to the exercises of Pilates but to school classes 3

4 and hopefully take with them once they graduate and move on in life. These skills are concentration, discipline, practice, patience, relaxation, breath exercise. Some of the physical benefits of Pilates are improved posture and strength, flexibility and energy resulting in increased confidence, self esteem and positive attitude. Pilates Patio in conjunction with the schools would like to bring Pilates classes for students at a convenient time: lunch hour, before school and after school or at scheduled time. Pilates is for all students, boys and girls, those already engaged in athletic activities and those who are not. We encourage and welcome students who may not already be engaged in physical activities at school in particular to try Pilates. Pilates is for every body. Our instructors are from local Pilates studios, gyms, and independent fitness professionals; they are qualified and certified to teach Pilates. They have other professional backgrounds as well, such as business owners, dancers, managers, engineers, teachers, marketing experts etc. The idea with Pilates Patio is to help incorporate an element into a young person s life that will include the mind and body, a lifestyle that can be done beyond their school life. Our instructors represent more than just physical activity but are also real people who either have or have had jobs in a variety of disciplines outside of health and fitness industry. The idea is to show young people that regardless of what they choose to do in the long run they can still benefit from physical activity and in particular Pilates to share it with others. Pilates is not a team sport however it can be done a group setting allowing for the feeling of camaraderie. It can be done on your own. There are numerous studios throughout the world as well as numerous classes are being offered either through community centres or local gyms. There are countless instructional DVD s for Pilates that can be followed. After a little practice many of the exercises are straight forward enough to do on your own at home yet still be challenging enough to benefit from it. The principles of Pilates itself can be applied to life. The first one, breathing is essential for life itself. Learning about the different types of breathing and breathing efficiently is not only essential for Pilates but valuable in times of crisis and anxiety. Benefits of Pilates for young people The benefits of Pilates are numerous and far reaching. Everything from the commonly known, means of core strength through strengthening abdominal and back muscles, the tightening and elongation of muscles creating a leaner more toned look, allowing clothes to fit better. To help improve or maintain posture can be a means of de-stressing and a form of relaxation that is both rejuvenating and energizing. Pilates is a low impact form of exercise so can be a good form of rehabilitation or strengthening for those with joint problems, for example knees. Muscles around the knee joint can be strengthened without putting unnecessary pressure on the knee consequently strengthening the knee. Pilates also aims at targeting deeper, smaller muscles. Many other benefits of Pilates not as readily apparent are improvements in balance, coordination, 4

5 flexibility, muscular endurance and even power. Some of the lesser known and not so apparent benefits of Pilates are being able to lie down while exercising, not sweating if you don t want to, variety of exercises through the use of equipment or small props i.e. Balls, bands, to add variety, maintaining continual interest and greater source of challenge. For those who feel they get all this from other forms of exercises, Pilates is a good form of cross training. There are many myths about Pilates. Among those are the beneficiaries of Pilates. Unlike what many believe, Pilates is not just for women and dancers. Pilates is beneficial to all people. Joseph Pilates was neither a dancer nor a woman. He was a man. He wasn t even an athlete or health practitioner when he created the exercises that he made and what he called Contrology, and now more commonly known as Pilates. He was a sickly child suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He was motivated by unlikely peers at school: bullies, taunting and teasing him at school, to start and continue on a journey to continued fitness and health. Throughout his lifetime he was an acrobat, a circus performer, a trainer, a teacher and many other things. But he was neither a dancer nor a woman. When he arrived to the United States he settled in an area frequently visited by dancers who would come to him to be fixed after being injured. Over the years the exercise he originally called Contrology now known as Pilates evolved into various styles by dancers, other fitness professionals and athletes. Regardless of style, the essence of Pilates is beneficial to everyone. For students and in particular teens and girls the benefits of Pilates can range from physical to psychological. The mind and body connection when doing Pilates has benefits that can be used in other areas. For example, the concentration required to learn a new activity can be used when studying. The purposeful breathing performed during Pilates can be used in other aspects of a person s life. Some examples: during stressful situations whether at school or in their personal lives. It can aid in breath control and increased lung capacity which can only benefit those who sing or play wind instruments. Learning to use ones muscles to perform movements in a controlled manner results in increased balance, coordination, flexibility and muscle tone will increase self confidence and self esteem. Every body is different and the progress one makes in Pilates is independent of athletic aptitude and initial physical fitness, those teens who may not normally engage in physical activity can do so with Pilates and benefit. Everyone progresses at his/her own pace. Since every body is different, strengths and weaknesses being different in each body, different exercises will pose different challenges for different people. As a result competition doesn t come into play when doing Pilates. The most rudimentary exercise can be made as challenging as possible with slight modifications so students of varying abilities can participate in the same class. More and more young people are spending time in front of computers, on cell phones, texting messages all these activities are moving them closer to increased back pain, neck tension and poor posture. 5

6 Pilates is a wonderful activity to help with these conditions and is recommended by physiotherapists, massage therapists and chiropractors to adults with these conditions and worse. Taking preventative measures early on in a person s life by introducing Pilates to young people can only delay the eventual need to visit a physiotherapist, massage therapist or chiropractor because of a pain in the neck, back that has been thrown out and countless other ailments due to poor posture. Pilates can help with self esteem and body image. With so much emphasis on appearances, looking a certain way and being a certain size Pilates can help. Toning and strengthening muscles can help clothes fit better. Improvements in posture can also help one s physical appearance given the appearance of being leaner and slimmer without losing weight. When young people learn to carry themselves physically, self esteem will improve and confidence in other areas will increase. The increasing trend of Pilates and more and more celebrities are opting for Pilates as a form of exercise will also resonate with young people. Increased muscle tone, flexibility and coordination allow greater ability to adapt to unpredictable conditions which can arise anywhere, anytime. Increased energy is also a likely side effect to Pilates. Increased energy means a greater ability to do things one enjoys personally as well as getting more enjoyment out of the tasks required to be done such as those for school and home. It can also lead to trying new things. Young people who are not adept at cardiovascular activities can get quite a bit out of Pilates although it is not a cardiovascular activity, per say. Some activities on some of the Pilates equipment, in particular Jump-board on the reformer, can raise the heart rate. A team is only as strong as its weakest player. Pilates is not a team activity so no one participant in a class will feel like the weakest player. However the encouragement of seeing others in a group setting progress and achieve their personal best can be encouraging for others to persist with Pilates exercises that provide challenges. This positive attitude of working in a group setting can and will translate into other settings. While Pilates is primarily an individual activity done under the guidance and instruction of a trained professional through group classes a social component is also present. Groups are small so no one is left unattended or behind in the back of the class. Participants can learn from others. Creating a new interest successfully and meeting new people who share the same interest can be good for ones self esteem. Pilates is an activity that can be done at home with no equipment other than a mat. The instant and obvious gratification of achieving a pose and holding it, scoring a goal, winning a game, winning a race, getting an A, hearing and seeing the applause of an audience from a stage aren t there in Pilates. Pilates supports all of these acts though. Whether it s through 6

7 stronger core muscles, increased coordination, balance or power, increased confidence or more efficient breathing, Pilates can be a contributing factor to each of these situations. Pilates is an activity that can be done throughout a person s life, whether at home or in a group fitness class or in a studio, it can always be a positive contributing factor to any lifestyle. Pilates is definitely something worth incorporating early on in a person s life. Benefits of Pilates 1. Strengthens abdominals. 2. Strengthens back muscles. 3. Helps posture. 4. Relaxing. 5. Relieves stress. 6. Energizes. 7. Elongates muscles. 8. Tightens muscles. 9. Creates a leaner look. 10. Tones muscles. 11. Clothes fit better. 12. Improves balance. 13. Improve coordination. 14. Targets deeper muscles. 15. Increases flexibility. 16. Lie down while exercising. 17. Don't sweat if you don t want to. 18. Varied exercises help prevent boredom and possible plateau in exercise routine. 19. Good form of cross training. 20. Why not! Brief history of Pilates Pilates was originally termed Contrology. It was created and developed by Joseph Pilates. Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in In time he came to believe that modern life-style, poor posture and inefficient breathing were the root causes of poor health. He decided to address these problems through a series of physical exercises to help and correct muscular imbalances and help restore the body to its original health state. Joseph himself was a sickly child. He suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. Older boys would tease and taunt him. He was so skinny and sickly he couldn t fight back. All these factors 7

8 combined motivated him to start what would be his life s journey: the creation of a form of movement later to be called Pilates. Pilates was influenced by many things, a discarded anatomy book, watching how animals move and how mothers taught their young, different forms of exercise such as yoga, Zen and ancient Greek and Roman exercise regimens. He was also influenced by his parents, his father a gymnast and his mother a naturopath. By the time he was 14 he was modeling for anatomy charts. Throughout his life he was a boxer, a gymnast, skier and diver. He furthered his training as a boxer in England. He became a circus performer and touring throughout England. After the war broke out he and other German nationals were interned in a camp for enemy aliens. It was during this time in the camp that he developed his system of exercises that became known as Contrology later renamed and modified over the years and now known as Pilates. He was later transferred to another camp on the Isle of Man. He worked with internees suffering from disease and incarceration. Here he started devising equipment to help rehabilitate the internees. The equipment was devised by taking bed springs, rigging exercises apparatus for the bedridden. In 1918 an epidemic of influenza attacked the working killing millions and tens of thousands in England. Even though the camps were hardest hit, none of Joseph Pilates followers succumbed to the influenza. He went on to write a few books. Return to Contrology explains his approach in greater detail. He returned to Germany after the war where he began training the Hamburg military police in self defense. He started taking on personal clients as well training them in his method of exercise and movement. In 1925 he was invited to train the new German Army but due to the political direction of Germany he declined and spent the remainder of his life in America. It was on the trip to America that he met his wife Clara. She was a kinder-garden teacher suffering from arthritic pain. Joseph Pilates worked with her on the trip over, healing her and giving her a new lease on life. After arriving in New York City they opened a gym in a building with many dance studios. In time Contrology became an important part of life, rehabilitation and training for many dancers. Joseph s clients included all people, not just dancers including socialites, plumbers, doctors and others. Joseph Pilates died in 1967 of emphysema from smoking cigars for too long. His wife continued to teach and the run studio until the end of her life in Many people went through his studio. Many of his clients became his students and went on to become Pilates instructors and studio owners of their own bringing their own flavor and interpretation to Joseph Pilates method. The first generations of instructors are referred to as the elders. Among them is Ron Fletcher. Many have said that Hollywood celebrities discovered Pilates through Ron Fletcher s studio in Beverly Hills. From here the Pilates craze grew. It wasn t until the late 1980 s that the Pilates craze really started to boom. It was no longer exercise for just the elite. It was now a mainstream form of fitness and also established itself as a physiotherapeutic modality. The variety of exercises found in Pilates is vast. There is something for everyone. There are various exercises and modifications for all body types. There are mat exercises involving your body weight and gravity and then there are equipment based exercises using resistance in the form of springs for additional challenge. There are small props such as balls, bands, rollers and much more to both aid and challenge a body. Pilates can be done in a one on one setting, small two person group settings or in small group classes. A combination of both is ideal. Individual training to get the specific modifications for your body and postural and muscular needs and then group sessions to practice these as well as to learn from 8

9 others and the social component of sharing a common interest with others. 9