Everyone, in some way or another, experiences stress in their daily life. We all have different techniques to deal with difficulties each day, whether it is squeezing a stress ball or going for long walks. For those people who enjoy having a routine activity they can do each week, pilates and yoga are two activities that are both good for the body and are natural stress relievers. These forms of exercise are similar and sometimes confused. However, pilates and yoga have different objectives with their own separate benefits for our bodies.
Pilates
One of the main goals of pilates is to work on rehabilitating and strengthening certain areas of the body. Pilates classes are usually very structured, so you can anticipate what is going to happen each time before you walk in the door. Pilates works on building the core and spinal strength. People who do pilates usually feel like they are building very strong abdominal muscles. In pilates, the main goal is to focus on the back and core so there is minimal cardiovascular work involved. For those people who are looking to lose weight, pilates is a better choice than yoga, but it will take longer than a workout that was focused around cardio work. In general, pilates builds a taller and leaner body. Unlike yoga, a pilates workout involves work on the mat as well as work on pilates machines.
Yoga
For those of you who really want to reduce your stress and improve your concentration, yoga would be the better choice. Yoga has been around much longer than pilates, which is relatively new in comparison. In yoga, you explore your spirituality through mediation. You work on building a connection between your mind, body and spirit. While pilates for the most part has a uniform routine, yoga does not. Each yoga class you attend could be different, because there are tens of thousands of different postures to choose from. A yoga workout builds every muscle in the body equally. Each posture is accompanied by a counter posture that helps improves both strength and focus. In each yoga session, there is a segment dedicated to breath work. During this time you practice getting in touch with your spirituality and managing stress. After just one session, studies have shown that yoga lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Additionally, yoga is known for helping improve arthritis. A large portion of any yoga routine is focused on helping you to reflect and study your body. Yoga will tune you into your body and create an inner peace.
It is up to you whether you want to head off to either a pilates or yoga class, based on what you know about each one. If you are unsure what class will be best for what you are looking for, go to one of each and see which one you like better. The group rate for most pilates and yoga classes runs at about $15 dollars for one session. If pilates or yoga is something you have always been interested in, why not give it a try?
To learn more about how you can keep your body healthy and fit, visit Dr. Abroon’s website by clicking HERE.