Although Joe Pilates did not create Standing Pilates, he would have realized the benefits of taking Pilates off the floor and turning it on its feet. Why? Because weightbearing exercises are essential for todayís aging population to prevent osteoporosis. Also, to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to prevent prolapse, and to improve our balance, all of which can be affected as we age and by poor posture. We knew that the Classical mat exercises could be re-choreographed for standing. More important, standing on one leg meant that the load was tripled so the increase is 300%.
The PhysicalMind Institute’s Teacher training course “Osteoporosis Awareness” used exercises on the apparatus, which maximized weight bearing and decreased forward flexion. Thus it was just ìa short walkî to incorporate these concepts into new choreography for the Pilates matwork. This means that we are now bending the spine at the ìbra lineî and softening the rib cage rather than crunching the head forward and we are using the deepest abdominal muscles ñ the transversesóto stabilize the spine so that we can stand erect.
A healthy pelvic floor is so important to our overall well-being and fitness, that it is surprising how frequently it is overlooked in traditional exercise. This is yet another reason why Pilates is such a beneficial program – it creates awareness and promotes the well-being of the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor awareness and engagement is a necessary part of performing the Pilates exercises correctly. The pelvic floor performs three very important functions.
- Supportive pelvic floor function is to keep our internal organs in place. We utilize the pelvic floor every time we cough, laugh or sneeze. Because these actions create internal abdominal pressure, our pelvic floor responds by keeping everything in line. If a healthy pelvic floor is weak, however, the contents of our pelvis (or our internal organs) can prolapse, or fall. Women are prone to the prolapse of their uterus when they are not aware or have not exercised and strengthened their pelvic floor muscles or when the pelvic floor muscles have been damaged.
- Sphincter: For prevention of incontinence, the pelvic floorís inability to perform this function is a serious problem for millions of people – and generally not talked about because it is an embarrassing topic.
- Sexual function: pelvic floor muscles can increase sexual stimulation. Women who are aware of their pelvic floors and practice exercising them report having enhanced sexual feeling. As far as the relationship of the pelvic floor to fitness is concerned, it is imperative that the pelvic floor be engaged during exercises. This engagement enables us to lift heavy items more safely, and supports our lower back. Specifically, the pelvic floor muscles, along with the lumbar multifidus, diaphragm, and Transversus Abdominus, form a cylinder, or a support for our lumbar spine.These muscles working together maintain the IAP (Intra Abdominal Pressure) needed to stabilize and release the pressure from our lumbar spine, as well as to support our internal organs as we exert ourselves.
Pelvic Floor awareness is important in Pilates Matwork, but even more necessary in the Standing Series. In the standing series, we use the pelvic floor to focus on our breath, as well as to perform in stabilization role. Pilates and the Pelvic Floor can help people who are incontinent, women who are recovering from pregnancy, people who are having trouble” finding” or engaging their lower abdominal muscles. Old or frail clients can use pelvic floor awareness to perform their abdominal work, as well as people with low back pain, and everyone can use this safely to strengthen their core. Added benefits from these exercises are that you are more resistant to urinary tract infection because of better blood flow. Flat abdominals are also a benefit, since a compromised pelvic floor makes it nearly impossible to attain, due to the shift and prolapse of internal organs.
The pelvic floor muscles interact with other muscles in our body to perform many functions during our exercise as well, such as external hip rotation. Unfortunately, many people are not aware what an integral part the pelvic floor plays in our health, until it has been compromised or damaged. Many factors can damage a healthy pelvic floor; childbirth, surgery (prostetomy for men and hysterectomy for women), postmenopause deficiencies in estrogen, drugs, diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, as well as smokers cough and excessive body weight. A healthy pelvic floor can help you against these ailments. Standing Pilates is a great and intensive way to train ourselves to engage and become more aware of our pelvic floor and the integral part it plays in our physical well-being. Another attribute of Standing Pilates is that it forces us to use extreme focus. We are forced to focus on how our body moves and reacts in a balancing position. Standing Pilates is a full body exercise in the sense that you will feel everything working to stabilize your body and are more aware of how your body moves and relates to yourself. such as correctly sitting in a chair or bending to pick something up. These moves can be incorporated into improving the way we move our bodies in everyday life. During the last decade we have turned into a nation of flexion addicts. We are sitting at the computer, eating, traveling in cars and planes, eating, watching TV, eating, talking on the phone, and eating. We are sitting, and more accurately, slumping. We are almost always inclined forward even if we are doing nothing. This posture degrades our musculature and impacts our neurological systems. In other words, it is bad!
Our bodies are designed to function from a neutral spine. When we are slumped in the sitting position, our muscle become lax. Look at your clothes and see how they hang. Now slump and watch how the fabric wrinkles. This is what is happening to your torso muscles. And you wonder why your abdomen is sticking out! Muscles become lax when you slump, so other muscles try to take over the slack of the internal support muscles. When you sit for long periods, your hips and shoulders become stiff. Your hip flexors and neck muscles must take up the slack. They are tightening to hold you up and this is not good.
If you find yourself slumped at a computer, slouching on the sofa with neck or back ache then perhaps try out a Standing Pilates class and find out the benefits for yourself.
