Heart disease claims thousands of lives each year in the United States. This can be caused by stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of nutrition, and lack of physical activity, to name a few. One way to help combat the effects of heart disease is through pilates. Now, of course, you should always check with your physician to see what treatment is best for you, pilates is still a great supplemental activity.

There is a big focus on breath in pilates. The type of breath used in pilates is mindful breathing; it combines deep inhales and exhales, which calm the mind and nourish the body. A lot of people do not concentrate on their breathing, and it becomes shallow breaths in the upper part of the chest. This type of breathing increases heart rate and anxiety because the pressure is being put on the wrong areas of the body. When breathing correctly in pilates, you are exhaling all of the old germs and carbon dioxide through your mouth and inhaling new fresh air through your nose. The exhale is done during the most challenging part of the exercise, and the inhale during the recovery /preparing part. Pilates is a low impact exercise, which means it does not make your joints and bones grind together or violently compress your spine. People have been led to believe that if you hurt after you exercise, that means you are getting results. Injuries do not mean progress. Low impact exercise creates less of a chance for injury and can be done often.

Additionally, the heavy focus on breathing in pilates can also be applied to other types of exercise as well. However, HIIT type of training might not be advised with those who have high blood pressure. If there is no focus on breathing during any form of exercise, it can result in injury and increased heart rate and blood pressure. By focusing on every movement and tying that in with breathing, pilates is working your whole body, inside and outside. It is not an exercise for solely focusing on getting bigger triceps or getting a six-pack of abs. Pilates is concerned with the whole individual; the movements are meant to be conducted slowly, controlled, and focused.

Pilates has a flow and a rhythm; there are no sudden ups and downs; it is very balanced. When focusing on breathing and every movement, no matter how small, pilates helps to lower blood pressure and stress, which can help combat the effects of heart disease.

For more information, contact Kay Colgan at Middleburg Pilates and Personal Training, 14 S Madison Street, Middleburg, VA, or call 540-687-6995.