Pilates for Real Life: Improve Strength, Mobility & Everyday Movement

Pilates isn't just about what happens on the mat.

The strength, mobility, balance and body awareness you develop during Pilates can help you move with greater confidence in everyday life.

When we think about Pilates, it's easy to picture the exercises themselves: Roll Ups, bridges, side-lying leg work, spinal mobility and perhaps the occasional Teaser!

But the real benefit of Pilates isn't necessarily being able to perform a particular exercise.

It's what those exercises can help you do outside your Pilates class.

• Getting up from a chair.

• Reaching into a cupboard.

• Turning to look behind you.

• Bending to pick something up.

• Carrying the shopping.

• Getting down to the floor and back up again.

These are all examples of functional movement — the movements we use to manage everyday life.

And this is where Pilates can be particularly valuable.

What is functional movement?

Functional movement simply means movement that has a purpose in everyday life.

We rarely move in isolation. Walking, lifting, reaching and bending require several joints and muscle groups to work together, while our brain constantly adjusts our balance, coordination and position.

A good Pilates practice can help develop some of the qualities that support these movements, including:

• Strength

• Mobility

• Balance

• Coordination

• Postural awareness

• Core control

• Body awareness

The goal isn't to create a perfectly aligned body that never moves out of position. It's to develop a body that can move, adapt and respond to different situations.

Hips: Helping You Walk, Bend and Get Up

Our hips are involved in an enormous amount of everyday movement.

Think about:

• walking

• climbing stairs

• getting out of a chair

• bending down

• getting onto the floor

• getting back up again

• stepping over an obstacle

• standing on one leg while putting on your trousers!

Good hip function requires a combination of mobility and strength.

For example, if your hips don't move comfortably, other parts of the body may have to compensate. Likewise, having good hip mobility isn't particularly useful if you don't have the strength and control to use that movement effectively.

Pilates examples

Exercises such as Shoulder Bridge, Side-Leg Series, squats and other controlled leg movements can challenge the muscles around the hips and pelvis.

The important thing isn't simply performing the exercise.

It's learning to control the movement.

That ability to control your hips and pelvis is something you can then take into everyday activities such as standing, walking and changing direction.

Shoulders: More Than Just Raising Your Arms

Your shoulders allow you to interact with the world around you.

Reaching into a cupboard, hanging washing, putting on a coat, carrying shopping or lifting something onto a shelf all require your shoulder, upper back and spine to work together.

Healthy shoulder movement isn't simply about being able to lift your arm overhead.

Your shoulder blade, upper back and ribcage also need to move and coordinate with the arm.

This is one reason Pilates often incorporates exercises that encourage awareness of the shoulder blades and upper spine.

Try noticing this

Next time you reach for something on a shelf, don't just think about your arm.

Notice what happens through your:

shoulder → shoulder blade → upper back → ribcage → spine.

Movement is rarely just one joint doing all the work.

Spine: Bending, Turning and Adapting

Our spine is designed to move.

We bend it. We rotate it. We extend it. We move it subtly every time we walk.

Yet many of us become wary of spinal movement, particularly as we get older or if we've experienced back pain.

Rather than thinking of the spine as something that needs to be kept completely still and protected, Pilates encourages controlled and purposeful movement within an individual's comfortable range.

Everyday life certainly doesn't happen in one fixed position.

You might:

• turn to reach something behind you

• bend to tie your shoes

• rotate while getting out of the car

• reach sideways to pick something up

• lean over while gardening

• look around you while walking.

Being able to move your spine with control and confidence can therefore be an important part of maintaining everyday function.

Strength Matters Too

Mobility is only part of the picture.

We need enough strength to control and use the movement we have.

This becomes increasingly important as we get older.

Maintaining muscle strength can support everyday activities, balance and physical independence. Strength training is also an important part of healthy ageing and maintaining bone health.

Pilates can provide a useful form of resistance exercise, particularly when exercises are appropriately progressed through changes in leverage(e.g bent legs versus straight legs), resistance, repetitions, range and complexity.

Think of the way we progress your exercises in class to encourage the building of your muscular response.

And sometimes that progression might mean adding equipment such as resistance bands, small weights or other Pilates equipment.

The aim isn't simply to make an exercise harder for the sake of it.

It's to provide your body with an appropriate challenge so that it can continue to adapt.

Pilates Isn't About Perfect Movement

One of the things I love about Pilates is that it can teach us to become more curious about our bodies.

Instead of simply thinking:

"Am I doing this exercise correctly?"

we can start asking:

"What am I noticing?"

Where am I placing my weight?

Can I feel my hips working?

Am I holding my breath?

Can my shoulders relax?

Is my spine moving?

Can I control the movement?

That growing body awareness is one of the things that can make Pilates so useful beyond the class itself.

The more we understand how our bodies move, the more choices we have about how we move them.

Take Pilates Into Your Everyday Life

Hopefully this articles has encouraged you to be aware of your body; You don't have to wait until your next class to practise functional movement.

Try noticing these three movements during your week:

Reach

When you reach for something, notice how your shoulder, upper back and spine work together.

Turn

When you turn to look behind you, notice whether the movement comes from your whole body rather than simply cranking your neck around.

Rise

Next time you stand up from a chair, notice how your feet, legs, hips and spine work together to bring you upright.

You don't need to change anything.

Just notice.

That awareness is part of the practice.

The Real Goal of Pilates

Perhaps the most useful way to think about Pilates is that the exercises are the practice — everyday life is the application.

We practise controlled movement on the mat so that we can develop the strength, mobility, coordination and confidence to move through life more easily.

Because ultimately, Pilates isn't about being able to perform the perfect Teaser.

It's about being able to bend, reach, lift, walk, turn, balance and move with confidence — whatever life asks of your body.

Ready to take your Pilates into real life?

Our September Pilates classes are now open for booking, with sessions designed to help you build strength, mobility, balance and confidence at your own level.

Whether you're new to Pilates, returning after a break or looking to develop your existing practice, you don't need to be fitter or more flexible before you start.

That's what we're here to work on.

Book your September Pilates class HERE