Not 1 good reason for you to do Pilates. 4 of them.

Have you seen the “perfect Pilates princess” style videos on social media? They’re really doing the rounds right now, as far as my social media feeds know.

And literally zero hate to those creators. But. Like. They’re kinda only presenting the exercise method as some kind of elitist club? You’re either in it, or you’re not. And that’s actually the total opposite of the truth.

Pilates is for anybody. Any body.

It was originally called Contrology. And was invented by German guy Joseph Pilates while interned in England during WW1. He was super into helping injured soldiers using his methods, apparently. (Not exactly rich girl influencer vibes.)

His methods (‘Pilates’ to you and me) focus on a mind-body connection, breathing, balancing the body, strength, and control.

It’s giving vitality. It’s giving health.

So, yeah. It’s not necessarily the way certain TikToks would have you believe. There’s loads of different versions & variations of Pilates now. And there’s deffo a type of Pilates that you can (AND SHOULD) do. Should? YES. Let’s see why…

1. Nature’s Paracetamol

I’m my own case study so, ready for a fact? Regularly practising Pilates is the onlyyyyyy thing that’s ever helped with the regular back pain I’ve had since I was little. For as long as I can remember, I’ve known a simple equation: standing up + long periods of time = crying in pain.

Picture the scene, it’s a Saturday. It’s every Saturday. I’m shopping with my mum. We’ve gone from shop to shop along the high street. Now we’re in the last one of the day. How do I know there won’t be a next stop? Because now I’m sitting on the actual FLOOR with tears down my face. Because standing up is just too painful in my back / pelvis / posterior-superior-iliac-spine area. Yk?

A 7 y/o? With back problems? Less than ideal, n’est-ce pas ?

Picture this scene. Another scene. A more recent scene. Idk what day it is but I’m older now. I’m going to concerts. Concerts where you have to stand. I have to stand. For like hours at a time. Remember the maths from before?...

So, yes, I’d have to sit down again. On probably a dirtier floor than in the shops. Being sat would ‘help’ but it wouldn’t stop the pain, just turn the volume down on it.

Let’s fast forward to another scene now. I’m a bit older still, and it’s even more recent. I’m doing regular Pilates sessions and those posterior pelvic pains are a thing of the past. I just stopped getting them. No matter what standing-based activity I was doing, or for how long.

It felt like out of nowhere, they’d vanished. No more aches, pains, twinges. I just didn’t hear from them for years.

Untiiiiiil I got a bit complacent. Oops. And negligent. Guilty. And then next thing I know I’m in Paris and I’m cry-hobbling along the Champs-Élysées. Shuffling to the nearest bench to try to mute the pain. It ‘helped’. But not for long.

I then had to trek across what felt like the whole of the Île-de-France region to get back to the hotel room. Where I collapsed on the bed to cry-sleep while my boyfriend went back out to see the sights touristiques.

Quelle horreur.

Once I’d made it home, and was able to dip my toes back into the Pilates pool, I finally started to feel better. Since then, thanks to a regular practice, 0 back pain. Really and truly.

Movement is medicine folks. And you’ve gotta keep taking your dose.

2. Mobility, or flexibility, that is the question

Not sure what they mean? Or which is which? Or what you need? The good news is Pilates can give you both. (And you need both btw.)

Put simply, mobility = bones moving at the joints. And flexibility = muscles lengthening to allow the bones to move. More flexibility, more mobility.

Okay, sounds great. But what does it really MEAN? How about these two words…

Injury prevention.

By regularly working on your flexibility & mobility, you’ll be actively reducing your chances of getting injuries. I’m talking increased blood flow for juicy, healthy muscles. More range of motion for well-oiled joints. Less tension for fewer strains & sprains.

And when it comes to Pilates, there’s a focus on mobilising each joint to its full available range. And lengthening and strengthening each muscle in order to do so.

So, when you do Pilates, you’ll be doing dynamic stretches & exercises that work on your flexibility & mobility. Every session. Perfect.

Yes, your range of motion at each joint, and in each plane of movement, will improve. Yes, your muscles’ lengthening ability will improve. But on a much more *real* level, your lifestyle will improve.

By doing Pilates, you’ll contribute to your overall wellbeing. You’ll reduce your risk of pain and injury. You’ll move more efficiently. You'll see significant benefits to your everyday life.

Are you seeing what I’m saying? I mean, if you’re routinely stretching and moving your ankle, let’s say, through its full range, with some nice muscle elasticity, then you’re farrrr less likely to hear a big CRACK when you trip over the cat’s mouse toy.

So, whether it’s for the general movements of daily activity, or the more specialised movements of a targeted workout routine, make Pilates your way of keeping injuries at bay. Today… Hooray. (That was the last one I promise.)

3. Putting the fun in functional

You’re going to Greece, you’re on the plane, but first you’ve got to get that massive overhead-locker-worthy hand luggage up and ‘stowed away’. How are you gonna do that??

(Hint: the answer starts with P and rhymes with Bilates.)

Okay, so, as well as avoiding pain and moving efficiently… another major benefit of Pilates on the day-to-day is function.

Functional movement. AKA movement. AKA actually being able to move. Move the way you want to. Or need to. When you need to.

A key part of that is strength.

When doing Pilates, you can use your own bodyweight resistance, specialised equipment, or weights & resistance bands to build strength throughout your whole body. Both the deeper, more stabilising muscles, and the bigger muscles responsible for movement, will get a great workout.

And strength is important.

We’ve all got to be strong enough to get through life. Physically. The typical Monday-Sunday. Over and over again. With the occasional surprise need to climb LOADS of stairs. And by regularly working on your flexibility, mobility, and strength, Pilates makes all that easier.

Getting up off the floor? Easy. Carrying a kicking & screaming child? Peasy. Bringing in all the shopping bags from the car in one trip? Lemon. Spending all of Saturday shopping and not ending up sat on the floor? Squeezy.

A Pilates class will work your whole body from the top to the toes.

Use your mind-body connection, breath and controlled full-body movements. Then finish your workout feeling you’ve lengthened and strengthened what feels like every. single. muscle.

You’ll also be working on your alignment, coordination, and any muscle imbalances as well. Which means your strength, stability, balance and posture are in for a real treat.

4. A flatter tummy? Oh go on then

Posture got a mention a second ago. How’s yours?

I think pretty much everyone’s could use some work. Or a lot. Especially in these days of iPhone-neck.

Recently I’ve heard a few people using it as a compliment. “She’s got nice eyes, nice hair, and great posture!” That sort of thing. Honestly! So people notice it. And they like it.

Good posture. Standing a bit taller. Feeling more confident.

So that means, as well as good posture having physical benefits (less pain, injury, and better movement) it also has aesthetic benefits. And it can boost the old self-esteem.

I think you know what’s coming.

Doing Pilates can make you feel more confident about how you look.

Bingo.

Now, I didn’t want to go straight to appearance-based benefits at the top of this list. Because that’s not the be all and end all. There’s more important things to consider first. BUT. It’s also important to feel good about yourself.

So let’s go.

Do regular Pilates sessions to improve your posture. And then by just standing more ‘correctly’, a tummy can shrink, a double-chin can disappear, a hunchback can vanish.

Plus, consistently working out your muscles with the lengthening & strengthening moves can give them more definition. And you can look more toned. Think biceps, think glutes, think abs…

Feel confident about your arms and go for the halter-neck.

Feel confident about your legs and go for the shorts.

Feel confident about your tummy and go to the beach.

But don’t forget, along with the aesthetic goals, Pilates gives you more. It’s a way of doing something for you. To look after yourself. So you can feel good about how you look on the outside, and how you feel on the inside.

So there you have it. Just 4 of the millions of reasons why Pilates is for you and your mum and your boyfriend and your cat.

And no matter what version of it you may or may not have seen on social media, remember it’s for anybody.

Any body.