Use Pilates to ease winter stiffness

 Use Pilates to ease winter stiffness

As we slowly transition out of the chill of Winter, are you noticing that your body is moving with a bit more stiffness than you would like? Well, Clinical Pilates might just be the exercise to help you to ‘loosen up’.

Stiffness or tightness in a muscle can have one or even several different causes. During the cold season, you have likely been tensing up in an attempt to keep warm, as well as being more sedentary than you are during the warmer months. This tension and lack of movement has likely contributed to a loss of muscle length and muscle strength.

If you’re experiencing this stiffness and tightness during exercise, it may be due to the often-overlooked cause of muscle weakness. While it might seem counter-intuitive, strengthening the tight muscle could be just what is needed. Often when muscles become stiff during exercise it is due to muscle fatigue, resulting in tightening. When the muscles are strong, they are able to function more efficiently and for longer.

Pilates is a low-impact form of resistance training that can help to both lengthen and strengthen the muscles. Strength is built by gradually increasing the resistance levels, and also through a focus on core strength, which helps to improve your posture, supporting your overall strength and stability. There is also a focus on safely increasing the length and stretch of muscles, as well as the range of motion within the joints.

Here at Hoppers Physio, our Physiotherapists are thoroughly trained in the discipline of Pilates. Our experienced team also have a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of the muscles and associated soft tissue, enabling them to provide you with a safe exercise plan that will assist with your specific needs. Let our physios help you ease out of the winter chill and safely back into action! Call our Hoppers Crossing clinic today on (03) 9749 5110, and see how Pilates can help you.