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•Serves as a distraction or coping mechanism
•Creates opportunities for social interaction (para. 3)
Pilates has helped me achieve all of the above. From improving brain function to being an outlet for movement, Pilates has helped me achieve so much more than I had ever imagined.
The History of Pilates in Brief
Before I dissect the bulleted list, I will give a brief history and overview of Pilates so that you understand a little more about it. Joseph Pilates was born in the late 1800s in Germany and was often ill as a child. He hated being so sick and developed an exercise routine to help him combat his childhood illnesses. As a circus performer, he moved to England in the early 1900s to find work. Unfortunately, World War I emerged after a year he was in the country so he and all other Germans were interred in England for the length of the war. While at the internment camp, Pilates and other fitness enthusiasts kept their cohorts moving with his routines. They stayed healthy! His reputation preceded him and when he returned to Germany he assisted with rehabilitation of soldiers. While he was working on rehabilitation, he was also training boxers, his true passion.
In 1926 Pilates moved to the United States and decided to settle in New York City. He was quickly sought out by dancers because his exercises and equipment helped them recover from injuries much faster than other methods. This is where the dancer reputation began, but he stayed true to his roots and always loved boxing. In the beginning he called his method “Corrective Exercise” and subsequently “Contrology”. Even though Joe was a pioneer in fitness ahead of his time, he was a prolific inventor. Pilates had been developing equipment to assist in training himself and others. It started when he was rehabilitating soldiers in Germany, and he continued to improve his designs. The most famous and versatile piece of Pilates equipment is called the Reformer. Also commonly used is the trapeze table, or “Cadillac," spine correctors/barrels and Pilates
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