When it comes to diet and exercise, there’s one word you should base your entire health routine around (and it’s not calories or gym or food). The word is balance. Without balance, it can be incredibly difficult to stick to a diet and exercise routine over the long haul. Sure, you could go gung ho at the gym for a month, and stick to a really good calorie deficit with no cheat meals for a few weeks… but eventually, your body is gonna burn out. The best way to avoid burnout is (say it with me now) – balance.
True wellness comes from healthy eating, regular exercise, a positive mindset and rest. By focusing on both the food we put in our bodies and the movement we do with them, we can create a holistic approach to health and fitness that truly makes a difference.
Look, we love the gym. We love lifting heavy things. We love bulking and the cutting and everything in between. But you know what we love in between those heavy sessions in order to restore balance to our bodies and minds? Pilates. In this article, we’re diving into the benefits of adding pilates into your routine for the ultimate and how it can help you stay balanced, stay focused and most of all, help nail your fitness and health goals.
How Reformer Pilates Can Improve Your Results in the Gym
- Improve overall fitness and strength
- A low-impact workout that targets small stabilising muscles
- Helps you lift heavier weights and perform exercises with better form
- Improve flexibility and balance, which can prevent injuries in the gym
- Help to improve the mind-body connection
Reformer pilates is a great addition to your gym routine because it helps to improve your overall fitness and strength. It’s a low-impact workout that targets all the small stabilising muscles in your body that you may not even realise you have.
By working these muscles, you’ll be able to lift heavier weights and perform exercises with better form. Not only that, but pilates also helps to improve your flexibility and balance, which can prevent injuries in the gym.
Plus, the controlled and precise movements of pilates can also help to improve your mind-body connection, giving you a better understanding of how your body moves and how to properly engage different muscle groups during your gym workout.
Reformer Pilates Vs Mat Pilates
Reformer pilates and mat pilates are both forms of pilates, but they are performed on different equipment.
- Reformer Pilates: is performed on a machine called a reformer. The reformer consists of a sliding carriage, straps, and springs that provide resistance to the body. This machine allows for a wider variety of exercises and can help to increase strength and flexibility.
- Mat pilates: is performed on a mat and typically uses the body’s own resistance. It focuses on core strength and stability and typically includes exercises such as the plank, the bridge, and the roll-up.
Both reformer pilates and mat pilates have their own unique benefits, but the key difference is that reformer pilates provides more resistance and can be more intense, while mat pilates is more focused on core stability and control.
The Benefits of Balancing Your Fitness Routine
When it comes to fitness, it’s important to remember that balance is key. Having a well-rounded fitness routine that incorporates a variety of different types of exercise can bring numerous benefits to your overall health and well-being. While pilates is an amazing addition to your fitness routine, it’s not the only way to bring balance and improve your overall results.
- Cardio exercises: such as running, cycling, or swimming can improve cardiovascular health and increase endurance.
- Strength training exercises: like weightlifting or resistance band work can help to build muscle, improve bone density, and increase metabolism.
- Flexibility exercises: such as yoga or stretching can help to increase the range of motion, reduce muscle soreness, and prevent injury.
- Balance exercises: such as pilates or tai chi can help to improve balance, coordination, and stability.
Also, switching up your routine can help to prevent boredom and keep you motivated, making it easier to stick to your fitness goals. And, by balancing your fitness routine, you can also target different muscle groups and achieve a more balanced body. Overall, balancing your fitness routine is a great way to improve your physical and mental health and achieve your fitness goals.
The Dangers of an Unbalanced Diet & Exercise Routine
If you’re all about restriction and extreme measures when it comes to your diet and exercise routine, you might be doing more harm than good. Restricting yourself too much with your diet and going all out at the gym can lead to burnout and make it super hard to stick to your goals.
Your body needs a balance – both in terms of macronutrients and micronutrients, and also rest and recovery from the gym – in order to function well. Skipping meals or cutting out entire food groups, and overworking yourself at the gym can lead to nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and even injury. Plus, it can also mess with your mental health, making you feel guilty and deprived if you slip up or can’t keep up with the restrictive routine.
So, if you want to see real results and feel good about yourself, it’s important to strike a balance between healthy eating and regular exercise, and also to listen to your body and give it the rest it needs.
Tips & Trips to Making Reformer Pilates a Non-Negotiable Part of Your Routine
When you’re all about the #gains, skipping a heavy lifting sesh for something that’s more low impact like reformer pilates might have you breaking into a bit of a sweat – why spend any unnecessary hours away from the gym?
Well, first of all, there’s no reason you can’t fit in both a reformer pilates session and a gym session (if you have the time/energy). But also, for all the reasons and more we’ve mentioned above, taking a break from the squat rack in favour of a reformer pilates class can actually improve your results in the gym.
While two sessions a week is ideal, even just fitting in one reformer pilates class a week is a great way to start improving your balance, flexibility and mind-body connection for even better results in the gym. Here’s how to create a pilates routine and stick to it.
- Find a studio you love: When you find a class or instructor that you enjoy, it will be much easier to make pilates a regular part of your routine. Look for classes that match your level of fitness and that you find fun and motivating such as Reformer Factory – amazing and fun (but challenging) classes at a great price point.
- Schedule it in advance: Just like you would schedule a meeting or a workout session, schedule your reformer pilates classes in advance. This will help you to make sure you have time for it in your busy schedule.
- Make it a social activity: Invite your friends or family to join you in your pilates class. Exercising with a partner or group can make it more fun and motivating.
- Track your progress: Keep track of your progress, whether it’s through taking photos, noting how you feel after each class or how your gym sessions feel after you’ve started consistently incorporating pilates into your routine.
So, today we’ve learned that balancing your exercise routine is key, and that reformer pilates is a fantastic way to improve your overall fitness and strength, increase flexibility and balance, and prevent injury. Not only that, but pilates also helps to improve your mind-body connection, giving you a better understanding of how your body moves and how to properly engage different muscle groups during your gym workout. The result? More efficient and effective gym sessions (the best kind!).
We hope you enjoyed this article. Let us know in the comments if you’ve ever tried reformer pilates and where you like to train!
