Why do I need a reformer? Can't I just exercise on a mat?

Most people have some kind of physical pain from years of incorrect movement, over zealous exercising and compounded injury. High impact aerobics and muscle isolating weight training has caused our bodies to stiffen, hurt, compensate and break down.

Joseph Pilates understood the negative effects of repetitive stress and touted the benefits of training the body as one integrated unit, in a symmetrically balanced way, on your back, on a machine that supports all structural weaknesses and challenges specific areas to simultaneously stretch and strengthen.

Our bodies move through space in the vertical position, ideally supporting a perfectly curved spine. It is our deep, stabilising, postural muscles that prevent us from falling over into a heap of bones on the floor and it is our large mobilising muscles that allow us to run, lift, bend and play. Both need to communicate and be supple, long and strong.

Traditional fitness focuses on the isolation of one muscle group at a time strengthening it and tearing its fibres to create unbalanced bulk. Over time we develop major imbalances and unhelpful compensatory movement patterns that ultimately result in injury.

Our modern lifestyle has also forced our poor bodies to sit for too long, causing the spine to deteriorate and the postural muscles to weaken and tire. The combination of a sedentary lifestyle and incorrect training has created bodies loaded with imbalances and pain.

AeroPilates to the rescue.

Lying down on a reformer, relieving the internal stabilising muscles of their work, supporting the body in its entirety and strengthening opposing muscles equally while stretching is the best way to retrain your body to feel younger and move correctly. Joseph Pilates’ simple exercises achieve quick and profound results.

It is the moving platform that forces the postural muscles to initiate movement, while the resistance cords force the mobilising muscles to strengthen.

With the innovation and addition of the Cardio Rebounder, everyone can now get fit, even the most de-conditioned person!. Overweight, unfit people can now burn calories without hurting themselves as well as retrain their overworked and fatigued muscles to come to life again.

All it takes is 20 minutes a day for young and old, fit and not-so-fit people to restore their bodies to a youthful, agile and vibrant state.

written by Marjolein Brugman

Marjolein Brugman is the founder of lighterliving and Aeropilates. “lighterliving is a movement and lifestyle choice we can all make. Let’s make it simple – make one decision a day to be better and watch the small steps lead to big changes. Eat smart, stay active, and you’ll live to feel a lighter life."