Time for a good stretch

IN the fashion industry, trends come and go all the time. Did you ever spend too much money on a wool-blend, lime-silk-lined zebra print coat with the silver-plated Versace buttons just to find that in three months, not even a real-life zebra looks good in zebra print?

It is the same in the fitness industry. There are products and services that have a limited shelf-life.

This is because fitness is not an exact science like biology or anatomy. What is considered good for you one week, might be considered over-rated, or even down-right dangerous, the next week due to the latest research.

This brings me to talk about the trend of Pilates and Yoga.

They hit the fitness market with a huge impact about 10 years ago in America; about seven years ago in my home country of Australia and not too long ago here in Bahrain.

Both Pilates and Yoga have definitely made their mark all around the world and the good news is that they both continue to do so.

If Pilates and Yoga are the new 'black' in the fitness industry, what has sustained their popularity?

Pilates and Yoga are two very different products but both help increase your flexibility, breathing, posture.

Pilates additionally aims to improve your core strength and spinal stability and utilises a range of different fitness tools to either guide your biomechanical range of motion or increase resistance and challenge your self-awareness.

Working your breathing efficiency, flexibility and posture are terrific compliments to all the other forms of activity we do - whether in the context of work, play or exercise.

When one thinks of getting fit, they often think of just having a strong heart and having a lean body. However, true fitness encompasses so much more than this and flexibility, efficient breathing, good posture, strength and self-awareness are THE new reasons to exercise.

Basically, another reason they are very popular is that they cater for people who are not already fit!

Too many gymnasiums and fitness trainers prescribe exercise that is too complicated or too intense for some people.

The slow nature of Yoga and Pilates allows participants to apply themselves at a less intense pace while the sitting and laying down nature of the two classes support a weak back and excessive body weight.

The third reason Pilates and Yoga are still so popular is because it stretches your muscles and makes them supple in a way that no other exercise class can!

In simple terms, for a muscle to contract, two special proteins deep in each narrow muscle cell slide into each other.

This is triggered by the firing of an electrical impulse via the motor nerve, from your brain. For a muscle to stretch, these two special proteins pull apart from each other and another nerve sends a message back to your brain to go slow and easy while the muscle lengthens. If a muscle is supple, it is less susceptible to injuries and can generate more power when it finally gets the message to contract again at some stage in the future.

Yoga and Pilates trigger this stretch mechanism slowly and safely and through many different poses and methods to ensure your whole muscular system is stimulated.

Pilates and Yoga are here to stay it seems.

Flexibility training is finally getting the attention it deserves, muscle suppleness is finally getting the importance it deserves and fitness instructors, who specialise in this area, are finally getting the congratulations they deserve for the work they are doing for the community.

It must be made clear, however, that not everyone will get out of Pilates and Yoga what the marketers claim. For example, neither one is recommended for fat loss. It is just not aerobic enough to burn body fat efficiently. Further, careful consideration must be given to pregnant women who attempt hard stomach muscle training and/or flexibility training.

Others that have to be careful include those with low blood pressure. Moving from the ground up to the feet and back down again can make you very dizzy. Some senior citizens might find the balance activities, particularly the standing poses in Yoga, frustrating or even risky to their frail joints and bones if they fall.

I have included some basic Pilates and Yoga stretches in this week's edition but please see a qualified fitness instructor for further information and assistance.

Rather than investing two weeks' pay in your next pair of pink snake-skin boots with the fake jarrah heel and multi black zippers, consider getting yourself a comfy tracksuit and a Yoga mat. You will be investing in your health ... and fitness never goes out of fashion.