Pilates: a fitness option for office workers

　　“Lie flat on the mat, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, bend and stretch your body, and pay attention to integrating with your breath. ”Recently, fitness teacher Taeko Usukura, who came specially from Japan, led dozens of students to a fitness class at Huanglong Fitness Center in Hangzhou, allowing everyone to further experience the unique charm of Pilates.

　　“While doing the movements, don't forget to combine it with your breathing, try to relax your body, stretch to the limit, and consciously contract as needed exercise Muscles, keep the tension..." Taeko Usukura constantly corrected the students' wrong movements. The students couldn't help but sigh, it turns out that practicing Pilates well is not easy.

　　“For beginners, they should first master the breathing method. Everyone must complete the movements in conjunction with the breathing method, otherwise there will be no effect. ”The teacher repeatedly emphasized the essentials of Pilates movements, and the students in the audience nodded frequently.

　　Two hours later, Usukura Taeko asked the students to relax and ended the training session. All the students who were presentable just now fell on the plastic carpet.

　　Seeing how exhausted the students were after two hours of training, Taeko Usukura smiled sheepishly at the reporter: "In Japan, we need to practice breathing for two weeks before learning Pilates. If you take measurements without practicing your breathing well, this will definitely be the result. ”

　　Unlike the students who were exhausted, the skinny Taeko Usukura, who had also practiced for two hours, still had an unchanging face and even talked to reporters about Pilates. Although this is her first time in Hangzhou and she doesn’t know much about the development of Pilates in Hangzhou, Taeko Usukura is still very optimistic about the development prospects of Pilates.

　　“Pilates combines Western power elements with Eastern soft elements, and integrates Indian yoga and Chinese Tai Chi. It is very suitable for the body structure of Eastern people. This sport has been popular in Europe, America and Japan for a long time. I believe that Pilates will become popular in Hangzhou in the near future. ”Taeko Usukura said with a smile.

　　Although she is quite optimistic about the prospects, Taeko Usukura still has something to say when she sees the non-standard exercises of the students: "Currently, Pilates practitioners in Hangzhou lack systematic guidance, and it takes time to continuously improve and establish a complete coach training system. But with so many Pilates enthusiasts, everything is easy to solve. ”

　　Just as he was talking, the only one in this class male The students came forward to say goodbye to Usukura Taeko, and our topic also turned to the people who are suitable for Pilates. Usukura Taeko said: "In fact, everyone now has a misunderstanding, thinking that exercises like Pilates are only suitable for female , actually it is not the case. As an emerging sport, Pilates is the best choice for urban white-collar workers. It not only has the effect of strengthening the body, but also can eliminate work fatigue and reduce the increasing number of "swimming rings" on the body. It is suitable for all people. ”

　　How to promote Pilates? Usukura Taeko looked at the reporter with a smile: "Then I need to help you media of power. A few years ago, few people in Japan knew about Pilates, but in just a few years, Pilates has become popular in Japan and is known to everyone of all ages. Therefore, we should work together to do a good job in publicity and let everyone know about Pilates as soon as possible. ”

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　　·origin

　　Pilates was founded and popularized by German Joseph Pilates. Westerners have always paid more attention to physical muscle training, such as running and skiing; while Easterners have paid more attention to breathing and mental aspects, such as yoga and Tai Chi. And Joseph Pilates, in order to overcome the body's disease ,recover healthy , blending different exercise concepts from the East and the West, and created an exercise method that combines the advantages of Eastern flexibility and Western strength. This is Pilates. It was originally used to restore sports functions to athletes and patients, and later gradually developed into a fitness movement. In the past two years, Pilates has also gradually emerged in China.

　　·Features

　　Pilates is a deep muscle exercise that uses slow movements to control muscles for a long time to consume energy in various parts of the body, so it is very suitable for office workers who lack exercise. Due to sitting in offices all year round and excessive "sitting" on computers, the muscles of urban office workers lose strength, and the "lifebuoy" becomes larger and larger, which in turn causes various diseases. Pilates helps to re-stretch tight muscles, like a deep massage, while practicing muscle endurance and evenly distributing stress throughout the body.

　　Tips

　　Pilates is not limited by space and can be practiced in a small place. However, due to the slow movement and the need for muscle control and breathing coordination, the seemingly simple movements are difficult to perform and require guidance from a coach. Practitioners can choose the frequency of practice according to their own physical feelings, with each exercise lasting between 45 minutes and an hour. However, since Pilates is not a cardiorespiratory exercise, there is no strict time limit.

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