Social media is bustling with various home workout videos nowadays. From celebs to fitness enthusiasts everyone is posting their fitness mantra amid this lockdown. As we don’t have access to equipment in our home therefore, one of the best ways to stay fit at home is by practicing Pilates. Plus, it has more to give it to you than just a chiseled body.
A new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension has suggested that mat Pilates may be effective in improving the cardiovascular health of young obese women.
Pilates is very popular among millennials
With an estimated 9 million participants in 2018 and a series of celebrity endorsements, including Beyonce and Emma Stone, mat Pilates training has seen a recent resurgence in popularity.
It has become one of the most widely known wellness routines in the United States. The program emphasizes core strength, flexibility, body posture, and controlled breathing.
At the same time, the prevalence of obesity in young adults has become a major public health issue.
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Though it is well-documented that exercise is a key factor in preventing and managing cardiovascular health problems, obese women tend not to maintain traditional workout routines. Despite sources in the media reporting on the cardiovascular benefits of Pilates, the existing scientific literature is scarce.
Obese women are at risk
Researchers here studied young obese women (age 19-27) with elevated blood pressure and a body mass index between 30-40kg/m2 through 12 weeks of mat Pilates. The participants were free of chronic diseases, were non-smokers and performed less than 90 minutes of regular exercise per week.
There were three one-hour training sessions per week, which were divided into the following stages: initial warm-up and stretch (10 min), general mat Pilates exercises (40 min), and a cool down (10 min). The training increased over the 12 weeks, with the repetition of each exercise steadily increasing. A certified mat Pilates instructor supervised all sessions.
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This is the first study to find that mat Pilates routines significantly reduced arterial stiffness and blood pressure, including central (aortic) pressure.
“We hypothesized that Mat Pilates might decrease the risk of hypertension in young obese women. Our findings provide evidence that Mat Pilates benefit cardiovascular health by decreasing blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and body fatness in young obese women with elevated blood pressure,” said the researchers.
Because adherence to traditional exercise (both aerobic and resistance) is low in obese individuals, Mat Pilates Training might prove an effective exercise alternative for the prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular events in young obese adults,” they added.
So, now you have more reasons to adopt Pilates so go for it.
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