Adventure Through Fitness: Week 3 - Pilates with Fitness Balls

Week 3 of my adventure through fitness has brought me back to Core Pilates in Raheny where I took part in another Pilates class, this time incorporating the use of Big Bouncy Balls. You may remember from Week 1, when initially booking the Pilates class I was advised by the owner Madeleine that there are 7 types of Pilates classes to be had - and there was me thinking there was only 1.

I didn't get into them all with you because I really want to focus on each one individually without bombarding you with information, that way you will get a clear feel for each one without getting confused. 

Apparently the use of Big Bouncy Balls aka Fitness Balls during exercise/rehabilitation was supposedly developed by physical therapists who wanted injured patients to be able to get some aerobic conditioning.

The therapists put patients on the ball and had them bounce which meant the patients got a great workout without impacting their injuries.

Fitness balls are also used during exercise and specifically used during Pilates to rehabilitate back, knee, and hip injuries. Not just for rehabilitation purposes, they can also be incorporated during a Pilates class, proven to help master core stability, balance, control, and strength.

Fitness balls are unsteady and roll around easily so you really need to engage your core strength and balance to keep them still. The challenge of keeping the ball still while maintaining your breathing and exercise tempo makes it an excellent tool to strengthen your stability and rehabilitate injured muscles. Using a fitness ball inevitably gives your workout more variety and makes it more challenging.

Did you know sitting on a ball instead of a chair is a great way to keep your spine healthy? When you sit on a ball, you're forced to sit up with good posture because you have nothing to lean back on. Also, because the ball rolls around, it keeps you on your toes and keeps your body moving, which help prevent the stiffness and back pain that you can get from being too inactive and stationary on a chair. Why don't you invest in a Fitness Ball and have a little bounce around while you're watching the soaps? 

So now I have discussed 2 of the 7 types of Pilates classes that Core Pilates offer. Be sure to stay tuned as I take you through the other 5 in due course along my adventure through fitness.