Health expert Dr Michael Mosley has shared how a century-old exercise, which 'millions swear by', can help reduce back pain.
The creator of the Fast 800 and 5:2 diets discussed the benefits of Pilates in his podcast, Just One Thing, with Professor Ruth Melo from the University of San Paulo. Pilates is a gentle exercise that can make you stronger, more flexible, and improve your posture and balance.
In his podcast, Michael delved into the history of Pilates, saying: "Now Pilates is more than 100 years old and is named after Josie Pilates who was born in Germany in 1883. He moved to England where he initially made a living as a boxer and circus performer. Joseph had been a sickly child and he spent his youth exploring ways to improve his health through exercise. This led him to invent an approach which places great emphasis on breath and the importance of strengthening deep core muscles."
"If you try Pilates, you will probably be surprised to discover that the movements are often small and look deceptively easy. But the idea is that if you really focus your mind on each tiny movement, you refine your ability to control these deep muscles."
"In fact, Josie Pilates didn't call his approach Pilates. He called it ControlLogix. These days, millions around the world swear by Pilates."
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Research Gate, a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers, published a study showing that after six weeks of Pilates, tennis players could serve almost five miles an hour faster. Many sports stars, including Scottish tennis ace Andy Murray, are big fans of Pilates. Michael said: "So it's no surprise Andy uses it as part of his training program."
Michael also highlighted how Pilates can help reduce anxiety symptoms due to its focus on breathing. He explained: "Because Pilates also emphasises the importance of slow deep breathing, inhaling through the nose then a long slow, forceful exhale. It can also reduce anxiety."
He further explained how a 2021 study found those who followed an eight-week supervised Pilates program experienced reduced back pain and improved quality of life, significantly more than those who received medication and standard care.
In the podcast, Pilates expert Professor Ruth Melo revealed the benefits of the exercise for older people. She said: "In our study we did a controlled trial to investigate the benefits of Pilates among older women. And during 12 weeks, they performed, twice a week, some Pilates exercise on a mat and we measured some aspects of balance like static balance and dynamic balance.
"And we also measured the cardiovascular endurance - in other words, how far you can walk in six minutes. After the 12 weeks, we found that only the Pilates group improved their lower body strength and dynamic balance - and also, we saw that people from the Pilates group were able to walk 30 metres further than the beginning of the study."
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