Is the Aero Pilates the Right Machine for Me?

Is the Aero Pilates the Right Machine for Me?
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Hours spent sitting at desks or standing doing repetitive tasks can cause back pain, and aging makes you more susceptible to body aches. Back pain affects about 80 percent of the population as of 2010, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Yoga and pilates exercises can strengthen and improve the health of your back. It's possible to use AeroPilates machines to bolster the effect of ordinary pilates exercises.

Posture

Poor posture can lead to back pain. This can make people of any age suffer from back pain including students, manual laborers and white-collar workers. Pilates, aimed at strengthening your body's core muscles, can help improve posture. A study led by British researcher Jennifer Klaber-Moffett, a senior lecturer at the Hull University's Institute of Rehabilitation, found that exercise significantly alleviated back pain in participants whose progress was measured after six and 12 months. The study, published in the "British Medical Journal" in 1999, led to a push for the British health care system to make exercise a priority in back pain treatment.

Correct Muscle Balance

The use of an AeroPilates machine can help you properly contract and relax muscles during exercise. Muscles can only contract and relax. This means that they can only pull and release themselves. In order to move a joint, two opposing muscles come in to play. As one muscle relaxes, the other one will tense to move the joint. It's important that these muscles are balanced correctly and an AeroPilates machine will help to achieve this.

Considerations

AeroPilates machines can provide a more intense workout than ordinary pilates exercises, created in the 1929s by Joseph Pilates to help World War I veterans recover from their injuries and for dancers to develop torso strength. If you've never practiced pilates, you might consider taking a few lessons from a fitness instructor trained in the method. This will give you a chance to test your compatibility with core training exercise before investing in AeroPilates equipment.

Accessories

AeroPilates machines include instructional DVDs that will show you how to perform exercises with the equipment. These DVDs will also teach you tips for using the machine twithout injuring yourself. Some AeroPilates machines come with resistance bands, adjustable to up to four levels of resistance. You can purchase full-size AeroPilates machines or smaller versions that can be tucked away when not in use.

References

Article reviewed by Jessica Lyons Last updated on: May 26, 2011

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