PILATES FOR CHILDREN

We here at Premium Pilates studio are very strong advocates for Pilates at any age! Due to this we have decided to write a blog post on why Pilates is so beneficial for each major age group. We thought we would kick off this subject by looking at Pilates for children and explaining the facts and many benefits. 

The health of the children of today has been severely affected by the increasingly sedentary lifestyles we lead and by the availability and convenience of technology.  Children spend hours watching television, playing video games or looking at their phones in addition eating unhealthy food. As a result of this, a wholesome diet and physical activity has become almost non-existent for many children and therefore the population of overweight and obese youths is increasing dramatically. 

The answer to this epidemic is simple: prepare healthy meals and snacks for your children and enrol them in a form of exercise program. This will set up healthy habits for later in life and will improve their social and listening skills. However, an intense exercise regime may not be what young children need. Many studies have shown that a young child's developing bones are not designed to handle high impact cardiovascular and aerobic programs. For many children, a lower impact form of exercise is recommended, such as a workout that will keep their skeletal frame safe and supported whilst strengthening their core muscles. Enter Pilates! 

The benefits of Pilates for children: 

1. Improves Posture

As mentioned previously, the availability of technology has resulted in many children becoming glued to any and every type of screen for several hours a day, which results in terrible posture. If not corrected this will result in ongoing bad posture, back pain and injuries in later life. Every exercise in Pilates focuses on correct spinal alignment and the engagement of the core, which leads to better posture and less risk of injury. 

2.  Increases Flexibility

Again, long hours staring at screens and being sedentary can result in tight muscles, which increases the chance of injury. Pilates exercises focus on creating long and limber muscles through lengthening movements, which greatly improves flexibility and decreases the risk of injury. 

3.  Gain Strength in core muscles 

Many children are quite weak in their deep abdominals, which often results in bad posture, back pain, weight gain around the stomach and low-self esteem. Pilates exercises are designed to strengthen the deep abdominals, as well as the other 'core' muscles of the body, such as the gluts, mid back muscles, shoulder stabilisers, obliques, inner thighs and many more. A strong core will assist a child during classes at school, as they will require less energy to hold their body correctly and may therefore be able to concentrate more. The strengthening of these core muscles will often result in improved athletic performance. Controlled Pilates exercises will also boost blood circulation to the muscles. 

4. Greater self-esteem and body awareness

Regular Pilates will strengthen and tone the core muscles of the body, which can lead to better self-esteem and self worth. With greater awareness of their body, children will learn how to move more gracefully, more efficiently and in such a way that their bodies were designed to move. In addition, Pilates and other forms of regular exercise can be very therapeutic for children as they go through constant change and development to their bodies. 

5. Creates Healthy Habits for later in life

As children, we take on board learned behaviours and movement patterns that will stay with us all our lives. The way we view exercise, our relationship with food, the way we walk, the way we bend over, the way we pick up things, the way we sit, the way we stand; all of these habits and principles of movement are subconsciously formed in the early years of our life. Pilates can assist in teaching children to establish correct movement patterns that will reduce the risk of pain and injury in their future. In addition, if children are exposed to exercise and a healthy lifestyle, they are more likely to be fit and healthy in adulthood. 

6. Improves Concentration

In a Pilates class, children need to focus on activating particular muscle groups, such as the deep abdominals. Studies have revealed that children who have little torso stability, that is, children who have a weak core, have great difficulty sitting and standing for long periods of time. These children have a shorter attention span and less energy, as they use up most of their energy maintaining the stability of their trunk. As a direct result of this, these kids will have a harder time concentrating during school and when doing homework. A strong core will enable children to conserve their energy and improve their concentration, which may result in an improvement in both their schoolwork and sport performance.

Here at Premium Pilates studio we all have our blue cards and are proud to be able to instruct children. We have several mother and daughter and mother and son clients and love teaching these children the principles of Pilates and seeing improvement to their strength, flexibility and body awareness. Call us today on 0402 680 724, email us at hi@premiumpilatesstudio.com or visit us at premiumpilatesstudio.com by clicking here. 

From PPS! 

information adapted from http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/pilates/library/articles/pilates-for-our-children.html, http://www.momjunction.com/articles/benefits-of-pilates-for-kids_00330079/#gref, image by http://previews.123rf.com/images/tonobalaguer/tonobalaguer1108/tonobalaguer110800129/10214057-Children-gym-girl-with-green-yoga-ball-on-pilates-exercise-Stock-Photo.jpg

CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA: ENTER PILATES for CHILDREN

The prevalence of childhood obesity is something that affects more of the world than we may be aware. I know that I for one used to think of childhood obesity as being purely North America's problem, however Australia and other countries and nations are no longer exempt from the spreading of this disease. Between the years of 1985 and 1995 childhood obesity both doubled and tripled in Australia. The results from a 2007-2008 study revealed that one in four Australia children aged between 5-17 years are classified as overweight or obese (thats 25%), however this number could be and very possibly may be higher now in 2016. Even more shocking is the fact that almost two out of three Australian adults are obese (around 63%). It has been proven that obese children have a 25-50% chance of becoming obese adults. 

This is really scary to me. Being overweight and obese is the second biggest contributor to disease. As a result overweight and obese children are at a much greater risk of developing health problems during their lives, such as high blood pressure, bowel diseases and bowel cancer, heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. We should be giving the children of Australia and of the world the best possible chance at living a long and healthy life. Being proactive is the best way to tackle this issue, as the ramifications of having an overweight and obese population are vast; including but not limited to psychological, physical and financial burdens being placed on our society. Prevention of children becoming obese is the easiest and most inexpensive strategy that we can utilise. 

Here we tie in Pilates! One of the paramount causes of childhood obesity is the absence or severe insufficiency of exercise. The other is of course diet, however I have recently noticed (as I am sure you all have to) a major push in the community and Australia towards healthier eating. Therefore the issue I have chosen to discuss today is the decline of children involved in physical activity. Children of today are adopting an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, due to the increase in availability and popularity of television, video games and all things IT. If children are not being taught to move their bodies daily, how do we expect that their behaviour will be any different in adulthood? Studies have actually proven that children who are involved in any type of physical activity are more likely to continue living a healthy and active lifestyle throughout the rest of their lives. We as a society need to ingrain exercise into our children's' lives; we need to make moving the body and exercise a fun and entertaining activity to perform everyday. School sport is one way to incorporate physical activity into a child's life, however it is not enough. Children should be playing sport before or after school and / or engaging in exercise on the weekends. As a society and in our smaller communities, even as small as our immediate households, we need to teach children that a healthy lifestyle is a gift that they are very lucky to have been given. 

So, what can Pilates provide children with that other types of exercise may not be able to? Here's a few benefits specific for children that Pilates brings to the table: 

• It is low-impact, which is very safe for children who may be slightly clumsy or accident prone,
• It offers an alternative exercise routine for children that do not like 'standard' exercise, such as running, swimming, playing team sports,
• This form of exercise can be done anywhere with next to no props needed, therefore it is very accessible and available,
• It is inexpensive,
• It can be an interactive form of physical activity, if done in a class setting, which is great for teaching children social skills,
• It teaches children about body awareness. This is vital as children benefit greatly in childhood and later in life from developing correct posture, proper movement patterns of their muscles and good stability,
• Increased body awareness results in improved self-esteem and self-confidence,
• Pilates instructs children how to activate and strengthen their core, which is crucial to preventing injury,
• It improves balance, coordination, muscle memory and joint flexibility, which in turn can enhance a child's performance in other forms of sport, such as swimming, running, etc,
• Pilates educates children on how to develop and continue to grow a body-mind-muscle connection, and lastly,
• Pilates has actually been proven as a form of physical fitness that children gain enjoyment from!

Please note that it does take two to tango and that exercise alone will not prevent obesity. Children should be eating as healthy as nutrition-conscious adults, if not healthier, as they are very susceptible at a young age and are doing tremendous amounts of growing. 

How can Premium Pilates Studio help? Most of our instructors have Blue Cards and are therefore licensed to instruct children. We have seen several child clients of ours experience the benefits of Pilates over the past few years. Call us today on 0402 680 724, visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com or email us at inquiries@premiumpilatesstudio.com today.

The Premium Pilates Studio team 

Information and images from: 

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160117/health-fitness/Pilates-for-children-get-up-and-go.599028, http://www.aihw.gov.au/overweight-and-obesity/, http://www.pppcronulla.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Childrens-Pilates.jpg, http://daa.asn.au/for-the-public/smart-eating-for-you/nutrition-a-z/childhood-obesity/