Some subtle but effective movements help to free your back and neck while in the car, favoring a more relaxed driving.
More than a series of movements exercised a few hours a week in a gym, the Pilates method proposes a way to be more aware of the body and work it intelligently at any time of the day, uninterruptedly.
That is why its basic principles can be applied in many everyday situations: sitting at the computer, while watching television, walking with a bag in a shoulder bag or a child in your arms, in the queue of the bus or the subway, standing in front of a photocopier or in any domestic task. Also, behind the wheel of a car.
The movements are subtle but effective and serve to enhance body awareness.
PILATES IN THE CAR: FROM BEFORE YOU START
To begin with, it is advisable to sit properly.
- The backrest must form a 90º angle so that the spine is straight, and we must be careful not to collapse on the lumbar region. It’s about imagining that we hold books over our heads.
- The knees must be kept apart at a distance equivalent to the width of the hips.
- Finally, the steering wheel restraint must be used to raise the upper back from the waist, and not to raise the shoulders. It is about standing up trying to maintain a straight line from the hips to the crown, which facilitates the free circulation of energy throughout the body and distributes the weight evenly.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS: EXERCISES AT THE WHEEL
- When stopping at a traffic light, you can take advantage to pull the abdominal muscles up and in, contract the buttocks and then slightly push the steering wheel, as if one wanted to get up from the seat.
- You have to count to five. The long-term goal is, in a natural way, to always try to maintain the tone of the so-called “power center”, this abdominal strip from which posture and all movements are controlled.
PILATES EXERCISES FOR TRAFFIC JAMS AND TRAVEL
- Sitting on the ischia (the base of the pelvic bones), the spine straight and the shoulders away from the ears, the gaze is kept forward and the arms without tension.
- It is inspired by lengthening the column as if you wanted to reach the ceiling with your head.
- Exhale without losing posture, while contracting the abdomen by tucking the navel and pulling the shoulders and shoulder blades down.
- It can be repeated about 10 times every hour or half an hour.
WHY PILATES HELPS YOU
The Pilates method, developed by Joseph Pilates in the early twentieth century, combines principles of Eastern disciplines (such as yoga or martial arts) with Western ones, such as therapeutic gymnastics. In the twenties Pilates opened a studio in New York where he worked closely with dancers and actors. Over the years it has become a popular method.
The discipline, which has been developed in various ways, is still largely based on the paradigm and dynamic exercises, muscle strength, concentration, breathing and relaxation thought by Pilates.
Certain exercises may be helpful in treating acute or chronic back pain. As one of the basic principles of the method is that balance and body well-being depends on the strength of the “core”, of the central area of the body, exercises that strengthen the abdominals can have a beneficial effect.
WHAT OTHER BENEFITS DOES PILATES BRING YOU?
The benefits of Pilates are multiple:
- Strengthen the abdominal and lumbar area to protect the spine and increase stability.
- Improve flexibility.
- Develop strength and musculature in a balanced way.
- Correct posture, strengthen weak muscles and stretch poorly elastic ones.
- Develop respiratory capacity and improve oxygenation of the body.
- Increase body control and coordination.
- Improve concentration.
- Train body awareness.
- Help prevent injuries. It also serves as a rehabilitation method even in people with very little mobility.
- Some exercises, such as “the clam” or the lateral leg lift, which we explain below, develop pelvic-lumbar control and strengthen the legs and buttocks.