The holiday season is right around the corner and nothing can help with stress and weight management like a solid, workout routine. Because Pilates is a resistance activity, Pilates builds muscle-and therefore increases the metabolic rate-in a way that cardiovascular workouts cannot.
Something that many people don’t realize is that cardio will increase your metabolism during your workouts and up to a hour after your workouts. Resistance training like Pilates, however, will increase your metabolism during the workout and up to 12 hours after the workout. This means that your Pilates workout is still working to burn calories 12-full-hours after that holiday party or Thanksgiving dinner. Furthermore, Pilates will increase bone density, something that everyone over the age of 30 should be thinking about.
Pilates also enables your body to release serotonin, a chemical that aids in stress management. Serotonin also combats depression and contributes to an overall feeling of wellness. Because, like weight gain, depression-especially mild depression-is something common during this time of year, it is important to put a plan into place now to ensure that you don’t fall prey to this.
With regularly scheduled Pilates classes or private lessons, you can stay on pace to achieve your physical goals for the year, without allowing weight gain and depression to derail those goals.