You’ve certainly heard of yoga and Pilates before. These are two similar and vastly popular forms of exercise, which is why many people question the differences and benefits of each. If you’re among the many people who have asked this question, here are the basic origins and benefits to both:

Pilates Origins

This form of exercise dates back to the mid-20th century. It was created by Joseph Pilates and popularized by dancers around the world who frequently use Pilates to aid their training and performance. Though it was originally created to help World War I soldiers with rehabilitation and strengthening, it is now used by anyone and everyone to help improve posture, gracefulness, and body awareness. Some places offer specific Pilates equipment, but don’t fret, you can practice it anywhere, and fancy equipment isn’t necessary.

Pilates Benefits

The main objective for most people when it comes to Pilates is to tone muscles. What’s especially great about this practice is that it works to condition and improve your muscles overly bulking them up. Pilates focuses mainly on core strength, but it still involves the whole body which ultimately improves your posture, balance, and gracefulness, as mentioned above. Like with yoga, Pilates improves your mind to body connection, improves your flexibility, and as with any form of physical exercise, provides you with a sense of well-being, boosting your confidence.

Yoga Origins

Yoga bares a much broader and intimate history than Pilates. It was started over 5,000 years ago in India and has greatly evolved over time to comprise many different styles, though they all still revolve around the greater spiritual aspects of the practice. Yoga creates a connection with the energy that travels through your body to allow you to feel more balanced self, linking your inner self to your outer self, while improving your flexibility and strengthening your body. Like Pilates, yoga can be practiced anywhere and by almost anyone.

Yoga Benefits

Yoga puts a big focus on three things: mind, body, and spirit. The flow of exercises and poses used increases the blood circulation to and from the internal organs and, as mentioned above, increases full-body strength and flexibility while granting an inner sense of peace. Unlike Pilates, the strengthening of the core muscles is not the main focus, but it is an added benefit.

Whether you’re looking to practice yoga or Pilates in Ottawa, it’s always great to stay informed in order to know exactly what is best for you. Many studios and gyms offer a great variety of classes and types of guided exercises. And some classes, routines, and types of exercise will actually combine a number of different strategies and techniques to create new and improved ways to tone, strengthen, and increase flexibility, making it more accessible and compatible for a larger number of people.

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Admittedly, we live in a gorgeous city—and a big one too! There are many ways to pursue better fitness in Ottawa, from jogging along the canal to bicycling through the city’s many paths, to joining a class or fitness studio for a more targeted approach. It’s a great way to get in shape, become stronger, control your weight, and get a toned physique. But the benefits don’t end there—not by a long shot. Some of the benefits of regular exercise may not be quite as visible from the outside, but they are arguably even more important. For example, did you know that regular exercise can:

Improve Your Mental Health

In the immediate sense, a quick workout is a great way to reduce stress. In fact, regular exercise doesn’t just alleviate current stress—it improves your ability to manage stress overall. And the benefits don’t end there, either; you can alleviate anxiety through high-intensity aerobic exercise, fight addiction through the increased dopamine production, reduce insomnia, and even treat and manage depression.

In addition, joining an Ottawa fitness class can be a great way to ensure continued mental health and wellness, even as you age. The natural cognitive decline that happens after we reach a certain age can be slowed down by regular exercise, promoting the production of chemicals in our brains that keep the hippocampus healthy and strong.

Improve Your Heart Health

Getting a healthy amount of physical activity every week will boost your levels of healthy cholesterols and decrease the unhealthy varieties that tend to cause blockages in your arteries. The result? Your heart continues to operate at full efficiency for much longer! Your risk of cardiovascular disease is tremendously reduced by regular exercise.

Reduce Your Risk of Disease

Cardiovascular diseases aren’t the only ones that are less likely to occur when you get a healthy dose of activity. Type 2 diabetes, for example, can be prevented through physical activity. If you already have type 2 diabetes, then you can keep it under better control through improved fitness. Colon cancer and breast cancer, along with metabolic syndrome, are other diseases that you can reduce your risk of with regular exercise.

Increase Your Energy Levels

Do you frequently feel lethargic, as though even the smallest amount of physical effort leaves you tired? You’ll soon find that as you get in better shape, you’ll have more energy than you ever thought possible. You’ll be more productive in day-to-day life, feel more creative, have an easier time sleeping at night, and find that even the steepest staircase is no match for you!

To experience these benefits and more, why not enroll in a barre fitness class in Ottawa?

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Most people are aware of the importance of fitness in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But what most people don’t consider is that traditional fitness regimes that include high-impact exercises like jogging can be hard on the body, and especially on the joints. Sometimes these workouts can even encourage injury, or exacerbate an injury you already have. In these cases, it is important to consider a low-impact workout regime, such as barre workouts, that reduces strain on your joints and muscles. In fact, not only does low-impact fitness reduce your risk of injury, it can also be an extremely effective means of exercise.

There are many options to incorporate low-impact workouts into your fitness regime. Even if you are a marathon runner and train regularly, it’s good to give those knees a break once in a while. Consider hopping on an elliptical, or going for a nature hike. If there are no good mountains or hills nearby to increase the level of difficulty, find a staircase and do a simple stair workout.

Any exercise done in water is also low-impact, easy on the joints while providing all the benefits of a high-impact workout. For example, swimming laps increases endurance while also building shoulder muscle. For those who experience a lot of joint pain, water aerobics is a great way to get in a good workout while minimizing pain.

Other exercises that are slow and controlled offer increased benefits, such as strength training and flexibility. Pilates and exercises using elastics or ropes for resistance are some of the best ways to build muscle strength and tone your body. Yoga and dance also increase endurance while improving flexibility and mind/body connection.

A great way to combine the benefits of dance, Pilates, and yoga is by doing a workout at the barre. Barre fitness provides a low-impact and injury-free work out that builds and tones your muscle, increases your flexibility, and reduces body fat while being rehabilitative. Doing a workout at the barre is appropriate for anyone seeking to make a healthy change in their lives.

There are many benefits to low-impact exercise beyond reduced strain and potential for injury, such as improvements in cardiovascular health and weight loss. When our joints hurt or we experience injury, it can keep us from participating in activities that keep us fit. By doing a low-impact workout, we get the benefits of traditional exercise without encouraging or perpetuating injury.

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Pilates has become a popular form of fitness in Ottawa, and yet despite the hype, many people still don’t know what Pilates is. Ottawa studios that use the method on its own, or in tandem with other techniques (such as barre), favour it for the way that it conditions the body and mind to work together to achieve balance, strength, and flexibility. It has helped countless people to move with ease, grace, and efficiency—people of many different ages, with many different lifestyles, and with many different goals in mind for their fitness. So what makes it so popular?

A Brief History

The Pilates Method was originally developed by Joseph Pilates, the German-born son of a gymnast and naturopath. Combining these teachings, as well as others, such as yoga, with the belief that a healthy body and a healthy mind go hand-in-hand, in the early twentieth century, he taught his methods to dancers, athletes, and even his cell mates in World War I internment camps. Eventually, the method caught on, as more people discovered the benefits of the Pilates Method.

How Does It Work?

Ottawa fitness instructors teach that Pilates comes down to a series of key movements that require the body and the mind to act in unison. Unlike traditional strength training—which uses isolated movements in sets of repetitions to strengthen individual muscle groups—this method focuses on precise movements that exercise most (if not all) of your body at once. Instead of focusing on repetition, you focus instead on the six principles: concentration, control, centering, flow (efficiency of movement), precision, and breathing. For this reason, working with an experienced and accredited instructor is essential—they will help you to achieve all six principles, using verbal and tactile cues to guide you through each movement and getting the most out of it.

Benefits of Pilates

What does Pilates do for those who practice it? Well, a big bonus is core strength. This phrase has become more common lately, but it’s much more than a buzz word—it’s something that has gone overlooked by many people for years, but is vital. Your core is made up of the deep muscle tissue in your abdomen and your lower back. The stronger your core is, the better your posture will be, and the less likely you’ll be to experience back pain since your spine is being properly supported. It also conditions the whole body to be stronger, firmer, and leaner, so you look and feel great from head to toe. Finally, the whole method is adaptable to a variety of needs, making it a safe and effective way to pursue better fitness in Ottawa!

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By Shalisa Pouw

Barre-based fitness classes have risen in popularity over the past few years, no doubt influenced by those of us wanting to channel super-fit ballerinas like Misty Copeland. If you have a drawer full of leggings and keep a pair of sticky socks in your purse, know that you’re not alone.

So why are these kinds of workouts so addictive? The positive feelings—and results—you get from a good barre class are unmatched. Research has shown that long-term ballerinas are more skilled than novices are at tasks requiring fine motor skills. But you don’t need to perform at Lincoln Center to see the benefits of barre extend to other parts of your life. Here, I share five ways I’ve seen my fitness level improve through barre practice…

READ MORE at Fitness Magazine

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For all of our STUDiO barre addicts out there looking to take their technique to the next level; now is your chance to come talk to owners Greg & Janine Charron and get your questions answered. In this hour we will address the main principles of the STUDiO barre workout and address frequently asked questions. We will dive deeper into the technique and how you can maximize your workouts at the STUDiO. Come with any questions on particular moves or areas of the body you are having trouble activating/contracting. This seminar is FREE to all WARNING SIDE EFFECTS ARE: loving life & feeling incredible!

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