What is the relevance of Pilates for office workers?

Although the ups and downs of the societal restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic might feel as if they are a long time in the past now, the current times might also still not feel like a ‘return to normal’ for you. And of those aspects of ‘normal’ day-to-day life that have returned, one of the most unwelcome will be those hated pains and stresses in the office.

Indeed, whether you are now spending most of your weekdays in a traditional office setting for your employer, or perhaps continuing to base yourself for work purposes at home or another remote site, you might be cursing those headaches and bouts of back and shoulder pain.

Aches and pains don’t have to be an inevitable part of office working

Those aches and pains don’t need to be accepted as a ‘normal’ part of office life. Yes, there are various factors that could be contributing to these problems for you, such as an inadequate workstation setup, poor posture, and the stress of feeling like you are ‘chained to your desk’ as you chase the rush of deadlines. And some of these factors in an office cannot be easily changed, so you might easily slide into thinking, “what’s the use?”

However, it is important not to fall into fatalistic thinking. Aspects of your work schedule or working environment, such as a lack of space, might be difficult, if not impossible to change. But one thing that you can change is your body, to help you take on the physical and mental challenges of office life.

Getting into Pilates can help strengthen your postural and stability muscles

It would be easy to imagine that if your job entails being sat in an office chair for extended periods of time, it cannot exactly be considered physically challenging. But of course, taking such a stance would be to greatly misunderstand the distinctive strain that office life does place on certain parts of the body.

More specifically, sitting or standing for prolonged periods in front of a computer exerts a lot of stress on postural and stability muscles. These specific muscles can also be extremely difficult to target in at-home exercises or in the gym, for those who haven’t been trained in how to do so.

If, then, you wish to minimise the aches and pains that you experience each and every day as an office worker, while strengthening your postural muscles and improving posture, you will struggle to find an easier or more rewarding way of doing this than Pilates.

A form of exercise to support mind, body, and soul

So many office workers right now would love to find ways to enhance their physical, emotional, and mental health, but might feel as if they are ‘constantly busy’, overworked, and stressed out.

If this sounds like you, then Pilates could be perfect for you to take up. Pilates isn’t ‘just another’ series of exercises; it transcends these, helping office workers to get into shape – including through the development of a strong core, flat abdominals, and a strong back – at the same time as helping them control their breathing and better understand how their body works.

In short, it is a form of all-round support for mind, body, and soul, at a time when – let’s face it – many of us, not only office workers, would greatly appreciate help with all three.

But there’s something else about Pilates that can help make it highly relevant to today’s office workers; the fact that it can be delivered in so many different ways. I am well-placed to impart that message to you, as I make available live group mat classes at Yellowave in Brighton, as well as private studio classes in my studio close to Hove station, and even online Pilates on demand.

What do I mean by “Pilates on demand”? Well, I am referring to my own Brighton Pilates On-Demand service through which you can access top-quality Pilates classes online, at times to suit you. This can be an ideal solution for office workers who might not always be able to reach the venue for an in-person class, or who are only available to practise Pilates at less ‘typical’ times of the day.

If you feel that a Pilates on-demand plan could be the right solution for you, why not click through to discover your options for a seven-day free trial? It could turn out to be one of the best decisions you ever make to help you thrive in your career and improve the health of your body and mind.