Complimentary Therapies – Beyond Pilates

It’s no secret that we at Core Pilates love, live and breathe Pilates. It is effective for toning and strengthening the body, invigorating the mind through regular exercise and relaxing those muscles that get caught up in day to day tension. But Pilates does not have to be a lone wolf! It is friends with a whole host of therapies that can help you work out those kinks, get to know your body better and improve and maintain your ever important health.

Some therapies that could be used in conjunction with your Pilates program include:

 

Massage
If you are a casual attendee or a first timer, massage therapy is a fantastic way to encourage your body and mind to relax. Different types of massage therapies target different issues. Simple relaxation massage will help ease the stress brought on by day to day tasks, while more focused specialties such as sports and deep tissue massage will hone in on specific problem areas.

 

Osteopathy
Osteopaths specialise in the treatment of muscular and skeletal complaints such as headache, back and neck pain, joint discomfort and repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. When you have a consultation, the practitioner will provide a detailed musculo-skeletal examination, looking at your posture, spine alignment and muscle tone. Treatments devised may include the manipulation of your joints and massage of muscular tissue.

 

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of stimulating specific points on the skin using small needles. Traditionally practiced within Chinese medicine, acupuncture was devised to stimulate or repair issues within the body’s ‘qi’ or vital force, which travels along the ‘meridians’ or channels that exist within the body. Many modern practitioners, however, have dispensed with these concepts and use acupuncture as a practice to target points that correspond to physiological and anatomical features.

 

Nutritionists
We all know that good nutrition is important to the wellbeing of your body, but some of us have a little trouble determining just what our body needs in terms of vitamin and mineral intake. Modern ‘healthy eating’ fads and brand packaging can create a lot of confusion when choosing what to have for our meals. A nutritionist can assess your health and make recommendations on the types of foods your body needs.

So, if you feel like rounding out your well being experience and adding to your body awareness, it may be worth checking some of these complimentary therapies out! Just remember, like any health related decision you make, it is best to check your practitioner has adequate training and accreditation from a governing body.

 

What other healthy activities do you think compliment YOUR Pilates?

 

Image courtesy of Craftyjoe via Free Digital Photos.