In recent years the mass market has seen a remarkable proliferation of services aimed at conditioning, weight loss and wellness. Curves is a streamlined women’s fitness club franchise that popularized the 30-minute circuit training workout. CrossFit offers a strength and conditioning program with constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement. Workouts are also typically short, lasting 20 minutes or less. CrossFit trainers can get certified in two days. Zumba is today’s most prominent dance fitness program and has eclipsed Jazzercise, an earlier platform in this industry space. P90X is a home fitness and three-phase nutrition program designed to burn fat and build muscle.
By contrast, both Pilates and yoga focus on improving flexibility, strength and body awareness but not with the intention of building bulky muscle mass. They are based respectively on the Greek and ancient Indian ideal of perfection of body, mind and spirit and emphasize the relationship between mental and physical factors.
They both emphasize resistance exercise, not aerobics. Pilates employs a series of controlled movements performed on several types of specially designed spring-resistant exercise equipment. The key is to strike a balance between stability and flexibility.
This is particularly important as we age. Standard workouts tend to be more focused on building muscle bulk for good looks which can end up being counterproductive, if core strength is lacking and flexibility work is neglected.
According to IBISWorld, the Pilates and yoga studio industry are unique in that they have both enjoyed robust growth even during the recession. From 2007 to 2012, combined revenue is estimated to have grown at an average annual rate of 7.7 percent to $6.9 billion.
During the past ten years, yoga participation has grown from 4.3 million people in 2001 to an estimated 22.1 million, based on 2012 data provided by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Pilates enjoyed an increase from 2.4 million participants to 8.5 million during the same period.
Both Pilates and yoga increasingly are being integrated into conventional health care, particularly physical therapy. They help to improve core strength and can play a major role in physical rehabilitation of athletic, work-related and degenerative injuries. They also work to improve postural imbalances and serve to prevent injuries for those who sit all day, whether at a computer workstation or when driving. These techniques are equally useful for those who do a great deal of lifting for a living.
Stott Pilates builds on original exercise principles of Joseph Pilates but incorporates new information and expertise gained from conventional approaches to physical rehabilitation. It considers knowledge from medical research, kinesiology and biomechanics as it evaluates movement of the breath, pelvic positioning, rib cage placement, shoulder movement and the position of the head over the torso.
Wellness and fitness have captured the passion of the American people, and upon this passion an immense industry has been born. Available services and products range from the superficial to the sublime.
Pilates and yoga are two services that are not only wildly popular in the marketplace, but also of tremendous benefit in modern health care.
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Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.
