- Celebrity chef Bobby Flay says Pilates has helped him improve his poor posture.
- “After 35 years of standing bent over a chopping board, my spine was pretty curved,” Frey told The Wall Street Journal.
- Experts say that Pilates helps strengthen the core muscles that support your spine.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, 59, says Pilates has helped him relieve back pain.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Monday, Frey talked about her fitness routine and how Pilates has improved her posture.
“It’s basically three parts: 30 to 45 minutes of cardio, where I run along the West Side Highway or, if the weather’s bad, on a treadmill at the gym,” Frey told The Wall Street Journal.
Once his cardio is done, he moves on to a Pilates workout.
“I had a pretty bad curve in my spine from standing bent over a cutting board for 35 years. Pilates has helped me get that back in shape and my posture has really improved. It helps with stretching too,” Frey says.
He then finishes his workout with bodyweight exercises such as sit-ups and push-ups, he added.
Pilates is a low-impact workout that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing techniques, and studies have shown it can improve muscle endurance and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Pilates’ physical and mental benefits have made it popular among stars like Hailey Bieber and NFL player Myles Garrett, who says the exercise keeps him “lean and flexible.”
Even Martha Stewart said she did Pilates three times a week for two months in preparation for her Sports Illustrated cover shoot.
Beyond celebrities, Pilates was the most popular workout of 2023, according to a ClassPass report, with bookings for Pilates classes up 92% compared to the previous year.
Improve your posture with Pilates
Experts say Pilates can be an effective tool for improving posture and addressing spinal curvatures.
“Pilates targets the deep core stabilizing muscles, which are essential for keeping your spine in the correct alignment. By strengthening these muscles and increasing flexibility, Pilates corrects muscle imbalances and supports the natural curvature of the spine,” Lorraine D’Awans, osteopathic physician at Calibrate Health, a sports injury physiotherapy clinic in Singapore, told Business Insider.
Additionally, Pilates promotes body awareness and proper movement patterns, which are important for maintaining good posture throughout everyday activities, says Dhawans.
But traditional Pilates training is not quite the same as clinical Pilates training provided by physiotherapists and other trained medical professionals, Elizabeth Lee, a physiotherapist specialising in spine care at sports and spine physiotherapy clinic The Rehab Lab, told BI.
“While traditional Pilates can be effective for general health conditions and minor posture issues, clinical Pilates offers a more specialised approach for those with specific spinal issues or chronic back pain,” Lee said.
However, both forms of Pilates can help strengthen the core muscles that support the spine and promote balanced muscle development, she said.
“But it’s important to understand that posture has both static and dynamic components. Our bodies need to respond to the demands of a variety of activities, not just standing and sitting, but walking, running, jumping, throwing, lifting, and more,” says Lee. “Clinical Pilates addresses this by incorporating functional movements that can be applied to everyday activities.”
Besides Pilates, there are some simple exercises that can help improve your posture, such as neck presses and chest stretches.
Most importantly, a balanced fitness program is key, Lee said.
“This should include strength training and cardio in addition to Pilates,” Lee continued.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that severe spinal curvatures often require medical intervention, not just exercise, she added.
A representative for Frey did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside normal business hours.
