What is a muscle cramp? It is a severe tightening or tic within the muscle that is involuntary and is most common in the legs. The varying degrees of cramps are quite vast. Some of them can just spasm for a second and then stop, while others can last for several minutes. A few factors could make anyone a prime candidate for muscle cramps. These are: under conditioned athletes, overtraining, muscle fatigue, dehydration, electrolyte depletion, poor flexibility, or doing any kind of new activity.

While your instinct to massage away the cramp is one of the suggested treatments when considering your options for easing up muscle cramps, increasing your flexibility will act as more preventative measure in the long term. When people hear “increase flexibility” they think of short duration, static stretches in where you can dedicate a few minutes of your workout to loosening up the tightened muscles. However, stretching should be a bigger priority to those who suffer from muscle cramps.

Pilates is an excellent treatment for those that suffer from sporadic muscle spasms or cramps due to inflexibility. Pilates deep stretching techniques will take the body far beyond what it can do on a gym mat in a static stretching routine. It will develop a fluid line of motion between the muscles, joints, ligaments, and bone where the body will become well oiled and replenished.

Stretching is by far the most often overlooked piece of a workout regime. Serious injuries and minor annoyances, like muscle cramps, can be avoided if taken seriously. While Pilates is extremely great at stretching tightened muscles, it isn’t just an hour of static stretching. This is why Pilates is an extremely integral part of a well-balanced conditioning program. Most Pilates attendees are known for their lean, limber, and strong physiques. That type of body doesn’t come by doing a calf stretch now and then on the stairs. It has much more to do with a consistency of light resistance pushing and pulling.

The next time that you are awakened or stopped in your tracks by a cramping muscle, take a personal inventory of how often you have stretched after your workouts in that month. If the number is less than one third of the amount of time you have spent in activity, it is time to book your Pilates session and time to get your body in proper working, and pain free order.

As women, we face a horrible condition every month. It is the butt of men’s jokes and it has been our constant nagging little friend since we were first introduced to it. Some women find that pain medications and perhaps a hot bath or two soothes this pain and sometimes a heating pad is used. However, there may be an alternative form of defense against our periods that will enable us to not only relax and overcome the pain there is some research done citing that Pilates has the ability to relieve period pain and fight back against it!

When a woman is menstruating her iron levels can become dangerously low, this attributes to fatigue, weakness, and irritability. In addition to those conditions there are the dreaded cramps that are associated with out monthly visitor. Some women tend to carry the cramps in the lower back, while others carry it in the lower abdomen or in the form of migraine headaches. Some find that it is the entire trunk or core of their body will suffer from muscle spasms and cramping.

Pilates can help this condition two-fold. Relaxation is what every women needs when she is trying to juggle her period pain, her job and her social life. Sometimes period cramps can be so debilitating that we have to forgo plans and succumb to the pain. Pilates can be a quick fix and it can also be a long-term fix.

Here’s how: first, Pilates is known for its mind-body connection methods. This means that the body is introduce to a certain pattern of breathing that releases tension from the body as well as the mind. Some of the pain that women have to deal with during her period is that of the mental strain it causes. Hormones are wildly out of control during this time, which can elevate outbursts and sensitivity. Pilates can reintroduce balance to the body through its deep breathing patterns.

If you have ever hyperventilated, you will know that the first piece of advice will always be, “Take a deep breath. Breathe.” And this is a fast working remedy because oxygen is laden with nutrients, and your body needs these nutrients to function on all cylinders. When oxygen supply is short the body has no defense against overriding the systematic overdrive of internal muscle pain.

Another reason that Pilates can help to soothe muscle cramps is that its main goal is to strengthen the core muscles. The core muscles are also the ones that tend to be the housing agents for most period pain. Weak muscles in the lower back and abdomen are prime targets for carrying pain so if these muscles are strengthened, their threshold for being able to withstand menstrual pain will be greatly increased. Also, when you have stronger stomach muscles your core will be able to support and protect your organs more efficiently. Because stronger abdominal muscles are able to offer better protective placement of the organs, you can lower the amount of uterine spasms and lower back discomfort. This is the long-term benefit of adding Pilates to your fitness regime.