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Heal Your Lungs with Pilates

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Contributed by: Shirley Grose on 8/14/2008

I look to Pilates to open my lungs and clear congestion. I need to do everything I can do to help my lungs last.

I've had pneumonia twice, a mother with COPD, a grandfather who died at thirty-four after an asthma attack, siblings with autoimmune disease. I have inherited lung problems.

Six weeks of Pilates turned my lungs around. Six weeks of working out to a DVD changed my life. Six weeks of Pilates helped me breath easier.

I didn't know that Pilates was considered an alternative allergy treatment for asthma when I bought my Pilates DVD; I wanted an exercise I could do when the weather was bad, when I couldn't walk when it was too hot or too cold.

Then, recently, I found a *story on the weather channel suggesting that Pilates is great for asthma. The writer says that Pilates is an "exercise developed in the 1930s by a German physical therapist, builds and heals the lungs."

"In his 1945 book, Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology, Pilates calls this lung-developing technique correct breathing."

"Pilates strengthens the deep abdominals, which are accessory muscles used to expel air from the lungs."

Plus, exercises like Swan and Seated Spine Twist help create more room in your chest. That, in turn, makes it easier for anyone, not just asthma sufferers, to breathe more deeply and efficiently."

After I recuperated from chemical pneumonia from carpet cleaners, a five month ordeal, and I wanted to regain my strength; I chose Pilates because it builds strength fast.

I promised myself that I would start slow, maybe only a few minutes, whatever I could manage. Halfway through my third day I coughed, and coughed, I could feel my lungs open, and the congestion moved out.

After a few weeks I noticed that I coughed at the same frame in the DVD. The coughing stopped after about 60 seconds, and I felt so much better. Before, my inflamed lungs burned when I walked in the same room with a flower arrangement or if I sniffed dust or clothes lint in a store, now I hardly noticed allergens.

My sluggish, inflamed lungs healed, quickly.

Years before my first lung illness, I tried Pilates to strengthen a weak hip that clicked. It not only stopped the click I lost inches of bad abdominal fat in six weeks. Nothing but nothing had ever melted belly fat from my body, and I've biked, and swam, and ran, but Pilates worked.

Six weeks at a time is enough Pilates for me--that's my tolerance level, yet six weeks every so often keeps me flexible; at age 61, it carries me for several months. When I pick it up again in later months, I find that I haven't lost as much of my muscle tone as I did when I lifted weights for a few months and returned to try it again.

Last fall I had my second seige of pneumonia from Red Tide. Pilates helped me come out of it again.

Pilates works fast: In three days my lungs feel better; my body tightens in five. After two weeks my lungs function so much better.

Pilates' only shortcoming is that I cannot eat before I exercise, and if I don't start immediately when I roll out of bed I will not do Pilates.

I love Pilates after I do it--I do not like to think about starting each day over again, stretching to the music early in the morning. After I start I'm fine.

For those who choose Pilates three to five times a week the benefits to their lungs is tremendous.

I've always been physically active; however, with age I want something that gives me bang for bucks or I should say bang for my time. Pilates is it--therapy for my lungs and sculptor of my abs.

Not all DVDs are equal. My favorite, my friends favorite DVD is the MTV Pilates featuring renowned Pilates instructor, Kristin McGee.

shirley.publish@gmail.com

*For the article on Pilates as an alternative therapy for asthma, please go to:

http://www.weather.com/activities/health/allergies/relief/help_natural_pilates.html

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Submitted By: joane patrick

posted on 9/23/2009 @ 9:40:42 AM

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Hi Shirley...... My name is Joane Patrick and I teach qigong classes..... as with your techniques.... qigong also helps with breathing disorders. I love to see people using self applied healing techniques to enhance their life and I find it very interesting to hear how people do it. Thank you for writting this blog. I recently formed The Florida Self Applied Healing Alliance here in Sebastian. We are a group of people that use, learn and share techniques that have helped us heal and enhance our body, mind and spirt health. I would like to invite you to join us and talk to our group at our next meeting on October 23rd. The theme is ...... "Breath is Better than Bread" It is all about breath and its importance in our health and well being. I hope to hear from you......peace and love joane@qigongwithjoane.com

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Shirley Grose

Sebastian , FL

Shirley Grose has posted 12 blog entries and 11 comments since joining on 1/15/2008. Shirley Grose 's average blog rating is 0.

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