Pilates for heartburn and acid reflux.

Something that may be worth trying to help cure your acid reflux and get rid of heartburn symptoms is Pilates. Pilates exercises strengthen and improve flexibility of all your muscles groups including diaphragm and abdominal muscles. These muscles help your breathing and digestion and toning them should help heartburn symptoms.

Pilates (sometimes referred to as the Pilates Method) is a system of physical fitness developed in the early part of the twentieth century by Joseph Pilates. Pilates liked to call his system `Contrology' because the method is all about controlling the muscles of the body through the power of the mind.

Joseph Pilates was a keen exercise enthusiast who designed and developed over 500 specific exercises based on his belief that physical and mental health are complementary and interdependent. His exercises involve a number of calisthenic, motions that undertake total body conditioning. These exercises teach proper alignment, body centering, concentration, precision and control which results in increased flexibility, muscle tone, strength, energy and body awareness. As a direct result, greater mental clarity and improved concentration is seen.

Through smooth, continuous motion, Pilates works multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Its focus is particularly on strengthening and stabilizing the abdominal region. Because Pilates focuses on quality of movement, one feels invigorated after a session instead of feeling exhausted.

Your first Pilates session should be a private lesson in which the instructor will introduce you to the equipment, give you an idea of where your body's strengths and weaknesses lie, and enable you to make informed decisions.

The Pilates exercises can be performed either on machines or on a mat. A variety of equipment is used to perform some of the over 500 exercises. On the mat you perform with a group, performing the same exercises, at the same pace.

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