Joseph Pilates’ warning: Exercise alone is not enough for complete well-being

Pilates instructor Melani Giommetti says the practice should be understood as whole-body training, not a series of isolated muscle exercises. Speaking to LN+, she described myofascial chains as a set of exercises that has transformed the discipline and helped it attract more followers.

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It would be a serious mistake to think that doing exercise alone is enough to achieve complete physical well-being.

At her institute in Buenos Aires’ Palermo neighborhood, Giommetti said the approach focuses on strengthening muscles consciously and over the long term. “This consists of viewing the body as an integrated whole, and not as isolated muscle groups,” she said.

She identified the reformer, known in Spanish as the cama, as a key tool. The equipment can assist movement, she said, but it can also increase the challenge, ensuring the session is not merely passive. Giommetti also addressed two common misconceptions. Working on a reformer does not mean a person is doing little, she said, because Pilates uses weights and body weight. Nor is it an activity only for women. More men are taking part because Pilates can enhance other sports and activities.

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A person who takes care of their diet and sleep habits and exercises correctly will be taking the best preventive medicine.

Giommetti recommended comfortable clothing, preferably shorts, and exercising barefoot. She said four classes currently cost around 80,000 Argentine pesos and described the practice as affordable.

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This consists of viewing the body as an integrated whole, and not as isolated muscle groups.

Joseph Pilates, the method’s German-born creator, developed a system based on controlled movement, breathing and postural alignment. He argued that exercise alone could not ensure complete physical well-being, and that good nutrition, sleep habits and proper exercise together offered the best preventive medicine. During World War I, he refined techniques for working with injured people, adapting springs and mechanisms to hospital beds. He later moved to New York with his wife, Clara, and opened a studio that became popular with dancers, athletes and artists.

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It is not true that, when working on a bed, you do not work hard.