Did anyone else catch this article in the Washington Post last week? If not, take a read:

As millennials flock to high intensity workouts, hip pain follows

At LightSpace, almost ALL of our instructors originally started taking Pilates because of back, hip, knee, or neck pain. Yes that’s right! And in the process of recovering from these injuries, we were completely re-educated in proper alignment, posture, and how to maintain both during exercise. And do you know what else we learned? It is EXTREMELY difficult to maintain proper alignment during high-intensity interval workouts.

Here’s a great quote from the article:

“The body has a tendency to overemphasize larger muscles because they are easier to activate, so sometimes they get a little overused and smaller stabilizing muscles get underused. You create an imbalance.”

As our bodies age and live longer than ever before (aka “grow wiser”), it’s so important to take care of the structures we have so that they continue to carry us through life PAIN FREE for years to come. If you are a 20 or 30-something dealing with an exercise over-use injury today, what might that hip/knee/back feel like in 30 years?

Hips are built to withstand tremendous force, but they need full range of motion to work properly, hence the importance of flexibility and stability, Wu said. She encourages her clients to do yoga or attend a Pilates class if they are dead set on physically taxing workouts.

Ok enough of the scare tactics! The best thing you can do for your body if you want to do more intense workouts is take Pilates at least once a week. Seriously. Let the experienced teachers at LightSpace help educate you on how to maintain a stabile, yet flexible structure, with optimal posture and alignment. Your body will thank you today and in 30 years.

Better yet, on your “rest” day from those HIIT workouts, attend our Qigong class on Monday nights at 7 pm or Wednesdays at noon. You’ll still be moving your body, but with the added benefit of increasing your energy body, boosting your immunity, decreasing stress levels, and best of all alleviating some of those aches and pains.