Alia Bhatt takes up aerial Pilates: Know the benefits of this fitness routine

Alia Bhatt's trainer recently took to Instagram to post a video of the actress performing aerial Pilates. Read on to know the various health benefits assiciated with it.

Yesterday Alia Bhatt's gym trainer, Yasmin Karachiwala, posted a video on her Instagram handle which shows her performing aerial Pilates. The video shows the 'Highway' star hanging from a fabric rope. According to the caption posted along with the video, it was the first time that Ali Bhatt had tried aerial Pilates. Here is everything you need to know about aerial Pilates.

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The whole country, the whole world, should be doing #AerialPilates exercises. They'd be happier! Don't take my word for it, just ask @aliaabhatt 😊 Today was her first session of Aerial Pilates and @tonka_cascais says she totally nailed it! 🙌 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ #AerialPilatesIndia #befitbecauseyoudeserveit #yasminfitnessmantra #YasminsBodyImage #Pilates #PilatesMasterInstructor #PilatesIndia #AerialHammock #CelebrityTrainer #YasminKarachiwala #TonkaCasais #fitnessgoals #PilatesChangesLives

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on Sep 25, 2019 at 6:23am PDT

How aerial Pilates work?

Aerial Pilates is a powerful aerial workout method that works out and conditions the whole body. It is an extension of regular Pilates. Exercises like ladder barrel, Cadillac and reformer are all the same. The difference is that, in aerial plates, they are done in mid-air (a few inches off the ground). A person uses an aerial hammock to perform the exercises. Fabric hammock is made from a special kind of high-density nylon material that can support more than 2000 pounds of weight. These hammocks are connected to carabineers and support chains for support. This allows you to alter the height according to personal preference. Aerial Pilates work around the principle of gravity. Just like weights in weight training, gravity puts pressure on the body. The body works harder in this as compared to regular Pilates.

Benefits of aerial Pilates

Other than gravity, you are also defying the basic functionality of the body. Our body has the habit of staying straight (head on the top and feet touching the ground) and this is according to the law of gravity. By performing different exercises in mid-air, you are pushing it into unknown territory. This makes your core body strong, improves spinal positioning, and the blood rushing towards the brain brings clarity in it. Here are some other benefits of aerial Pilates

Weight loss

Regular pilates is not that effective for weight loss because you burn fewer calories on the mat. According to a study by the National Institute of Health, USA, Pilates does not contribute towards change in body compositon and that includes muscle tone and weight loss. An an average, 50 minutes of regular Pilates session burns aprroximately 254 calories. An average aerial Pilates session burns around 1000 calories. The level of calories burnt in aerial Pilates is more because, other than physical stress induced by exercise, gravity puts additional stress on the body. Weight loss is never just about exercise. You must eat the right food with your aerial Pilates regime.

Improves flexibility

When you are in mid-air, there is less tension exerted on bones and muscles. This makes it easy to move into and maintain difficult poses. This improves the flexibility of an individual. Since you are hanging throughout on a silk hammock and have no ground to support you, this will push you towards correct posture and stretch your comfort zones.

Improves mood

Aerial Pilates releases endorphins in the body, which help in boosting mood. The level of adrenaline also increases as we fly through air. As mood improves, it relieves stress and reduces the risk of depression.