I Did Mat Pilates Every Day For a Month and My Stress Levels Have Never Been Lower

Get the Full StoryWhen you think of ways to relieve stress, things like meditation and yoga probably come to mind. And while those are both legitimate ways to reduce anxiety and boost your mood, there's one activity you're probably not thinking about - but you should be. Surprise, it's Pilates.

Pilates has skyrocketed in popularity lately thanks to its ability to build strength and improve flexibility and mobility. But it can enhance your mind-body connection and lower your stress hormones, too. We chatted with a Pilates instructor to find out more about the link between Pilates and stress reduction - and I even gave it a try for a month to put it to the test.

Experts Featured in This Article:

Elma Panagaki a Pilates instructor for Bay Club.

Why Does Pilates Reduce Stress?

Pilates is one of the best ways to relieve stress, according to Elma Panagaki, a Pilates instructor for Bay Club. "It's not just a workout, but through breathwork, mindful movement, and the consequent endorphin release, it's also a powerful tool for stress management," she says. "There are many scientific research studies that prove practicing Pilates can boost your mood, lower cortisol stress hormone levels, and help with depression and anxiety.

For instance, a small 2020 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that Pilates reduced anxiety and feelings of fatigue and improved mood. Another small 2022 study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that Pilates reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and reduced cortisol levels throughout the day.

"In Pilates, we're using controlled breathing techniques that help lower cortisol levels and relax the mind," Panagaki says. "The mindful movements increase your focus and concentration and help with releasing stress. Building a strong body helps with pain management from injuries and chronic pain, which is one potential cause for continued stress."

Over time, a buildup of too much stress is bad for your health and can lead to problems like gastrointestinal issues, immune disorders, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and more, according to the American Psychological Association.

How to Create the Perfect Stress-Busting Pilates Workout

For stress relief, Panagaki recommends Pilates exercises that focus on the breath, spinal movement, and stretching. "My favorite exercise is cat-cow pose because it mobilizes the spine, releases the tension from the lower back, and boosts your mood, since it stimulates circulation along the spine," she says.

A few other exercises Panagaki loves include:

Roll down standing or seated : decompresses your spine

Spinal twist: relieves tension from your spine

Child's pose: stretches your lower back and promotes deep breathing

Neck stretches: the area where most of our stress accumulates in our body

For beginners, Panagaki recommends doing Pilates two to three times per week, for 30- to 60- minute sessions. For more advanced practitioners, research shows that doing Pilates three to five times per week can provide significant results for stress management.

"Personally, I do a 10- to 20-minute stretch routine every day with neck and shoulder stretches, cat-cow pose, spinal twists, and hip openers," Panagaki says. " saw a big difference in my sleep quality, and it helps me start my day more confident and in a better mood."

My Experience Doing Pilates Every Day for a Month For Stress Relief

I took a page out of Panagaki's book and decided to start my day with 15 minutes of Pilates every morning for a month. What better way to set the tone of my day? I have a Peloton subscription, so I followed along with instructors like Aditi Shah, Anna Greenberg, and Kristin McGee in their intermediate Pilates workouts.

I've done mat Pilates on and off for about two years, so I had a good base - but if you're new to the practice, definitely take Panagaki's advice above and don't aim to do it every day right out of the gate.

The first few days of my Pilates challenge, I didn't really feel any different throughout the day. Sure, I felt calm and relaxed right after, but my good mood didn't necessarily last all day. However, I did start to notice a marked difference in my all-day state of mind around the end of week one and definitely during week two.

I'm naturally a bit high-strung, and I also have a tough time letting things go. For instance, if something annoying - but not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things - happens at work or in my home life, I'm usually still ruminating on it hours later. But I began to notice during the month that things were rolling off my back quicker than before.

I also had more energy throughout my days when I started them with Pilates. I thought it'd have the opposite effect. I'm not really a morning workout person, so I wasn't used to waking up and jumping right into movement - I assumed it would leave me feeling sluggish and exhausted. But I was excited to tackle longer workouts later in the day and didn't find myself feeling ready for bed at 8 p.m. like I usually do.

I tracked my mood on the Apple Health app for the entire month, and the amount of "pleasant" days noted with a yellow star I had was genuinely surprising to me. Even though the month is up, I'm still going to keep Pilates in my daily routine. After all, we could all use a little less stress in our lives.

Danielle Zickl is a freelance writer who has 10 years of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition. She received a BA in writing from Ithaca College. You can find her work here on PS, and in many other publications including Self, Well Good, Runner's World, Outside Run, Peloton, Women's Health, and Men's Fitness.

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