Psychophysiological Adaptations to Pilates Training in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Topical Review

Abstract

The prevalence of overweightness and obesity has been documented as a major public health issue since it has increased at an alarming rate worldwide. Structured physical exercise programs have been reported as an essential strategy for preventing, managing, and treating obesity, inducing critical improvements in various physiological and psychological markers. However, it is unclear whether Pilates training can elicit positive changes in body composition, physical fitness, cardiometabolic health, and well-being among overweight and obese populations. The purpose of this topical review was to catalog studies investigating the physiological and psychological adaptations to Pilates training in order to identify what outcomes have been assessed, the research methods used, and the results. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were met by 14 published articles involving 582 participants (83% female) who were overweight or obese. The present topical review on Pilates training-induced adaptations shows that this widely used exercise type can significantly improve the majority of the selected indicators. These beneficial changes are frequently focused on anthropometric parameters, body composition, glucose, and lipid metabolism, as well as blood pressure in sedentary overweight or obese women. Specialized equipment-based Pilates interventions and trials investigating various mental health indices were limited. Further research is warranted in this area, emphasizing the Pilates training configuration and potential mechanisms behind positive alterations in several psychophysiological markers through large-scale randomized controlled trials with superior methodological quality, implementing long-term interventions in various populations that are overweight and obese.

Psychophysiological Adaptations to Yoga Practice in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Topical Review

“…Instead, yoga is mostly a multifaceted spiritual tool able to induce enhanced health and well-being to its regular users [ 103 ], and, thus, typical exercise modes and physical components of yoga practices demonstrate several similarities but also important differences [ 119 ]. Taking these facts into account, it does not appear clear whether yoga can elicit meaningful improvement in a broad spectrum of musculoskeletal fitness variables following short- or long-term interventions in these populations compared with other popular neuromuscular exercise modes [ 120 , 121 , 122 ]. Thus, further research is needed to identify whether this mind–body activity can be widely adapted for individuals with lower levels of functioning or disabilities.…”

“…Furthermore, overweight and obese adults show high attrition and low adherence rates when participating in physical activity and various types of structured exercise [ 20 ]. However, time-efficient training modalities appear to be attractive to this population despite the higher metabolic demands required [ 133 , 134 ] compared with other popular exercise types, such as aerobic and resistance training [ 20 ] as well as Pilates [ 122 ]. According to the findings presented here, 32% of eligible studies implemented long-term (>12 weeks) interventions, and, therefore, low compliance rates observed in these studies cannot be considered robust evidence for the impact of yoga-based physical exercise interventions on adherence to this alternative practice.…”

Role of Mind–Body Fitness in Obesity

“…However, it is not clear whether all these practices including meditative and physical elements are effective for enhancing several health, fitness, and well-being indices among obese individuals. Recent evidence shows that the most well-known and established mind–body fitness activities such as Pilates and yoga may induce positive changes in numerous psychophysiological markers in individuals with obesity [ 17 , 18 ]. This is an important finding considering that the majority of the world adult population belong to this cohort [ 1 ], while they do not meet the minimum recommended physical activity levels nowadays [ 19 ].…”

“…Given that persons with obesity commonly demonstrate physical limitations, movement dysfunctions, postural deviations, and poor stamina [ 4 ], mind–body fitness programs appear to be user-friendly and pain-free exercise strategies for this underserved population seeking for an inclusive exercise environment [ 38 ]. Figure 1 summarizes the effects of mind–body fitness interventions on cardiometabolic health, physical performance, and well-being in overweight and obese individuals [ 17 , 18 , 25 , 30 , 39 ].…”

“…Specifically, Pilates training studies primarily emphasize on body composition and physical fitness improvements. As for cardiometabolic and mental health-related markers, no robust data were reported across all trials studying these particular responses among obese persons in a free-living environment [ 17 ]. Overall, the feasibility of Pilates method as a common exercise mode for obese people is not clear.…”