It’s no secret that physical and mental wellness are inextricably linked, and it’s equally true that regular physical activity is effective at improving mood. Moving your body is good for you in so many ways.

New research confirms this concept by looking at the effects of regular Pilates on a group of Korean college students. In this study, the author surveyed 187 female college students who were taking Pilates classes to see if there was a correlation between Pilates and physical and psychological well-being.

The survey found the following:

• “In the case of the female college students participating in Pilates classes in this study, the more positive their physical self-perception was, the more positive their perceived health state.”
• “Second, the physical self-perception of the female college students participating in Pilates classes in this study was shown to have had a positive effect on their psychological well-being. Specifically, the higher the level of physical self-perception of the female college students participating in the Pilates classes was, the more positive their psychological well-being was.”
• “Third, the perceived health state of the female college students participating in Pilates classes in this study had a positive effect on their psychological well-being, suggesting that the students who perceive themselves as physical healthy are psychologically healthy as well.”
• “Fourth, the empirical examination of the causal relationships among the physical self-perception, perceived health state, and psychological well-being of female college students participating in Pilates classes show that the physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes exerts a positive effect on their psychological well-being through their perceived health state. In other words, the psychological well-being of such female students is reinforced by their physical self-perception, but it is influenced more by how positively they perceive their own health state.”

While this study had limitations in that it didn’t have a control group, it seems that Pilates isn’t just great for your body, but it also has psychological and mental benefits, too.

Roh SY. The influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 2018 Apr 26;14(2):192-198. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836088.044.