The influence of the pilates method on self- perception and body satisfaction of hypertensive women

Introduction: Body dissatisfaction leads people to seek improvement in appearance, which increases the demand for exercise programs, including Pilates. Objective: To evaluate the impact of 15 weeks of Pilates training (floor and apparatus) on self -perception and body image satisfaction (CI). Materials and methods: In this descriptive study and qualitative-quantitative approach, 14 adult women, hypertensive medicated and non-obese, participated. Semi-structured interviews and the application of the silhouette scale were carried out before and after training. The six participant observations occurred during the training were recorded in field diaries. Interviews and diaries were analyzed by content analysis (CA). From the self-identification of the current silhouette (AS) and desired silhouette (SD), self-perception and body dissatisfaction were identified. Results and Discussion: CA resulted in three thematic categories: 1) "Barriers, facilitators and motivations", in which women highlight working as the main barrier to adopting an active lifestyle and seeking mental well-being and physical as motivations. 2) "Nobody is ever satisfied, right?", in which all initially reported dissatisfaction with the body corroborated by the difference between SA and SD; 3) "Pilates Experiences": Pilates generated a change in self-perception, with less discrepancy between real BMI and SD (p=0.029) and satisfaction (43%) with their CI. 4) "Food and Pilates": motivating potential for positive dietary changes. Conclusion: Participation in Pilates training had a positive effect on satisfaction and self-perception of body image.