What Pilates Can Do for You

If you are looking for a low cardio way to stay in shape and help sculpt your body, then Pilates may be for you. Pilates was invented in the 20^th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany and is focused on the concentration of breath and core alignment. Practicing Pilates promotes good circulation, great posture, and lean muscle. It has come a long way from its origins in Germany!

From what I had heard about Pilates, it involved lots of weird equipment and only famous people did it. In actuality, Pilates was developed to assist with rehabilitation of wounded soldiers during World War 1. There are machines you can use while practicing Pilates using the concept of resistance, but most people concentrate on the floor or mat exercises. The DVD's that I selected were all based on floor exercise and training using your own body as resistance.

Pilates combines the mental and physical, creating a flowing and challenging work out. Following the philosophy that Joseph Pilates started, movements are fluid, the exercises can be done slowly or quickly, and the body's "powerhouse" is focused on creating a solid body structure that is lean and sculpted. This promotes better posture and body movement.

Certain exercises focus on your breath, which assists with a strong heart and blood circulation. There are also aspects of mind and body coordination, which help your ability to concentrate. This is beneficial to everything you do! If you are spending time coordinating your body's movements while concentrating on your breath, your body is mulit-tasking which helps promote better mental health.

What I was really looking for was the lean long muscles that Pilates seemed to promise. Through the mat exercises that Pilates practices, muscle tone is said to lengthen instead of bulk. The last thing I needed was more bulk! Because many of the movements are low impact and there is a lot of slow repetition, muscles are lengthened and toned. I was looking forward to seeing that!

Pilates doesn't involve any high impact or cardio, so anyone can do it! Many of the exercises are done on your back or in a comfortable position, really making it impossible not to try. The movements encourage flexibility, but are created to be done at any level. If you are like me and haven't done much physical activity in a couple years, Pilates is a good place to start!

I made the effort to spend 30 minutes a day doing Pilates, and the first week was a bit of a challenge. Although the exercises are low impact and easy to do, they definitely were working my sad muscles in ways they had never been worked before. I kept with it and worked through the sore muscles and successfully started loosing some weight! I have been doing Pilates now for over a year (and through my pregnancy) and can see the long lean muscles and toned areas of my body. I'm not saying I am model material or anything, but I feel strong, flexible, and focused. Without Pilates I might still be sitting around complaining about my back pain!

Give Pilates a try - there are many DVD's, Pilates' classes and studios, or TV programs dedicated to the practice of Pilates. You might be surprised at how good you feel afterwards!

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