Y ou’ve heard about celebrities including Pilates in their daily routines and praising its ability to increase their strength and balance. Miley Cyrus surely looks healthier and slimmer than ever, and there’s no surprise that Madonna, the queen of fit, is doing it to maintain her muscles looking toned and young. Even Emma Stone used it to get more flexible for her dancing scenes in La La Land, and we must agree she looked spectacular.

But is this type of workout a good pick if you are trying to lose weight? Some users consider the routine intense enough to help you burn some calories, others are in love with the Hundred, which is a type of exercise designed to give you phenomenal abs, but there’s still a large category of people who will tell you that Pilates has nothing to do with fat burning and urge you to switch to aerobics or other cardio workouts, which have been used for some time now with excellent results.

So, who’s right? In this article, we will analyze the way Pilates acts upon the body and its ability to stimulate calorie burn, so read on to learn if you should include it in your daily exercise routine.

Woman Practicing Pilates with Exercise Ball

Is Pilates a Good Workout for Weight Loss?

Are you trying to get slim fast? Then, this routine isn’t the best choice for you. If you have ever attended a Pilates class you may have noticed that no one is getting sweaty out of it. This means that the cardio effect is pretty low and, thus, the fat burnt per session is pretty reduced. In fact, fat burning isn’t the main purpose of this type of training, but you can include it in a weight loss program and get the most amazing results.

If you decide to start your routine with an hour of cardio exercises and, then, continue with 30 minutes of Pilates, all while trying to eat healthily and stay hydrated, it won’t take long until the first results appear. The role Pilate plays in this arrangement is of a core strengthener. You will soon start feeling more secure about your body, as it will become more flexible and balanced. Plus, your posture will improve. At the end of this hard training, you will emerge a whole new person, with a slender body that will proudly wear all those fancy clothes you’ve dreamt about.

How Many Calories Does It Burn?

If after your half an hour workout, you indulge in a burger and a can of soda, you’ll probably not lose one calorie. Instead, you may gain some. It is already known how things work with calories, and we all know that it may take up to two or three sessions of intense workout just to burn the effects of pizza night. Well, Pilates is a low-impact sport, so it can take some time for it to have this effect on the body.

In general, for a person weighing around 150 lbs., a regular 1-hour session can lead to the loss of 175 calories, if the workout is mild, or about 254 calories if they are doing more intense exercises. How much does it take to lose 1 lb.? 3,500 calories. So, yes, Pilates can help you fight fat, but you will have to wait and wait for this to happen.

Nevertheless, the advantages that it brings are uncontestable. If you decide to change your diet and get slimmer this way, a consequence of this method is that you may lose muscle mass as well, and your skin will have a bit of trouble adjusting to your new size. In this case, this workout is the way to go, as the exercises help you work your entire body and keep it toned. Your muscles will maintain their shape, but you won’t add any bulk. In the end, you are trying to get more slender, not turn into a bodybuilder. But, if you do, this workout can still be included in your training to help you improve balance. You will need it if you are going to lift heavy weights.

Pilates Woman with Flat Stomach Posing

Can You Lose Belly Fat by Doing Pilates?

One of the most famous workouts invented by Joseph Pilates is the Hundred. This consists of a series of movements designed to strengthen belly muscles and make them more defined. And it works. If you are going for spectacular 6 packs this is the way to go.

But, even if your core muscles develop and become stronger, they won’t be able to show if they are covered in a thick layer of fat. You will need to put up a lot of effort to get the body shape you dream about, and you should be aware that usually, it isn’t possible to reduce fat in a single body part. The first step towards looking and feeling better is always the diet. You should try to replace junk food, sweets, sweet drinks, red meat, gluten, and fat-based items with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, and lots of water. This is usually the hardest part of the process. But you shouldn’t stop here. Include some cardio workouts for at least five times a week and supplement them with low-impact exercises. Also, keep in mind that this is a new lifestyle, not a 3-month diet, so you will be following it your entire life. It may sound tough, but once you start seeing the results and feeling better, you won’t want to return to your old habits.

What Are the Best Pilates Exercises for a Flat Stomach?

If you want to focus your training on getting a flat stomach, then you should talk to your instructor and ask them to design a routine that can match this request. On the other hand, if you are training at home on your own, here are some movements that are a must:

• The Hundred – Although considered a warm-up exercise, it is actually a strong stomach muscle stimulator, and you will find it included in almost any Pilates routine. It prepares the body for more difficult exercises by increasing the heart rate and adjusting the breathing rhythm. It implies the following moves: Sitting on your back with your legs elevated at a certain angle, curl your torso forward by lifting your shoulders. Remember to keep your belly sucked in and you will get the best of this exercise. Repeat.
• Double Leg Straight-Leg Stretch – Get on your back and elevate your legs to form a 90-degree angle. Then pull your head and neck while maintaining your hands behind the head. Lower your legs slowly reducing the distance between them and the mat for as much as the position allows it. Then bring them up again and repeat for up to ten times.
• Neck Pull – From a lying down position with the feet extended on the mat, curl your torso up until you reach a sitting position. Then, reverse the curl until you get back in your initial position.
• Criss Cross – While sitting with the back on the mat, knees bent, and the hands behind your head, extend one leg and turn your body to the opposite direction. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat.

How Many Days a Week Should You Do Pilates to See Results?

As usual, the answer isn’t simple. You will need to consider several factors that can influence the frequency and the length of your sessions.

Answer these questions to find out:

• Are you an active person or have practiced other sports in the past? – If the answer is yes, then you can do Pilates every day of the week or at least 5 times a week, with the possibility to upgrade your routine fast and get the best results. On the other hand, if your lifestyle is rather sedentary and you are just discovering the benefits of movement, we advise taking it slow. Start with three to four 30-minute sessions a week and increase the frequency, duration, and intensity gradually. This will help you feel comfortable and continue with your new routine. If the sessions are too rough from the beginning, there are more chances that you will quit.
• Do you do other workouts besides Pilates? – Then, no matter how trained you are, you should stick to no more than four to five Pilates sessions per week. You don’t want to drive your body to exhaustion, you want to keep it healthy and stronger than ever. Otherwise, if Pilates is your only training, feel free to exercise for up to an hour every day.
• Do you use this technique to recover after an injury or treat pain? – If you do, make sure you listen to your healthcare professional and don’t overwork your muscles. In these cases, the recovery is done gradually, so you will need to have patience.

The Bottom Line

There’s a reason for which so many celebs and athletes include this type of workout into their daily routine. The truth is that Pilates just helps you look and behave more graciously. It truly transforms your body and makes you feel stronger and full of energy. But it cannot do it if you aren’t ready to commit to a healthy lifestyle. In fact, no exercise will help you look amazing if you keep eating lots of fats and other unhealthy items.

Take Miley Cyrus example, who gave up smoking, drugs, and alcohol, and switched to a plant-based and gluten-free diet. No one says you should renounce meat or cut some aliments completely from your diet, but it may be a good idea to include more fruits and vegetables. She looks amazing, and so can you. It just takes a bit of determination.

T hings are moving so fast today that our ancestors may just have a shock if they could peek for a moment into our world. And even if our bodies seem to have gotten the hang of it, they still didn’t, and the fact that more people are suffering from stress, depression, and insomnia is the proof. Doctors no longer recommend taking a few weeks of vacation in a mountain area to breathe fresh air and calm the nerves because they know our lifestyle doesn’t allow it. In this case, what is it left for us to get a moment of relaxation and restore the equilibrium between the body and the mind?

The answer seems to reside in exercise routines that force us to focus on each movement and shift our concentration form our worries toward our elongating muscles. Pilates is among the most popular, and this is because it is accessible to beginners and has an energizing effect on the body that encourages people to try it again and again.

If you have minimal knowledge about this technique, you probably know that there are some famous apparatus, invented by the German Joseph Pilates, namely the cadillac and the reformer, which are ensembles of springs, strings, and handles, designed to help the body align and regain balance. But there are lots of exercises that can be executed without these machines, and which are ideal for home routines. We have selected ten of the most common, so if you don’t have the right schedule to join a class, check them out and build your own routine at home.

Young Woman Training on Thick Pilates Mat at Home

How to Prepare for a Home Pilates Training

The advantage of practicing Pilates at home is that you have all the space to yourself and you can arrange it exactly the way you like it. However, even if there’s no one there to see how you are dressed or what movements you chose to execute, it is still important to prepare yourself for the sessions to get the best results.

Here are some ideas:

• Clear out a space for your routine – If you can afford to turn a room into your own home gym, do it. Remove all the unnecessary objects, as rooms that are stuffed with furniture and decorative elements tend to amplify stress. On the other hand, if you are living in a rather crammed flat, there’s no tragedy. You can still do your Pilates exercises as long as you can free up enough space to do the movements.
• Get the right equipment – No one is saying to install the equipment into your living room, although if you have the space and the budget, getting the reformer or the cadillac would be a great idea. However, most people who prefer to do Pilates at home don’t use the apparatus but a mat and other accessories. Thus, the first step would be to buy yourself a Pilates mat. And, since you are a beginner, we recommend getting a thicker one that can reduce the pressure that is put on your back. Among the accessories, you can find the soft ball or the mini fitness balance ball, resistance bands, or Pilates rings. Some of them will be necessary from the beginning while others can be introduced later as you get more advanced. Furthermore, make sure to get appropriate clothing. You won’t want to get tangled into large clothes that will prevent you from getting the desired balance and precision. Get yourself a quality pair of leggings.
• Turn off your phone or put it on silence – Pilates is all about concentration so the last thing you would want to hear is somebody messaging you on Facebook or the notifications from Instagram. Plus, this is your hour of relaxation, so your boss should stay away from it, no matter how “urgent” things seem to become at your job.
• Keep the pets out of your exercising space – If you have a dog, it will definitely not leave you to do your sequence in peace. And even if the cat may seem bored and uninterested at first, it won’t take long until it feels the need to be in the center of attention. So, it is better to shut the door so you can focus all your attention on the routine.

10 Easy Workout Moves to Try at Home If You Are a Beginner

If you have organized your space and bought the right equipment, it is time to get to the thing that interests you the most, namely the routine. Designed to fortify the core muscles and boost energy, the movements have a long-term purpose as well, namely to make the body more flexible and ensure a correct posture. Nonetheless, some movement can be more difficult to perform, this is why we have selected the easiest ones, which are recommended for beginners.

Let’s start:

Leg Circle

It will help you increase suppleness in the hip joint, as it encourages you to use the stomach muscles to keep your hip stable while executing the movement.

1. While leaving the arms along the body, lay with the back against the mat.
2. Bend both your knees.
3. Start by expanding one of your legs until it forms a 90 degrees angle.
4. Move it far from your hip.
5. Without engaging your hips, rotate the leg into a counterclockwise direction.
6. Repeat the movement five times, then move to your other leg and do the same exercise.

Single-Leg Core

Perfect for firming up core muscles, this movement uses bot your stomach muscles and leg muscles and tests your capacity to maintain balance.

1. Rest your back on the ground while elevating your legs to an angle a bit smaller than 90 degrees.
2. Use both arms to grab one of your legs and bring it to your chest.
3. Control your breathing while switching legs.
4. Focus on keeping balance while reiterating the movement for at least 6 times and a maximum of 10 times.

Double Leg Core

Another workout that challenges your balance and strength, this one will engage your stomach muscles even more.

1. Rest your back against the mat.
2. Elevate both your legs and hands to an angle of 90 degrees while drawing the belly button towards the spine. Inhale. Maintain your legs joined together and push your heels one towards the other.
3. Circle your hands at once and hug your knees, elevating them to the chest. Exhale throughout this movement.
4. Do this exercise for at least 6 times and for a maximum of ten times.

The Hundred

This is a good warm-up workout and simultaneously one of the most common. It targets directly the stomach muscles, and people use it to get amazing abs. But, in fact, it gets the whole body active and stirs up the blood, preparing you for the session.

1. Back on the mat, face up.
2. Elevate your legs and bend your knees. You can also do this work out with your legs stretched.
3. Elevate your arms to a 45-degree angle.
4. Count to five while pumping your hands up and down with slight movements. Inhale only at this step.
5. Count to five and exhale while doing the same movements.
6. Do this ten times.

Roll Up

Designed to fortify the spine and articulate it while using the stomach muscles to maintain equilibrium, this workout will help you get a perfect posture.

1. Rest on the mat while preserving your back straight.
2. Extend your arms over the head with the palms directed up.
3. Elevate your arms while inhaling and bend your spine gradually until you reach a sitting point.
4. From this posture, inhale and bring your upper side gradually into the initial point.
5. Reiterate for 10 times.

Swimming

Perfect for working out back muscles and posterior thigh muscles, this workout can be challenging but super fun at the same time.

1. Set yourself on the mat with the stomach down.
2. Elevate the hands over the head.
3. While inhaling, raise your superior side and your legs from the floor just like you were swimming.
4. Maintain this posture while exhaling.
5. Shift your legs like a scissor and your arms the same. Breathe through the movements, counting to 5 to inhale and once again to 5 to exhale.
6. Do 20 to 50 inhale-exhale sessions.

Woman Practicing Teaser Pose

Teaser

This series of movements will test your ability to maintain balance while increasing strength in the abdominal and hip muscles.

1. Lay on the mat face up.
2. Elevate your arms and legs, using your upper side to create a V shape. Begin with your knees in a bent position and straighten them up as you lift your torso.
3. Count to 5 and then return in the initial position.

The Saw

Getting a slimmer and more powerful waistline can be easily accomplished with this exercise, which works oblique muscles and thigh muscles.

1. Sit up straight with the legs spread apart, leaving a distance between your heels just a bit broader than your shoulders.
2. Set your arms far from the body with the palms facing the ceiling.
3. Turn your upper body, shoulders, and arms to a side of your choice. One of your arms should be positioned behind you and the other one in front of you.
4. Try to reach your toe with your front hand while maintaining your hips steady.
5. Twist your upper side to the other direction doing the same movement.
6. Do the routine 3 times for each side.

Pendulum

This is an easy movement and a relaxing one at the same time. Most beginners find it easy to execute. Nevertheless, it is highly efficient for working abdominal and thigh muscles.

1. Position yourself on the mat.
2. Elevate your legs while bending your knees.
3. Let the knees fall to the right ad then to the left in slow movements, while keeping the hips steady.

Scissor Kick

It will work almost all the groups of muscles, with an accent on the abdominal and thigh muscles.

1. Stay in a laying position with your face towards the ceiling.
2. Elevate one of your legs and grab it with your arms, pulling it towards your face.
3. Elevate your other leg just a few inches above the floor.
4. Keep your head bent up and swap legs to create a scissor.

How Often Should You Do Pilates to See Results?

Joseph Pilates proposed that this routine to be repeated four times a week, but this shouldn’t be regarded as a ground-rule. Some people like to exercise every day, and it isn’t even difficult to do it, as the exercises leave you rater energized than tired. However, if you are practicing other sports or doing other types of exercises in parallel, you can do Pilates only two to three times a week and still get excellent results. Besides that, the duration of the session is important as well. Most gyms or personal trainers will recommend exercising for about an hour, but until you get yourself into shape, you can start working out for 30 minutes per session.

Conclusion

Learning how to do Pilates is probably one of the easiest jobs, especially as you can find materials basically everywhere today. You have YouTube videos, CDs, books, and articles, just like this one, which explains in detail the movement. However, you still need to put up something yourself, and this is determination. You need to clear an hour in your schedule and reserve a space for your routine. And, once you’ve started, keep going every day. It will take some weeks until this workout comes to be part of your life, but once you’ve managed to integrate it, you won’t want to live without it anymore.

P regnancy is a period of great change, both physical and psychical, and in some cases, you may seem to lose balance. The hormones increase their levels, and your body gets through a pretty complex transformation, as it needs to make room for the baby and ensure the best conditions for their health and comfort. All these adjustments can be scary sometimes, and stressful, as you’ll be constantly thinking if you are doing the best for your little one, and, in this context, your favorite gym routine, may be challenged as well.

If you have practicing Pilates before the pregnancy, you are probably wondering if it is still safe to do it while expecting a baby. Or you may be thinking to begin now, and use this technique as a way to relax and strengthen your body so it can support the pregnancy. In both cases, it is possible. But there are still some restrictions that need to be taken into consideration to make sure that both you and the baby remain safe during the routine. So, stay with us as we are about to explore this subject in detail in today’s article and provide you with advice for each pregnancy trimester.

Pregnant Woman Does Pilates with Personal Trainer

What Is Pilates?

When Joseph Pilates invented this method, he saw it as a way to help the soldiers wounded in World War I recover and become functional again. It consisted of a set of exercises, designed to activate and stimulate all the muscles in the body, while encouraging good posture and stability, and this technique is still used today with some variations.

Pilates can be practiced on a mat or by using an apparatus . At the same time, you can choose to join a gym class or hire a personal trainer, who can come to your home and help you work out in your own rhythm.

But this technique isn’t only about physical exercise. It can help you disconnect from your daily worries (which can be a lot for a pregnant woman) and focus on the exercises only. It is a great way of eliminating stress and finding interior balance, and it will help you deal easier with the emotions and discomfort associated with pregnancy.

How Can Doing Pilates during Pregnancy Benefit You?

There’s one point we need to clarify before listing all the advantages you’ll get from doing these exercises, and this is that you’ll need to check first with your physician. They may recommend avoiding some exercises or, in some cases, not to do any of them. No matter the response, make sure to follow it, as it is your baby’s health that’s in the game, and you wouldn’t want to endanger it in any way.

Now, assuming you have received a positive response, here is a list with the advantages you’ll get by practicing Pilates:

• It reduces back pain – As your tummy is growing, more pressure gets put on the back and this leads to back pain. But if fortify your stomach muscles through regulate exercise, they will balance your pelvic and back muscles and decrease the pain.
• It helps you fortify your pelvic floor – It usually needs to sustain your bladder and bowels, but now there’s a baby in the womb who puts more pressure on it. By exercising these muscles, you will be able to control them better and use them to push when the moment comes.
• It helps you regain balance – Your belly is growing, so your body may require some time to get accustomed to the transformations. Meanwhile, you can help it by fortifying your core and gaining stability.
• It teaches you a breathing technique – You will practice it throughout the routine but you can use it every time you feel stressed and even when you give birth.

Low-impact workouts are the best to be practiced while expecting a baby, and this is what Pilates is. You will not be running or jumping or doing sudden movements that can bother the infant. Instead, you will do everything slowly, just enough to improve blood circulation and feel more energized.

Are There Any Risks?

First, there’s a small human growing in your belly, so you will need to be extra careful with the way you use your body. Intense effort isn’t recommended while expecting, so if you have been doing Pilates before and have gotten to an advanced level that requires executing difficult exercises, you will want to reduce their intensity a bit and maybe lower the level. Beginner routines work perfectly in this situation.

Secondly, you will want to avoid sitting on your belly, as the pressure can reflect upon the baby. Plus, you won’t be feeling comfortable at all. Usually, you will want to avoid the maneuvers that put pressure on your abdominal cavity and focus more on working your thighs and improving your posture.

Another risk that may appear with the pregnancy is diastasis, which means that your abdominal muscles can separate, creating a hole around your belly button. If this condition appears, it is usually recommended to avoid physical practice until after birth.

When you reach the 2nd trimester, you should try not to stay on your back, as this can block the blood supply to the baby. Moreover, it is not recommended to use the reformer anymore, and you should avoid movements that require you to jump or exercise you vigorously.

Doing Pilates One Trimester at a Time

The best way to ensure that you stay safe while practicing pregnancy Pilates, it to make a plan for each trimester and use it. A personal trainer who is specialized in circumstances of this type can help you with recommendations. Simultaneously, you should listen to your body. It will tell you if you are putting too much effort, and you will know when to stop.
To make things easier, we’ve prepared a list with things you should, depending on the gravidity stage you are:

First Trimester

You’ve just found out you are expecting, and the changes aren’t visible yet, although there’s a lot taking place in your uterus. Fortunately, few things can be regarded as risks at this point, but it is a great moment to start getting prepared for “the bump”.

• Let your instructor know you are pregnant – They will be able to provide a specialized routine for you, even if your body hasn’t changed yet. They can teach you how to identify signals and know when something’s wrong. Plus, you’ll probably get lots of encouragements.
• Give your body the attention it needs – There’s two of you now, and your child may not be content with the stuff you used to like the most. You will be feeling nauseous or fatigued. When this occurs, it is better to take a break or change your routine with an easier one.
• Recall the basics – The first thing you’ve learned when you’ve started the classes was to breathe correctly.

Woman in Second Trimester Doing Prenatal Pilates Exercises

Second Trimester

You’ve probably started to get over the nausea and tiredness associated with the 1st trimester and the famous glow may be already showing on your face and hair. Nevertheless, your belly has grown, and you already feel that you no longer have the same mobility.

Here’s what you need to do at this point:

• Don’t stand on your back – The baby has gained weight and will put pressure on your aorta and inferior cava vein. This means that the blood circulation toward your uterus will be restricted and you will start feeling dizzy. Plus, your baby surely won’t appreciate not receiving the nutrients on time.
• Don’t stand on your belly either – Your body will let you know this isn’t ok as you won’t feel comfortable at all. Therefore, this is the moment to say goodbye to the Swimming movement.
• Use a wedge – The positions in which you feel comfortable will become fewer and fewer, but you can aid your body sit more comfortably by using a wedge. If you don’t have one available, you can replace it with a cushion or a jump board.
• Reduce flexion – Too much flexion can lead to diastasis recti, so it is time to stop doing the Hundred. You can replace them with a Spine Stretch executed while you are sitting.

Third Trimester

You are already carrying a considerable extra load, and you are getting tired again. This is the most difficult period, so you’ll want to focus more on relaxation.

• Support your back – The pressure has already reached its peak, as your belly isn’t the only one pulling you towards the front but your breasts as well. Thus, you can try to open your chest through workout. An adjusted version of the Swan, done while you are sitting, is a great idea.
• Watch the belly button – If it is sore, don’t disregard the distress. It can be a sign of hernia, so you should let your doctor know about this.
• Just relax – The truth is that the back and pelvic pain won’t leave you until you give birth, so it’s time to use any means you have to feel better. If food makes you happy at this point, eat. If you feel tired, sleep. Soon you will be a mommy, and all this torment will be forgiven.

Conclusion

Remaining active throughout gravidity will help you carry all the load more easily. Your muscles will remain strong, and this is essential, as they need to support your baby, while your skin will stay flexible and ready to extend as your belly expands. And, if you need to choose an exercise routine for this period, Pilates is by far one of the best. The movements are slow and can be adapted as the gravidity advances. Plus, it offers plenty of benefits, and, as long as you follow some ground rules, the risks are minimal to none.

ilates has taken over the world, so no matter the country you chose to practice it, you will find a good center. That’s why we would say this is the best time to get your certification and become an instructor. You’ll get to inspire and motivate your students, and teach them all about this wonderful routine, while making a pretty nice living and, more importantly, doing your favorite Pilates movements every day.

Doesn’t it sound amazing? Many Pilates instructors will tell you that this was the best decision they’ve ever made and encourage you to follow the path of getting all the certifications, but they will also tell you that this job isn’t for everyone. Like any teaching activity, it implies not only being good at practicing the technique but at showing others how to do it. It requires patience and passion.

With this in mind, let’s explore what becoming an instructor really means, starting from the skills you’ll need, the degrees you need to earn, and the opportunities that are out there for you.

Mat Pilates with Male Instructor

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Pilates Instructor?

As an instructor, you will be the center of attention. Your passion and energy will be the ones encouraging your students to keep going until they reach perfection. And good explanations will be the ones driving them there. It can be a demanding job that will bring you plenty of rewards, but it can be a tiresome job if you aren’t really cut to be an instructor.

So, make sure you check the following requirements, otherwise, you may discover at some point that you have spent good money on training classes only to realize that practicing Pilates has nothing to do with teaching it:

• You have tried Pilates before and are familiar with the technique.
• You can speak in front of a crowd and have no problem standing for hours.
• You are patient and able to motivate people.
• You can work with large groups but with individual clients as well.
• You are an organized person.
• You like to help others.
• You partake in a healthy lifestyle.
• You aren’t bothered by physical contact, which is necessary when correcting clients’ posture.
• You are willing to work flexible hours.
• You are willing to engage in a continuous learning process.

You may think we’ve exaggerated. But stop for a moment and take a look at your favorite instructor. You’ll notice that they possess each and every of the qualities we’ve listed above. And, then, look at one of the instructors you consider not to be very good at their jobs. Are they missing one or many of the qualities we’ve mentioned?

What Certifications Are Necessary?

It may seem that it is enough to master the technique to start teaching it to others. But the truth is that it is very difficult to make a living if you cannot prove you have the required competencies. No gym will hire you without a certification, first, because it wouldn’t look professional in front of their clients and, secondly, because they cannot be sure you can ensure the clients’ safety during the courses. Moreover, in some states, a certificate may be mandatory for you to get hired.

Besides all that, you will learn important things during the instructor training that have to do with human anatomy and teaching techniques, which will help you better understand the routines and give your clients pertinent advice.

So, on your way to becoming a teacher, you will need to make some decisions and, only after, invest in courses that will enable you to practice this profession.

Classical vs. Contemporary Pilates

In order to pick one specialization or another, you should first understand what each of them will allow you to teach. You can specialize in both, but, for starts, the best you can do is pick one and master it to perfection.

Classical Pilates still preserves a great deal of the techniques used by Joseph Pilates when he designed the program. The accent is put on training the whole body while maintaining a strong connection with the mind. The exercises increase in difficulty as the practitioners become more advanced and can be executed on a mat or by using a set of apparatus, which have been introduced by the inventor himself, namely, the famous reformer, the cadillac, special chairs, and others, all having the purpose of correcting the posture of the body.

Contemporary Pilates has been adapted to recent scientific discoveries and uses a more advanced exercise repertoire. It still respects Joseph Pilate’s initial principles, but many elements have been added. The accent falls on the design of the routines, which are developed taking into account the principles of dynamics, elasticity, and body movement. Often, artistic elements are included, and the technique promotes the joy of movement.

Reformer Pilates Instructor Helping Client

Mat vs. Comprehensive Certification

You’ve just made an essential decision, but here comes a second one, just as important. The question is if you are going to teach mat Pilates or include apparatus training into your portfolio. The first certification will allow you to work in gyms, which focus more on mat exercises than the ones that require special equipment. You can also work as a personal trainer, assisting your clients at home.

On the other hand, even if a comprehensive certification is more expensive, it will open you far more opportunities. You can work in gyms where equipment is involved and get paid better. Or combine both mat and apparatus sessions, thus being able to attract more clients. Most full-time instructors that work in a studio have this certification.

How to Pick the Right Course

There are some criteria you should follow when checking centers that offer these types of courses, first, to ensure that you will learn everything you need to become a good professional and secondly, to have the guarantee that you will be able to teach in any gym in the country:

• The course should include at least 500 hours, during which you can get the chance to learn everything about the technique, put your knowledge in practice, and teach in front of a class of students.
• The course should be recognized by the Pilates Method Alliance (Professional Association for Pilates Teachers). You can later get a membership here and get resources and novelties concerning your field of expertise.
• The course should extend over a few months, usually six to twelve, and not cover only one weekend or two.

How Much Does Club Pilates Cost?

Getting your certificate for a mat instructor is usually easier and less expensive. The costs can start somewhere around $100 and go up to $300. Nevertheless, as we have explained, this certification is rather restrictive and offers fewer career opportunities. A comprehensive certification is what you should follow, even if it will require more effort from your part and a higher investment. It can cost up to $3,000, but it is a better guarantee that you will get the job of your dreams after finishing it.

If you are going to teach Pilates exercises that require an apparatus, but you have never tried them before, a good idea would be to join a club Pilates class and learn your way with the reformer. You cannot be a good teacher unless you master your domain. This investment will cost you somewhere between $25 to $35 per session, but you can get some discounts if you purchase packs of 4 or 8 sessions. Or you can get an unlimited monthly or yearly membership, which is usually the less expensive option. If you are serious with your career intentions, you shouldn’t fear to commit to a yearly membership, and, once acquired, take full advantage of it.

Moreover, if the price seems a bit high, think that soon you will be the one charging it, so it is a good thing that the rates are high enough to allow you to make a good living.

How Much Do Pilates Instructors Make?

The area where you teach can influence your salary, but not in such a great measure as experience can. Just like in any other domain, the more prepared you are the more clients will want you as their teacher. Nevertheless, according to statistics, most Pilates instructors gain enough money to live a comfortable and sometimes luxurious life. The hourly rates can vary from $15.8 to $50, with a beginner instructor with less than 1 year of experience earning a gross annual salary of $54,912 in Los Angeles to $75, 047 in New York, and an instructor with 1 to 4 years of experience earning $83,200 in Los Angeles and $85,280 in New York. The rates can go even higher for teachers with over 5 years of experience, the gross annual salary reaching $105,664 in Los Angeles, and up to 108,305 in New York.

These numbers are truly impressive, and the odds are that they won’t get lower in the future as more and more Americans are getting interested in Pilates. A study conducted by Statista in 2016 revealed that about 9,000,000 Americans are practicing Pilates regularly, and the amount each student spends on private classes per year is as high as $2,000. Since then, things have remained on a rising path, making this job a highly desired one from a financial point of view.

As a Certified Trainer, Do You Need to Get a Pilates Insurance?

The answer is simple. You should get one. It doesn’t matter if you work for a gym or as a personal trainer, accidents can happen, and if the blame is cast on you, you will need to get good money out of your pocket for the treatment. But if you have insurance, all your worries can be put away. And your employers will appreciate that you don’t rely on others to save you in these situations. Nevertheless, having insurance shouldn’t mean that you needn’t treat your clients with attention anymore. You don’t want anyone to get hurt during your classes as this is just bad advertising.

Conclusion

Once you’ve got through the whole process of getting certified, it’s time for your hard work to start generating money. But keep this in mind. A good business is built in time, so don’t charge your clients with more money than your experience is worth it. This will only ruin your image and prevent you from advancing in the industry. Better take it slow. Make sure that your clients enjoy the classes, speak nicely to them (a good instructor is a good listener as well), and try to secure their fidelity. They will be the ones spreading the word and bringing more and more clients. And more importantly, no matter how successful you become, make sure not to overcrowd your classes. Pilates is about concentration, which can no longer be acquired if the room is full.

P ilates enthusiasts might have you thinking it is all sunshine and rainbows, but the truth of the matter is that with any sort of physical activity, there are potential drawbacks to consider. Sure, there is a load of health benefits you get to enjoy with this practice, but there are risks involved as well.

Whether you are one of the people who are not allowed to practice it because of medical conditions or you aren’t aware of the correct manner to proceed with the exercises and end up doing more harm than good, there are circumstances in which Pilates can indeed be harmful. This is the topic we will cover in this article, and we recommend that you don’t start your journey without considering these disadvantages and situations first as your well-being is at stake, after all.

Who Is Pilates Recommended For?

At its basis, this workout, whether we are talking about apparatus-style routines that you perform using the Pilates reformer or the mat-style routine where you sit on a special mat and use the weight of your body rather than that of weights, caters to people regardless of their age, level of ability, and physical condition.

Among its multiple benefits are included posture improvement, muscle toning, balance increase, and joint mobility, so you can see how everyone can benefit from it more or less. However, there are circumstances in which this practice is not safe to take up, and if you have any doubt or health concern, you should first pursue advice from a healthcare professional before you start the routine.

Pregnant Woman Sitting On Exercise Ball

When to Ask the Physician First

Are you pregnant?
While a lot of pregnant women do Pilates actively during all trimesters as the workout focuses on the core and can alleviate back pain, ultimately giving a helping hand in labor, this does not mean that you can take it up without consulting the doctor first. There might be certain complications in your pregnancy that are incompatible with this practice, so better not risk your health and that of your baby and first talk to a specialist.

Are you over 40 years old?
With age, mobility decreases, balance starts to get out of tune, and so on. This doesn’t mean that you are incapable of physical activity, just that time has taken a toll on your body and you must pay careful attention to the type of exercises you undergo to not worsen your condition. A medical check-up is indicated before you start sessions as you might have specific health issues that don’t allow you to perform the movements in normal Pilates routines.

Have you had any surgical intervention recently?
Regardless of the sport or activity you want to take up, make sure to consult a doctor before you start the practice if you have had recent surgery. Otherwise, you might be confronted with severe complications and end up on the operating table once more.

Is your weight above the healthy limit?
Being overweight or obese makes it all the more difficult to perform workouts as your body is out of shape and it has too much weight to carry around. Mat Pilates has you using the weight of your body in the routines, and in case you weigh considerably more than you should for your age, gender, and height, you will put too much strain on your bones and joints. Talk to a physician and see if Pilates is suited for your situation, if there are specific exercises that you should avoid, or if there is another workout that is better suited for you.

Do you suffer from medical conditions?
Regardless if you suffer from cardiovascular disease or any other medical condition, check to see if the doctor has any recommendations regarding how you should perform the exercise routines, if the specialist allows you to follow through, to begin with. Otherwise, you risk complications and can easily worsen your health.

Is Pilates Bad for Back Problems?

As Pilates enhances core strength, muscular force, elasticity, and posture, by definition, it should help you get rid of back pain. Pilates is similar to yoga up to a point, and both practices have been recognized by specialists as being effective solutions for back pain relief. However, sitting in improper positions when you perform the routines, not respecting the pace your body feels most comfortable with, and pushing your limits to the extremes can easily end up amplifying your pain and weakening the back.

What Are the Drawbacks of Pilates?

If you ask anyone who has been practicing Pilates for a few years, they will likely only praise this workout. It does help you improve various aspects of your health, putting a lot of accent on core strength, concentration, and flexibility, but this does not mean that it is a perfect practice, far from it. Want to know what the downsides of Pilates are? Here is a list of all the disadvantages this workout has:

• It does not count as cardio: Is your exercise goal to lose weight? Then Pilates is not the route you should take as it qualifies as an anaerobic exercise, which means that by default it is not intended for weight loss. It does help build muscle mass up to a point and strengthens your body, but this is not a cardio workout, so it won’t do wonders when it comes to what the scale shows. If you want to lose weight, better opt for running or swimming.
• It does not count as strength training: It does strengthen the body and helps you put on some muscle mass, but it does not qualify or come near the results of weight lifting and bodybuilding. However, a lot of gym enthusiasts use Pilates as a complementary routine for their normal strength workouts to diversify their program and help increase mobility and other areas on which their regular workout does not focus. For short, if toning and shaping are what you want, Pilates delivers. If you want to get bigger and stronger, without weight lifting you won’t see notable results.
• When done incorrectly, injury can occur: With any type of low-impact exercise, injuries are uncommon, but not unheard of. In Pilates, you can get injured if you do not take up a correct posture, focus on your movements, and go slow and steady. Bear in mind that the key element of this practice is to execute slow movements as this is the most common mistake newbies make, rushing their routines.
• Classes are expensive: The costs of taking classes are high, which has made it quite an exclusive workout. While it caters to people of all ages and physical conditions, the same cannot be said about financial possibilities. This is the reason why more and more people prefer to get equipment for Pilates at home as in the long run, they save more money.
• You need time to recover: The day after your workout, it is common to feel exercise pain. Give your body some time to recover, two days when you are just starting, and one day when you become better accustomed to the routine. For those who want to exercise daily, Pilates might not be the right solution, although there are people who reach a level high enough to take breaks only bi-weekly.
• It takes a lot of time to see results: When you have just begun any sort of physical activity, it can get frustrating to not see the results you expect as quickly as possible. With Pilates, it takes time to see how the exercises impact muscle increase and toning, so you have to remember that patience is key. You will get there, just not as fast as you do with strength training, for example. However, the outcome is impressive and you benefit from more than you could ever ask for health-wise, so it is worth the wait.

Flexible Woman in Difficult Position On Mat

What About the Benefits of This Practice?

Pilates is practiced by people all around the world since its inception a century ago, so it is more than clear that while there are downsides and potential risks under specific circumstances involved with it, the benefits outweigh them. As with any physical activity, if you are careful and learn the ropes, you can eliminate the potential for harm and only reap the good. Here are some of the benefits you enjoy once you turn to this routine:

• Better blood flow;
• Increased flexibility;
• Better posture;
• Improved balance;
• Stress relief;
• Better sleep;
• Rehabilitation aid;
• Better concentration;
• Greater core strength.

Bottom Line – Is Pilates Safe to Practice?

Seeing how it is a low-impact physical activity, injuries are quite unusual with Pilates, but not impossible. If you haven’t had any experience with it before, chances are that without proper guidance, you might harm your back or have other unwanted repercussions to worry about. If you are just starting and you take courses, ask the instructor to pay extra attention to you and make sure that you sit in the right positions, and follow through properly with the exercises.

In case you got your hands on a Pilates reformer and want to take up the routine on your own, at home, then invest in some instructional DVDs or look up videos online to use as guidance. If you do it on your own and start to feel back pain, revise all of the material and try to pinpoint what you are doing wrong as something has happened that shouldn’t have.

To answer the main question here, yes, Pilates is safe to practice, safer than most physical activities due to its low-impact nature. But you do have to be careful when you do your routines as repercussions, while uncommon, can appear.

A mong modern stress relief therapies that involve physical exercise, Pilates is one of the most popular, overcame maybe only by yoga, which is an older technique and more widely-spread. Invented in the 20th century by Joseph Pilates, it first functioned as a medical strategy to help wounded soldiers recover after the First World War, and was, for a long time, used by recovery centers to help their patients. Only recently it has become a common practice for healthy people as well, who choose to practice it for the many benefits it offers in terms of body strength and balance. Emma Stone is a big fan of the technique, and we’ve all have seen what excellent posture she has.

But is it for everyone? And how often should you hit the apparatus to get those stunning abs everybody is talking about? Is this technique truly worth the effort? These questions are entitled, but the answer isn’t always the same. Our bodies are different, our resistance to effort is also different, as well as our determination, so the results may appear after a few sessions or in months or even years. However, what will change immediately will be your energy level, as a single session is enough to get you pumped with serotonin.

But the benefits go beyond that, as Pilates is a method that implies both the body and the mind, so let’s take the time to explore them closely.

What Is Pilates?

Some people look at it and see some sort of yoga that requires equipment, while others see the gear and think that some sort of bodybuilding exercises must be practiced on them. But Pilate is neither yoga nor bodybuilding, although it encourages relaxation like the first and challenges the muscles like the second one. It is, in fact, a low-impact type of exercise that consists of a series of exercises, designed to increase mobility and balance. When its inventor designed the routine, some special equipment pieces were built as well and are still in use today. This is why you may need to try the cadillac or the reformer in your sessions. But Pilates can be practiced using only a mat as well if you choose these types of classes.

Unlike yoga, which employs longer and more repetitive moves, this technique uses shorter moves, and the accent is put on carrying them through perfectly. In fact, you will rarely do the same exercise in the same session. This routine challenges both your muscles and your brain, which needs to be attentive to the movements the whole time. Thus, a disconnection occurs, and you get to forget your mundane preoccupations while exercising.

Slim Woman Pilates Reformer Training

How Pilates Changes Your Body

Most people who have tried Pilates for the first time describe their first session as challenging but highly energizing. “A single set of exercises is enough to make you feel better about yourself”, says Maria Henderson, who has been practicing this technique for 7 years now. “But it is the long-term commitment that brings the transformation, changing you at so many levels.”

Other people found relief for chronic pain or fatigue while others used this method to maintain healthy body weight. Moreover, as more studies are performed in this field, it becomes clear that Pilates can improve health at all levels of the body.

Here are some of the most important benefits it offers:

It encourages better posture and increases flexibility

The first thing you will learn during the sessions is how to maintain balance and a good posture while executing the routine. This means that you will concentrate on keeping your spine straight, your head up, all while becoming aware of the role your muscles play in movement and stability. It is the most important thing in Pilates, and, in time, it will become part of your every-day life. You will find yourself sitting straighter on your chair at work or keeping your back straight while walking on the street. This is an effect of your muscles becoming stronger as well.

Although yoga can prove better at this chapter, Pilates is still an efficient way to boost flexibility. Body elasticity is given by the muscles and the joints, so, if you don’t train them regularly, they will, in time, become stiff, and the age is an important factor in this process. Therefore, regular exercise will keep your blood flowing and your muscles lean and long, allowing you to move easier and more graciously.

It gives you great abs

One of the most famous exercises of the routine is the Hundred, which targets directly the tummy. Moreover, most of the exercises are about alignment and stability, so your stomach will always be challenged and worked up. In only 12 weeks of training, most people see the difference, which shows up not only in the abdominal area but all over the body. Suddenly you start feeling fitter and discover that your core muscles have grown stronger, making you feel more confident and healthy.

Besides that, your balance becomes improved, and you discover that all the clumsiness has gone away. It’s like you are a whole new human, walking on new feet with an airy body.

It casts away the pain

If your body is struggling with chronic pain, but the cause is impossible to treat, what do you do? You can suffer through it (in some cases it is purely impossible) or use drugs to make it go away (they have limited effect though, and can cause dependence, so long use is not recommended). The third option would be to strengthen your body so it can fight pain better, and here is where a Pilates routine can help you. Regular exercises will add support to your core while preventing the muscles from getting stiff. Apart from that, as the technique requires full concentration, you will completely forget about the pain during the session.

It improves concentration

This method, just like yoga, implies the use of a breathing technique, designed to keep you focused while executing the exercises. However, what you may realize or not from the first sessions is that your body is not the only one getting trained but your mind as well. It takes concentration to maintain your posture throughout the routine, so your mind will shift its attention from other factors and direct it toward the body, and this leads to a peaceful harmony between the mind and the physique.

Moreover, this practice will eventually teach you how to stay focused on other tasks as well, so it can help you improve your work or school performance. Not to mention that a mind that is focused on only one thing instead of one hundred will be more relaxed, so you can use Pilates as a way to fight stress as well.

It lowers blood pressure

Even if the movements aren’t rapid and the routine doesn’t imply jumping a lot or running, it is still soliciting enough to set your blood flowing and get your heart pumping. These types of exercises help, in time, to reduce blood viscosity and make it circulate better. As better circulation leads to lower blood pressure, it means that you will be less exposed to the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Additionally, better blood circulation leads to improved organ function and encourages cell growth, so your body will become stronger and able to fight other illnesses as well.

Class Doing Pilates Standing Lunges

How Often Should You Do Pilates for Best Results?

Like any exercise routine, it needs to be practiced several times a week for best results. But how many times are recommended? And does it depend on the person’s training level? The answer here is that it depends a lot on how resistant to effort your body is and if you are doing only this type of exercise or you are alternating it with aerobics or other sports. Nevertheless, here are some guidelines that will help you assess how often your sessions should be:

• Four times a week – This is the frequency recommended and used by the inventor. And is probably the most efficient, as it is frequent enough not to leave your muscles to get lazy, but it leaves enough time between the sessions, so your body can recover after the effort. Most people who work out in this rhythm manage to get the full benefits offered by this routine and increase their inner force.
• Two to three times a week – This schedule is recommended if you are supplementing Pilates with other types of exercises. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, you may want to do aerobics 4 times a week and reserve 2 to 3 days for strengthening and shaping the body.
• Every day – Some people love this routine so much that they cannot stay a day without it. This is because it was designed never to get boring, with exercises that are diverse and can increase in difficulty as you get more advanced. Nevertheless, too long or too often sessions can lead to over solicitation of the muscles, so you should take a break if your body is hurting or you feel tired instead of energized.

How Long Should the Sessions Be?

Most gyms offer sessions of 55 minutes or 1 hour, but if you are working with a personal trainer, they can establish a personalized routine for you and reduce the time to 30 minutes, at least until you become accustomed to the effort. If you are practicing it at home, it is also recommended to start with 30-minute sessions and increase the duration as you get more advanced. This will allow you to do a good number of exercises and get the best results without getting yourself exhausted.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve gotten yourself informed about how this method can transform your body, you can join a class, get in touch with a personal trainer, or use all the information to design your own schedule and get exercising. Moreover, note that this is a technique that will always surprise you with new moves, so if you are training on your own, don’t hesitate to join an online Pilates community or buy the latest books, which will help you make the best of it. It may seem a bit hard at the beginning, but what isn’t? Just keep working out for your health and well-being.

A concept that started in the 1920s, Pilates has an ever-growing base of followers as the low-impact workout regimen delivers results without putting the body under too much pressure as other types of activities do. Moreover, a range of health benefits is associated with this practice, some of which might surprise even those who are experienced.

In the following, we will go over 15 of the most important health benefits you are bound to enjoy as of taking up Pilates. So, if you are looking to look and feel better but aren’t convinced if this workout technique is the right path for you to go on or not, definitely stick with us until the end to reach a proper conclusion.

Sporty Woman Fully Spread Legs on Pilates Reformer

Pilates 101 – A Closer Look At the Low-Impact Workout

This workout regimen comprises a series of movements that concentrate on key elements like posture, elasticity, power, and balance. As long as the physician has not advised you otherwise because of other underlying health conditions or issues, it is a workout that everyone can take, no matter the age or gender. Moreover, you have the option to either utilize special equipment in the routine or use your own bodyweight, whichever suits you better.

When you do Pilates, you won’t ever work your muscles to the point of exhaustion, so aside from intense concentration on placement, rhythm, and respiration pattern, you won’t experience effects like strain or sweating, which are common with most workouts.

What Types of Pilates Workouts Are There?

While variations exist plenty, at its basis, Pilates can be split into two primary forms that comprise:

• Mat-based workouts: You execute the exercises directly on the floor while sitting on a non-slip mat. What you use comprises of gravity and your body weight for resistance as opposed to relying on equipment. What it mainly targets is posture, balance, and coordination improvement.
• Equipment-based workouts: As the name so clearly implies, you use special equipment called Pilates reformer that works against spring-loaded resistance and moves a carriage that you push and pull on tracks. Some variations incorporate weights and other small gear, including resistance bands.

How Does It Differ from Yoga?

The untrained eye might find too many similarities between the two routines. While indeed similar up to a point as the movements used in Pilates are partially inspired by yoga, there is a big dissimilarity between the two physical activities. While yoga involves motionless postures, Pilates asks that you take up challenging, unstable postures and move your limbs. Yoga is helpful too, but when you pin it against Pilates, the latter definitely wins as muscle increase, toning, balance, posture, and several other perks that we will list in the following are offered, being exponentially more beneficial for the way you look and feel.

General Precautions for Safe Sessions

Even though this is a low-impact physical activity, there are specific circumstances in which it should not be performed. Before you embark on your Pilates journey, it is best to contact your physician for medical advice and receive the “OK” if you fall into any of the following categories:

• Pregnant;
• Over 40 years of age;
• Overweight or obese;
• Sedentary for too long;
• Recent surgery;
• Pre-existent medical conditions and injuries.

Health Benefits that Will Surprise You

1. Improved flexibility – Every action you perform requires flexibility, everything from carrying groceries to ironing clothes. Woefully, we take it for granted and not work on it. As time passes and we age, we start to lose our flexibility and day-to-day tasks become increasingly difficult. If you don’t work out at all and lead an extremely sedentary lifestyle or you suffer injury, you may lose it even prematurely. By combining stretching with muscle building and resistance training, Pilates proves to be among the most efficient activities you could take up to improve elasticity and move freely as if you were 20 years old again.
2. Blood circulation improvement – Any type of exercise can help towards achieving this wellness perk, and as this workout might even have you doing full-body exercises, it proves to be particularly efficient. Moreover, as it corrects your posture, this also adds to blood flow improvement as the two are linked.
3. Increased lung capacity – Another beneficial health aspect is that you will increase lung capacity through correct posture. Yes, you read that right, posture is connected to breathing. As you won’t slouch and stay in abnormal positions anymore, you won’t put pressure on the diaphragm but rather let it contract normally so that it lets air in and out without a problem. Keep in mind that correct breathing is an integral part of Pilates as this plays an important role in lung health as well. With the passing of time, your breaths will get deeper as well, improving lung capacity.
4. Improved coordination – It is crucial in day-to-day activities, but because of injuries or aging, you can slowly lose it. Decreased motor function affects coordination, so by practicing it through this workout regimen more and more, you assist boost the bond between your body, brain, and eyes.
5. Better balance – At its basis, Pilates was purposed toward assisting dancers to recover, so you can see why balance is a vital part you profit from as of practicing it. Balance combines muscle movement, eyesight, sound, and interior ear input, and as the brain acquires receptive signals, it puts your body in the proper position. Other aspects that increase balance and are an integral part of the drill include core strength improvement, added flexibility, and enhanced concentration.
6. Improved stance – A range of causes can lead to an inadequate posture, from driving too many hours each day to having a desk job. With time and combined with a sedentary lifestyle, a poor stance can head to inadequate spinal alignment as well. Among the repercussions of bad posture include digestion issues, low blood flow, and pinched nerves, to name a few. As this workout helps improve the core and reinforces the muscles, you will enjoy a proper, natural alignment of your back, and slowly learn to sit in a suitable position with your back irrespective of the activity you take up.
7. Injury prevention – Many things can go wrong with the body and lead to harm. For those who practice sports, chances are even further increased for injuries to appear as improperly performed exercises or excess strain can eventually take a serious toll on the body. Luckily, the workout is proficient in tackling these concerns as it helps strengthen the joints and muscles. Thus, even if you exercise excessively and put strain on your body, chances of injury are reduced as opposed to before.
8. Better sleep – Insomnia is among the contemporary wellness problems that increasingly more people are battling, this incapacity to fall asleep or have a restful nocturnal slumber taking a toll on life quality and expectancy. Unfortunately, when untreated, insomnia can even lead to the development of depression and affect a person’s life even further. If you integrate the exercise regimen in your routine before you go to bed, you can free your mind of all worries and tire your body out so that you will fall asleep faster and rest better.
   
   

   Fit Woman Posing in Sportswear

9. Stronger physique – The basic interpretation of strength is the amount of weight a person can lift. A key component to this workout is sitting in innate positions that pose a challenge as you don’t usually take them up in your normal routine. Moreover, the practice involves using your body weight while you exercise, activating your muscles, and assisting them to grow in mass and raw force. If you are recovering from injury, it is all the better to take up Pilates as you can move and use only the healthy parts of your body. Thus, you put less pressure or ignore the affected area altogether so that you can recover gradually without renouncing workouts altogether to not lose your force.
10. Core strength improvement – While this activity bolsters your whole body, the key area on which it focuses is your core. These muscles are in charge of steadiness and balance and are needed in all movements you make, so you can see why core strength improvement is a health benefit from which you will have a lot to gain. Moreover, chances are reduced for you to ever suffer injury if you have sufficient core strength.
11. Rehabilitation aid – So you had an injury and want to get your life back on track ASAP. Whether you had an accident or you are an athlete that sustained a serious injury during your program, Pilates provides rehabilitation unlike any other workout as it involves going through low-impact exercises that can be performed even with certain pre-existing conditions. It provides a means to stay active without putting yourself at risk seeing how you have a wide range of exercises to pick from. Thus, you can opt to work on all other areas that are not affected to upkeep your shape, letting the injured part recover slowly.
12. Improved concentration – Aside from the expected perks it provides when it comes to your body, this practice does wonders for the mind. You need to focus when you execute the movements, which helps you concentrate better overall, creating a better connection between your body and your mind. With concentration, you also see an improvement in balance, so there is a string of advantages that you will enjoy.
13. Stress relief – Unfortunately, stress is an active part of modern life, and a lot of factors can cause it, whether internal or external. As you are more self-aware when you work out and you inhale and exhale properly, you get a sense of leisure and start to live in the moment, momentarily relieving the pressure you feel.
14. Brain health boost – Exercises of all types help you maintain brain health and increase your capability to resolve problems. As opposed to cardio and fitness, it helps even more as it offers you the chance to become more self-aware and assists raise the amount of white matter in your brain.
15. Higher energy levels – When it comes to providing that much-needed boost of energy when you wake up, breathing can be a lot more helpful than a cup of coffee. Seeing how you focus on proper breathing a lot when you work out, you enhance energy levels naturally. Moreover, the exercises themselves help freshen you up and revitalize you.

What Should Your Workout Schedule Look Like?

The answer slightly differs according to your physical condition level and experience with practicing Pilates to begin with. If you are a beginner in this activity and don’t have the best physical form either, aim for at least three workouts per week that are at least 20 minutes long. With each session, make sure to diversify and include new and interesting drills that you haven’t tried the prior time to put emphasis on as many different muscle groups as possible and not get your body too accustomed to the routine.

Once you get the hang of this activity, try to work out at least four times per day and increase the workout time by at least 10-15 minutes. If your physical shape allows it and you feel like you are capable, then you can extend your workout sessions to as much as 45 minutes, even 90 minutes if you become really involved and passionate. Just limit yourself to what you can handle at that moment as you will improve and raise your numbers over time anyway.

Bottom Line – Is Doing Pilates Worth It?

Considering the fact that Pilates doesn’t only make a big difference in your physical fitness and appearance, but as it provides a range of health benefits that include, among others, better blood flow and higher lung capacity, as well as making a difference in your mental health as it helps enhance your brain health and relieve stress, it is one of the few workouts worth taking up.

As opposed to most types of workouts and sports, it is considerably lighter and puts less strain on your body. There is a wide range of exercises to turn to as well, fit for all fitness levels and degrees of preparation. So, if you seek a low-impact drill to stay fit and healthy, Pilates might just be the right option for you! Better yet, you can get your hands on some gear, make a small personal workout corner for yourself in a room, and take it up in the comfort of your own home if you would rather enjoy a more intimate setup rather than a class filled with people.

I ts inception began in the 1920s and it was developed by Joseph Pilates. This popular practice is founded on low-impact movement and training that help strengthen the muscles, increase flexibility, and improve balance. Two aspects on which a lot of accent is put in these workouts are posture and alignment. This is why the exercise routine’s popularity exploded when it appeared and is still going strong to this day. Moreover, people who suffer from lower back pain and who are recovering from injuries reported noticeable improvement, in most cases their issues even reaching an end through the practice of Pilates.

There are numerous different types of Pilates techniques and classes so that everyone who takes up the routine can find the style they like. Unlike most exercise routines and workouts, Pilates is easy to perform at home too, being quite similar to yoga from this point of view. You will require some equipment to have the same conditions you would when you attend a class, of course, but there is nothing too expensive or large-sized involved.

By practicing Pilates at home, you have a few added perks, especially if you value your privacy or have a hectic schedule that does not allow you to participate in classes. There is the money-saving factor to consider as well – even if you spend a few bucks on equipment, in the long run, you save money as classes would end up costing considerably more over the years (even more if you prefer to use a personal instructor). Of course, we cannot overlook the whole COVID-19 outbreak situation that put most countries in lockdown, which means that people were not able to leave their homes to exercise and work out, gyms, and other similar venues closing until the situation is resolved.

If you are a Pilates practitioner who wants to make a sweet home setup to follow through with your routine in a more convenient, comfortable manner, or if you intend to take up the low-impact routine for the first time, there is some gear you must acquire and make room for, as we will detail in the following.

Creating Conditions that Favor Home Workouts

With any type of home physical activity, what you must always put an accent on is creating the right conditions so that you won’t lose motivation and have an ambiance that resembles that in your classes or gym. The idea is to turn a room or space in one of your rooms into your personal fitness haven where you can freely move and do your routines without being interrupted, distracted, or sitting cramped.

How Much Space You Need to Clear

Visualize your home workout space first, and then think of what room could host what you have in mind. Take into account the amount of space you need according to the gear you intend to employ in your Pilates sessions. If you only get the basics and a mat, an 8’ x 8’ space should be more than enough, but if you go all-in and even put a reformer in the room, then you have to reconsider your arrangement. What is great about Pilates, in general, is the fact that even when you make a professional space for your physical activity, it won’t take up as much space as a home gym would, for example. Thus, even if you live in a rather small condo, you can still create the conditions you dream of.

Woman Exercising on Pilates Reformer Bed

What Equipment Is Needed for Pilates?

• Mat: The mat is the foundation of any Pilates workout. This is the one piece you cannot go without. Go with any sticky mat that is preferably thick as you will do a lot of poses on your knees and back, so thickness counts toward comfort (about 1/2” thick should suffice). But how does stickiness factor in? Well, when you do your routine, you are bound to sweat, so your feet and hands might slip off if the texture of the surface you sit on doesn’t support you right.
• Pilates reformer: The king of the workout equipment, the reformer resembles a bed frame that has a flat platform connected by springs and rolls to one end. It rolls back and forth on wheels set within the frame. There are shoulder blacks set in place to keep you from sliding during the motions you go through. At the end of the spring, you find an adjustable bar that you use during the routine, and it even features long straps with handles that you pull during certain exercises.
• Exercise ball: A great equipment piece with which you can diversify your workout routines and that you can even use for fitness training. You can use it as a tool in your routine or modify the poses in which you sit. If you are feeling overly ambitious, you can even replace your desk chair with the stability ball to work on core strength and balance while doing your job. To pick the right ball, you have to factor in your height (User height under 4’8” – 18” ball; User height from 4’8” to 5’3” – 22” ball; User height from 5’4” to 5’10” – 26” ball; User height from 5’11” to 6’4” – 30” ball; User height 6’4” and up – 34” ball).
• Resistance bands: Originally used as recovery workout tools, resistance bands can be integrated into Pilates sessions to add to your strength and flexibility. There are various types available, but the most frequently used are ribbon-style bands. When you do get a set, make sure that it comprises multiple bands with different resistance levels.
• Pilates ring: Developed by the founder himself, Joseph Pilates, the ring’s purpose is to increase the resistance of certain movements you undergo during the routine. Moreover, not only does it help increase your flexibility but it helps you develop muscle mass quicker.
• Pilates bolster: This support mechanism is intended to sustain your spine when you perform more complicated movements, ensuring that you will sit in a comfortable and relaxing position throughout.

Is Pilates at Home Effective?

Yes, of course. Or rather could be, depending on how involved you are in your routine and how committed you stay to the cause. As aforementioned, your priority when you set up a workout space at home is to make sure you have enough room to fit all of your equipment and that you can freely move as if you were at a class or gym.

You have the room, you have the equipment, now what? Well, now you need to stay focus and get serious about your routine by establishing a schedule to which you stick. You should also do some research so that you try to diversify your routines, maybe get some instructional DVDs that you can follow to spice up the routine. Don’t forget to put some music on, ambiance goes a long way with any physical activity.

How Many Days Per a Week Should You Do Pilates to See Results?

As in most workouts, to see results quickly and go through the transformation you dream of, you must practice it at least three times per week. The founder recommends a minimum of four sessions per week where you dedicate at least 20 minutes to the exercises (make sure to diversify the routine too, it matters when it comes to the end result).

When it comes to seeing results, if you do at least three classes per week, in 10 to 12 weeks you should see major changes in the way that your body looks. More than that, what Pilates does is help you feel better as well, both physically and mentally.

The bottom line when it comes to scheduling is to do it as often as you can. If you have the time and energy for it, do Pilates on a daily basis. There are no repercussions to proceeding this way, so why not give it a go if you can. Evidently, with daily routines, results will blow your mind as you will reach your goals much faster.

Man Practicing Mat Pilates at Home During Webcam Class

Working on Your Motivation to Stay on Track

Most of us tend to associate our homes with relaxation and comfort, finding a place to just sit back and let time fly until a new workday comes around. So you might not be all that inclined to be active when you are at home, except when you have to clean, cook, or do other chores around the house. But finding the motivation to be active even when you are at home isn’t impossible, you just have to push yourself a little in the beginning and you will get the taste of energy Pilates brings, a moment when you won’t be able to let more than a couple of days pass by without working out.

We are social animals and need interaction, and one sure way to lose motivation with exercising and everything else, especially when you are confined at home, is to lose touch with others. If you have a hard time finding motivation on your own, maybe you could talk to a friend and have Pilates sessions via webcam so that you can interact and do your routines together. It will feel as if you were participating in a class! If you don’t live alone, maybe get another household member to exercise with you too.

Bottom Line – Is Pilates at Home a Good Idea?

Hands down, yes! Great practice for the body and the mind, Pilates, just like yoga, is a routine that might end up being a lot more pleasurable and productive when performed in the comfort and intimacy of your own home.

The gear you need to make the whole scene as professional as possible is not that expensive, definitely not when compared to what you need to make a home gym, for example. Space won’t be an issue either, even if you live in a relatively small condo. Just reconfigure one of the rooms as required, and you can create a neat corner in which you can work out.

For inspiration or to simply recreate the ambiance in classes, you can follow an instructional DVD to follow through with the indications in it, whatever suits you best. In the end, what matters is for you to stay active and healthy, and Pilates is one of the best means to care for your mind and body, especially if you plan on not leaving the house to get your groove on.

A s society is becoming more and more sedentary, the need for organized exercise is increasing, with more gyms opening every year. The programs offered become more diverse and specialized, and it isn’t uncommon for a yoga class to look so different than what you would have expected to make you think you’ve entered the wrong room. People are boxing, and running on treadmills, and jumping on Kango equipment in an endless course to fitness, beauty, and health.

But is this the only purpose of sports today? What happened to the harmony between body and mind, so praised by the ancient Greeks? Can regular exercise sessions strengthen your body’s inner vitality? Or can they help you recover after injuries and make the pain more bearable? Most yoga and Pilates enthusiasts will ensure you that this is the case. And they are probably right, as these practices are already so old, especially yoga, that there’s no point to try and contest their benefits.

Nevertheless, these are two distinct practices, and even if they both imply the use of mattresses and a sustained correlation between breathing and moving, they include different postures and routines, and, in general, focus on different aspects. This is why you will want to know what to expect before joining one of these classes, and this article is meant to clear up all the fogginess that floats around these methods, so stay with us for an insight in their history and customs.

Practicing Yoga – Technique, Benefits & Potential Risks

This meditation technique is rooted in India and is thought to be more than 5,000 years old, being practiced at first by Indian men and women, called yogis and yoginis, who taught the technique to their children and adepts, thus ensuring its survival over the years.

Yoga only came to be known and practiced in Western countries recently, but the 21st century is dominated by an explosion of popularity in yoga classes. Although the spiritual part is still present throughout the sessions, the fact that it is practiced in gyms, and not in temples or nature, lowers its connection with the sacred. Today, yoga is regarded as a method of regaining interior balance through intense relaxation. Moreover, many people use it for health purposes. But it was taught as a way of connecting with the universe and letting go of the daily worries. According to the Buddhist religion, the world is Suffering, and only by letting go of our desires and purposes, we can free ourselves of the mundane preoccupations and find our peace in Nirvana.

No one is willing to give up their wishes, at least not in non-Buddhist countries, so most people seek in this method a way to get a temporary break from their stressful lives. Some go for the ancient Ashtanga method, which is the old system and the most popular among beginners, while others are drawn towards heated room types or methods that imply chanting and dancing.

The Benefits

It decreases the secretion of cortisol – This hormone has been associated with high levels of stress and anxiety. Regular sessions can, in time, induce relaxation and improve the quality of life, being recommended for persons with stressful jobs.

It can reduce inflammation – Most pains are associated with inflammation, which can appear after a physical injury or severe conditions like cancer. In these cases, the pain is usually chronic and difficult to control through means that don’t imply the use of drugs, but studies have shown that yoga can be an efficient way to reduce it.

It can help with high blood pressure – Many studies have been performed in this field, and the results are impressive. Regular yoga sessions have been proven to help decrease cholesterol and prevent heart attacks and strokes by lowering blood pressure.

It promotes sleep quality – One of the effects is that it increases the secretion of melatonin, which regulates sleep. A study performed in 2005 on 69 elderly patients, showed that those who attended yoga sessions found it easier to fall asleep, slept longer hours, and woke up more rested and optimistic.

The Drawbacks

Beginners should be careful not to try difficult positions until they are prepared for them, as this can result in physical injuries.

Pregnant and people suffering from sciatica or glaucoma should first talk to their doctor, who may advise them to try a certain type of yoga or to avoid some positions.

Girls Practicing Mat Pilates Together

Practicing Pilates – Technique, Benefits & Potential Risks

This system has been developed by Joseph Pilates in the 20th century and its initial goal was to improve the health of the body and mind and help soldiers recover after serious injuries. The German inventor used additional gear, which he called “apparatus”, and which can still be found in modern Pilates classes. Therefore, if you are going to join one of them, you should get prepared to meet the reformer and the cadillac.

Although the main purpose of this series of exercises is to strengthen the muscles and the entire body by exposing them to pressure, its inventor wasn’t a stranger of the body-mind connection theory, and he tried to regulate not only the physical aspects of the body but also stimulate relaxation through controlled breathing.

The Benefits

It adds strength without bulk – If you wish to be able to open that pickle jar on your own, but you are not a big fan of muscular bodies, then this is the way to do it. There’s no reason to make yourself bulky if you are not building this for a contest. In fact, muscular individuals tend to get tired faster than people with strong but long and lean muscles.

It develops core strength – They are not visible at the surface of the skin, but these muscles, also called core muscles are the ones in charge with maintaining good posture and good movement patterns. If they are strong enough, the back will stay supple and strong. Plus, core training means that you can, in time, get flat abs, which is actually a nice bonus.

It increases energy – As it improves blood circulation and stimulates the muscles, this routine will make you feel more optimistic and fit after each session, so you will actually want to exercise more.

It promotes mindfulness – The body and the mid are united during the exercises, as each movement requires prolonged concentration. Thus, the mind is disconnected from the exterior worries and can relax.

The Drawbacks

If you are going to practice it on the apparatus, then you should do it under the supervision of an instructor, who can make sure you are exercising at the right rate and that you won’t fall and get yourself hurt.

If the exercises aren’t carried the right way, you can get your muscles or joints injured.

What Are the Main Differences between Them?

As shown, each of these techniques comes with a plethora of benefits that can overturn your life, and, if you follow the instructor’s indications, the risk of getting yourself injured is minimal. So, which is the right one to choose? Well, this decision doesn’t even need to be taken. Many people are practicing both methods. Nevertheless, it is better to start with one, and only after you’ got the hang of it, move on to the other one.

So, here are some differences you could consider before joining your first class:

Equipment

For yoga, you will only need a mat, and, in some cases, a blanket or straps, as you will rely on the force of your body for most exercises. On the other hand, even if Pilates can be practiced on a mat as well, there’s a variant that requires the presence of equipment. This means that won’t be able to do your exercises at home. First, because the equipment can be expensive, and, secondly, because you will want to be supervised at the beginning to avoid accidents.

Technique

While the purpose is similar, namely focusing on respiration and alignment while executing the poses, the moves are longer in yoga and can be repetitive, a practice that allows you to fall deeper into each pose. When it comes to Pilates, the moves are usually shorter, and the accent is put on making them precise. Once one pose has been executed, you will move to a new one and won’t return to it throughout the session.

Spirituality

They are both based on the concept of the body-mind bond, but they emphasize it in different ways. In yoga, relaxation and mindfulness are essential, and most session end with meditation and a relaxation technique called savasana, while in Pilates, the accent is put on the body, but the need to concentrate on respiration and executing the routine is the one that disconnects the mind and helps it relax.

Which Technique Is the Most Suitable for You?

Still confused about which method can be more beneficial to you? The truth is that both techniques are attractive and can have an impressive impact on your lifestyle. But you need to start with one of them, so we’ve prepared a short questionnaire that can help you decide, so answer the questions and see which is the best fit for you.

Are you trying to lose weight?

Neither yoga nor Pilates is the best choice if you are trying to become slimmer, as you will need to increase your heart rate to burn calories, but both of them can help you change your body’s shape. While yoga will make you more flexible and encourage a more gracious posture, Pilates can elongate and strengthen your muscles, making you look supplier.

Woman Meditating in Lotus Position

Are you struggling with depression or anxiety?

Any type of physical work can help you feel better and move your mind from the problems that make you feel sad, bored, or anxious. However, as yoga is based on meditation, and regular practice has been linked to lower levels of cortisol, it may be more suitable to fight depression and anxiety.

Are you trying to recover from an injury?

It can even be a yoga injury or one resulted after an accident. They can be painful and often difficult to cure. But this is the first reason for which Pilates was invented, so it is surely the better solution. The movements are thought to improve muscle strength and realign everything, so you can get full control over your body as soon as possible.

Is your purpose to strengthen your body but you don’t want it to become bulky?

It’s time for Pilates. The exercises will work your core muscles, making you more resistant to effort and making you move easier and with more grace. But your muscles won’t grow so you won’t turn into a bodybuilder.

Are you looking for spirituality?

The world today seems to lose the connection with the sacred, and, thus, all things seem to have the same measure. The miraculous is missing, and this reflects on people’s spirits, which become less aware of what is truly happening around them. So, if you are looking to connect to the energy of the universe and feel it running through your body, you are definitely a yoga person.

Conclusion

Even if our analysis is based on scientific facts and was designed to highlight the differences between the two techniques, along with all the benefits and disadvantages they can bring, this doesn’t mean that the answers to our questionnaire must be fully followed. Even if we suggested that you should pick a certain method, it doesn’t mean you cannot pick the opposite one if you feel so. In the end, both techniques have similar purposes, namely to help you stay fit, feel better, and relax.