Pilates

Okay, so you're tired of dieting and while maybe losing a little weight you're getting nowhere near the shape you want to be in. Perhaps the whole gym scene isn't really your cup of tea either, and the idea of taking lots of pills isn't the way you want to get back in shape. You want something inexpensive and effective. What options do you have left? Enter Pilates, the great way to get slim and toned without the pills, expensive gym fees and dangerous supplements.

Based upon technique developed in the 1920's by Joseph H. Pilates, this low impact exercise routine is a truly modern fitness solution. This excercise discipline requires no expensive machinery, so it is inexpensive to practice and is also portable. Once you're learned the exercises, all you need is a little time on your hands, a modest amount of space to exercise in, and voila! - a full-toned workout is yours for the asking. Pilates is an exercise phenomenon whose time has definitely come.

As intimidating as it can seem to the absolute beginner, Pilates is actually pretty easy to pick up. While it shares some fundamentals with Yoga you'll never have to do anything crazy like stand on your head or make yourself into a pretzel! Yes, you don't have to be some yoga guru to get the basics of Pilates down easily and start seeing noticeable results in decent order. By strengthening your core, Pilates works from the inside out to strengthen your core muscles and get your body to a place where it carries it's own weight again. Pilates exercises are the silver bullet for pretty much all the areas you want to slim and tone but diet and conventional gym workouts don't seem to touch. That means that finally, your butt, abs, thighs, waist, belly and those flabby "chicken wing" parts under your arms can all be a thing of the past!

Whether you do the exercises in the privacy of your own home, or make the effort to attend classes with other like-minded Pilates fans, you can see results quickly. Although naturally you should still consider your diet and sensible eating plans. While you may be a great gym fan, you should consider Pilates as a supplemental exercise to help keep you toned and slim. But if youre building bulk then Pilates might not be the exercise regime for you, focused as it is rather on that elongated swan look.

Pilates has been the secret weapon of dancers and fitness enthusiasts for decades before finding such worldwide popularity under the promotion of Mari Windsor and other fine teachers. If you're an ordinary Joe or Josephine, eager to get some tone and strength, Pilates may well be the ideal program for you.

As always, consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise routine, especially if it's been a while and you've packed on some pounds. As with everything, start slowly, build up as you get more confident. Make sure you have the moves down exactly right (maybe pay for some instruction up front to make sure) and you'll progress well.

Pilates |