Pilates

Developed in the 1920's by it's namesake Joseph H. Pilates, the Pilates method has not remained a static art. While it is perfectly possible to practice the exercises just as you would have learned them from the man himself, the method has found itself many avid students-turned-teachers eager to pass on their take on the core instructions laid down by Pilates himself. So, yes, there are numberous takes on the method, but that's a good thing for you. Find the school of instruction with which you feel most comfortable and stick to that. Your dedication to one method once chosen will do you far more good than changing ship everytime you see a supposedly fresher take on the tried and tested routines. Just get stuck in and the daily persistent actions you take in your routine will make whichever method you choose work for you.

Remember: concentration and form are just as valuable as trying to get through the work out as quickly as possible. While the comparisions with yoga abound (a subject we'll address in another article) the one thing we can say that Pilates shares in common with yoga is that it requires concentration. The movements are designed to be powerful and can be deceptively simple. But anyone who has woken up the next day after a serious Pilates workout knows that there's dynamite in those moves!

The Pilates method trains your core or powerhouse, and aims to build stenght literally from the inside outward. This low impact approach explains it's popularity with those battling the terrible threesome: butts, tummy and thighs. Because it works deep down strenghtening the muscles best able to change the actual shape of those areas, Pilates is the workout to beat when targeting those trouble spots. The workout of choice for that 'dancer' type figure, the method appeals to many of todays top movie stars. Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze swears by it's ability to isolate and strenghten muscles. Jennifer Aniston is grateful for Pilates helping settle hip and back difficulties she struggled with for years. Even popular teen celebrity Hilary Duff apparently owes Pilates a debt of gratitude for helping her make that awkward transition from slightly chubby child star to svelte young starlet.

The Pilates Method works, but let's be clear: it is no miracle cure. Like any regime it does require dedication to see results. Although with Pilates those results are not slow in coming. Joseph Pilates himself was fond of quipping that after ten sessions you can feel the difference, after twenty you can see the difference and after thirty sessions it's like you have a whole new body. When you consider even a casual class schedule of three times a week, the prospect of a whole new body in ten weeks sounds fabulous in anybodys terms!

Pilates |