I’ve always liked Pilates. For those who are not familiar with the form of exercise, it was created by a guy named Joseph Pilates around 1925 in New York City. He studied Yoga, gymnastics, body building, martial arts and created ultimately a fusion that he originally called “Contrology”. to promote better posture and create a longer leaner body. His method encourages the use of the mind to control muscles. It focuses attention on core postural muscles that help keep the human body balanced and provide support for the spine. In particular, Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and of alignment of the spine, and strengthen the deep torso and abdominal muscles.
An even shorter description is that it’s like an intense core workout derived from yoga practices with some Jane Fonda leg exercises. It’s not really but if you’ve never tried it, you can expect something like this. If you like to feel your muscles burn without feeling out of breath, this is a class for you. It’s not going to be a real calorie burning exercise so try Pilates on a day dedicated to strength training or in between cardio days.
After taking just a few classes, you will notice your belly pulling closer to your spine, creating a leaner looking midsection without the actual loss of any weight. Even though it was created in 1925, Pilates saw a need to correct the effect of a modern lifestyle on our posture. Can you imagine what he would think of us now?
If I have successfully convinced you to give Pilates start with this 5 minute Total Body workout series featuring two fit Boston ladies, including Cassey from Blogilates. Yes, one of them is me, but I’m sharing this video because I think it’s an amazing workout. Do each move for 10 reps or follow along with Cassey and I in the video. Repeat one or two more times. Enjoy!
