Pilates And Several Reasons Why It Is Popular

By Sarah Soon

Pilates is a great way of strengthening and toning all the muscles in your body - especially the core muscles. What are core muscles? These are the muscles in your abdomen and pelvic regions that holds your entire body in balance.

As you may have heard, plenty of celebrities have used Pilates to lose weight, tone their muscles as well as develop physical flexibility and strength. Athletes too have been utilizing Pilates to develop physical stamina as well as enhance their flexibility and athletic performance.

Many athletes and even ballroom dancers practice Pilates in order to strengthen their core muscles and allow them to change direction quickly with better balance, thus reducing the risk of injury.

The foundation of Pilates is based upon slow, controlled exercises where nothing is rushed. The reason for this is to develop body awareness, and this is why Pilates is so fantastic. Body awareness allows you to be conscious of what every muscle in your body is doing, and this helps a lot when you do any kind of sporting activity.

Pilates has been known to be the ideal workout for people who have suffered an injury and need to build strength back into their muscles. The Pilates workouts can be easily customized for rehabilitation, allowing one to perform overall body exercises whilst not affecting the injured area.

However, if you suffer from hip or back injuries and you're considering Pilates for your rehabilitation treatment, it is advised that you consult your doctor first. It is also a good idea to get yourself some one to one coaching from a qualified Pilates instructor to ensure that you perform the routines correctly and not over-strain any part of your body.

What's the best way to get started with Pilates? The most economical way is to buy Pilates DVDs for beginners. With that, you can follow along in the comfort of your own home as the video guides you through all the basics, ensuring that you don't perform bad techniques where you might injure yourself.

It's not easy to get things right when you first start with Pilates. It's important you learn the incorrect methods so get yourself to a beginner class where you can get some personal coaching, at least till you get the basic exercises right.

For Pilates to be effective in your fitness goals, you will need to be entirely dedicated to practicing the right forms and the right breathing exercises. The people don't see results are the ones who have not totally committed themselves.

For those of you who are looking to lose weight, Pilates is good but it might not help you lose massive weight - you will need to supplement your workouts with regular intervals of cardiovascular exercise during the week. Although Pilates does in fact help boost your metabolic rate, losing large amounts of weight will not happen unless you monitor your diet as well. - 30514

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here