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While many of us have heard about Pilates and seen the various commercials on television showing many of today's top Hollywood stars purporting to have gotten fit with this exercise regimen, how many actually understand what it is? In the last ten to fifteen years the number of people enrolling in a Pilates class has skyrocketed, with the stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna and John Cleese to name a few leading the way.
With all of this attention being focused on Pilates you might think that this is a new exercise program that has just been developed in the last couple of decades.
Nothing could be further from the truth, in fact the first Pilates class was held around the time of World War One. Joseph Pilates developed this exercise program to help veterans returning from the front with rehabilitation after being wounded in battle.
Once you join a Pilates class, you will soon see that it is not like many other exercise programs that have you bouncing all around the gym or lifting large weights repetitively. Instead the Pilates exercises were designed to help you focus on what instructors have come to call the "core" or your abdomen, lower back, hips and posterior. Any good trainer will tell you that this is the base or starting point for all of your strength, posture and balance.
Whereas most workouts in the gym are designed to focus of the number of repetitions that a person does of each of the different exercises, Pilates classes have a classes have an entirely different focus. Every move you make is done with slow deliberate movements that are very graceful and fluid. These motions emanate from the "core" and movie outward to the tips of your fingers and toes. The main emphasis of these movements lies in concentration and controlled breathing long with a high focus on muscle control and the precision of each movement.
Pilate's classes are ideal for people of all ages and provide a much slower and less aerobic type of exercise. These exercises have been found to be perfect for those who suffer from osteoporosis and those that are significantly overweight.
Those who have used Pilates under proper supervision have found that they have much better balance, stronger core muscles and a toned waistline. More importantly this is a low impact workout that is ideal for those with injuries that need rehabilitation, and many have reported a much better overall sense of well being.
If all of this sounds much better than the workout you have been doing or in many cases have not been doing you need to find a location near you that offers Pilates classes. At a Bodies in Motion gym you will find well trained and highly skilled trainers offering classes in Pilates at every level from the entry level beginner all the way up to classes for the most experienced. You will find that their limited memberships will make it much easier for you to find a class that is suited to your schedule and is not always overbooked.
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