a beginners guide to pilates
pilates is a form of strength training exercise that focuses on low to medium impact movements to improve muscle tone, stability, endurance, and mobility. pilates also focuses more on the smaller muscles of the body compared to traditional strength or weight training.
including the benefits that exercise generally brings, pilates:
improves mind-body connection and body control
improves active flexibility and mobility
works the core, improving stability
improves coordination and balance
reduces mental and physical stress
works muscles that can be neglected in our daily lives
treats and prevents body pain, including menstrual pain
teaches you how to pair your breath with your body
keeps the joints healthy without putting pressure on them
while you can absolutely start with studio or reformer classes, you can also do pilates routines on youtube! i recommend move with nicole and dansique fitness. if you want to get your cardio in as well, i absolutely recommend eleni fit. her workouts are some of the best i’ve ever tried!
keep your core in mind. core strength is a major benefit of pilates because each movement requires at least a mild amount of core work to keep your body stable, so do your best to keep the engagement throughout.
start slow. pilates movements can take a while to fully understand and it can take a while to build the mind-body connection, so don’t push yourself too far in the beginning. your coordination will improve over time!
don’t underestimate it! while the movements are generally slower than other types of exercise, you will work your muscles just as much and in a way they may not have been worked before. sometimes i even find pilates more difficult than hiit or weights!