Get excited about starting your Pilates program. Some of the changes you may not notice until three months into your Pilates workouts, but be patient. No exercise program works miracles. These changes in your body become apparent only if you maintain a regular Pilates program, meaning doing the workout at least twice a week.
Most Pilates exercises work the butt. You should notice a definite change within a few weeks of doing Pilates regularly. Your butt should be more toned and perhaps a little smaller. If you start with a very small and undeveloped butt, it actually may grow a little, but in a very nice way.
If you tend to bulk up when you work out, Pilates is an ideal strength-training program for you. Pilates exercises accentuate the length of the limbs and change bulky muscles into longer and leaner ones. In general, Pilates exercise should lengthen your muscles and make you look taller.
Better posture is something Pilates can pretty much guarantee. And other people will surely notice this change in you after only a few Pilates workouts. If you take the lessons you learn from Pilates to heart, you’ll stand and sit taller and look more elegant.
The best way to get a flatter tummy is to lose a little weight. The second best way is to do Pilates. If you’re already thin but have a bulge in your middle, Pilates can help you lose a notch in your belt. The most basic aspect of the Pilates method is pulling your navel in towards your spine or scooping your abdominals. If you apply this simple technique to your everyday life — when standing, walking and so on — your belly will be flatter and more attractive.
Most back pain results from faulty posture and a sedentary lifestyle. Pilates addresses the muscle imbalances that most typically contribute to back pain, namely weak abdominals and butt muscles. Pilates also stretches out the tight and overworked back muscles. Proper alignment is the main factor that helps to alleviate back pain. If you do Pilates carefully, you’ll understand how to use your body in ways that protect your back from injury.
Pilates exercises stretch the muscles and the joints while they strengthen the body. If you have found that your spine has lost some of its range of motion and flexibility, Pilates very quickly lessens this problem. Everyone has physical limitations that depend on age, genetics and lifestyle. Pilates is not a panacea, but if you do a regular Pilates exercise program, your body can reach its potential in the areas of flexibility and strength.
Any gymnast knows that to keep from falling off the balance beam, you need to pull in your belly and squeeze your butt. In order to have good balance, you need to have a strong centre, and you need to know how to find it without a lot of thought. Pilates exercises strengthen the core. After doing Pilates regularly, you may not be able to do a back flip on the balance beam, but you’ll definitely find increased coordination and balance.
Any exercise regimen should increase your body’s overall strength, or else what’s the point? But Pilates strengthens the muscles in your body that you may actually notice on a day-to-day basis. Pilates is meant to improve your daily life: It can help you get up from bed, if that’s hard for you, or it can help you do a triple back flip off the diving board, if that’s your goal.
Whichever fitness classes you decide to do, you’ll find that Pilates exercises improve strength in meaningful ways and can help with the overall health of your spine. Doing Pilates can prevent injuries, too!
Pilates with Eimear at The Health Club, every Tuesday at 11.30am and Thursdays at 6pm. Please call 021 4800523 to book or email thehealthclub@thekingsley.ie
