Whenever I mention it people say it's just this crazy Hollywood thing no one actually does....but I've been taking it as a class since January and it's *wonderful*. Like last week, it was cancelled twice in a row, so I went a whole week without doing it, and by the end of it I felt like a complete tub of lard, or something.
Seriously, though, it really makes me feel *healthy.* Moreso than a traditional cardio/lifting routine. Plus I noticed an immediate difference in my body as a whole.
Has anyone else ever tried it? Know any good videos? I need to find something good before my class ends...
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I don't know if I would call it "pilates" but it's very similar. I do stretching several times a week and it actually makes me feel taller. When I don't do it I feel all squatty and bunched up.
Oh and good videos. Get Karen Voight. She's the greatest and definitely the most classy. A couple of personal trainers recommended her to me, she's great.
[ March 03, 2004, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
The women in my office spent about a month getting together during lunch and doing them in a back room.
It just faded out.
(Though there was talk of them taking a class on Strippercizing. I never heard what happened with them)
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Actually, I just tried a pilates workout for the first time today. Good workout! My muscles are singing.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I agree, I like Karen Voight too. I enjoy Pilates, a lot, but haven't done it for a while. I keep saying I'll get back into it and get back into shape, but it hasn't started yet. Although I have lost 10 pounds in the last six weeks by paying attention to my food choices, so I am making some progress.
I enjoy the workouts with the big rubber bands. I did that three times a week for a while, and I felt so much more limber and strong. Those bands really helped me get more stretch than anything else I've ever used.
My favorite thing about pilates is that you can work out in your bare feet. And the emphasis on flexibility and strength without building bulk. There are quite a few Pilates classes around here, I just haven't found one I can join that corresponds with my kids preschool schedule. Most of them are in the evenings, which I know is what working women need, but for me, that doesn't work at all.
I need to get back into it, I stopped for a very stupid reason - the DVD player upstairs quit working and I haven't gotten a new one. There isn't enough room in our family room for me to do it, so I haven't found a new spot yet.
Thanks for bringing it up, hearing you talk positively about it has me wanting to start again.
Hmmm...maybe I can shove the couch over and get enough room....
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Good thread. I've been wondering about this. I've tried niether Yoga nor pilates. What are the advantages of either one, are they the same, and which one is better?
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I think there are a few differences but they are based on the same premise.
A friend just got me interested in the CORE workout. It has some similarities, but is designed to be done at home. Peggy Brill, I think, is the author.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
I took a Pilates class for several months. At first I really liked it, but then I got extremely bored. And boring is not good, when I'm trying to work out. So I went back to the step-aerobics and cardio-training classes where the choreography keeps my brain too busy to remember how much I hate exercise. Seems to be effective, too – I’ve lost another 10 lbs!
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
Bah, the only way to effectively exercise is to lift heavy metal weights using motions that could seriously injure you.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Dana, My fav, and probably the healthiest is a good combination of stretch, cardio, and strength training.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Ah yes, I also go to a class called “power hour” where the instructor is assisted in her torture routines by hand weights and four foot lead pipes wrapped in foam to disguise them as “exercise equipment.” We all know the truth, however.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Good link, PSI.
Actually I don't think they are based on the same premise at all. Pilates was developed as a way of strengthening and conditioning the body,and really took off when the ballet companies started using them (pilates, when practiced consistently, results in long, lean muscles, just what the dance companies like to see) Yogo has a more mind/body spiritual type root to it. It's about breathing, and meditation, and posture.
That's how I see it, anyway. Quite a few Christian organizations recommend against yoga because of its eastern mysticism roots. Personally I don't think a yoga class is going to harm anyone, but everybody's different.
dkw, I can't believe you got bored! I guess we're all just partial to different types of exercises. I can't stand cardio work. Of course, it's necessary, Pilates alone is not all you need for optimum health. And lifting weights - ugh. I would switch back and forth from regular pilates mat work, to band workouts, to ball workouts. The ball work made my back feel sooooo good.
Also, as these videos and DVDs get expensive, try Ebay.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
For some reason I thought the guy that invented Pilates was thinking of yoga. I'm not sure where I got that though. Eh, well.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
zgator
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
I've found the best way to raise my heart rate is to watch the Winsor Pilates infomercial.
Posted by Kasie H (Member # 2120) on :
Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the tone-without-bulk -- I'm already built pretty athletically and I have broad shoulders. If I did any serious lifting I'd turn into a female Ahnold....
The stretching really does wonders for me, too -- it can really help you focus, actually. I find that if I'm having trouble concentrating on school work or something I can do a few stretches/exercises and it helps get me back on task.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
So it does more for muscle tone? I'm having workout frustration lately. I like riding bikes, but anything high-impact like running (which is the cool thing to do around here) is no good, and I don't seem to be getting any more in shape even though I bike all the time (and I make it a good cardio workout - I go for at least half and hour and keep it on a high gear)
I'd take more bellydancing classes, but I'm running out of money. Hmmm....
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
I just got a ball and find that it makes me much more likely to stretch because there is interaction with the ball and it just seems more fun. Of course, being pregnant, I can't do many of the fun things on your stomach on the ball, but I suspect I'll do those post-pregnancy.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
I've got Pilates Power House with Lynne Robinson and I love it.
I don't normally like exercising that much, but I grudgingly do some cardio stuff. The pilates work outs make me feel great and I actually enjoy them.
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
Incidentally, if you had posted a photo of yourself doing Pilates you would definitely have made it into this thread.
Posted by Kasie H (Member # 2120) on :
*eyes Dobbie warily*
I did send Ralphie some pictures, although they haven't gone up yet.
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
Have any of you tried this video? I think I would like to try Pilates, and I thought this looked like a good one to start with. What do you think?
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I think we have one similar to that, but I can't remember. I actually just bought a ball and kit that came with videos by Karen voight. Of course I haven't watched them yet but I have been having fun stretching on the ball.
AJ
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
This is the one I have been using. I really like it. Some people can't stand Denise Austin, but I like her.
Posted by aka (Member # 139) on :
I take both Yoga and Pilates classes at the local Y. Yoga is very good for stretching, flexibility, balance, and strength. Pilates is not very much like yoga at all. For one thing, it's much more strenuous. We do about 100 reps of most things. (Actually I just stop when I can't do them anymore. If I ever can do all the reps, something is wrong. ) And the exercises are only for core muscle groups. So abs, back, glutes, inner thigh, upper arms, shoulders, outer thighs, quads, triceps, biceps, and hamstrings. Basically everything from your elbows to your knees gets a killer workout.
It is more like ballet than yoga. The posture is the same as for ballet, for instance. It really does give you a strong center, and that makes a huge difference in all sorts of sports and exercises, from skating to running to swimming to tennis. It gives you great posture, too. It does, when you do it for long enough, tend to reshape your body to be longer and leaner. I love Pilates.
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And the emphasis on flexibility and strength without building bulk. There are quite a few Pilates classes around here, I just haven't found one I can join that corresponds with my kids preschool schedule. Most of them are in the evenings, which I know is what working women need, but for me, that doesn't work at all. ![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
zgator
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Of course, being pregnant, I can't do many of the fun things on your stomach on the ball, but I suspect I'll do those post-pregnancy.