If you have limited time and an ardent desire to sculpt
your body and get toned, Pilates may be an ideal choice for
you. Like all infomercials, this exercise routine may have
sounded a little suspect at first. Celebrities touted its
amazing capacity to whip the body into shape in only a half
hour a day, three days a week. While any such claim may be
overblown and not apply to everyone, Pilates is certainly a
legitimate and effective workout.

Pialtes was originally conceived as a method for helping
dancers strengthen their muscles for strenuous
performances. Those practicing Pilates will increase their
flexibility and, with regular use, lengthen muscles and get
a leaner appearance. Once you have done Pilates regularly
you'll wonder why you bothered huffing and puffing through
all those awful situps at the gym. Pilates is fun and
brings much better results.

How does Pilates work? The exercises combine balance with
strength and flexibility, and you can work up to each level
on your own. Similar to yoga in the requirement for
balance, Pilates also involves many stretches, reaches, and
resistance against your own weight. Leg lifts and arm
circles may look easy, but once you do them you'll be
sweating.

The greatest advantage of Pilates exercises is that their
effect is not localized to an area or group of muscles,
but the entire region. For instance, unlike as in sit-ups
or abdominal crunches, Pilates exercise all the muscles
of the abdomen. Along with that, they tone and strengthen
the lower back and mid section; virtually the entire
body.

Pilates is so easy to fit into your schedule, because you
can purchase one of many DVDs or videos available from
different companies and do your workout at home. If you buy
a few different ones you'll vary your routine and keep it
interesting. Most public and private gyms now offer Pilates
classes.

It's common to find, when starting to practice Pilates,
that the exercises seem very difficult. This is because
you'll be working muscles that don't normally get
exercised. You'll feel sore or weak in places, and it's
common to see some muscle groups actually shake, even if
you are generally in shape. Strive to do Pilates at least
twice a week depending on the rest of your exercise
program.

After a few sessions, you will feel your muscles get
stronger you will feel fitter and as your bodys
endurance improves you will find that most of your muscle
and joint problems have reduced. So insist on doing
Pilates at least twice a week and you will see results.


Havard Delcao is the occupier of ALLIE Pilates, which is
a premier resource for pilates information . For more
information go to: http://www.alliepilates.com

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