Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Pilates anyone?

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
KittenKat

KittenKat

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Messages
461
Hello there! Happy Friday all!

After reading a thread where the discussion turned to ''hot bods''... I started wondering if anyone here does pilates?

I started taking pilates about 7 or 8 weeks ago... and I cannot believe what it has done for my body.

Anyone else take pilates?
 
Hey KittenKat...i have been contemplating taking pilates for a while now and wondering if it was any good....glad to see that u''ve benefited from it though =)

i guess maybe i should seriously reconsider the class and maybe join huh?
 
I love pilates!
36.gif
They "got" my stomach back after I had my son. The Windsor series is really good. Also, I love doing exercises using an exercise ball. Pilates are great because you build long, lean muscle as opposed to bulky muscle. I can''t wait to dive back into pilates after my baby is born in September.
9.gif
 
I love Pilates....it is the only thing that has helped me get/keep a flat stomach. Its amazing the way my body looks when I''m good about doing it. I have done some classes, but mostly I have a bunch of DVDs from the Winsor Pilates series that I switch up every day.

If I remember correctly, Icelady is a Pilates instructor
1.gif
 
I too love pilates! I also have the Winsor pilates tapes, and I go to classes sometimes at my gym. It really does keep you in shape, however for me it''s also a meditative thing. I get so relaxed when I''m doing it, and it helps my back, which I have problems with. I love it, I recommend it to anyone! I never got into Yoga, but to me Pilates is as ( supposedly) relaxing.

Try it! I don''t think you''ll regret it...
1.gif
 
I have been doing Pilates for 15 years. I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teen, and keeping my trunk strong is mandatory. My doctor recommended it, and back then there were really no mat classes or anything- I did all my workouts on "The Reformer", that big torture rack looking thing. Nothing makes you long and lean and strong like Pilates.
 
i have the pilates tape but i lost it and can''t find it...but i do recall the basic movements, very hard to do when you are just starting out. the pumping the arms thing? woo!

i just bought CORE SECRETS, the gunnar peterson set, for $9.99 online, woo hoo. just blew up the ball last nite, figure i will try it today. supposed to work wonders, i guess i''ll look like jessican simpson in a few weeks eh? HAH!
 
oh mara, I was so thinking about trying that Core thing! I keep seeing the commercial with Brook Burke, can you believe she has 2 kids?! OMG, she is so ripped! I still might do it, but our living room may not be big enough for me to roll around on the ball. Let me know what you think of it!
 
I do the Winsor Pilates too.
I always feel better after I do it.
 
Ive done pilates a few times. Not enough to see much results because I still eat like crap and don''t do cardio ;)
 
If you do Pilates, do you need to do additional ccardio? Ive seen the Windsor Pilates infomercials and it seems to say that Pilates is all you need for a total workout (in conjunction with eating right)?
 
I got into hard core Pilates a few months ago (before then had done gym classes and tapes sporadically). There''s a huge difference between real "method" pilates 1:1 in a studio and self taught pilates at home. I did several 1:1 sessions with a great instructor, several 3 person group equipment sessions, and now can''t afford it anymore, but just the knowledge I gained makes it possible for me to do it at home now in a totally different way than I did before.

There''s a series of tapes called "classical pilates technique" that teach the correct, old school pilates. They''re really no frills and not at all glamorous, but they''re good! a great book is brooke stiller''s "pilates body" for demonstrating proper technique.

pilates can be done in really quick sucession once you have the form down, and can become sort of a cardio workout, but really it''s not for weightloss. you''ll need to do cardio on top if you want to lose weight quickly. pilates is more for toning up, improving posture, etc. If you eat right and do pilates of course you''ll lose weight, but a lot of people would need to supplement it with cardio to lose a significant amt of weight quickly.

I do it more for posture and relaxation than anything, but don''t get me wrong, after a session I am SORE and can barely walk the next day.

I''d encourage anyone interested to do tapes a few times, then to go to a private instructor a few times to run what you''re doing by them and get the interactive feedback, then go back to the tapes, you''ll get a lot more out of it that way. there are ways to do the exercises that seem correct, but aren''t nearly as challenging as if minor physical adjustments are made, you''ll just make much more efficent use of your time in the long run if you learn to do them all correctly early on.

It''s a GREAT discipline. I almost think of it as more like karate or something - really more of a discipline to learn than an exercise regimen, there are like 15 pieces of equipment and 500 exercises total or something, and all kinds of principles to learn about.
 
you would definitely see results from the winsor pilates if you did it religiously, but yes, its very different than doing it in a studio and/or the home version vs more advanced levels. i have heard also that you don''t have to do cardio if you just want to tone up and combine it with better eating habits. but if you wanted to lose alot, i think you need some cardio in there to burn more calories.

i tried the core secrets yesterday and like it alot better than the pilates in how fun it was...the ball is actually kind of a kick as you have to stay on it and have good balance which works out your ''core'' (stomach and trunk)..so you get a double workout when you stabilize yourself on the ball and do things that seem super basic, aka some weights and some situps.

so this morning my abs are actually SORE! especially my upper abs, i can feel it. i don''t feel this sore when we do 150 crunches in kbox class. there are some exercises that really make you work it and the ball is definitely part of it. i think also though that the core secrets is more of a ''toning'' thing than really dropping alot of weight.

so we''ll see..i am going to do the 20 min workout 3x a week like they say, and continue my 6 miles of walking and 2 days of kbox and see what that does! right now it''s my ''core'' that needs this extra kick so i guess i am a good candidate to try it!!
 
I''m joining you in the "sore abs" club Mara! I did an ab crunch class at my gym two days ago and my abs are STILL sore! But that was the first time I had gone in a loooong time, so it will get better. How much was the core system? It''s a dvd , right? I might have to give it a shot!
 
it was only $9.99 which is why i decided to try it. i normally don''t buy this tv stuff but since it was gunnar peterson and i have been curious about the ball exercises, i figured why not. i got one for my mom too and she is asking me ''can you see a difference yet'' (after 2 days)...we just nod.
2.gif


it''s an ongoing service where they send you a new dvd with additional exercises, every month or something for $9.00 or something, but i plan to cancel it after maybe one more dvd...depending on how much i like it and actually continue to do it. but what i also like about it is that the moves are not hard, they are pretty basic, aka crunches and typical weight moves that most of us know, but with the ball, it''s a whole different thing!

www.coresecrets.com is where i got it.
 
Where is Icelady? She knows all about Pilates!
P1000132%20(4).jpg
 
This isn''t about pilates, but I have been on this bicycling kick and I love it! I think it is a great natural fun work out. Here in Silver Spring, Maryland we have trails that are great to bike through and this weekend my fiancé and I biked all the way to the National Zoo and it was a killer but well worth it. I think if you can find an exercise that you enjoy doing then go for it.
 
Date: 6/20/2005 9:38:24 AM
Author: lmurden
This isn''t about pilates, but I have been on this bicycling kick and I love it! I think it is a great natural fun work out. Here in Silver Spring, Maryland we have trails that are great to bike through and this weekend my fiancé and I biked all the way to the National Zoo and it was a killer but well worth it. I think if you can find an exercise that you enjoy doing then go for it.
Click to expand...
I agree, I think the most challenging part is finding a trail you enjoy, or even after taking the same route after awhile finding alternates...for me this goes for my running as well.
 
I love Pilates. I have been doing it twice a week with a private instructor on the reformer, cadillac and trapeze for the past 7 months. It has done wonders for my body....it has become toned, leaned and strong. I am so addicted I am thinking about getting certified. I also do 60 minutes of cardio a day which has also helped with losing inches.


Mother of two boys - 5''0 tall and 100 pounds.
 
It''s funny... Cuz it''s ALL about what you love to do. When you find something your body and mind responds to - stick with it!

I love pilates to death! I feel so great after each session. (I work with a trainer privately - and once a week for group reformer classes.)

The best thing about it... is I can do it at home in front of my TV!

I forgot who mentioned it above - but if someone is interested in learning pilates, make sure you take a couple lessons with a trainer. (Not gym classes, it''s not the same.)

Once you have the form and breathing down - you''re set!

Once I saw my tummy getting defined, I was hooked for life...
 
Date: 6/21/2005 2:48:43 PM
Author: KittenKat
It''s funny... Cuz it''s ALL about what you love to do. When you find something your body and mind responds to - stick with it!

I love pilates to death! I feel so great after each session. (I work with a trainer privately - and once a week for group reformer classes.)

The best thing about it... is I can do it at home in front of my TV!

I forgot who mentioned it above - but if someone is interested in learning pilates, make sure you take a couple lessons with a trainer. (Not gym classes, it''s not the same.)

Once you have the form and breathing down - you''re set!

Once I saw my tummy getting defined, I was hooked for life...
Click to expand...
I so agree with the first sentence. I''ve tried to have patience with yoga and pilates, really I have, but they just don''t suit my antsy personality. Even the tougher vinyasa classes.

I re-discovered kickboxing last week, and in conjunction with heavy-ish weights and a lot of running, I''ve never felt better. Truth is, underneath the (relative) gloss, I''m still a tomboy at heart
9.gif
 
Hi all!

I was away for the weekend and missed this thread!!!

Yes, Patty, I know all about Pilates! I am a certified Pilates instructor with my own studio. So you know I love Pilates!!! We actually just became the states teacher training studio for the Jennifer Kries Pilates Method! Jennifer is my certifier and she worked with three of Joseph Pilates proteges! Can''t get too much closer to the source!

I don''t have a lot of time to go through the thread right now, but I will try to answer some of the questions, if you would like me to!!

Jen had a question about cardio exercise in addition to Pilates. Yes, I always recommend cardio in addition as Pilates can be cardio, but I believe in including actual cardio exercise separately.

This thread is a great commercial for Pilates!!!
 
Date: 6/17/2005 11:34:17 PM
Author: katrina_33
I got into hard core Pilates a few months ago (before then had done gym classes and tapes sporadically). There''s a huge difference between real ''method'' pilates 1:1 in a studio and self taught pilates at home. I did several 1:1 sessions with a great instructor, several 3 person group equipment sessions, and now can''t afford it anymore, but just the knowledge I gained makes it possible for me to do it at home now in a totally different way than I did before.

There''s a series of tapes called ''classical pilates technique'' that teach the correct, old school pilates. They''re really no frills and not at all glamorous, but they''re good! a great book is brooke stiller''s ''pilates body'' for demonstrating proper technique.

pilates can be done in really quick sucession once you have the form down, and can become sort of a cardio workout, but really it''s not for weightloss. you''ll need to do cardio on top if you want to lose weight quickly. pilates is more for toning up, improving posture, etc. If you eat right and do pilates of course you''ll lose weight, but a lot of people would need to supplement it with cardio to lose a significant amt of weight quickly.

I do it more for posture and relaxation than anything, but don''t get me wrong, after a session I am SORE and can barely walk the next day.

I''d encourage anyone interested to do tapes a few times, then to go to a private instructor a few times to run what you''re doing by them and get the interactive feedback, then go back to the tapes, you''ll get a lot more out of it that way. there are ways to do the exercises that seem correct, but aren''t nearly as challenging as if minor physical adjustments are made, you''ll just make much more efficent use of your time in the long run if you learn to do them all correctly early on.

It''s a GREAT discipline. I almost think of it as more like karate or something - really more of a discipline to learn than an exercise regimen, there are like 15 pieces of equipment and 500 exercises total or something, and all kinds of principles to learn about.
Click to expand...
Katrina,

I could not agree with you more.

I am so happy to see that many of you (as consumers) are indentifying the BIG difference between the "contemporary" Pilates from the "traditional" (real) Pilates. Unfortuately, with the popularity of Pilates gaining recently, there are "weekend" certification and even internet certification classes out there. These programs couldn''t possibly teach anyone what they really need to know (in a weekend) in order to teach Pilates to someone else safely.
29.gif
Big pet peeve of mine, since I spent nearly two years going through the certification process! The process should include apprenticeship hours, written and practical testing, and continuing education.

I do not agree with the concept of not having to do cardio in addition to Pilates, especially if your goal is to lose weight. Dietary considerations, along with cardio and Pilates is absolutely the best for healthy weight loss. What you eat is foundational for weight loss, cardio will bump up your metabolism, and Pilates will increase muscle tone in such a way that you will have a longer, leaner look. Once you are more advanced (having learned the proper form and perform the exercises in rapid progression) it does become more of a cardio work out, but by that time you will probably be in more of a maintenance program, having gotten to your goals weight wise.

Hope this helps, as you can tell I REALLY LOVE PILATES!!!
36.gif
 
Icelady - or anyone else who may be able to answer this

Is there a website that lists the places that are acredited to teach Pilates? I''d like to move beyond what I''m doing...and have been interested in it for a while. I''ve been on the waiting list for the reformer sessions at my gym for over a year now and sort of given up any hope of getting in! I guess everyone loves it so they''re not going to lose their spots. What are some things I should look for when choosing a studio? I don''t want to end up with someone who just did a weekend course.
 
Blue,

The Pilates Method Alliance (www.pilatesmethodalliance.org) will post only certified instructors on their website. Unfortunately, they tend to include ''non traditional'' Pilates certification programs as well. From my experience in the industry, I know who I would go to and which programs I would avoid. I am a VERY traditional practitioner!

Another source is The Pilates Guild (http://www.pilates-studio.com/index.htm). Look under ''Instructor Search'' and you will find Pilates instructors that have been certified with Romana Kryzanowska (one of Joseph Pilates proteges). I have not had the pleasure of meeting Romana, but I managed to get into a great workshop with another of Pilates'' proteges (Ron Fletcher)! These people are in their eighties and still doing and teaching Pilates!

Blue, I would be glad to help you find a good studio near you if you want to PM me to let me know in what area you live.
2.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top