A Question About Pilates

Pilates is a training program developed by a guy named Pilates! Most of the early practitioners were dancers. The basic idea is to build strong, flexible, lean muscle, so a lot of the work focuses on "the core."

There usually isn't much equipment, as the body itself is used to provide its own resistance.

Yes, Pilates can be done anywhere! I do it almost every morning in my family room. I usually combine it with yoga, as breathing and stress relief is also a major part of Pilates.

I had a horse riding accident 11 years ago that ended with a broken femur. It took me 5 months before I could walk again. Part of the reason I was able to walk again without limping was pilates. Like the others have said, it strengthens your core muscles (suck in your stomach to get an idea of what I mean), making everything else work properly. I believe the person who developed this exercise method was named Joseph Pilates, who had some sort of issue with walking. He found these exercises beneficial in his own life and taught others. There is nothing "spiritual" or anything with pilates like in yoga (although I know some people debate that about yoga). It is core strengthening, making other physical activity like walking easier. I would be excited if it is included in her PT. That is excellent news!

its a core strengthening type of fitness that likes to keep focus on one area at a time with little movement of other areas....no multi tasking!....great for trouble areas. Sometimes people use machines for it but i like to use my own body weight to strengthen me. I do it once a week. Its good to tone, and for core work but it wont do much as the only form of fitness.

Look up these moves, "the roll up", "the saw", and "the hundred" you might get a good idea what i mean by core strengthening.

Pilates is a great form of exercise! It strengthens the muscles in your "core" or abdominal area. There are variations on the form, but many of these exercises can be done at home with just an exercise mat. Pilates does include variations of sit-ups, but strengthens many more muscles than regular sit-ups.

In a nutshell it is about core control. It is better to execute one exercise properly than ten reps wrong. Al the exercises I do only require a mat and really you could do it on carpeting but if you are bony it hurts your back.

There is some pilates that I can do at work so home is easy. :)