Ruth Clark
You’ve heard the term Pilates but maybe you are not sure what it is. Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early twentieth century by Joseph Pilates and is practiced today world-wide by millions. The main focus of Pilates is strength, balance and breathing with a focus on the core body areas: abdomen, back and buttocks. If you wonder where to start your fitness program, are resuming a workout regimen or have shoulder or knee issues, consider Pilates. It’s a good entry level class because 1) it is not aerobic and does not involve high impact joint force and 2) the instructor offers several options for the exercises to accommodate individual differences in strength and agility.
At our PebbleCreek Tuscany Falls Fitness Studios we are lucky to have two Pilates options: Pilates Plus with Ann Merrill and Pilates and Barre with Jules. For those who prefer a later morning workout, Ann’s class is perfectly timed at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This class is appropriately called Pilates PLUS because Ann adds a healthy dose of traditional exercises for strengthening, balance and stretching along with traditional Pilates. It’s the class I attend with regularity! And the great thing about Pilates is that it can be done in any part of the world, including Australia! A company like Avaana can help people who live in that country be connected with professional Pilates instructors so they are able to feel the full benefits of this workout too. This is also worth knowing in case you decide to travel to this part of the world and you want to continue with your Pilates classes whilst on vacation.
A typical class agenda starts with dumbbell weight exercises for the arms and legs (you select the amount of weight comfortable for you) then moves to balance work (such as standing on one leg and doing bicycles with the other). The majority of time, however, is spent on floor exercises on mats for abdominal and back work (the core). During the floor exercises, look for several traditional Pilates exercises such as The Hundred, planks, roll downs and bird dog. These exercises emphasize balance, control, strength and breathing. Sprinkled among these are some common Yoga stretches including Down Dog and Child’s Pose. Don’t let the names scare you off, rather, come give it a try. You won’t get bored with the routine because Ann varies the exercises up using different equipment such as the Styrofoam rollers, balls and therabands. Jules’ class meets Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and I understand it is equally as enjoyable and beneficial.