Pilates gained a lot of popularity over the past decade as a great way to stay in shape, and it’s just as popular as ever today. Pilates combines the breathing exercises from yoga and with resistance exercises to promote balance and overall well being.
Photo by SomaspaceThe best thing about pilates is that it’s pretty easy to get into. There’s not a lot of equipment involved — if you have a Pilates mat you can start today! — and it’s very low impact so people of all ages and abilities can perform many of the movements involved in the practice. Here are a few quick tips on getting started with pilates and what you can expect from it.
Start Slow
As with any new exercise regimen, you shouldn’t jump right into pilates with full intensity. There are some basic movements that you need to master before getting too intense. This will help you get the most from all of your pilates sessions in the future.
Practice the basic movements for several sessions. This will not only help you memorize the correct positioning and techniques, it will prime your body for the full sessions that are to come. Following these techniques will also help you with proper breathing, which is a key component of pilates.
Starting slow will also help you avoid injuries when you first start. Although pilates is a low-intensity workout, you can suffer injuries if you are not doing the movements correctly.
Wear the Right Clothing
If you want to enjoy the movements of a pilates session, you need to dress accordingly.
Because pilates focuses on your core strength, you should wear tight-fitting clothing so you have no restrictions to movement. You can wear more loose fitting clothing if you are uncomfortable with form-fitting clothing, but try not to buy anything that’s too loose and can hinder your freedom to move as you need to.
Also, choose clothing that wicks away moisture so you can stay comfortable. You will sweat during a good pilates session, so you don’t want to be a wet mess while you’re trying to hold your positions. As far as footwear goes, athletic shoes are fine, or you can even go barefoot if you choose to.
Do What’s Best for You
When you’re first starting out, you want to have an instructor to show you the proper techniques and to keep you motivated. Classes at local gyms are great for this, but maybe you’d rather do your pilates at home.
If you don’t want to join a class, you can buy instructional videos from Amazon that will show you everything you need to know. This way, you can still get all of the instructions that you will need but you can do them from the comfort of your own home, on your own time. Whichever you choose to do, listen to the instructor and you’ll do great!
Pilates is an awesome, low-impact way to stay in shape.
