While cardiovascular exercise during pregnancy can be hard to maintain due to decreased energy levels, nausea, and uncomfortable with the added weight of your baby, Pilates provides a great, safe way for you to maintain fitness throughout your pregnancy.  Pilates during pregnancy can be soothing, allowing you to focus on your body and your breathing, without added unnecessary strain.  In the past few years, as Pilates has grown to be more and more popular, the number of resources on Pilates during pregnancy has exploded.  You will not be at a loss to find classes and videos to get you started with a safe Pilates workout.

You can perform Pilates throughout the duration of your pregnancy.  In fact, not only does this keep you in shape during your pregnancy, but Pilates also helps prepare your body for the process of giving birth, and even the process of getting back into shape after your baby’s arrival.  By focusing on your body’s core, Pilates during pregnancy strengthens all the muscles your body will utilize during the birth of your baby.  The more in shape these muscles are, the smoother the birth process will be, and the faster you’ll recover afterwards.
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Safe Pilates and Pregnancy

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Everyone has heard about a Pilates workout. Most people know that this is a type of exercise and many think it is something like yoga and/or a branch of yoga. However, none of the above descriptions really capture the essence of what exactly a Pilates workout really is. One way of looking at it is that Pilates is a special work out for people who are unable to do vigorous exercises that are necessary to stay healthy and fit today.

Pilates Workout – The Basics

The origin of these exercises is traced to a German, Joseph Pilates who was sick in his childhood as he was suffering from asthma. He wanted to exercise and participate in sports; however his ailment did not allow him to do so.
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Pilates Workout – A Special Regime of Exercises

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When you ask someone for one thing he would like to improve about his lifestyle, many will say to feel healthier, increase energy or manage stress better. Any of these goals can be achieved through a healthier diet and a regular exercise program. But what type of exercise is right for you? There is a plethora of possibilities available, but if you want to delve into a workout that will condition your entire body and complement any sport or aerobic activity that you might already be involved in, consider adding Pilates training to your program.

Pilates training can be as simple as purchasing a DVD to learn the principles behind the discipline and begin with a basic mat routine. It could also be as intensive as taking classes to learn mat exercises as well as exercises that utilize various types of equipment. However you decide to begin your Pilates training, try to make time to workout two to four times a week to reap the maximum benefits.
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How Pilates Training can lead to a better Quality of Life

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Pilates came to the US somewhere in the 1910, and has slowly and gradually graduated into one of the most accepted and successful exercise regimes in the world.

The Pilates Studio – The Propagating Unit

There have been hundreds of Pilates studios mushrooming all over the US, and most have seen tremendous success because these exercises are exceptionally result-oriented. This is the main reason why this exercise style is high in demand and everybody wants to jump on the Pilates bandwagon. Just a few years ago there was only one Pilates studio in my neighborhood, today there are 12 to be precise and there is still a waiting list for entry to several of the Pilates studios in question.
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Pilates Studio – A Great Potential for Business

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Developed by Joseph Pilates early in the 20th century, the Pilates system of exercise uses resistance training and stretching to tone the entire body. He spent the first part of his life as an exercise enthusiast and sportsman. In his teens, he became the model for fitness charts.

During World Ware I, he was interned on the Isle of Wight along with other German nationals. After his release, he worked to develop a system of healthful activity to help other interns as well as the victims of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Instead of weight lifting or repetitive movements, his system used breathing, concentration and balance to strengthen the body with limited chance of injury. Most of his system uses only a mat, but he also developed a few simple instruments to work with.
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Basic Resistance of the Pilates Ring

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In the early part of the 20th century, Joseph Pilates, an athlete and physical fitness enthusiast developed an exercise system intended to rehabilitate the victims of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and the survivors of World War I internment camps. Pilates named the system “Contrology” to reflect his aim of training the mind to develop control of the body’s muscles.

Mental Control

Now called “Pilates,” the goal of the system is to combine the mind and body into a physical unit capable of moving gracefully without thinking about it. The most important element of the Pilates moves is the concentration involved. While performing the moves, one pays attention to the body performing the moves.
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The Meaning behind Pilates Moves

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If you are considering venturing out into the world of Pilates, one of the easiest and most economical ways to begin your training is with a Pilates mat class. Pilates mat classes are mainly conducted on the floor, using your own body as the resistance for the exercises. Sometimes resistance bands may be included to intensify the workout, but the exercises are primarily done on a mat without other equipment.

The instructor will focus on the mind/body connection, while using precise, controlled movements to work the core muscles of the body. Class duration of Pilates mat classes usually run about an hour and include 10 to 15 students, so that the instructor can give personalized attention to form and position during exercises. This is one of the reasons a Pilates mat class is such a popular choice for beginners.
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A Primer in Pilates – The Pilates Mat Class

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Everybody has heard about Pilates, yoga and other types of exercises that have changed the way they think about fitness to a large extent. Previously, we have had to set aside time for running, aerobics and jazzercise. Today, you can sit on a beautiful, oriental mat in your bedroom and practice the exercises prescribed.

Using the Pilates mat as a compulsory prop is the only way you could go through the prescribed exercise.  The Pilates mat exercise is aimed at the abdominal, buttock and the hamstring muscles. On a secondary basis it also improves the core of the body. When we say the core, in Pilates this means the back, the abdomen, and chest muscles.
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How can I use a Pilates Mat?

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If you’re considering using Pilates as a method of strength training, or are already doing so, you’ve probably started with a beginner class or video learning the fundamentals through basic mat work.  You’ve probably either seen or heard about Pilates machines, and wondered how, or if, these machines enhance your strength training.

The Essence of Pilates is Resistance

Since the basic idea of Pilates is to use resistance to strengthen your body’s core, it makes sense that a Pilates machine could add more resistance to your workout, and therefore enhance your results.  This is certainly true, and if you have a Pilates machine available to use at the gym, or at home, you will definitely benefit from being able to customize the amount of resistance added to your workout.  Tailoring workouts to work specific parts of your body harder than others can also be more convenient, since you can control several different points of resistance on one Pilates machine.  You can also utilize familiar exercises at increased levels, which may be ideal if you don’t have the time to invest in a new class or video.
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How Will a Pilates Machine Enhance Your Workout?

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If you use a Pilates program as a regular part of your workout, you may be considering taking the next step and becoming a Pilates instructor. The field of Pilates training presents many opportunities for prospective trainers. If this is a career that sounds interesting to you, the first step should be certification from a reputable Pilates training institution. These schools are located all over the country, so you should be able to find a program that is not too far from where you live. Before registering at one of these training centers, be prepared to spend numerous hours in courses, hands-on training, and observation and apprentice work before taking the final examination that will land you certification.

Generally, students enrolling in one of these training programs will have already studied anatomy and will have some experience as a fitness trainer or rehabilitation practitioner. The good news is that once you have completed this rather rigorous training program, Pilates instructors get paid a good hourly rate (anywhere from $40-$80 per hour) for the education and experience they have obtained. There is also a large need for more certified instructors – often there is a greater demand for Pilates classes in studios and fitness clubs than there are instructors to teach them.
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What you Should Know to Become a Pilates Instructor

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