You’ve heard all the talk about the benefits of pilates, and you’re ready to take a class. You’ve signed up for your first pilates mat classes but don’t know what to expect.

Mat exercises are performed on – you guessed it – mats (similar to yoga mats). You will find that many gyms and studios will offer mat classes if they don’t have pilates machines, such as the Reformer. With more than 35 different exercises, Pilates will help you increase your core strength – while also increasing muscular strength by using your own body weight as resistance. If you need increased weight resistance, you may also incorporate custom pilates weighted equipment (e.g., weighted balls or handheld weights).

You can get an amazing workout using just the Pilates mat, or you may use the mat exercises as a warmup to your routine on the Pilates machines. In either case you’ll find that the series of mat exercises will incorporate balance, strength, endurance and breath control. You will find that over the course of several mat sessions, you will see an increase in your overall fitness and well-being, including signs of improvement in:

• Increased balance and flexibility
• Improved muscular strength and tone
• Enhanced posture
• Reduced stress levels
• Increased body awareness

We make learning pilates fun and low-pressure. Whether you are recovering from injury or are just seeking a way to improve your overall health, pilates is an excellent – and low-impact – way of achieving your fitness goals. (Please check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.)

Contact us today to start your pilates education.

When you’re ready to incorporate a little more cardio into your resistance workout, you might wander over to the Aero Pilates machines. With ropes, pulleys, hand straps and a cardio rebounder (kind of a mini trampoline platform), these devices add efficiency and variety to your sessions and take your muscles and circulation to new peaks.

A recent Livestrong.com article offers a good overview of three general types of exercises the machines allow. Here’s a quick hint of what you could try:

• Internal rotation rebounding — A cardio exercise for the legs that emphasizes hip, knee and ankle movements.

• Hundreds — Use the Aero Pilates’ hand straps and ropes to work the abs. (And we mean work: The “hundreds” reference here means reps.)

• Straight-arm triceps extensions — This one’s a seated exercise that strengthens arms and shoulders, but it doesn’t neglect the abs.

And those are just for starters. With our facilities, equipment and professional trainers and experts, we can offer you a wide range of other options if you like the idea of working Aero Pilates into your routine. Contact us if you’d like to talk over your fitness goals. Aero Pilates might provide just the avenue you’ve been looking for.

Athletes can realize at least three tangible benefits of Pilates, a health expert says — and if Pilates is good for peak-fitness athletes, you know the rest of us could benefit, too.

“Pilates can be one of the best exercise programs that an athlete becomes involved in,” says nursing assistant Jeanne Rose of the Yahoo Contributor Network. “It can really help an athlete throughout his or her athletic career.”

• Improving strength and flexibility — Pilates stances strengthen legs, thighs, ankles, arms and chests, Rose notes, and over time, muscles will become more flexible. “No muscle will be overworked, and no muscles will be left untouched by the workout,” she says.

• Improving concentration — Because Pilates emphasizes centering mind and body, concentration is vital. Just as muscles get stronger with use, so do mental processes. Strengthening the mind pays off in sharper focus during stressful situations, as well as reduced vulnerability to anxiety or depression, Rose says.

• Improving breathing technique — Pilates participants learn to breathe better, which ultimately improves athletic performance. Getting more oxygen in the lungs boosts blood flow, endurance … and results in a healthier, happier life, according to Rose.

And those are just three of the benefits — we even know a few more. Contact us and we’ll help you get started.

Like many of us, doctors and other health care professionals often work in high-stress environments and, at the end of the day, they need a healthy way to unwind and release tension. Even physicians who practice Western medicine for a living can attest to the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as Pilates workouts, yoga and massage.

This article talks about the trend of doctors turning to Pilates and other alternative therapies for promoting stress relief and physical fitness. Not only do they prescribe these activities for their patients, but many of them participate in the workouts themselves. According to the author:

“A study published in the online version of Health Services Research in August (2011) found that 76 percent of health care workers and 83 percent of doctors and nurses used CAM, compared with 63 percent of the general population.”

Furthermore,

“Christy Brave, a nurse in Loyola’s pediatric intensive care unit, said she uses regular Jazzercize, which incorporates yoga and Pilates moves, to relax and take her mind off a stressful job. She teaches the exercise/dance and has offered it free to her fellow nurses.”

Physicians and other healthcare professionals are proving that alternative therapies don’t necessarily have to compete with Western medicine, and that they complement each other quite well.

Personal Best Pilates Studio offers Pilates instruction at all levels, including Pilates equipment training and mat classes. We also feature Reiki and massage therapy.

Whether you’re looking to relieve stress or improve your stamina while getting in shape, contact us to get started with your personalized training plan.