Pilates Basics
Ok, the pilates basics should be pretty easy to conquer, right? After all they are just the basics! Well, little did I know when I first started learning the basics of Pilates that I had my work cut out for me. I have exercised off and on my entire life and never really considered myself to be out of shape…that is, until I decided to take up Pilates and I realized really how truly pathetic in shape I was. No kidding, this new exercise plan is kicking my rear…literally.
Pilates basics are built around the principle teaching of Joseph H. Pilates, the father of this method of exercise. It was originally designed more than 80 years ago as a series of exercises that put incredibly intense concentration on your abdominal muscles , especially those deep in the belly. The exercises are meant to help you create incredibly strong abdominal muscles that will also help you improve your balance and coordination…not to mention the lovely, flat abdomen you will end up with as a result.
Joseph originally developed the basics of Pilates during World War I when he worked to help rehabilitate bed bound patients recovering in an England hospital where he worked as a nurse. He wanted to help those patients to recover as quickly as possible and since they were bed bound, he simply attached springs to their bed’s mattress so the patients could pull and push against the spring for resistance. Of course, this helped the patients to regain their strength. What a fantastically simple idea!
He also brought Pilates basics with him when he moved to New York City in the 1920s. Some of his first USA customers were dancers who had been injured and were desperate to recover and get back to the dance floor. He helped them to work out using the Pilates Reformer, which was a bed like contraption that featured a horizontal sliding platform with springs that could be adjusted so that the resistance would vary. Doesn’t that sound a lot like the idea he used to help the injured soldiers recover?
Pilates basics are really just that simple. Even the practice of Pilates today goes back to the original exercises designed by Joseph all those decades ago. Brilliant!
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Pilates Clothes
So you have decided to take up the beautiful form of exercise known as Pilates? Wonderful…me too! But if you are going to take on this magical exercise, then you are going to need some Pilates clothes.
I am a brand new devotee to Pilates and so far am enjoying learning this ancient form of exercise. Several girlfriends and I had been looking for a new form of exercise that would mix it up a bit and something that would get these 40 year old bodies back in 20 year old body shape. Well, so far, my Pilates instructor is confident that she can help us to reach that goal.
Before my first class, I was packing my gym bag and trying to decide what would be the best Pilates clothes to stuff in the giant bag. So far, I haven’t found anything at my local fitness store that screams “buy me, I am Pilates Clothes”!
Well, if they did, then it sure would be easier.
So, since I was confused, I decided to just pack some shorts and a t-shirt. Of course, you can only imagine how poor that choice was. See, shorts and a t-shirt simply do not work for Pilates clothes since the class required a lot of bending, stretching, legs up in the air, etc and so you can imagine where the shorts ended up! Yes, that’s right…they ended up crawling up into the nether regions, leaving me even more self-conscious than my pathetic ability to hold my body in that stupid “hundred” position. Seriously, do you know how hard that position is!
Anyway, back to Pilates clothing…after my first disastrous class in the clothing department, I decided to talk with my instructor and see what she might suggest for me. While she reassured me that I did not need any new or fancy exercise clothes or shoes, I did need Pilates clothes that could easily hug my body and move easily with me through the many Pilates exercises. So after going back to the store, I decided on a pair of black form fitting capri length exercise pants as well as a bra-top that was a bit of a tankini style so that it would keep me well covered when doing my exercises.
Yes, I am ready for my next class with a gym bag now filled with much more appropriately styled Pilates clothes. Now, I am off to try and conquer the hundred! Are me legs really supposed to move in that direction!
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