Frequently asked questionS
WHAT IS PILATES?
Pilates is an intelligent. full-body approach to exercise and body-conditioning, which gives you a leaner, suppler, more toned body and a calmer, more relaxed mind. It’s done with a focus on breath, alignment, proper mechanics and is series of fluid exercises performed on machines and mats. It works the “powerhouse” the core of the body to tone muscles, improve posture and re-educate muscles. Christina teaches from a rehabilitative focus and uses props and modifications to support or challenge your body, depending on your needs.
Pilates is a gentle, non-aerobic exercise method, which lengthens and strengthens the muscles, and improves posture, without stressing the joints or the heart. Indeed, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and doctors now recommend Pilates as one of the safest forms of exercise available. Listening to your body, your limits and following the exercises correctly is important.
HOW IS PILATES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FORMS OF EXERCISE?
Pilates is different from most exercises out there because it’s non-impact and safe, and it really works on using the body as a whole. You are developing an awareness of the muscles and movements in your body. You’re also working the body very evenly and symmetrically, making sure one side is not working harder than the other.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE KEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOGA AND PILATES?
There’s definitely a mind-body connection and a very similar fluidity in both. But one difference is that there’s a whole line of equipment in Pilates that doesn’t exist in yoga, so it provides a different angle: You’re doing exercises with the assistance and resistance of springs and pulleys. The springs may assist you or they may make an exercise more difficult, depending on the exercise.
Pilates is more dynamic than yoga but less aggressive, sweaty and high-impact than aerobics, jogging or gym-work, which, unlike Pilates, can all place damaging strain on the joints and/or heart.
HOW DO I KNOW IF PILATES WILL BENEFIT ME?
Pilates can help you lose weight, get relief from back pain, regain balance, restore function, regain coordination, improve posture, tone your trouble spots, or recover from injury.
It’s also being used more and more as therapy to help people with certain illnesses such as cancer, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis among others.
IS PILATES A CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUT?
Initially the workout is slow moving because everything is being explained to you. Eventually, once you learn the workout and you’re going through the motions, it becomes aerobic. You can get a cardiovascular workout when you’re on the equipment and working on an advanced level because it’s more physical. For some clients, I like to alternate Pilates moves with HIIT: sequences of heart-rate boosting exercises for a double-duty effect. You have to work towards it, but Pilates can be cardiovascular.
MANY CLAIM THAT PILATES RESHAPES THE BODY. HOW DOES IT DO THIS?
Pilates has completely transformed my body many times and the bodies of most of my clients. I think it comes from using the powerhouse and really focusing on and strengthening the abdominal wall, teaching it to lay flat and be strong. Im just recovering from some hormonal issues and am looking forward to seeing my body reform once again. We all must put the time in.
You also make long, fluid, larger motions that lengthen and tone the muscles.
If you’re consistent with it and make a commitment to yourself, you can see a change in your body.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO PILATES? IS IT LIKE WEIGHT TRAINING IN THAT YOU NEED TO REST YOUR MUSCLES FOR 48 HOURS BETWEEN WORKOUTS?
Pilates is safe enough to do every day. Initially you may want to do it every day so you get a rhythm and become consistent; then a good goal is to do it every other day. Joseph Pilates used to say to do it three times a week. ‘In ten sessions’, suggested Joseph Pilates himself, ‘you will feel the difference; in 20 you will see the difference; and in 30 you will have a whole new body’.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SIX “PRINCIPLES” OF PILATES?
Concentration: This is the most important principle in Pilates. You must be very mentally present as you do the exercises, aware of every aspect of your body’s movement, alignment, sensations, muscle flexes…
Control: Every movement is to be done with control, so you aren’t just throwing your body around.
Centering: so that you are evenly using your body. Think of a plumb line down the middle of the body working both sides evenly.
Fluidity: A smooth transition from one exercise to the next important because once you’ve learned the routine, it should look something like a dance, where every movement flows into the next.
Precision: You try to make each movement as precise as possible; alignment, placement of your limbs, position of each part of your body is paramount and a central aspect of how and why Joseph Pilates designed this system of exercise.
Breath: How you breathe is very important in Pilates exercises. You don’t want to hold your breath at all. Deep, steady breaths will help you maintain concentration and precision, too.
WILL MY BODY BE SORE AFTER A PILATES CLASS?
Feeling sore is a very individual thing. Some people don’t feel sore. Pilates is what you put into it. If you’re really conscious and making an effort to make every movement count, you’ll most likely feel something the following day. It also has to do with your athleticism. If you’ve been sedentary, you’re probably going to feel it more than someone who’s very active. It’s all relative.
HOW CAN BEGINNERS GET THE MOST BENEFIT FROM PILATES?
Be consistent, especially in the beginning. Don’t just try it once. Give it a few shots and do it in succession. Make it your reward, your break from a hectic day. Also, listen to your body and really concentrate — it makes for a better workout.
Someone once told me that you need to “arrive” for Pilates, meaning you have to be there mentally as well as physically. To get the most out of Pilates, you have to be very present. Your body and mind will thank you.