Pilates for Weight Loss (2003)

admin    Pilates     2003, loss, Pilates, weight

Pilates Complete for Weight Loss is the perfect way for beginning, intermediate and advanced students burn fat, build muscle and achieve and maintain an ideal weight. These workouts are designed to transform how your body looks, feels and performs, and is the perfect complement to any weight loss program. With over 15 customized mat workouts to suit your physical and scheduling needs, there is no better way to learn, progress and experience Pilates in your home. Great for beginn (more…)

Pilates For Beginners (2006)

admin    Pilates     2006, Beginners, Pilates

PILATES FOR BEGINNERS is the perfect way to be introduced to Pilates and it helps you to explore and experience the numerous benefits of pilates. There are over 12 routines to help build strength, increase flexibility, improve your health and vitality and transform how you look and feel. Routines are led by renowned instructor Maggie Rhoades who expertly leads you through tailored workouts ranging from 10 to 35 minutes. PILATES FOR BEGINNERS was filmed on location at one of (more…)

Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners (2008)

admin    Pilates     2008, Beginners, Element, loss, Pilates, weight

Pilates can transform your body in a way no gym equipment can match. Filmed on a breathtaking location overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this dynamic beginner’s workout is designed to maximize calorie burn while teaching you the basics of Pilates. With a combination of Pilates-conscious cardio and mat Pilates, this sequence uses the principles of control, concentration, precision, center, breath, and fluidity to help you sculpt a new shape. The gentle, low impact exercises will str (more…)

Pilates Instructor Certification – Where To Start

Jennifer Willenson    Pilates     fitness, Pilates

If you have been craving for an interesting career and ways to meet incredible people perhaps acquiring a Pilates instructor certification is the way for you to go. Not only will you be getting exercise while you work, it is very rewarding. There are two categories of Pilates instruction: one is the mat certification and the other is the comprehensive. The former doesn’t take long and pretty much anyone who is familiar with floor exercises can get the certification.

Of course, it will be necessary for you to be able to provide the students in your class with the demonstration of various exercises that form part of the class and also be able to adapt the different exercises for people of different levels to be able to accomplish.

When trying to earn certification, you should know that you will be tested in demonstration of the various exercises as well has having to undergo a written test.

What’s great about all this is that you can be a certified Pilates mat instructor in as short as a weekend, if you follow the intensive course. You should be happy to know that it doesn’t cost too much either, just a couple of hundred bucks.

Then there is the comprehensive Pilates certification. This one covers the various equipment that is used in this form of exercise. Obviously, this takes much longer to become certified. In fact, it will take about a year of training prior to getting certification. Some private lessons will be required as well in order to successfully complete your courses and earn certification.

Additionally, you will have to have certification on the mats first prior to getting certified for the comprehensive. Of course, each of these Pilates certification courses are all different. Therefore, it is imperative that you do some research into the program to ensure it is exactly what you are looking for.

This will get you off to a great start but if you want to learn more about Pilates Instructor Certification, then click here or visit Pilates Mat Exercises

Confidence With Aero Pilates

Tony Markus    Pilates     aero pilates, aero pilates exercises, exercise, fitness, fitness equipment, Pilates

A different approach to working out and developing different muscle groups of the body is given focus through what is known as aero Pilates. In this set of exercises, the body and mind works and improves together using popular low impact movements with the aid of machines that are used in executing the exercises. It specifically improves the body symmetry and the shape and size of muscles in the body.

Available in the market at present are a number of aero Pilates machines that have varying features for comfort, resistance levels, and body health solutions. The purpose of the machines when used to perform the sets of exercises is to optimize the effects of the workout throughout the body. With the traditional exercise enhancing certain muscle group, the machines allows other muscles not often used on a regular basis to develop and be toned as well.

Wooden and metal machines currently on the market have basically similar features. Ideally, these machines enable you to perform more than fifty (50) types of strengthening and toning exercises. All these cannot be performed by simply using a mat and the individual’s body weight alone. The use of machines for this form of Pilates does not really increase the chance of injury but enables one to strengthen almost every muscle in the body.

Aero Pilates is designed to boost aerobic endurance and muscle strength, use of the machines will enable one to have muscles able to hold more resistance than normal. In addition to that, even though the incorporation of machines in this form of exercise produces low impact cardiovascular training for individuals, it still manages to make the body exert more effort to perform the necessary movements that will make the maximum number of muscles to move and develop.

Beginners who would like to try out aero Pilates are becoming enthusiastic and eager to learn the technique mainly because of its emphasis on both physical and spiritual advancement. A lot of proponents help popularize this course of therapy to others because even though it is quite harder than other exercises, it provides more rewarding results and effects to the human body.

Due to the fact that the use of machines in performing aero Pilates may at certain occasions cause some minor injuries, it is best for practitioners to consult experts before executing the different workouts. There are also manuals and guides that emphasize the principles involved in the workouts that will inform and educate aficionados on the proper movements that will avoid accidents and injuries when performing the exercises. It is essential to keep in mind that in order to obtain best results in this exercise, one must be concerned with the method of practice, execution of movements, breath control and proper positions.

Tony is a health and fitness journalist who writes about the best aero pilates DVD and other pilates for beginners DVDs.

categories: aero pilates exercises,aero pilates,pilates,fitness equipment,exercise,fitness

The Magic of Pilates Rings

Marianne Hudson    Pilates     exercise, fitness, fitness equipment, Pilates, pilates equipment, pilates magic circle, pilates ring

If you aim to lose weight or tone your muscles without the aid of weights and other bulky gym equipments, then the Pilates ring exercises are the right type of workout routines for you. Pilates ring exercises are increasingly becoming popular because of the fact that they can be done easily, and the results of such exercises can be noticeable in just a few sessions. In fact, doing Pilates ring exercises for about thirty minutes to one hour three times a week can create noticeable results in one month.

For the most part, the aim of the Pilates ring exercises is the core muscles that can be found in the pelvis, buttocks, back, and abdomen. In a reasonably short period, the core muscles become well-developed and toned. Despite the fact that the ring exercises are more effective in toning the core muscles, they can also be of use in making other parts of the body, such as the arms and legs, stronger and tougher. The Pilates ring is actually known for maintaining the proper body form.

One of the most common Pilates ring exercise is the chest exercise. From a standing or sitting position, the person grips the handle of the ring. Then, the person squeezes the ring in order to apply force from the outside of the ring. In this exercise, the resistance develops not only in the chest area but also in the upper limbs and upper body. With a single and simple exercise, three areas of the body are being toned.

Similar with other forms of Pilates, you can take advantage of the weight loss effect of the Pilates ring exercises. However, the effectiveness of the exercises is only ensured when they are done regularly. In addition to weight loss, exercises using the ring also improve the endurance of the body. In contrast with cardio workout, Pilates ring exercises do not require severe impact in a sense that they do not leave you breathless during the exercise. Additionally, the practice of Pilates can be made easier through the ring.

There are other forms of exercises that use the Pilates ring. The Straight Arm Floor Press is a Pilates ring exercise that strengthens the muscles of the arms, back, and abdominals. On the other hand, the Arms Back Exercise is a muscle toning exercise that targets the triceps and the upper back. If you want to tone your thighs, particularly the inner thighs, then you should try to perform the Seated Legs Exercise. Another Pilates ring exercise that targets multiple muscle areas is the Straight Arms Exercise that makes the muscles in the shoulders, chest, and arms firmer.

There are different varieties of rings that are available in the market. There are variations in the material, diameter size, resistance, and color. Common materials used for the rings are steel, plastic, or fiberglass. The diameter of the rings also varies from 12 inches to 15 inches. On the other hand, the ring’s resistance is usually determined by the size and material use for the ring. The handles of the rings can also be designed as per the customer’s request. Indeed, there are entirely suitable rings for each body type, age, and gender that you can find in your favorite equipment stores.

Before starting any fitness program, be sure to check out what Marianne writes about how to buy pilates ring and the best pilates exercises.

Pilates Mat Exercises Should Be Useful And Challenging

Thaya Kareeson    Pilates     beauty, dance, exercise, exercise routines, fashion, fitness, Health, lose weight, Nutrition, Pilates, sports, weight loss, wellness, yoga

The gift of fitness that is Pilates exercise has been with the fit world for some time. Though many people are only recently getting turned on to Pilates, many others have been doing it for a very long time. Many tools can be used in this fitness practice. However, here are some examples of Pilates mat exercises which may help the beginner get started.

The Pilates exercise method was first developed in the beginning of the twentieth century. It originated in Germany and though it was brought into being decades ago, as recent as 2005 it was done daily by over eleven million people. There were fourteen thousand instructors in that year alone in the United States. Many of these instructors forego using tools like balls or pulleys. However, most will demonstrate in their classes how to do Pilates mat exercises.

Inner thigh lifts are one of the Pilates mat exercises that requires the mat to be laid out straight. The spine will line up with the mat’s back edge as you lay on your side. The lower arm can support the head or stretch along the floor, while the lower leg is extended with hip to the mat. The upper leg will bend and the foot put on the mat in front of the hips. The upper arm will pull at the bottom of the bent leg as the knee pushes away. The inner thigh muscles of the lower leg will lift it off the ground a small amount. And the exercise is about lowering and lifting that lower leg with control, not letting it rest on the floor.

The Teaser One exercise is also one of the Pilates mat exercises that offers a great deal more challenge than others. This maneuver is started on the back with arms above the head. The legs are lifted up to a forty-five degree angle, then the abdominal muscles are tightened until the spine curls up. With hands floating over the legs then lifting up, the body comes into a V pose, balanced on the buttocks and lower spine. Maintaining control over the body, the back is lowered to the mat again, and the legs are lifted up to ninety degrees. The Teaser One helps to articulate the spine and roll it through flexion into extension.

The ‘walk out and push up’ is also one of the Pilates mat exercises, though it starts with the person standing at the foot of the mat. The arms extend above the head, the spine curls and the hands descend to the floor with the pelvis pushing out. When the hands are on the floor, they ‘walk out’, first the right, then the left, keeping the hips steady. With the hands evenly spaced beneath the chest, the arms push up the body. The crown and spine and legs align, and then the elbows bend an inch, then straighten, doing the ‘push up’.

Another type of push up that is included in the Pilates mat exercises many people do is that of the Leg Pull Front Support. This is started face down on the mat and would be uncomfortable on a straight floor. The palms are at the sides of the body, near the shoulders. The legs are extended and the knees are lifted, with the toes pushing on the mat. While keeping the body in alignment, the hands push up until the shoulders and chest are over the thumbs. The shoulders press down the back and release, so that the area above the heart in the back is soft while the same ‘head to heels like steel’ position is used. With the abdominal muscles tight and the ribs pulled back into the spine, this position is held for several seconds before slowly being released, with control, and the body comes to the mat again.

The Pilates mat exercises can be just as crucial as any other type of Pilates workout that doesn’t use a mat. Most studios provide mats for their members who attend classes. Mats for Pilates are thicker than yoga mats, because they are meant to pad users from feeling the floor. They also don’t need to be sticky because there is less worry that someone doing Pilates on a mat will slip. Pilates mats are often made from foam and should be a half inch thick, as well as four feet by eight feet in size. They can be roll up mats or fold up mats.

Having a series of Pilates mat exercises and a mat to use them with is a good way to increase personal agility and flexibility. Pilates exercises also help with strength and weight loss for people of all abilities and sizes. They are safe, and made more comfortable with the use of a mat. The exercises are challenging and thankfully, easy to understand once you understand the nature of Pilates itself.

Want to find out how to lose weight effectively? See how Pilates can help you drop the pounds. Using a Timex heart rate monitor can help you tweak your workout. Learn more now!

How The Pilates Reformer Exercises Can Help You

Jennifer Willenson    Pilates     fitness, Pilates, pilates exercises

To get in shape you can use the pilates reformer exercises. These exercises will keep your body fit with the help of a reformer machine. This machine will work on all of your body or just parts of it. There are many different resources to show you the moves and stretches that come with Pilates.

You use the reformer machine to work out on and it will help you increase your potential. The machine was designed by gymnast Jospeh Pilates and is used to revitalize your body and keep your muscles symmetrical. You don’t need the reformer machine to perform these exercises you can use a mat and the floor.

This machine can be used by anyone that wants to give it a try. It will give you the look you are going for. You move back and forth across roller using the ropes or you can push with your feet. That motion is what generates the motion needed to workout. This machine uses no weights only springs. The springs make resistances against your body.

The springs can be used to increase or decrease the workout from light to heavy. The pilates exercise can all be done on this machine. There are videos that can be purchased from many different places such as Amazon to help you follow a schedule.

If you would like to go to a gym there are quite a few that offer pilates and the instructions needed. Many famous people use Pilates with great results. You can still do Pilates if you are pregnant but it is advised that you seek a trained proffesional help you. You can always hire a personal trainer to assist you with taking care of your body.

Sports people use the Reformer machine to help them stay in shape and increase performance. Movie stars are group that uses the exercises to keep their bodies ready for the next movie. So keep your body fit and toned by using the reformer.

This will get you off to a great start but if you want to learn more about Pilates Reformer Exercises, then click here or visit Pilates Mat Exercises

Take Time To Learn Yoga For Beginners

Thaya Kareeson    Pilates     beauty, burn fat, dance, exercise, fashion, fitness, Health, lose weight, Nutrition, Pilates, sports, weight loss, wellness, yoga

You have heard about the health benefits that doing yoga has, but you just cannot see how you are going to get your stiff old body to work like a human contortionist. But, yoga does not necessarily mean you have to be a human contortionist. Those people have been doing yoga for years and years. You are just learning to do some yoga for beginners. Are you ready to learn some very simple poses?

Easy Yoga Pose, also known as sukasana, is very basic pose often used for meditation. To do this post, sit on your bottom cross legged. Bring one heel up towards your groin. The other foot is left on the floor. Sit up as tall as you can. Imagine a thread connecting the crown of your head to the ceiling. Elongate your spine and lower your shoulders.

Tree Pose, also known as vrksasana, improves balancing ability. Mindfully, stand straight with your hands in a prayer position. The tips of your fingers should be pointing towards the ceiling. Keeping both hips squarely underneath you and begin to lift your left leg. Your foot will be sliding up the inside of your right leg until you reach the inside of your right thigh. Balance and do in reverse. Repeat standing on the left leg. It is completely fine to hold onto a table or chair if you need extra support to balance. Once both legs have been worked on, return to the starting position.

Downward-Facing Dog, also known as adho mukha svanasana is a great whole-body stretch. To do this pose, get down on your hands and knees. Your hands should be straight below your shoulders and your hips directly over your knees. Your back should be straight. Slowly bring your hands as far back as you can. Your body will look like the top part of a triangle with the floor as the base of the triangle. Lower your shoulders so they are not scrunched up towards your ears. Then, drop your head and just let it hang. Only go as far as you can with this pose without experiencing pain. Finish the pose by coming back to the starting position.

The Child’s Pose is another good stretch for your spine. Starting at Downward-Facing Dog Pose on all fours. Lower your bottom down to sit on your calves. Your knees should be spread apart. Position your arms with your fingertips pointing toward your feet, along your body, or stretch them out in front of you with your fingers splayed. Hold as long as you wish.

The Cat and Cow Pose also starts from the Downward-Facing Dog Pose. Bend your toes under. Relax your shoulders and drop your stomach toward the ground. Your back will be concave. Hands and knees need to stay aligned with your shoulders and hips. Then stretch your back like a cat, arching upwards. Return to starting position.

Garland Pose is a standing position. Your feet should be spread apart comfortably. With your back straight, lower your bottom towards the ground and go into a squat. Your elbows should be at the insides of your knees, pressing outwards. Shoulders need to be relaxed. Stay like this for five breaths.

You have just gone through five different poses of yoga for beginners. No doubt, you feel stretched out and relaxed. Continue practicing yoga poses every day and you will see yourself getting more flexible and stronger over time. You may even decide to join other yoga practitioners at a local yoga class.

Looking for ways how to lose weight and how to lose belly fat. Yoga is popular means to increase health, relieve anxiety, increase coordination, balance and overall fitness, both emotionally and physically.

I Just Lost 11 lbs of Bodyfat… On Vacation!

admin    Pilates     Alcohol, Every Other Day Diet, fat loss, Radical Fat Loss Blueprint, Vacation

[ Note: Fitness Guru, Jon Benson has kindly agreed for Pilates Exercises Online to share his insight and expertise, enjoy! ]

It was the weirdest thing …

I mean, I’ve been around you know? I’ve had just about every body and fatloss experience you can think of… the good, the bad, the ugly…

… and now the really bizarre.

Here’s the story:

I took off on an 8-day cruise to the Caribbean. This was a “business” cruise (yeah, right)… and I knew there was no way to eat the way I prefer to eat. At least not ideally. After that I had to speak in Tampa Florida at a fitness summit, then off to Las Vegas for yet another summit meeting.

All-in-all I was gone for almost three weeks.

First thing that I knew had to go was my “ideal” dietplan.

That’s my “Extreme” Plan on the Every Other Day Dietplan…

Every Other Day Dietplan

There are three plans in EODD:  The Primer Plan, which is literally “every other day”. You get to eat your favorite foods within reason every other day or so on this Plan. It’s perfect for folks who ‘hate’ dieting because, let’s face it, anyone can diet-for a day, right? Right.

Then there’s the Lifestyle Plans. These are two days of “burn eating” followed by a day of eating favorite foods. Most people use this because it too is so simple to use.

Then for we athletes and fitness pros there’s the Extreme Plan. This is for ultimate bodyfat loss and muscle-shaping. I love this plan.

But hey… it’s a vacation. And so I decided to eat on the Primer Plan… remember, that’s every other day. So every other day on the cruise I had a small dessert (sometimes two), pizza, or pasta… whatever I wanted within reason. The days before I did perfectly, substituting my morning shake for egg white omelets with a bit of cheese and a lot of veggies. Yum! 

Within three days I had LOST more than 4 lbs… or about 2 kg. Pure fat… well, a bit of water I suppose, but mostly that stubborn bodyfat around my middle that’s the last to go.

What the heck was going on?

Wait… the story gets better…

I move on to Tampa, and then Vegas, and now I’m 11 lbs (about 5 kg) down. My jeans ALL require a belt, only this time it’s not a fashion statement.

Frankly, I’m as surprised as you may be.

But I figured out why this happened. And I want to share it with you so you can use EODD (or another plan if you want… but mine is the best… : ) when you go on vacation or take a break.

Here’s why I dropped the last bit of my bodyfat:

First, I was on a VERY large cruise ship. I knew my weight training would not be as intense (the weights were not that heavy) but I also knew I could just make it work… train a bit more and go for the “pump”… just a good, quick workout. I ended up training 5 days on the cruise without a problem (and only ONE day of cardio for 20 minutes… you see, you do NOT need cardio to dump bodyfat!)

But the difference was in the WALKING. The ship was the largest ever built… the size of 2.5 football fields. And I walked everywhere… on the islands, on the boat, even to every meal. Just walking burned off FAR more calories than my normal lifestyle, which like most of you has a lot of sitting down to it. ; )

Walking… my favorite “Cardio” to this very day.

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My Supplement Tricks

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Second, I took extra potassium, along with all of my Radical Fatloss Blueprint Supplements. I carried them all on board.

You can read more about the supplements I take for “radical” fatloss here:

www.radicalfatlossblueprint.com

The two that really did the trick for me was the Aqualize (also known as Acquacil), only 1-2 a day, along with the amino acids.

Finally, I realized that I need MORE food than I’m eating now in order to increase my metabolic rate. Just a bit… about 400 calories a day more than I have been eating. Doing just that rebooted my metabolic rate and presto… 11 lbs of bodyfat and useless water is history. My abs have never looked better.

I hope this gives you some encouragement when it comes to being on the road or on vacation. With the right plan (like EODD and Radical Fatloss) you can actually improve your body…

… and best of all, I enjoyed every minute of my vacation! 

P.S.  An important note was that I made a decision not to drink on the cruise or elsewhere. I had one small glass of wine last night to celebrate with my largest affiliate and business comrade. He flew in from Israel just for this meeting, and it was the least i could do. Roei and I had a blast all day.

The reason drinking is a problem is that alcohol shuts down fat-burning for several hours… sometimes longer. But a glass of wine or two a week is not going to hurt you. I just made that one small “sacrifice” so I could enjoy ice cream, pizza (I ate four slices one night at 3:00am and woke up leaner!) and all the yummy food the boat had to offer.

So, my final tip:  Make a decision to cut out just ONE thing when you’re on the road. Alcohol was easy for me as I do not drink that much as it is.

Read more about my personal dietplan and my supplement plan here….

Every Other Day Dietplan