This week, I did two very different Pilates workouts at In Balance Yoga and Pilates-Pilates for cardio and Pilates for core. I got a great cardio workout on the Pilates Reformer during my private training session with Karen Burris. The following day, I took a Pilates Mat class with Leslie focused on abs, legs, and stretches: two very different classes using the same Pilates principle.
I’ve discovered that whatever my workout goal may be on a given day, Pilates delivers. On the Pilates Reformer, I used the jump board attached to the foot bar as a platform to do a series of intense spring jumps, gallops, and squats designed to get my heart rate up while lifting three pound free weights in a series of arm toning exercises.
You hear a lot of hype about the importance of cross training to keep the body from adapting to its exercise routine. Real results come from keeping the body guessing about the next physical challenge. Pilates is perfect for cross training because the possibilities are endless: mat classes can be abs intensive or incorporate a lot of legwork. Leslie’s Wednesday Pilates Mat class at 12:15 uses resistance bands in a series of core exercises and stretches that allow you calibrate your own workout intensity by increasing or decreasing the resistance. (similar to the spring concept on the Pilates Reformer machine where resistance can be increased or decreased)
Pilates, whether done on the mat or on the reformer, is equally challenging but in different ways. I think both play a distinct role in body sculpting and physical fitness. The Pilates Reformer is about fluid, controlled movements (hint-you’re out of control if you’re slamming the moveable carriage into the footbar). With the Reformer, you’re working against the resistance of springs while Pilates on the mat uses your body and the force of gravity as the resistance challenge. For a full body workout, I turn to the Pilates Reformer. For a more abs-focused workout; I hit the mat for Pilates exercises. Both are low impact but high intensity-much kinder to my knees and joints than pounding out my requisite four miles on the treadmill. At my age, I need to go gentle on my cartilage because collagen is in short supply.
Vanity motivates me to exercise but a healthy heart from cardio and good bone density from weight bearing exercises are going to keep me alive. Pilates on the mat and on the Reformer are among the best anti-aging antidotes around that don’t involve plastic surgery, Botox, or dermal fillers ( though I’m not above the aforementioned-if only Pilates could stimulate collagen production). But hey we all know that there is no magic bullet in the quest for health and longevity. When it comes to fighting the forces of gravity, Pilates is my body’s fiercest warrior, keeping everything tight and in its proper place, so I’lll see you on the mat or the machine, at In Balance Yoga and Pilates.
