Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Northwest Florida

Pilates for Weight Loss

Jan 06, 2012 10:09PM ● By Victoria Everman

Pilates, similar to yoga, with its concentration on breathing, was developed by Joseph Pilates in just the past century. While it’s rare to break much of a sweat during a session, with its focus on major muscle groups and slow, intentional movements, Pilates has become a popular practice for effecting weight loss.

Barbar Bruni, owner of Pilates Core Training, in Pensacola, explains, “If weight loss is the main goal of the participant, then we would be working to support a very structurally sound, healthy spine, so as to be able to perform the difficult core exercises with enough intensity to burn a sufficient amount of calories. As muscle is more metabolically active than fat, the more the muscle is strengthened, the more calories you burn throughout the day, even at rest.”

“Pilates is a strength training method that helps you develop long lean muscles so you can burn more calories,” adds Kathy Shelton, a certified Pilates’ instructor with Pilates by the Sea, in Santa Rosa Beach. After chatting with a panel of pros and diving into the fitness method’s history, we arrived at the top five ways to become trim and toned by practicing Pilates.

Burn More Calories

Creating muscle mass is one of the best ways to increase calorie-burning potential. “Pilates is an exercise regimen that burns calories, and gives you energy for the rest of the day. So, you will be more active during the day and that will increase your calorie burn for the day,” says Val Williams, owner of Pilates by Val, in Gulf Breeze.

Individuals can add a variety of tools to a basic Pilates mat routine to help tone muscles all over and avoid boredom. “Magic circles, weighted balls, Kathy Corey bands, stretch bands and foam rollers are all tools I recommend,” says Laurie Beck, owner of Pilates by the Sea. Resistance bands are easily portable, yet create a considerable amount of challenging resistance to help firm and tone. The body ring, well known among Pilates enthusiasts, is another resistance tool used during mat exercise, often focusing on the lower body and core muscles.

Look Thinner

One of the best ways to look and feel thinner is to maintain good posture. Pilates helps create better posture by firming not only the abs, but the back, as well. “All the exercises encourage spinal lengthening to decompress the spine. In so doing, the posture lengthens and the pelvic and shoulder girdles fall into an ideal alignment. Just by standing taller with strong abdominal and back muscles makes you look taller and thinner,” explains Bruni.

Craft Core Muscles

Pilates is all about core strength—front and side abdominals and the entire back. Toned abs and a strong back help to prevent injury, improve posture, reduce lower back pain and even promote proper bowel function. But the most popular result is flat abdominals. “When a client is in the correct body position to do an abdominal crunch, the client will feel the abs actually shake and quiver. When abdominals are recruited correctly, the client will automatically start to feel different muscles in their body,” comments Williams.

Improve Eating Habits

Experiencing the improvements to your body and what it’s capable of is incredibly motivating. “As I experienced a tighter abdominal area, I noticed how uncomfortable I was when I overate,” says Mary Haik, an independent Pilates instructor in the Fort Walton Beach area. “It was just harder for me to overeat, because it didn’t feel good.”

Bruni finds that clients are motivated in different ways regarding food. “You are respecting and treating yourself better, so there is less tendency to want to ruin your good feelings by dumping junk food into your body,” she states.

Complete with Cardio

No weight-loss regimen is complete without cardiovascular work. Combining the strength training of Pilates and a consistent cardio session works to help you lose weight and tone up nearly twice as fast as doing either routine on its own. Tyler Beck, with Pilates by the Sea, cautions safety first, “The majority of my clientele have issues ranging from torn shoulders and knees to extreme tightness in their backs and hamstrings. I suggest they do cardio work that does not tighten these muscles any further.”

Susan Authement Dumnam, owner of Destin Pilates Center, suggests a product for safe cardio work, “I like to recommend the Kangoo Jump Rebound shoe. It is a portable rebounder and allows you to run and walk with 80 percent less stress on your back or joints.”

Pilates has 10 million followers in the United States. To find a Pilates instructor near you, see our Yoga, Pilates and Fitness Network page in this edition.

Victoria Everman, a freelance writer in San Francisco, California, contributes to Gaiam.com, from which this was adapted.

Global Brief
Health Brief
Connect with the Community