I got a frustrated letter from a reader last week. Her issue is one that I think a lot of beginners run into in Pilates and fitness classes in general, so I decided to share it here. Lisa wrote to me saying that she started doing Pilates but her belly was getting bigger, not smaller. Not only that, but when she stops working out her belly shrinks and when she works out regularly it gets big again.

That is just plain aggravating and not at all in line with Pilates reputation for helping people get nice flat abs! So what's going on? ...

Flat Abs vs "the Poof" originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 14:07:22.

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Kneeling arm/leg reach is one of those exercises that builds core strength and balance by challenging stability. It is a wonderful pre-Pilates exercise and  is often recommended as an exercise for people with back pain. Done in a Pilates way, kneeling arm/leg reach will build core strength and encourage balance and symmetry in the body.

Learn Kneeling Arm and Leg Reach

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in my Free Pilates Newsletter.

Exercise of the Week: Kneeling Arm and Leg Reach originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 23:40:34.

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Every now and then an article appears online or in regular print about how practicing Pilates makes for better sex. Recently,  Pilates: Sex and Health Benefits for Midlife, published in the Huffington Post, has been making the rounds. The article does a fine job of covering how many of the regular benefits of Pilates such as toning the abs and the pelvic floor can improve sex --  a great reminder, and where most such articles stop.

So I thought, if sex is the hot topic of the moment, then we should go all the way. With all the resources we have here at pilates.about.com, what I can add to Pilates and sex benefits conversation is the here's how to get those benefits part. So if articles about Pilates and sex have you tantalized but not quite satisfied, read Sex and Pilates, 5 Ways Pilates Can Improve Your Sex Life.

Pilates and Sex - the Pilates Part originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 22:06:40.

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I think roll over should be called flow over. This is a challenging ab and back exercise and it's getting coordinated with the breath and keeping the flow going that makes it feel really good.

Things to appreciate about the Pilates roll over -- the abdominal muscle strength and control, the stretch and strength of the back, the length in the hamstrings, the breath, the spinal articulation. Sound good? Let's do it.

Get instructions for roll over

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

Pilates Exercise of the Week: Roll Over originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 15:48:16.

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Big announcement: It's time for the About.com Readers' Choice Awards. You might remember that last year was the first year the Pilates site participated and we had a rip-roaring good time choosing our favorite brand of workout clothes, reformer, and DVD.

For this years Readers' Choice Awards we have  have 5 Pilates categories: best Pilates chair, best reformer for home workouts, best Pilates books not written by Joseph Pilates, best Pilates DVDs (beg. int. adv.), and best ab exercise. The items that get the most nominations go on to the final voting phase. Please take a moment to look through our Pilates choices and make your favorites known.

See the 2012 Reader's Choice Pilates Nominations Page

More about the About.com Readers' Choice Awards

image (c)About.com

Nominate Your Favorite Pilates..... originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at 13:34:54.

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Taking plank up on the exercise ball is interesting because you can make the exercise harder or easier depending on how far from the center of you body you have the ball. No matter what, plank on ball or on the mat is a fabulous full-body toning exercise.

Learn Plank on the Ball

Do Plank on the Mat

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

photo: dolphin arm plank on the ball, Getty Images

Pilates Exercise of the Week: Plank on the Ball (or mat) originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 at 08:01:54.

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Recently,  I started thinking about what a plethora of exercise balls we have available these days -- big, medium big, small and weighted, extra small not weighted, some for rolling, some not for rolling, on and on. And I thought, not everyone knows what all the different balls are and what kinds of exercises they are used for.

You know what's coming. Indeed. I have written up a glossary of exercise balls with photos and descriptions and links to exercises, ball workouts and comparison shopping. Please see: The Many Kinds of Exercise Balls, and the Exercises that Go with Them

P.S. Yes. I am balanced on that ball. No. This should not be the first thing you try on a new exercise ball.

photo (c)2012, Marguerite Ogle

Sorting Exercise Balls originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Monday, January 16th, 2012 at 13:46:50.

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Sometimes I get email from readers who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia. They are scared and wondering what they can do in terms of exercise,  especially with regard to Pilates. I also get inquiries from Pilates instructors facing the same dilemmas. They want to know what exercises are safe for their clients with osteoporosis. And, of course, everyone wants to be sure they are doing what it takes to maintain strong bones.

I always refer these inquiries directly to my article Pilates and Exercise for Osteoporosis. , an interview with exercise and bone health expert Rebekah Rotstein. In the interview, Rebekah gives very clear guidelines about what kinds of exercises are safe as well as what kind of movement can help prevent bones loss, along with some sample exercises. But we didn't have a full workout with everything put together for us. Now we do. Rebekah Rotstein has a new DVD, Pilates for Buff Bones®.  Read My Review.

Related Reading:

Is Pilates Good for Seniors?

More Articles About Pilates for Special Bodies

photo (c)Rebekah Rotstein

DVD Review: Pilates for Buff Bones® originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 21:57:49.

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Last week we started the new year with the first exercise in the classical mat sequence, the hundred. This week, we're moving right along to the roll up which is the next exercise in the series. We won't go through the whole sequence in order -- we love to mix it up with the exercises of the week, including equipment and such -- but I want to get everyone going on the roll up because, well, it's hard.

I take that back. Roll up does not have to be hard. It just has that reputation. Roll up is a wonderful abdominal strengthening exercise and a lovely back articulation. With the right instruction, which I am going to give you, roll up can be your friend for life.

Learn Pilates Roll Up

P.S. If roll up has been giving you problems i.e. your feet fly up or you can't get up, read my Tips for Mastering Roll Up.

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

Pilates Exercise of the Week: the Roll Up originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 16:42:55.

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Yesterday, Pilates master teacher and founder of BASI Pilates Rael Isacowitz hosted a Q and A session on Facebook. I was busy at the appointed time but I raced home and jumped on my computer in time to be the very last person to squeak in a question. ...

Buff Bodies Do Pilates originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Saturday, January 7th, 2012 at 18:07:18.

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We just have to start the new year with the very first exercise in the classical Pilates mat sequence: the hundred.

The hundred is a tough core exercise. In it, you have to jump right into a dynamic breath and movement pattern along with a major abdominal muscles challenge. Of course, for those same reasons, it gets you warmed up and really tones the belly.  There are a number of modifications for the hundreds, such as working with the legs high as you see here, so don't be put off. I've included modification tips in the exercise instructions.

Learn the Pilates Hundred

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

photo courtesy of Kolesar Studios

Pilates Exercise of the Week: The Hundred originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 09:00:15.

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The best way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in through food or drink. Almost everyone is clear on that at this point, though we are also getting more savvy about what the food and drink should be (it does make a difference). But What is the best way to lose weight? is not the only question. ...

Healthy Lifestyle Weight Loss originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 17:12:09.

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Every week of every year I suggest our exercise of the week. Here at the end of 2011, I'm taking a little break because I bet you have a favorite Pilates exercise, or are up for finding one you like. Take a look at the many free Pilates exercise instructions we have here at pilates.about.com, chose one, and focus on that this week.

Free Pilates Mat Exercises

Free Pilates Ring Exercises

Free Exercise Ball Exercises

Free Resistance Band Exercises

If you really can't find one you want, do inner thigh lifts (pictured). Just about everyone needs those.

Enjoy! I'll be back next week with a whole new round of exercises of the week.

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

image courtesy of Kolesar Studios

Pilates Exercise of the Week: Your Choice originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 at 07:00:03.

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I hope you will look back on 2011 as a good year. It was for me. And from my unique vantage point, I think Pilates had a good year too. So, before we dash into the New Year, I thought you might enjoy a little reflection on the past one. Here are 10  Pilates highlights from 2011: ...

Pilates Highlights from 2011 originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 13:00:30.

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So what if it's too late to order fitness gifts online? You can still pull off some wonderful, very welcome presents just by running out to the store. You were going to the store anyway, right? Here are 8 good ideas:

Exercise Mats - Find  at big box stores and most big athletic/sports stores - read Before You Buy an Exercise Mat

Resistance Bands - Find at big box stores and at big sports stores - learn more about fitness bands and Pilates

Water Bottles - Find at big box stores, fitness stores - See our walking guide's best BPA Free Water Bottles

Healthy Energy Bars - Find at grocery stores and health food stores - see our walking guide's Energy Bar Top Picks

...

Last-Minute Fit Gifts and Stocking Stuffers originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011 at 17:19:15.

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Pilates push up is more elaborate, and more difficult than regular push ups. They start from a standing position, take you through a belly lifting, spine stretching roll down, create a stability challenge as you walk out to a plank, make you push up with elbows along side (hard!); and then have you  walk and roll back up with grace, balance and control. Believe me, almost no part of your body gets left out of this one -- well, you might have to do smile muscles yourself.

Do Pilates Push Up

P.S. With family for the holidays? The elbows along the sides instead of splayed out military style will be a fun challenge to give your fitness oriented loved ones.

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

photo: (c)2006, Marguerite Ogle

Exercise of the Week: Pilates Push Up originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 08:00:13.

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Here we are in Christmas week and the start of Hanukkah and contrary to trends of the past, it is clear to me that people are working out. All the exercise and workout searches are up here at pilates.about.com, the studio was packed today with classes wait-listed through the week, and there is no shortage of people tweeting and fb posting about their workouts. Yee Ha!

Maybe folks are finally getting the message that they will feel better, and be more productive, if they keep up with at least some exercise .  A whole bunch of us are blasting out of 2011 fit and fab and heading into 2012 ready to take it up a notch. What a great wave of energy to ride into the New Year. Are you in?

Here are some links that will help keep you moving through the New Year:

Pilates Workouts

Pilates Mat  Exercises

5 Pilates Moves You Can Do Anywhere

Keep the Energy Going with other Pilates fans in the Pilates Forum

Pilates People are Working Out - Ride the Wave originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 18:07:43.

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Some weird news made Pilates headlines this week.  MSNBC, Fox News and a number of other "news" aggregators picked up a story from the New England Journal of Medicine stating that a woman's breast implant had been "swallowed" by her body while she was doing Pilates. ...

Breast Implant DID NOT Disappear Because of Pilates originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at 14:00:07.

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'Tis the season for a bit of stress. Good stress, maybe, but there is no need let any stress get the best of you. I've got 5 easy stress relief exercises you can start integrating into your life right now. These stress reducing exercises don't take long to do, and they can make a world of difference in how you feel and what you can accomplish.  Use these exercises anytime you need them, or as the warm-up/cool down phases of your workouts.

Learn 5 Stress Relief Exercises

Have the Exercise of the Week along with more great Pilates info sent directly to you each week in the Free Pilates Newsletter.

photo: (c)Liz Koch

Exercise(s) of the Week: 5 Stress Reducing Moves originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 08:05:26.

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When it comes to Pilates and yoga clothes, it's not uncommon to see hundred dollar workout pants and little (little!) tops in the fifties. I like the hundreds, as in the Pilates hundreds,  but I can't go around dropping a hundred bucks on workout wear every time I want something new.

New Review: YogaFit Workout Clothes originally appeared on About.com Pilates on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 13:00:55.

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