Since a lot of folks know that I am quite knowledgabel about Pilates and Yoga - studying, practicing, and teaching - one of the most frequent questions I am asked, besides what the difference between the two is, is this - does pilates work?

It's difficult to wrap your mind around the idea that exercise which isn't taxing and sweaty falls into the category of "real" workouts, therefore people have questions about how much it can actually affect. How can it be true that a workout which is based on laying on the ground and waving your limbs about reshape your body?

First of all, that perception is all wrong. Pilates consists of more than only waving your limbs about, it's the extremely intentional way in which you move them that makes all the difference. Therein lies the reason that, even though home Pilates videos are sufficient for what they are, it's usually a better idea to start a Pilates practice being taught by a professional, as part of a group exercise class if nothing else.

Pilates is so exacting that doing the moves correctly or incorrectly is a very fine line, and you might not be qualified to figure it out yourself. It's never a bad idea to begin with a professional showing you who knows what they are looking for and what things they should be showing you. Ideally, a person that has a Personal Trainer Certification. You definitely want to avoid suffering a personal injury at all costs.

One of the main benefits of pilates is that it focuses on strengthening your core. There are very few other disciplines that focus on this as heavily as pilates does. Having a strong core has many benefits. One is tight and flat midsection. Who doesn't want a beautiful, flat stomach? Another benefit is that having a strong core will make you stand straighter and walk taller, without even trying to concentrate on doing it. Lastly, having a strong core will save you many health problems as you get older. Lower back pain and poor posture are two problems, just for quick examples, that are solved by having strong core muscles that have been trained and worked on.

In that context, Pilates does work, because you are definitely doing it right. Still, most people will not take time or spend the money to get the hang of the basics like they should from the start, so for those people, who can tell? It's a 50/50 chance.