How to use Pilates for weight loss as a balanced approach to fitness and wellness

When people think about losing weight they think about hard work, burning calories through laborious cardiovascular exercises, eating very scantily and differently from what they are accustomed to among many other not so enjoyable prospects. Pilates, while not traditionally thought of as a weight-loss form of exercise, does promote weight loss. With regular commitment to Pilates workouts a trimmer appearance will result and most will lose weight. Pilates has the reputation of creating “long, lean, fit bodies”. In the end it depends on a person’s body composition what the results from any form of exercise will be.  However, Pilates supports weight loss and a trimmer appearance as follows:

• Any form of exercise will burn calories. How many calories are burned depends on your body type and level of exertion (the length and good alignment of your body which the more you put in, the more you lose!)
• Creating lean muscle mass is one of the better ways to increase calorie burning potential. Pilates works on muscular endurance so less weight, more repetitions resulting in leaner muscle mass as opposed to bulk. i.e. think of a long distance runner. 
• Pilates tones muscles so that when they are at rest they are conditioned and ready to be called upon. Pilates works smaller, deeper muscles. All this combined helps shape the body resulting in a more trimmed feeling and appearance. 
• The best way to look and feel thinner is to carry yourself with a beautiful posture creating that leander look.
• Look is also created through emphasis on is a large component of Pilates. 
• Another key principle behind Pilates is the breathing. Pilates promotes a deep and efficient respiration which is essential for calorie burning and tissue regeneration. Just learning how to breathe in the manner performed while doing Pilates engages many of the deep muscles but also helps you to learn how to maximize your lung capacity getting as much oxygen into your system as possible.  

Engaging in any exercise program promotes self-esteem and heightened lifestyle consciousness, both of which are associated with weight loss. Pilates in particular is great for this as it can be a gentle way for those entering into exercise for the first time or after a long hiatus or after injury. But Pilates can also be as challenging as needed, focusing on the deeper, smaller muscles that go missed in many other forms of training and exercise.

Pilates is energizing which can help sustain energy levels throughout the rest of your day. However, Pilates is not traditionally an aerobic form of exercise. Combining Pilates with some other form of aerobic/cardiovascular exercise is the best way to maximize weight loss. Some examples of aerobic / cardiovascular exercise are,

• Swimming
• Walking
• Running
• Cycling
• Cross country skiing

From observation and personal experience after 8 -10 regular weekly sessions it is possible to feel a difference. After another 8-10 regular sessions you will start to see changes. In another 8-10 sessions, you’ll be hooked and wanting more!  From observation of clients, the increase in energy helps motivate and encourage more activity and movement adding to weight loss. 

When most people think about Pilates they think about their ‘core’ and exercises done on the mat, lying on the floor. There is much more to Pilates than this. Matwork is a great way to start if this is all that is available to you. Much can be done with emphasis on ‘core’ strength, stability in the shoulder and pelvic girdle, working on rotation and articulation of the spine and more. However, the upper body, arms, and legs can be challenging to target on the mat without the use of props and even then it’s not for everyone. However, some of the other equipment available in Pilates can help target the upper body, arms, legs as well as add more to your Pilates workout. For example on the reformer the moving carriage adds a dynamic component to your workout which provides more stability challenges engaging the deeper, stabilizing muscles in a different way. This also allows for more functional movements.