Getting Started Using Pilates at Home

Once upon a time, a person had to travel to a higher end studio or health club to get a good Pilates workout.  The equipment was expensive and too big and bulky to bring home.

But thanks to new innovations from Pilates instructors, now Pilates lovers around the world are able to get a great workout in their own homes. The newer mat workouts allow you to benefit from Pilates principles, without the inconvenience of having to store a bunch of equipment in your house.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This gives you the flexibility to work out at home whenever you like, which is great for both working moms, and those needing to fit in their workout around a busy schedule. For best results, you'll still want to practice Pilates at least three times per week, but if you don't have to fit your workouts to a specified class schedule at a gym, for most people this should be fairly easy to do.

However, before you start a Pilates program at home you should consider taking a couple of classes with a qualified instructor so that you can get familiar with the Pilates exercises, as well as proper form and breathing. This will help you get the most out of your workouts, and make sure that you are working at the proper level to avoid injury or strain.

You will also want to pick up a floor mat to do your exercises on. Any good yoga mat should work fine, and unlike Pilates machines, they are not very expensive, and they don't take up much space to store.

Once you've got your mat and checked out a couple of classes, it's time to grab a couple of good Pilates videos and start your practice at home! You will notice that there are quite a few Pilates videos and DVD’s to choose from. Many of them will have different styles that will accommodate beginners as well as more advanced students, and some are targeted specifically to a certain level of student.

For most workouts you'll only need a mat, but some videos may include exercises that use small inexpensive items like roller and rings.  This is going to add fun and variety to your workouts and keep you motivated, so don't be afraid to try adding these things in as you progress.

See below for a couple of good videos, or check out http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html for more helpful ideas for doing Pilates at home!


Good Mat Pilates DVDs to Use At Home: