You need cardio to keep your heart healthy. You can get a great calorie burn while you’re on the trail, the stepper, the treadmill or the bike. The second you finish your cardio workout, you stop burning calories. However, after you complete your Pilates training, you CONTINUE burning calories! It’s that simple. ALL exercise is good, and our bodies need both cardio and strength training, but real results require certain strategies.

Numerous studies show that resistance training such as Pilates core work trumps cardio each and every time when it comes to burning calories.

What is Pilates?

Developed in the early 1900‘s by Joseph Pilates, the method consists of hundreds of exercises that initiate from the muscles of the core (mid-section) and flow together in a precise manner, concentrating on centering, control and breathing. Pilates focuses on strengthening the body’s core with mindful exercises that tone and stretch the entire body.  Whether it’s with mat work or with any Pilates apparatus (Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair), you are resistance training either with the weight of your own body or against the springs of the apparatus.  You will increase flexibility and improve posture, balance and coordination.  It’s a body conditioning method that is enjoyed by all ages and fitness levels and has numerous benefits, including:

• ENHANCED quality of movement equating to better endurance.
• IMPROVED muscle strength resulting in balance and speed.
• BETTER posture, as a strong core is needed to support a healthy & supple spine.
• INCREASED functional movement with more motion in your shoulders, mid-section and legs.
• MORE EFFICIENT lung capacity when performed with controlled breathing patterns.

The Pilates method is rejuvenating, restorative and invigorating.  It’s an equal balance of stretching and strengthening.  The core holds the body in alignment and allows the extremities to move in a more efficient and effective manner.  Pilates helps increase core strength and stabilization by creating simultaneous demands for strength and flexibility.  The body moves the way it was designed to move!

Why Pilates Training?

Pilates training is resistance training and gives you a metabolic spike for an hour after a workout because your body is trying hard to help your muscles recover.  That means you’ll burn an additional 25 percent of the calories you just used during your resistance session.  So if you burned 200 calories during resistance training, it’s really closer to 250 overall.

And there’s more good news when it comes to resistance training’s benefits:  for every 3 pounds of muscle you build, you’ll burn an extra 120 calories a day (at rest) because muscle takes more energy to sustain.

Join Us!

Come see what the buzz is about and learn how to burn calories more efficiently.  Our new client introductory special offers 3 private sessions at over a 25% discount (compared to purchasing single sessions).  Give us a call to schedule your appointment.

Author: Suzy Lamore

Image Credit: Jeff Daly