Erika Dillman - The Little Pilates Book

Neither these pilates exercises and programs nor any other exercise program should be followed without first consulting a health care professional. If you have any special conditions requiring attention, you should consult with your health care professional regularly regarding possible modifications of the program contained in this book.

Copyright 2001 by Erika Dillman

All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc.

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

First eBook Edition: October 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7595-2609-9

A LSO AVAILABLE FROM E RIKA D ILLMAN
AND W ARNER B OOKS:

The Little Soy Book

The Little Foot Care Book

The Little Yoga Book

For Maddie and Jack

I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to The Little Pilates Book:

My agent Anne Depue, my editor Diana Baroni, and assistant editor Molly Chehak for believing in my books.

The Pilates instructors who generously shared their time and expertise with me: Jane Erskine, Lauren Stephen, Stephanie Cusik, and Patricia Kaminski.

My friends Eileen McKeough, Kathy Mack, and Terence Pagard for their editorial suggestions and for test-driving all of the exercises.

Joan Breibart, president of the PhysicalMind Institute, for providing research information.

Jim Chow for his wonderful illustrations.

My friends and family for their encouragement and support.

I f youre interested in health and fitness, youve probably heard about the new exercise called Pilates, and you might be wondering if its the right exercise for you.

Certainly, the benefits of practicing Pilates exercises sound almost too good to be true: achieving a flatter, stronger stomach; better posture; a reduction in lower back pain; and developing a strong, toned body without getting bulky muscles.

So how do you get started? Who can practice Pilates? Is it difficult to learn? Can you practice Pilates at home?

My goals are to answer these common questions and explain the key concepts of the Pilates exercise method, with a minimum of jargon and no hype. This book is for anyone, regardless of age, gender, or experience, who wants to improve her or his fitness level and enjoy better health. In addition to learning how to perform the Pilates exercises, I hope you gain a better understanding of how your body functions during movement so that you can begin to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of fitness.

In The Little Pilates Book, youll learn about the different applications of Pilates exercises, how to get started with your own mat routine, the benefits you can gain by practicing regularly at home, how to get fab abs, and some of the fundamentals of posture and alignment. Ive also included definitions of common Pilates terms, as well as instructions for a complete Pilates mat workout, including tips to help you better understand the movements and positions for each exercise.

As with any new undertaking, there is a learning curve involved with becoming proficient at Pilates. Remember to take your time, be patient and kind to yourself, and above all, have fun. I hope this book will help make your transition smoother. With persistence and practice, you, too, will be able to move through life with strength and grace.

E RIKA D ILLMAN

W hen I first started hearing about Pilates, I was skeptical. I figured it was just another trendy exercise program that promised results but didnt deliver. I also had no idea how to pronounce Pilates until I saw a phonetic spelling (puh-la-tees) in a magazine article.

The fact that dancers and movie stars swore by Pilates just made me more suspicious. Id seen too many infomercials in which Hollywood celebrities hawked every type of miracle gadget meant to tone abs, butts, and thighs in just three minutes a day! And who can trust dancers, anyway? They can do things with their bodies that we normal people could never imagine. Pilates was just a passing fad. It wasnt for me. Or so I thought.

T HE E XERCISE FOR M E

No, Pilates wasnt for me until my health club opened a Pilates studio, and my curiosity got the best of me. Every time I walked past the studio, I tried to see what was going on in there, but room dividers blocked the windows so that peepers like me didnt disturb the people inside.

Then I heard women talking about Pilates in the locker room. I got jealous. Were they using the new studio? Was it fun in there? What did they have that I didnt have? Why did they get to use the new equipment and I didnt? Were they in better shape than me? Suddenly, my exercise routine seemed stale and ineffective; I wanted in that room. I needed to be in that room. And yet, a part of me still doubted that this was the exercise for me. Im not a stretchy person or a strong person, and I dont like to exercise in groups.

F IRST C LASS

I decided to start with a group mat class. When I arrived, I had no idea what to expect. I gave the other people in the classfour women and one mana good looking over, and decided that I was younger and fitter than most of them. It couldnt be that hard.

In the next hour, a small, strong, and flexible woman led us through a series of challenging exercises. Of course, I was humbled when everyone in the class looked better doing the exercises than I did. I had a little trouble keeping up and knowing whether or not I was doing the exercises correctly. Thankfully, my yoga background came in handy. Many of the exercises seemed very similar to yoga poses.

I liked that all of the exercises we practiced were done while lying on our backs, stomachs, or sides on a thick mat. Not having to stand up was great for me. I had a variety of health problems, including sinus problems and low blood pressure, which often made exercising while standing up very difficult.

My favorite thing about Pilates was that all of the exercises focused on my abs, my middle. Id been complaining for a few years about my bulging gut and love handles, yet I hadnt found exercises that I could do to address those problems. My usual exercise, running, was temporarily on the back burner due to a foot injury. And crunches had never worked for me; I always felt uncomfortable doing them.

By the time the class ended, I was pretty tired, but I had made it through the workout without humiliating or harming myself! I felt like the space between my pelvis and rib cage had lengthened, and I could see how, with practice, I could strengthen my torso and improve my posture. The next day it was obvious that my body had received a big wake-up call; muscles I didnt even know I had were sore.

O NE ON O NE

I decided to take some private lessons in addition to attending group mat classes so that I could gain a better understanding of the routine, as well as improve my form.

Working one-on-one with an instructor made all the difference. She explained how to correctly perform the exercises, making modifications where I needed them. Despite my flabby abs, I was a quick study.

Pilates made me keenly aware of my bodys imbalances. I was overusing some muscles and underusing others. Like most people, Id always neglected working my core muscles. My instructor helped me understand the link between having a strong core and good posture.

With time and practice, the post-exercise soreness I experienced after my first few classes went away. I still felt a bit sore the day after a Pilates workout. My muscles werent painful, but they were making their presence known. The exercises continued to challenge me, but I always left every session walking a bit taller.