Fitness fads come and go, but Pilates has persisted worldwide, increasingly gaining popularity, and is favored by many people and fitness fanatics all over the world. It is by no means your only avenue to achieve your fitness goals; but people use it to complement other forms of exercise, and have found that this not only makes you look leaner and fitter, but also strengthens and protects the body.
Origin of Pilates
Born in 1883, Joseph Pilates was a sick child. He spent a lot of time researching avenues for fitness and body building and developing exercises to overcome his ailments and become stronger. During World War I, he made exercise equipment from springs of hospital beds and used the exercises he developed to help wounded soldiers get stronger and back on their feet. When the influenza epidemic in 1918 claimed thousands of lives, he noted that none of his trainees had died. He eventually moved to New York in 1928 and started what would be the first Pilates studio, which soon became popular with dancers. Almost 90 years later, Pilates remains an effective form of exercise and is now popular worldwide.
Pilates is not a magical wand and it certainly needs to be augmented with other exercises. So if you are just looking to lose weight, please remember that you need to complement Pilates with cardio and Continue reading “Pilates: A Complete Workout!” »