Pilates Challenge!
 

Calling ANYONE who wants to join in a challenge for the 9 weeks left until xmas--to do Pilates on a daily basis!
Any tips/techniques/advice will be eagerly accepted!
Having recently purchased the Winsor Pilates DVDS, I am eager to "transform" my body and would like some company to 'keep me honest' in my quest!!
It doesn't matter if you're a novice to Pilates [ like me] or have been doing it for a while, or even if you've done it before and shelved it!
BUT if you want to join in a 9 week challenge to put your body to use on a daily basis...join here!! :wave:

Count me in!
 

Count me in on the Pilate Challenge! I, too, am eager to see if pilates on a daily basis will give my body the boost it needs so badly! Maybe this is what I need to get past the stall I am presently experiencing! I am losing inches, just not pounds. I need to go to the public library and see what literature they have on pilates so I can contribute here! I will try to get info from the internet, but you know how it is out there...most everything costs! I don't have Winsor, but did buy Pilates for Dummies from Wal-Mart for under $10.00! Maybe the library has the Winsor Pilates! So, lets get as many people as possible to join the challenge and see if pilates is all the research shows it to be! If anyone finds incredible websites then post the links here as well! Thanks Kiwigal for starting the challenge!

Ha! thats great that I'm not going 'solo' on this pilates then!!
anyone else up for a challenge...yes, no...?!?! :lol:

A bit of pilate history!
 

Hopefully, my information is correct! I have to rely on the internet since I cannot get to the library today!


Pilates is a full body workout without the pain of aerobics and weight lifting. The creative and dynamic exercises intrigue one’s mind in stark contrast to many hours of mindless activity. In addition, Pilates did not believe in doing 100 repetitions of an exercise, he believed that 4-5 reps done well were sufficient. All the exercises focus on building strength and endurance without building bulk, leading to longer leaner muscles.

Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880; he died in New York in 1967. Pilates was a frail child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever and learned to overcome this weakness through his own exercise regime. He overcame his physical limitations and was posing for anatomical drawings by the age of 14.

Pilates went to England in 1912, where he worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. At the outbreak of World War I, Pilates was interned as an "enemy alien" with other German nationals. During his internment, Pilates refined his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. Pilates saw amputees dying simply because they were not moving and their bodies wasted away. He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance, an innovation that led to his later equipment designs. An influenza epidemic struck England in 1918, killing thousands of people, but not a single one of Joe's trainees died. This, he claimed, testified to the effectiveness of his system.


The exercises and equipment that he designed 70 years ago are now finding a large audience because conventional programs have failed. Pilates works the deeper muscles to achieve efficient and graceful movement, improve alignment and breathing, and increase body awareness. They deliver simultaneous stretching and strengthening in a non-impact balanced system of body/mind exercise.

The pilates method of exercise has been very popular with dancers since the 1940s but it is now becoming much better known. Today his followers include dancers, athletes, physiotherapists, fitness trainers, health care providers and other professionals who appreciate the significant role exercise plays in restoring and maintaining good health

Joe continued to train clients at his studio until his death in 1967 at the age of 87. In the 1970s, Hollywood celebrities discovered Pilates via Ron Fletcher's studio in Beverly Hills. Where the stars go, the media follows. In the late 1980s, the media began to cover Pilates extensively. The public took note, and the Pilates business boomed. Today, five million Americans practice Pilates, and the numbers continue to grow.

Hi, I'd love to join your pilates challenge. I bought the Windsor pilates, have only done it twice though.
I plan on doing the 20 min workout everyday. Hoping to work up the 57 min workout. May take a while !!!
MissScruff, our library does not carry the Windsor pilates (hope you find it where you are) but it does carry alot of different pilates videos.
I'm hoping I can manage the 20 min a day. I am so out of shape I can really feel it the next day. It's amazing how small simple exercising can really work your muscles.
Hopefully we'll all look like the ladies on the dvds soon. lol
Good luck everyone, I plan on starting today.
We can do this!!!

pilates challenge
 

I am new... have done yoga in the past don't know if there is any similarity, but have been intrigued by the pilates I keep hearing about. Would love to join you... will go to Marshals to see if they have the "tools", the library for a book and will start as soon as I get it together... today, tomorrow. Wow a new start to my diet and a new exercise too, and someone to share it with. Look forward to seeing how we do. Happy Days, Marjorie

Yippi
 

Welcome aboard! I am so excited about this challenge! Don't forget to record you starting measurements and weight! I am going to focus more on measurements than I do on my weight. My scales are out of here tomorrow! I will weigh in once a week at Mom's house.

I do have a pilate dvd titled, "Pilates for Dummies" so have at least that to begin with! I did the intro today and I really felt that! And call me crazy, but I felt a difference already. The instructor kept stressing to push my belly button toward my spine and at first I couldn't even tell if I was doing that! After a while I could actually feel the contraction! I bought the dvd at Wal-Mart for under $10.00! I am going to call the library to see if they carry the Winsor and will even look into a rental to see if I want to invest in them! I will go to the library tomorrow and see what books they have and hopefully check one out.

Hey, KiwiGal! We are not in this alone! Don't you love that! Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Welcome everyone...thats great, now we'll be able to 'keep each other honest and on track'!!
I did my first 20 minute workout yesterday [mon afternoon here!] and would you believe that the phone rang 3x in that short period of time!!
Note to self: take phone off hook today!
So I'm unsure whether I was a flustered hot, or a pilates hot!!..But it was hard work...my "ball rolling" had me way off of the mat and there was no way that I could do it slowly and get back into position!!
Shows how unfit and unco ordinated I am at present...But watch this space...new women appearing shortly with bods to die for!!! :lol:

Oh gosh!
 

Don't get me going...or should I say rolling... over that exercise! :roll: I did that one as well and about had an asthma attack for laughing at myself! I managed to stay in the same place though! Must be all that extra weight I carry around! It was a tough workout, but I loved it! I can already tell I have found my exercise of choice!

If we keep this up then we are going to be looking pretty incredible! Heck with nine weeks to looking good! We keep this going and we will be looking good in half that time! The stuff really hits the muscles! I have to say we hit the Pilate Hot today! Keep up the hard work! And don't forget those measurements!

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Oh hell yeah, count me in!!!

I have a whole library of yoga/pilates tapes and DVD's that I've recently acquired, and started doing them deligently for the last 2 weeks. And.... my library has all kinds of tapes and DVD's that I've check out so that I don't get bored.

And I gotta tell you guys...... I find it invigorating, rather easy for a novice, and my body is feeling great afterwards.. (I get bored easily)

So.... by all means, count me in.... would love for all of you to check your county library to see if they have more tapes, so that none of you get bored and quit, k?

And I'm Sooooooo looking forward to seeing a transformation to my body too!!!

Thanks for finding me Kiwi!!! Hi marjorie, Miss Scruff!! And I'll tell Angel about this forum too!!!

Lynne

Count me in if there is room. I just bought a DVD at walmart for $10! I would love to join if you have the room. I am both new to Pilates and to atkins (day 8 of induction). My goal is to lose 20 pounds before Christmas and get toned. Getting toned is a major thing for me. I am so sick of my arms continuing to swing back and forth even after I have stopped waving....lol :wave:

Looking forward to getting helpful tips on this new program from all you wonderful ladies!

Have a great night,
~Christy

Woo hoo! Thanks for the invite Kiwigal!!

This is going to be soo awesome! I almost started rolling when I read miss scruffs entry about the ball rolling thing! :lol: The same thing happened to me! I felt soo out of shape because instead of rolling back up, I'd tip over to the side :lol: I'm sure it's a funny sight!

I bought Winsor Pilates at Target for 40 bucks. It comes with an exercise mat, so I figured it was worth it. But, if you ladies don't have it yet, they're selling Winsor Pilates for only 10 bucks! Yup that's right, " A limited time great low price" or something like that. :lol:

I've done the dvd once on saturday and I'll be sure to keep doing it from now on!!

Great challenge ladies! I'm definitely in!!

Eskimissy... Ya peeking threw my windows or somthing ? LOL.. That is EXACTLY what happened to me the first 20 times. Me and my daughter do it together most days. She does the beginner one off to the side. SHOOT, so do i some days,hahaha. I find I do better if I do at least 15 minutes of Yoga first.
7 days a week is a bit much, Im really stuck comfy with 5 days a week but I'll join if you'll have me :D

Thanks for the heads up on a challenge right up my alley Miz L :agree:

Angel

Room for 1 more?! Just got my videos at Target last week, but have only done them 3 times. This will keep me dedicated! I think part of my ab soreness is from laughing at myself--thank goodness no one else can see me! :lol: Mine did not come with a mat--oh well I would probably roll off anyway! One less thing to worry about! Keep up the good work all and have a great evening! T

I accidentally unsubscribed to the thread! OH NO!

:lol:
hopefully posting this will subscribe me again ;)

Well I'm off to do Pilates!! I hope my boyfriend doesn't watch me! I hate it when I'm exercising in front of people, especially when I tip to the side :lol: