Pilates stretches more than the imagination

What's your favorite method to stretch those lucid muscles and exercise that fluid body? For many, it's simple weight and resistance training, with perhaps some treadmill and elliptical work thrown in for good measure. But what about low-impact, high-performance training that has pieces of yoga combined with what I consider to be one of the most fantastic exercise methods available -- Pilates?

My experience with Pilates has begun just recently, after intensive research unearthed that this method of exercise was one of the most relaxing, low-impact ways to gain a rigorous amount of daily exercise. All this with what I consider a perfect blend of muscle work combined with breathing work combined with short spurts of exercise that does not require hours a day of valuable time commitment -- something that's hard to find these days in almost any lifestyle.

Is Pilates right for you? Hard to say, as you know your needs and body better than anyone. But you might want to investigate this method of exercising to see if it fits your healthy routine. Pilates does require specific equipment -- some people build the tables and assemblies themselves; others buy professionally-designed Pilates equipment or pay for lessons at a Pilates studio. Whatever fits your carpentry skillset (or wallet) will help you make that decision. The decision to use Pilates in my daily routine, though, was easy.