Pilates

It might just become your new favorite workout.

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If you've been looking for a new workout routine that can give you a good balance of flexibility, strength, muscle tone and help for a few aches and pains, Pilates may be the answer. It might look a bit intimidating at first, but it's much easier to get into.

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What is Pilates?

Pilates is a form of strength training, but it doesn't look like some of the other strength training exercises you might be familiar with. Pilates focuses more on improving muscle tone than building muscles, but the result is similar: greater stability and endurance. Pilates isn't going to bulk you up — if anything, it's designed to cultivate a longer, leaner look. Still, it can lay a strong physical foundation for muscle-building activities — and may even reduce your likelihood of injury.

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Benefits of Pilates

According to Bar, the benefits of Pilates are both therapeutic and preventive. The practice may help you recover from an existing injury or manage a chronic musculoskeletal issue. It may also help you establish a healthy baseline, so that when those injuries or issues arise, you're able to bounce back faster.

One of the reasons Pilates is such a good workout is that it specifically focuses on building core strength. While most people consider their abdomen to be the core of their body, Bar points out that it extends well beyond that. It might be better to think in terms of your trunk.

Having a strong, aligned core makes it easier to have good posture — a seemingly small change that can positively impact many areas of your life.

There's quite a bit of stretching in Pilates — which translates to improved flexibility. In addition to expanding the range of activities you can do, flexibility may protect you from injury, help your muscles relax and help you retain both mobility and range of motion as you get older.

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Not sure where to start?

This week-long pilates plan has got you covered.

Created by Sandra Bozovska