Pilates for a balanced body

With dedicated users including Madonna, Julia Roberts and numerous athletes, pilates is a 70-year-old fitness legacy. The pilates method is not just exercise, however. It is a combination of controlled movements engaging the body and mind.

"Pilates comes from using the core muscles,"Jude Hutchinson, owner of local pilates studio Positive Movement," said. "It's all about learning to use the right muscle groups."

According to a pilates Web site, www.pilates.co.uk, the movement has become more and more popular because people are beginning to realize that to have an effective workout, the entire body must be worked upon instead of isolating muscles and concentrating on each area of the body individually. The physical conditions are depleted due to the result of engaging in complicated exercises that isolate certain body parts while neglecting others.

Practicing pilates has many long term effects on the body. It can help someone lose weight by reducing hips and thighs, reshaping the body from head to toe, protecting the back, and making muscles long and lean without adding bulk. It also works on improving strength, endurance, flexibility, posture, and coordination.

"Pilates is all about working for strength and flexibility. The majority of people today normally do not think about gaining flexibility," Hutchinson said. "However, we need to learn to be more flexible and to achieve a suppleness of the spine. By doing this, your posture, endurance, and flexibility will all improve."

According to Ana Caban, instructor of the video "Pilates: Beginning Mat Workout," the method of exercise works by concentrating on the core muscles: the abdominals, lower back, hips and buttocks. Caban said this band of muscles is referred to as the powerhouse. Strengthening these muscles helps improve posture, make the participant appear leaner and feel better.

Ball State freshman Julia Wilson took pilates with her dance studio twice a week for two months during the summer.

"Pilates tried to make me a better dancer by improving my strength and more importantly, my flexibility." Wilson said. "It also helped me find my center. If it's done correctly and in the right environment, pilates is very effective."

According to the Web site, pilates can be used for fitness purposes or for rehabilitation. The fitness method of pilates focuses on getting in shape, training for sports and improving posture. The most common way to do pilates for fitness is by taking a matwork class at a studio or gym instructed by a certified pilates trainer, according to the Web site.

Pilates instructors are usually dancers, personal trainers, gym instructors, or yoga and aerobics teachers. According to the Web site, the matwork classes are the most popular due to accessibility. Studios and gyms sometimes offer pilates training through the use of spring and gravity based resistance equipment.

"To use the equipment students should have more coordination and a stronger powerhouse," Hutchinson said. "However, it is a good idea for beginners to try the equipment because it is easier for them to find and engage their powerhouses when using the equipment. There are also classes geared toward the intermediate and advanced level students who want to use the equipment."

The use of pilates for rehabilitation requires more one-on-one training. Instructors have students use the equipment for nursing injuries to get to the specific area of the injury. Pilates instructors can help heal back, hip, knee, and neck problems as well as joint injuries. Instructors for rehabilitation are usually physical therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, or pilates instructors.

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