Losing Weight With Pilates

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Ashley Ludman, from Seaside Yoga, here to tell you about how Pilates helps you, or may help you to lose weight. So first of all, Pilates is a progressive form of strengthening, targeting the muscles of the core, and targeting the muscles of your entire body in a way where they're strengthened at their longest form, so they're eccentric contraction. So as I move through this next little workout to demonstrate how Pilates might help you lose weight, I'll talk to to you about some of the key aspects of Pilates. So first, with the breathing. As you breathe, especially when you exhale, you're creating that contraction, and that contraction from your powerhouse helps to support you within all of your mat exercises. So here, we'll begin with what's called one hundred beats, so I'm breathing in for five counts through the nose, and exhaling strongly through the mouth for five counts. If this becomes too much on your head or your neck, you can take one hand behind the head or place your head to the floor. To progress this movement you may extend the legs. You may even lower the legs a little bit more; creating some leverage. Already, you see my abdominals starting to to shake as I'm strengthening. As you finish one exercise, you just flow into the next exercise, which helps you increase the cardiovascular access of the exercise form, and still breathing the whole time. And then from one exercise you'll go into the next, so this is called double leg stretch. As I continue through my Pilates regimen I'm not stopping. Each movement flows into the next. I'm using my breathing. I'm using my centered focus with precise movement, and at the end of my Pilates regimen I hopefully have lost a little bit of weight. It's really all about creating an efficient flow, moving from one posture to the next, creating precise movement, strengthening specific muscles, relaxing other muscles. And as you do any kind of form of exercise, you're also helping to promote that calorie expenditure, which will then help you to lose weight. So that's how Pilates might help you to lose weight."