Pilates At Home - The Good and The Ugly
These days people are used to getting things “Free” . They don’t want to pay for information and assume that if it’s “Free” it’s got to be good.
However, getting “Free” physical exercises may be a double edged sword. Let me explain:
There are two things that you need to bear in mind when you consider Free Pilates Exercises.
Suitability
Pilates exercises are beneficial because they are designed to work particular muscles in a safe and efficient way. The only way you are really going to know if you are doing a Pilates move correctly is to be watched by a qualified teacher in a class. If you try to do Pilates at home, on your own, from a book or a DVD how, in Heaven’s name are you going to know if your form is correct
Even if you are lucky enough to have all round mirrors (and and most people don’t), as soon as you turn your head to check you’re in the right posture, you will be out of alignment. Some of the teaching points for a Pilates workout are subtle, and sometimes even for an experienced instructor they can be difficult to spot in a customer.
Pilates is very “hands on”. In other words, your teacher (as well as giving you spoken cues to help you get into the right position), may come over to you and carefully move you around, so that you can feel the emphasis of that particular exercise in the right group of muscles. Consequently, a beginner attempting to teach themselves will get none of this required feedback.
I’m not saying for a moment that free downloadable Pilates workouts - or those learnt from a book or DVD for that matter, aren’t valuable. Frankly, any exercise that you do will benefit you.
And if you do Pilates At Home, you will get an idea of what Pilates is all about and whether you would like going to a class. You will be able to practice at home what you have discovered in class - and you will be reminded of all the teaching points before you do the exercise.
People are strange; if they book and pay to come to a private class they tend to turn up on time, be far more ordered about attending on a regular basis and therefore, get most benefit from Pilates.
Even So, in my experience, if the classes (same studio, same instructor!) come as part of a membership package at a gym, consistent attendance takes a nosedive! Because they are getting the class for nothing (sort of), they often don’t bother to turn up regularly (It was raining: I was tired: I thought I’d go to LatinoGrooveAerobics instead; etc) and when they do turn up, a lot of them are just going through the motions - because they haven’t been coming often enough for it to make any difference whatsoever.
The trouble with “free” is that people tend to value things in direct proportion to how much money they’ve paid out. And to get anywhere with Pilates, you have got to do it on a regular basis.
Whether they come free or not, Pilates exercises are infinitely valuable. Just do them.
Can you imagine living life with a body that is free of aches and pains - a body that is straight and strong and will do what you ask of it?
Pilates if practiced regulary promises all these benefits and more. It has for myself and my clients so why not give it a go all you’ve got to lose is the pain.
