Explore Pilates Insights for an Active, Balanced Life

Can you improve your golf game with Pilates? You bet! The passion golfers have for their sport often reminds me of the passion runners have for running. They’ll get out no matter the weather to take part in their favourite activity, sometimes even when it hurts. Like running (and many other sports), golfing has a […]

Can you get down to the ground? Can you get back up off of the ground? Staying mobile as you age is important so you can keep moving in all the ways you need to. Right now, you just might feel creaky or sore. Maybe your knees hurt going up stairs, or your back hurts […]

Did you know that you can heal plantar fasciitis with Pilates? Well, you sure can (I’ve done it myself)! How quickly your pain goes away, however, will depend on the severity of your case and whatever you’re doing alongside your Pilates practice.  I’ve Had Plantar Fasciitis 3 Times Over the past thirty years, I’ve had […]

Sometimes I have people ask me why Pilates is more expensive than going to a group bootcamp or gym class. What it costs to do Pilates depends on several factors, and will affect the cost of the class or session.  The Size of the Class When you take a group class at the gym, several […]

Recently, I had my teacher trainees pick their favourite Joseph Pilates quote. He was a very smart man, and they all had difficulty choosing just one. In the end, the one that we ended up choosing for discussion was this: Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor. […]

I often get asked what muscles a certain exercise works, or what muscles a client should be feeling. That’s a tough one to answer, because Pilates is designed to work your full body. It’s pretty common to focus on the big muscle groups like your quads or biceps; I used to be the same!  When […]

It’s well-known that Pilates can strengthen your core, which most people associate with their abs. Yes, the abdominal muscles are part of your core, but it also includes your sides, back, pelvic floor, hip flexors, and glutes. These are the muscles that hold you up, support your spine, and stabilize your hips and pelvis. Some […]

When you walk into most Pilates studios, you’ll notice that there are all kinds of different machines, or apparatuses. I’ve been sharing about many of the apparatuses you might come across, including the reformer, tower, wunda chair, spine corrector, magic circle, 2×4, and toe gizmo. In addition to these, there are a variety of Pilates […]

The Magic Circle goes by many names, including Fit Circle, Spring Circle, and Pilates Ring. If you ask some of my clients, however, they may call it the Circle of Death or the Torture Wheel. Most people have a love-hate relationship with this apparatus because it really makes you feel the burn. Once in a […]

We are making our way through all of the apparatus in this blog series, and next up is the Pilates apparatus for the feet. In fact, there are three of them! Much like the other apparatuses, the ones for your feet work out your whole body when you’re using them correctly. Our feet do so […]

In this series introducing you to the Pilates apparatuses, we have made our way through most of the big ones: the reformer, tower, chairs, and mat. But did you know there are smaller apparatuses, too? The Pilates spine corrector is one of them, and one most of my clients love.  This apparatus is a half-barrel […]

The Wunda Chair is the most commonly known chair apparatus that Joseph Pilates designed. It’s the one that I have in my studio but there are two others: the High Chair and the Armchair, both of which are on my wish list. Joseph Pilates thought the Chair would be the perfect apparatus for everyone to […]

To continue the apparatus blog series, it’s time to talk about the Pilates reformer. (Read about the mat and the tower in previous posts.) More people are learning about this “machine” called the reformer, but it isn’t a new apparatus by any means. Joseph H. Pilates invented and designed the reformer, and got a patent […]

Each week I’ve been sharing information about an apparatus in the Pilates studio. Last week it was the Pilates mat (or mats – since you can use either a yoga mat or an upholstered Pilates mat). I want to talk about mat Pilates just a little bit more before we move on to another apparatus […]

Next up in helping you get to know the Pilates apparatuses is the mat! Pilates mat work can most definitely be done on a yoga mat and often is, when you’re doing a Pilates class in an open space like a yoga studio, gym, hall, outdoor space, or conference centre. You may find that a […]