Body Conscious Ramblings

About 5 years ago when I first decided to get off my a$$ and change the way I treat my body I reached for pilates. I wasn’t in a rush, so I thought something low key would suit me best. The exercises didn’t seem difficult or very strenuous, so I did my research and came across Marie Winsor Pilates. It came in a set of 3 DVD, each devoted to different body part: abs, buns and thighs and overall body sculpting, with a resistance band. I used it every single day for 7 months along with a changed diet. At first some parts of it were challenging, but with time my muscles got used to even the most challenging bits, so in the end it wasn’t a difficult routine at all. Even though it didn’t require any special skills and I never felt exhausted after my 30 mins workouts every day, it did give me amazing results. I lost about 20kg (can’t remember the inches loss anymore). It was good while it lasted, but I found my muscles getting board with the same routines.

So I’ve recently purchased 3 new pilates DVDs:

1. To see what Ms.Marie Winsor has to offer after 5 years I bought her Pilates for Pink workout. It’s divided into 3 parts for abs, thighs and upper body. It still uses a resistance band for all the exercises, this time pink and significantly thiner ( with less resistance). The part on thighs is a direct rip off from the previous series, there is nothing new for you to work your legs at all. Quite disappointing. The part on abs is somewhat challenging, but easy to get used to.

2. I didn’t want to limit myself to the old Winsor Pilates, so I purchases “Maintenance Pilates for WeightLoss with Ana Caban”. This one doesn’t use anything except an exercise mat, no resistance band, but man is it ever challenging!! When I first put it on I realized right then and there that the pilates I have been doing so far (read: Winsor pilates) was a joke! What Winsor offers is pilates for true beginners, a softened version of each and every move. It’s still good for people starting out and not wanting anything too elaborate and difficult, but there comes a point in time when people do want to challenge themselves and I believe that this DVD is a good next step. I’m sure there are even more challenging things out there, but I will stick to this one for now. I don’t necessarily like the narration style, it’s too childish for my liking, but I guess I can look past it for the benefits it’s giving me.

3. My third DVD was more of a curiosity thing than anything else since it’s Sting’s wife’s pilates. I’ve never been too much of a celebrity workout gal, unless of course the celebrity is a personal trainer and they know what they are talking about (like was the case with my purchase of Jackie Warner’s workout DVD). However, even though Trudie Styler doesn’t strike me as a fitness guru, there is some impression of healthy living associated with her persona and since m

y geek is a fan of Sting I couldn’t say no to Trudie. Yes, rather pathetic way of reasoning. Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with the workout I have gotten from her DVD. It’s narrated by her personal trainer and she’s in the videos to accompany him in the workout routines. It’s a 55 mins intense workout and you will feel your muscles channelled to their limits, especially during the stretches. At first you’ll probably need to modify the exercises, as it seems close to impossible to keep legs straight in some routines. It’s a very good DVD that will stay with me for many workouts to come.

Conclusion:
I find it extremely hard to commit to any cardio workout due to its exhaustive qualities, but pilates I can do any time and its results are still as thrilling as a cardio exercises or even more.