Is Pilates good for weight loss? Here’s the answer

Pilates has become a popular form of exercise in recent years and you might be wondering ‘is Pilates good for weight loss?’ Let’s first begin by going over what Pilates is.

What is Pilates

Pilates is a form of exercise created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s. It focuses on muscular strength and endurance movements. There are two types of classic Pilates, including: mat and ‘Reformer’ Pilates. Reformer Pilates requires you to attend a class or have a Reformer machine at home, though it is recommended for beginners to attend class until proper form is learned. While Pilates might seem easy to some, after a Pilates class one will quickly understand how challenging and effective of a workout it is.

Now that we understand what Pilates, let’s go to learn about the benefits of Pilates and whether it is good for weight loss.

Does Pilates help you lose weight? And other benefits.

There are a number of benefits of Pilates, one of them being the promotion of weight loss. Pilates also helps with: improved breathing, greater flexibility, improved balance, better posture, increased strength, and body toning. Pilates is also a low-impact workout, which results in a decreased chance of injury.

Weight loss with Pilates

Pilates helps you learn how to engage your muscles and gets you working up a sweat. If you are focused on weight loss in the stomach area, for example, the engagements of your pelvic floor and core muscles that you will do in a Pilates class will help to reduce belly fat. Since Pilates teaches how to engage these muscles, you can carry these learnings with you into your day-to-day life and other workouts for further weight loss.

For pure weight loss, other cardio workouts such as running or swimming may be a more effective alternative.

Pilates exercise example

Pilates push-ups

1. Begin by standing up straight and reaching your hands overhead.
2. Round over and walk your hands out into a push-up position.
3. Keep your palms slightly further in than shoulder-width distance.
4. Inhale, bend your arms and lower yourself until your chest makes contact with the ground.
5. Maintain this position for a moment, then come back to starting position.
6. Complete 3-5 push-ups.
7. Walk your hands back into your feet and come to a standing position.

Remember that the best combination for weight loss is effective exercise and proper diet. Pilates is a great type of exercise that you can pair with a healthy diet for significant weight loss results.