STOTT PILATES Walking Pilates DVD Series

Walk On to Total Fitness
Workout – 34min
Difficulty – 1

Featuring the revolutionary new Walking Pilates Calorie Burning Workout, this program is a combination of cardiovascular activity and pilates exercise. Moira provides helpful tips on posture and body alignment throughout the program, while motivational instructor trainer, PJ OClair shows you how to walk your way to a better body.

Walk On to Total Weight Loss
Workout Time – 52 min
Difficulty – 2

PJ OClair joins Moira again to lead this 50-minute walking workout designed for every shape and guaranteed to get the heart pumping. A great complement to a well balanced diet and regular exercise, this workout can help maintain a healthy weight.

EACH DVD IN THE SERIES IS SOLD SEPERATELY. PLEASE USE THE DROP DOWN MENU TO MAKE SELECTION

* Trademark or registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. All material copyright Merrithew Corporation 2005. All rights reserved. This material, including photographs, may not be copied or used in any form without express permission from Merrithew Corporation.

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STOTT PILATES Walking Pilates DVD Series is a post from: Pilates Exercises

STOTT PILATES Pilates-Infused Yoga Series
Poses based on the Yoga tradition, blended with STOTT PILATES

Simple Stretches
Workout Time – 45 min
Difficulty – 2

Let Moira help you find the flatter, firmer abs youve been looking for while strengthening the mind-body connection. This introductory program will leave you feeling streamlined to the core.

Pure Vitality
Workout Time – 47 min
Difficulty – 3

A unique hybrid of yoga and STOTT PILATES, this program of fluid movements combined with deep stretches and stabilizing poses helps center the mind and the body.

Body & Soul
Workout Time – 51 min
Difficulty – 4

Increase your strength and flexibility through a series of defined poses, concentrated breathing and graceful stretches. This program will invigorate the body and quiet the mind.

EACH DVD IN THE SERIES IS SOLD SEPERATELY. PLEASE USE THE DROP DOWN MENU TO MAKE SELECTION

* Trademark or registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. All material copyright Merrithew Corporation 2005. All rights reserved. This material, including photographs, may not be copied or used in any form without express permission from Merrithew Corporation.

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STOTT PILATES Pilates Infused Yoga Series is a post from: Pilates Exercises

The original and classic roll-down pant that inspired so many others! This is one of our best-selling yoga pants. Snug-fitting, adjustable roll-down waist, fitted through the thigh with a bootcut bottom. Made from a pre-shrunk blend of cotton/lycra. If you are not familiar with Hard Tails sizing, we recommend buying one size up in their pants as they tend to run small. And if you ever have the inclination to change the length of these pants, the legs can simply be cut with scissors – they won’t unravel and the unfinished edge is very cute. Hard Tail pants are the best! 90% cotton / 10% lycra. Available in black, mud brown, midnight, and charcoal.

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Roll Down Yoga Pant by Hard Tail is a post from: Pilates Exercises

Not only is Pilates good for the body but it is also beneficial for the mind and soul. By putting the focus on breathing and concentrating on muscle groups you are able to reduce stress. Many people with chronic illness have high levels of stress and get very little exercise. Pilates can help you with both.

Pilates exercise not only unites body and mind but it gives you discipline. This in turn will protect your health and well being. Stress brings many chemical changes to your body. It increases the blood flow to the larger muscles and slows digestion as it prepares the body for the fight or flight syndrome. Blood vessels restrict and sugar goes up. Many hormones are switched into off position. This is good if there is a danger, your adrenalin rushes to fight it off or get away as fast as you can. Today most stress does not come from a life threatening danger, but the activities of modern society. These activities may put you in fight or flight mode, but there is nowhere to run from the stress of everyday life.

Stress is responsible for many diseases. Estimates of seventy-five to ninety percent of all visits are stress related. Being well is not the opposite of illness. It is more than just the lack of sickness; it is an overall well-being that affects both the mental and the physical aspects of life. Many adverse habits develop because of stress and lack of wellness.

The use of focus in Pilates develops the mind to a point that it stops the cycle of worry and stress. Much like any exercise for the mind that allows the individual more control of thought patterns, Pilates offers a way to change your focus and relieve the stress.

The exercise from Pilates releases the body from the flight or fight mode by mimicking the activity of both. Exercise is a proven method of stress control, when combined with the activity of mental control and focus on breathing, the quick return of stress is unlikely and the cycle is broken for that period.

Studies link a reduction of disease with exercise. A study at the University of Calgary and the University of Ottowa showed a decrease in blood sugar when type two diabetics exercised. The decrease translated into a reduction of heart attack and diabetic kidney and eye disease. Other studies show a reduction of 40 percent in mortality rate for diabetics. Lack of activity is one of the biggest risk factors in heart disease. Overweight is another. Pilates reduces both risks and is a heart healthy activity. Stress is also linked to tumor growth in cancer victims. While there is no study that shows psychological stress creates cancer, there are many that shows it impairs the immune system and creates an environment conducive to cancer.

It seems pretty simple. Take a Pilates course, work out three times a week, live not only longer but also better. The activity is good for the body, the training is good for the soul and the results on appearance are fantastic for the spirit. Devote a small portion of time to exercise and regain hours in healthy stress-free living. You’ll find that the day’s stresses melt away and you feel better than you ever felt before, after just a few months of training.

How Pilates Benefits The Body And The Mind is a post from: Pilates Exercises

The STOTT PILATES? Basic Pilates DVD is part of the At Home Pilates Express video series and is ideal for home exercisers and for instructors looking for new programming ideas.

Basic Pilates DVD
Workout Time – 28 min
Difficulty 1

Moira guides you through key strengthening and stretching exercises that prepare you to handle day-to-day stress with ease. Youll feel toned, agile and revitalized after this introductory mat-based workout.

There are 3 more DVDs in the Pilates Express Series.These DVDs are sold seperately.

Sunrise Workout

Start your day with this invigorating program that works your arms, legs and torso. In less than half-an-hour, youll feel refreshed, revitalized and ready to take on the challenges of the day.

Revive Workout

Inject some energy into your busy day by lengthening, strengthening and toning your muscles. This efficient workout will get the circulation flowing, release tension and help you master the mind-body connection.

Relaxation Workout

Use these gentle stretching, toning and breathing exercises to help you switch gears for bedtime or just unwind. Using controlled, quality movements, these exercises will bring you a deep sense of peace and relaxation.

*Trademark or registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. This material, including photographs, may not be copied or used in any form without express permission from Merrithew Corporation.

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STOTT PILATES – Basic Pilates DVD is a post from: Pilates Exercises

Stunning Results:
USING THE SUPREME PILATES MACHINE TEACHES YOU NOT ONLY ABOUT MUSCULAR STRENGTH BUT ABOUT PRECISION, POSTURE AND OVERALL ALIGNMENT, TO HELP YOU SLIM DOWN, FEEL TALLER AND MORE AT EASE IN YOUR OWN BODY.
SEE DIFFERENCES IN YOUR OVERALL ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE, YOUR INTERNAL STRENGTH, YOUR WEIGHT, YOUR MEASUREMENTS. FOR LADIES ITS IDEAL IN HELPING REGAIN A FLAT STOMACH AFTER HAVING CHILDREN. ITS IDEAL FOR BACK PAIN SUFFERERS AS IT STRENGTHENS YOUR INTERNAL CORE MUSCLES TAKING THE PRESSURE OFF YOUR BACK. LOOSE WEIGHT, TONE UP YOUR PROBLEM AREAS AND SPEED SCULPT A LEANER, LIGHTER BODY BY USING ELLEN CROFTS SUPREME PILATES MACHINE.
THE MACHINE IS FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. ALL AGES, SHAPES AND SIZES ARE SUITABLE. YOU CAN USE THE MACHINE FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES WHETHER IT IS TO HELP A MUSCULAR SKELETAL CONDITION LIKE BACK PAIN, ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOPOROSIS IT IS IDEAL AS IT IS LOW INTENSITY. OR USE IT TO SCULPT THE BODY OF YOUR DREAMS. YOU WILL GET THE BODY THAT YOU WANT AND YOU WILL FEEL ENERGIZED AT THE END OF THE WORKOUT NOT EXHAUSTED.

THE SUPREME PILATES BRINGS REAL STUDIO QUALITY TRAINING TO YOUR HOME SO YOU CAN GET THE BENEFITS WITHOUT HAVING TO FORK OUT THE EXTRA COSTS. YOU BE HEALTHY, HAVE HEALTHY BACKS, LOOK GOOD AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FEEL GOOD.
BY DOING JUST 25 MINUTES 3 TIMES PER WEEK YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE QUICKLY.
GO FROM THE BODY YOU’VE GOT TO THE TONED SEXY BODY YOU WANT USING THE SUPREME PILATES TOTAL BODY TRAINER.

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Ellen Crofts Supreme Pilates Machine is a post from: Pilates Exercises

Don’t build your house on sand

You wouldn’t build your house on sand would you? An unstable surface that is unable to support any structure built upon it.Then why do some people insist on training their body hard when their foundation is weak?

Typically overweight and unfit people have:

• Little to no core strength
• Poor structural stability (Shoulder, Hip and Ankle)
• Poor posture
• Lack of flexibility
• Probably an unbalanced diet

Even 10 minutes on the treadmill is going to be to much for them to do safely so what chance do they have with the vast majority of exercise programs available?

The likelihood is they will injure themselves very early on in their training. If they are injured they can’t train effectively and so can’t get the results the desire.

Any training program you use must address this issue and ensure a firm foundation is built before high volume / impact exercises are introduced.

So how, practically, can you build a firm foundation?

• Control your diet by not dieting! Most health experts will agree that when it comes to weight loss, what you eat has the biggest influence on how much weight you lose. You need to eat small-ish portions of nourishing food regularly and ditch the junk. The closer you come to your ideal weight, the safer you are and the harder you can exercise.
• Strengthen core and structural stability, improve posture and flexibility by doing a specialised program designed to do just that, or easier still take Pilates classes. Pilates addresses all the above-mentioned points and then some!
• Ensure any exercise program you undertake whilst you are building your “firm foundation” has been designed to be both safe and effective and takes into account your own limitations.
• You should be able to sustain your exercise program over the long term (for ever!) It should therefore be designed with real people with real jobs and families in mind. We can’t all find 4-6 hours a week to exercise!

As you can see it’s not rocket science, but mainly just common sense. Build a firm foundation, and what you build should last forever.

Learn Pilates At Home visit my Free Pilates Exercises Website

Carol J Bartram
(Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer & Sports Therapist)

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Exercises Pilates

Exercises Pilates – Dont Build Your House On Sand is a post from: Pilates Exercises

Carol and I are both registered as Pilates Instructors here in the UK. We went on a full-time course, then sat for a theory and practical exam and had a case study to complete before we were awarded a government-recognised qualification at CYQ Level 3. Although very rewarding, it was really difficult and cost plenty in money, blood, sweat and tears! By the time we qualified, we both felt that, although inexperienced, we could provide the general public with Pilates instruction that was both safe and effective.

Pilates is not well regulated here in the UK. Anyone can call themselves a Pilates instructor provided they can get public liability insurance, and there are quite a few course providers, ranging from courses lasting months to those lasting a weekend – and some of the latter require you to take no exam whatsoever. These courses cost a fraction of what the more intensive courses cost – the course we went on was only mid-range, and that cost thousands!

But seriously – what can you learn about such a complex subject as Pilates in just a weekend? Joseph Pilates himself dedicated his whole life to it and still reckoned he was just scratching the surface!

We teach mostly beginner-level Pilates, and start from basic principles – only allowing clients to progress to what people would consider to be “harder” exercises or progressions when it is safe for them to do so. When they will benefit from the extra challenge, and build on the stability they have achieved.

This point was brought home to us when I was asked to take over a drop-in class at a local gym.

Now these people were supposed to be at an intermediate level, but as I began to teach, it became apparent that they definitely weren’t! Their form in even the basic beginners exercises was poor, and it was obvious they had progressed before they were ready. So I duly dropped the class back to a beginner level and started to work towards removing a lot of bad habits they had developed. I nearly caused a riot. In the following weeks, class numbers began to drop off, which was surprising for the time of year.

Seeing as I had taken over a well-established class (people get very attached to their regular instructor), I just assumed they didn’t like me or my style of teaching, and thought no more about it. It would have upset Carol, but I’m made of tougher stuff. Thicker-skinned than a rhino. After each class I always asked for feedback on how I could improve the class, and this particular week one of the ladies – the one who we always referred to as the Supreme Dalek (for some reason!) stayed behind and asked to speak with me.

“Bob, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way,” she started (why do people always say that when they’re about to criticise you?), “But we feel your class is too easy and we would like you to make it more challenging. We’ve been doing Pilates for ages, you know – we’re way past beginner level.”

I didn’t say anything, just looked at her. Blue-rinsed hair and shaped like a pepper-pot. The resemblance to a Dalek was extraordinary.

She tried again,

“If you don’t, nobody will come to your class.” she almost finished with “So there.”

Ooh, what a terrible threat!

Now this was the same lady who had poor core, pelvic and shoulder stability and was struggling to maintain even semi-decent form in the most basic exercises! I duly listened and nodded my head sagely, thanked her for her input and continued to teach the class as I always had. They continued to come to class, and eventually accepted me – they had 2 choices! – and I progressed them when they were ready.

The point I’m making, is that harder is not better when it comes to Pilates. You should only progress (and you progress as your body adapts and strengthens) to the more showy and flashy (I hate those descriptions!) exercises when you have mastered the beginner ones and can do them safely and with perfect form.

The general public will always want to progress quickly – it’s the nature of the beast – and can become bored with the basics. But this is no good reason for letting them progress. The average age of the clients in my classes is 45 plus; I must always place their safety above everything else. If nothing else, they should leave a class no worse than when they entered it. Unlikely; I firmly believe that Pilates, taught properly, by a properly qualified instructor (as opposed to a Weekend Warrior) will benefit everyone.

So watch out! Always ask what qualifications your instructor has, (I’ve never been asked about mine) who was the training provider, how long was the course, and what level qualification they have (it should be Level 3 in the UK).

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?

That’s the promise of doing Pilates exercises regularly. I’ll show you how Pilates has made me stronger, fitter and more flexible than when I was much younger, and how it could do the same for you.

If you would like to learn how Pilates could transform your life, then visit my Free Pilates Exercises website and make a start building a better body and making a New You – today!

Bob E Bartram (Pilates Instructor)

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Instructor Pilates

Pilates Instructors – The Hidden Danger is a post from: Pilates Exercises

In this commercial world, most people would agree that getting something ” Free” is a good thing. After all, if you’ve got something for nothing, you’re ahead of the game, right?

But when it comes to Pilates, getting “Free” exercises may be a double edged sword. Let me explain:

There are two things that you need to bear in mind when you consider Pilates exercises.

Particularly when they’re free.

Suitability

Pilates exercises are beneficial because they are designed to work particular muscles in a safe and effective way. The only way you are really going to know if you are executing a Pilates move correctly is to be observed by a qualified instructor in a class. If you attempt 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 you’re “doing it right”?

Even if you are lucky enough to have all round mirrors (and I don’t know anyone who has those in their living room!), as soon as you turn your head to check you’re in the right position, you will be out of alignment. Many of the teaching points for a Pilates exercise are subtle, and sometimes even for an experienced instructor they can be difficult to spot in a client.

Pilates is very “hands on”. In other words, your instructor (as well as giving you verbal cues to help you get into the right position), may come over to you and gently move you around, so that you can feel the emphasis of that particular exercise in the right group of muscles. Therefore, a beginner attempting to teach themselves will get none of this essential feedback.

I’m not saying for a moment that no -cost downloadable Pilates exercises – 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 exercise at home, you will get an idea of what Pilates is all about and whether you would enjoy going to a class. You will be able to practice at home what you have learned 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 consistent about attending regularly and therefore, get most benefit from Pilates.

However, 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 free (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 problem 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 regularly.

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?

That’s the promise of doing Pilates exercises regularly. I’ll show you how Pilates has made me stronger, fitter and more flexible than when I was much younger, and how it could do the same for you.

If you would like to learn how Pilates could transform your life, then visit my Free Pilates Exercises website and make a start building a better body and making a New You – today!

Bob E Bartram (Pilates Instructor)

Technorati Tags: pilates free exercises, free pilates exercises, pilates at home

Pilates Free Exercises

Pilates – Free Exercises The Truth is a post from: Pilates Exercises