Lose Weight with Pilates

 

 

 

Discover the Benefits of Pilates for Weight Loss

 

Pilates offers a number of excellent benefits. Of course, Pilates first became popular for the way it can transform your body. It creates long, lean muscle, much like those you would associate with a dancer. It also concentrates on core muscles, so you get a strong core which helps you move gracefully, but it can also help increase flexibility.

 

A strong core makes everyday tasks easier, and safer. Additionally, you can use Pilates for weight loss. While Pilates can definitely help you shed those unwanted pounds, no amount of Pilates or other exercise is going to help if you continue to indulge in junk food. If you want to trim down, you have to watch your diet, get active, and enjoy the benefits of Pilates for weight loss.

 

What You Need to Know About Weight Loss

There are many factors that can play a role in how you lose weight. For example, genetics and hormones can certainly complicate matters. However, generally speaking, weight loss will come down to the simple equation of burning more calories than you’re consuming.

When you use Pilates for weight loss, you’ll definitely burn calories. The amount of calories you burn will depend on the intensity of your Pilates workout as well as your current weight. In order to lose one pound of fat, you’ll need to burn 3,500 calories more than you’re taking in. So, if you didn’t make any changes to your diet, but you began doing Pilates, you could lose approximately one pound every couple of weeks. Of course, that’s assuming that you’re doing Pilates on a daily basis.

If you want to use Pilates for weight loss, but you want to speed up the rate at which you drop those pounds, consider adding a cardio workout several times each week. Set a goal for a minimum of 30 minutes per session. Enjoy a walk, get on the treadmill or elliptical machine, or enjoy an invigorating dance class, they all count!

 

Benefits of Pilates for Weight Loss

An important part of losing weight is burning calories, but it’s definitely not the only part. When you build lean muscle, you also give your metabolism a boost. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the lean muscle you get from Pilates will help you burn more calories, even when you aren’t working out.

Pilates generally focuses on core muscles, often referred to as the “powerhouse.” Of course, it doesn’t hurt to enhance your Pilates exercises with workouts that include full body weight training. You’ll be able to help build even more lean muscle for added weight loss benefits.

 

Improve Your Posture

Many people say that Pilates makes your muscles longer; of course, that’s not actually possible. However, Pilates can definitely make your muscles look longer.

Pilates exercises strengthen your core muscles, those muscles deep within your abdomen as well as in your back. With these stronger core muscles, standing up straight will become second nature. It can also help you to appear thinner.

Another postural benefit is that the stronger muscles you develop with Pilates can actually improve body composition, helping to ensure that you store less belly fat.