Three Reasons People Are Afraid To Try Pilates And Why You Shouldn’t Be

I’m not going to lie…Pilates is challenging! I was a professional dancer before I came to Pilates and I still thought it was hard when I started. Sure, I had the coordination of a dancer, but I had to re-learn how to move the Pilates way and that wasn’t easy.  That being said, I’ve never found a fitness program that yielded results without it being challenging…have you?  The key is that Pilates is challenging and safe…something that can’t be said about many other popular types of fitness.  Over the next 3 articles, I’ll be dispelling the top three reasons you may have been afraid to try Pilates…and I hope you’ll read them and try a class soon!
Reason #1 – Pilates is just for dancers and women
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about Pilates. To dispel the rumors correctly let me give you a quick history lesson. Joesph Pilates, the creator of Pilates, was an actual person who was very much a manly man. He was a boxer and a gymnast who smoked cigars and drank beer.  His first studio in the US was opened in NYC, and just happened to be in the same building as two of the biggest dance companies. When dancers heard that “Uncle Joe” on the fifth floor was helping to heal injuries and strengthen weak muscles, they flooded his studio. Dancers became some of his biggest devotees, not because Pilates was dance-like, but because Pilates helped them heal and made them better dancers.  Today, Pilates has been adapted to help anyone and everyone who wants a stronger, healthier body…to be able to exercise with injuries or any other conditions.
As far as Pilates for men…for some reason, most men consider Pilates a feminine form of exercise.  They shouldn’t. In fact, in that very first Pilates studio, business men were sweating it out right next to the dancers under Joe’s watchful eye. Pilates was, in fact, created by a man to help men in the military recover from injuries and disease.  So rest assured, men, Pilates will be just as challenging for you and will give you the incredible benefits it was created to do all those years ago.
Hopefully this has helped you to understand that Pilates is for everyone!
Stay tuned for part two next month covering: I’ll look awkward/feel embarrassed and won’t be good at it.
For more information contact Complete Pilates & Fitness at 661-208-8900 or visit www.completepilatesfitness.com.