Is Pilates going to do it?

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plzbaby
plzbaby Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 95 days in and 27 #'s down- feeling great! Another 54 #'s to go. I'm 55 yo. My physical limitations are that I had a knee replacement 5 years ago and currently have a painful foot issue. I can't go barefoot because of my foot and also can't do yoga due to both knee and foot without a lot of modifications. So, I'm back to doing some hiking and tried pilates on a reformer today. Is the combo of both hiking and pilates going to do it? I know it was just my first time, and maybe I'm rushing it, but, it felt awfully easy and nothing like the old days when I worked out at Gold's. I'll be able to go twice a week and hike 2-3 days a week. I'm trying to be realistic about what I can do time/interest/budget wise. Suggestions?

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  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    First, I would just point out that yoga can be enormously effective as part of the process of recovering from injuries. Modifications are part of the practice as a rule! Don't be afraid of them.

    To answer your actual question, pilates is a good core workout, but if weight loss is your priority, I'd probably recommend a good strength training program that works around your knee injury instead.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    As a note, you have to make sure you're doing pilates correctly. You should be maintaining a connection between the bottom of your ribcage and your hip bones when engaging your abs. Pilates was invented to work the inner core - it works different muscles than typical ab workouts.

    It terms of "going to do it"... well.. depends what your goal is. Increasing general core strength, sure. Making your abs very strong -no, giving you visible abs -no, and helping you lose weight -no. Pilates is a great core workout but burns relatively low calories compared to other workouts.

    Hiking on the other hand can burn a lot of calories but it depends on the terrain, your speed, and the length of time you hike for.
  • kristenlarkin
    kristenlarkin Posts: 235 Member
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    I love pilates. I workout to Winsor Pilates on youtube
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    I took some pilates classes years ago. Great for the core. The instructor was 8 months pregnant and still doing perfect v-sits. :)
    She came back a couple months after giving birth. I asked her if the other moms at the pediatricians office thought she was the nanny :)
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Like all exercises, there are several levels of diffucutly in pilates. There are classes that are easier, classes that are harder. And form and breathing matters. You can easily "cheat" by not knowing how to do things and not engaging your muscles properly. And unless you have a very good instructor, you will not even know you are doing things wrong.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Like all exercises, there are several levels of diffucutly in pilates. There are classes that are easier, classes that are harder. And form and breathing matters. You can easily "cheat" by not knowing how to do things and not engaging your muscles properly. And unless you have a very good instructor, you will not even know you are doing things wrong.

    This.

    And there are types of pilates, and different pilates instructors will have you doing different things. There are also pilates fusions. I do Blogilates, which incorporates a bit of yoga, bit of dance, and a lot of bodyweight exercises, even weights (light, but heavier than your typical video would ask for the pace). If you feel that you are not getting a well rounded experience (after giving something a real chance, not one class), don't just ditch pilates, look around for a different class/instructor/something pilates infused/inspired.

    And agree that modifications are a basic part of yoga, and shouldn't make you feel like you can't do yoga. (However, I'm not in your body, you're going to be the best judge of whether you want to undertake the modifications or not.) And yoga, like pilates, has a variety of styles, different instructors will create totally different experiences, and so on.

    And I'd recommend articulating clear fitness goals. If you just have some nebulous idea about what you want, you won't get there, because... where is there?
  • rianoel
    rianoel Posts: 22 Member
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    Pilates on a reformer requires good form. If it's not hard, either you have the wrong instructor or you're doing it wrong. It works the inner core and is great for posture and back support. It will not help you lose weight. You need a strength training and or cardio program for that.
  • plzbaby
    plzbaby Posts: 5 Member
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    Such great feedback! So glad I asked. I am taking all this in. First, point well taken about articulating fitness goals. I know what I like to do. I know how I want to feel. I absolutely will give things a chance- not just once and will try different flavors of pilates, etc. In addition to hiking in the beautiful, hilly area where I live, I want to try a few different things to balance out my exercising to include cardio, core and strength until I find a happy blend. I know I like to shake it up. Also, the cost of classes in my area can be prohibitive for my budget- so I'm willing to drive a little further or try a different time. This will be an opportunity to try different modalities. Thank you all!
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    plzbaby wrote: »
    Such great feedback! So glad I asked. I am taking all this in. First, point well taken about articulating fitness goals. I know what I like to do. I know how I want to feel. I absolutely will give things a chance- not just once and will try different flavors of pilates, etc. In addition to hiking in the beautiful, hilly area where I live, I want to try a few different things to balance out my exercising to include cardio, core and strength until I find a happy blend. I know I like to shake it up. Also, the cost of classes in my area can be prohibitive for my budget- so I'm willing to drive a little further or try a different time. This will be an opportunity to try different modalities. Thank you all!

    Good luck! If you have a good basis in pilates and/or yoga, I think you can do really well with a home practice, either on your own or using videos, which will save you a lot of money. Part of the reason I just never got into pilates was the cost. I really liked the classes on the reformer (had a groupon), but the cost in NYC is just outrageous- $30-40/class. Not worth it.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
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    Just a suggestion, taking into consideration the knee and foot issues, but swimming is a great option if you access to a place to do it. No impact, so great for the injuries, and a great all-over, full-body workout.

    Also, I second the recommendation of strength training, it does amazing things to your body!
  • stormyview
    stormyview Posts: 81 Member
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    If your first Pilates class wasn't hard, you're almost certainly missing some of the key elements. I would strongly recommend booking a few private Pilates lessons. When I did a few of those, I was shocked at how much harder it was. The private instructor can really focus on you and see the often tiny but very important changes you need to make to really get a good workout. My old Pilates studio wouldn't let anyone do group classes until they'd done several private lessons. I'm really glad they had that policy because it meant I couldn't just go through the motions and think I was doing right without actually getting to the core of what Pilates is about.

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