Pilates at home for an unfit woman

[Tiptoptum]

I no longer have it in me to go for the burn in exercise classes, or the time to go to them, but I do need some exercise because although I’m not fat, I am like a jelly muscles wise.

I’d like to do Pilates, but the cost seems quite steep, so I wondered about doing it at home?

Is it possible to follow tutorials on YouTube or similar? Or am I going to injure myself and spend a lot of time not toning myself up?

If it is possible does anyone know a good site to go to please?

I've been going for physiotherapy, and most of the exercises are similar to Pilates. The only thing is that if you are alone you won't have anyone to check you are doing the exercises properly. I think that as long as you understand what you are supposed to do, and can work out a way to see yourself in a mirror or something, its doable. At first I had to concentrate on making the right movements, and then I could increase the number of repetitions.

Its been a few months now, they added weights to the routine and I've seen some benefit. I haven't lost any weight but my legs are stronger. I've got some biceps but I still can't do a proper sit up or push up.
(They then added strength training and encouraged me to really go for it, and I've injured myself, so don't do that .)

Pilates will have much less benefits if you are not doing the exercises properly. So I’d suggest yoga as the precise positioning doesn’t matter as much.
You are unlikely to injure yourself as pilates is so low impact. You just won’t get the full benefit as likely your posture and position won’t be correct.

I do Pilates at home with completepilatesondemand.co.uk. It costs 30 pounds for a monthly subscription after a 7 day free trial. I use it most days, even if it's just for a short session. Very good value compared to real life classes and the lessons are easy to follow. You can filter by level, instructor, equipment, length of class etc. I already had some experience with Pilates but there are various levels from complete beginner to advanced. I would definitely recommend.

I'm chunky and can recommend Pilates for building strength, balance and mobility.

I would however say that you should have a few sessions with an instructor to make sure you fully understand not just the basic moves, but also the breath / core work. If you do not get this right, you will be wasting your time. Look for a Body Control Pilates or Stott Pilates instructor. They will give you a solid foundation.

Also, use a thick Pilates mat, not a yoga mat. The only extra equipment you should need starting are a medium resistance band, a blue block (helps with seated exercises), a red 9 inch ball and possibly a head cushion. You can get everything here: https://www.mad-hq.com/shop/pilates/matwork/ Also, because I wish someone had told me this, get a decent sports bra!

I hope you get to enjoy it as much as I do.

I’ve steered away from Pilates as a previous poster states it’s no use unless you’re doing it properly. I do the exercises I was given by my physio to keep all that in shape and then I’ve picked various free exercise sessions from YouTube.

I also hula hoop in the morning whilst watching some of the crap tv my DH hates watching.