Pilates

 To be honest, I had never done Pilates or even given it much thought until a few weeks ago. My sister had been doing some Pilates videos for her workouts and she finally got me to do one. Believe me, after the first 5 minutes I was dying! I now have a new-found respect for Pilates and those who practice it!
  Now I try to do a Pilates workout everyday in addition to my daily workouts. I have found a wonderful YOUTUBE channel called, Blogilates , where the host, Cassey Ho, teaches Pilates! I love her videos because they are easy to follow, fun to do and super effective! She also has clean-eating videos, motivational videos and she even has her own active-wear clothing line!
The great thing about Cassey's videos is that you don't need any thing  but your body and a good attitude for most of her videos. She chats during her videos which is very entertaining and helps keep your mind off your burning body parts!:)
  Aside from her YOUTUBE channel, Cassey has a great blog where you can find her latest videos, calendars, meal plans and etc. I just printed off some of her 30 day challenges and I hope to complete them this month. I encourage you to go to her website or her channel and check her out. Maybe try a video or a challenge and see what you think. It works more that you would think and if you stick with it, I am sure you will see results!
Alright, so you might be wondering, what exactly is Pilates? Here is what Wikipedia had to say about it.
"........ the art of controlled movements, which should look and feel like a workout (not a therapy) when properly manifested. If practiced with consistency, Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the whole human body. It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong powerhouse, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates' system allows for different exercises to be modified in range of difficulty from beginner to advanced or to any other level, and also in terms of the instructor and practitioner's specific goals and/or limitations. Intensity can be increased over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises...."

Pilates was actually developed in Germany by a man named Joseph Pilates.

   Pilates is a great form of exercise for anyone to try! It is great for those who don't want to do a whole lot of bouncing around, running or jogging. You can do it almost anywhere with little or no equipment. I really hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think!

As always,
Keep it Healthy and SAFE!
H. Banana