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Feeling Fat and Failing

I originally was going to post this last Wednesday but opted not to because after reading, I felt like such a whiny loser! But as I was going through some of my comments on facebook, I saw that a few of my fans were feeling alone and discouraged in their weight loss journey. Well guys, believe me when I say YOU ARE NOT alone. Even a fitness “guru” can fall. And choose to not get back up.

Now, for those of you that are regular readers of Blogilates, this is not a normal post. It is not inspirational or motivational. But it’s real. And it’s feelings. And I want to share with you what was going through my head last week when I CHOSE NOT TO WORKOUT because I hated how I felt and how I looked. 

You’re probably thinking, what? Cassey had a negative thought and let it get to her head? Yes. I let it get to my head. My willpower was completely gone.

THE BACKSTORY:

Read more

Sample Sister Circuit Workout!

After little sleep and a 6 hour flight from Boston to the Bay Area, I decided it’d be a great idea to get excited for Hawaii with a fun and intense circuit! We must be bikini ready always!

So my sis and I got in our workout gear and KILLED IT in our living room. I haven’t worked out at home for years but let me tell you, we were sweating like crazy!!! I came up with a burpeelicious routine.

I challenge you to try this. It is a series of 10 exercises repeated one after the other - 50 sec performing move, 10 sec rest. Once all 10 exercises are completed, repeat the whole circuit 3 more times! In between each circuit you will rest for 1 full minute. The whole workout will take 44 minutes. It will fly by though especially if you’re with a friend!

Repeat this circuit 4x over!

  1. Pushups on toes
  2. Tuck jumps
  3. Releve or heel raises for calves
  4. Burpees
  5. Plank to side plank (switching side to side continuously)
  6. Charleston (see my POP Cardio Kick It workout)
  7. Elbow pushups or Up-Up-Down-Downs
  8. Lunge pulses right leg
  9. Lunge pulses left leg
  10. Hold Teaser with single leg drops

Ahh!!! It was so good!!! Let me know if you try it.

What the female body looks like at different body fat percentages Wow take a look at that! Where do you stand? As you can see, as the levels of body fat begin to increase, loss of definition becomes more and more apparent. Don’t take this too close to heart though, because 2 people with the same body fat percent can actually look totally different. See below: Will 2 people with the same body fat % look the same? No. It isn’t all about body fat percent, it’s about lean muscle mass too. If these 2 women were the same height, let’s say 5’ 5”, I bet the girl on the left weighs around 118 and the one on the right, 95 lbs. How you build muscle (or not) will determine the your physique. Left girl obviously lifts weights and right girl does not, but the layer of fat from their muscle to skin is the same. Does this make sense? Body fat is just the thickness of the fat you have. Your overall shape is determined by your musculature. What’s your body fat %? Above is a great chart that matches up your body fat % with fitness level. The people in “essential fat” are usually Olympic athletes or serious fitness competitors. At this low of a body fat % women will lose their periods completely! I hear that most bikini models are around 14-15%, so that would put them in the “athlete” level. How to find your body fat percent? 1. Skinfold Measurement (Skin Pinch) 2. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (Handheld/Scale Deviced) 3. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Dexa Scan) 4. Height and circumference methods (Measurement Collections) 5. Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Density Test) The skin fold test is what I used to determine by body fat percent. You will need a personal trainer or someone who knows how to use calipers to do that for you because he or she will have to pinch your fat and measure the mm of fat thickness in 7 different areas, some of which you will not be able to reach for yourself, like your back. I know a lot of you may not have access to calipers, a personal trainer, or a gym, so here’s a quick and semi accurate way to see where you stand. This is #4, the height and circumference method - use this online calculator, a scale, and a measuring tape to see where you fall: http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bodyfat/ [Edit 7/20/2011: A lot of girls were telling me that they got bf%’s in the low 30s when they knew they were around the 20s. Thanks for the call out. For whatever reason that calc seems to be very off. Try this one instead? Although, this is not as accurate as a caliper measurement by a fitness professional!] http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/ Remember, this will not be completely accurate so proceed with caution! What am I? In the picture above, I am 17.5% body fat and 118.4 lbs. I’m 5’5”. Finding a balance… Don’t get too sucked in by the numbers. What matters is how you look and feel at the end of the day. I know a lot of young girls just want to be 105 lbs and will do anything to get there. (I get so many emails about this…) But remember, if you want to get thin, take into consideration your health as a whole. Think of it as getting FIT not as getting skinny. I love that through my workouts, not only have I achieved a more toned body, but I also have gotten so much stronger! Some of us want the skinny actress look, others want bigger butts or bigger boobs, while a select few fancy looking like body builders on steroids (see 1st photo). Whatever it is you want, I encourage you to follow through with you goals as long as you feel strong and healthy doing it. Okay? Also, remember to be happy with the journey too. Because what happens when you get to your goal weight and you don’t experience an instant burst of joy like you had always dreamed? Well, that’s why you gotta embrace your healthy lifestyle. Keyword: lifestyle. It doesn’t end when you reach your goal…it becomes your life. So love it now.

What the female body looks like at different body fat percentages

Wow take a look at that! Where do you stand? As you can see, as the levels of body fat begin to increase, loss of definition becomes more and more apparent. Don’t take this too close to heart though, because 2 people with the same body fat percent can actually look totally different. See below:

Will 2 people with the same body fat % look the same?

No. It isn’t all about body fat percent, it’s about lean muscle mass too. If these 2 women were the same height, let’s say 5’ 5”, I bet the girl on the left weighs around 118 and the one on the right, 95 lbs. How you build muscle (or not) will determine the your physique. Left girl obviously lifts weights and right girl does not, but the layer of fat from their muscle to skin is the same. Does this make sense? Body fat is just the thickness of the fat you have. Your overall shape is determined by your musculature.

What’s your body fat %?

Above is a great chart that matches up your body fat % with fitness level. The people in “essential fat” are usually Olympic athletes or serious fitness competitors. At this low of a body fat % women will lose their periods completely! I hear that most bikini models are around 14-15%, so that would put them in the “athlete” level.

How to find your body fat percent?

1. Skinfold Measurement (Skin Pinch)
2. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (Handheld/Scale Deviced)
3. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Dexa Scan)
4. Height and circumference methods (Measurement Collections)
5. Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Density Test)

The skin fold test is what I used to determine by body fat percent. You will need a personal trainer or someone who knows how to use calipers to do that for you because he or she will have to pinch your fat and measure the mm of fat thickness in 7 different areas, some of which you will not be able to reach for yourself, like your back.

I know a lot of you may not have access to calipers, a personal trainer, or a gym, so here’s a quick and semi accurate way to see where you stand. This is #4, the height and circumference method - use this online calculator, a scale, and a measuring tape to see where you fall:

http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bodyfat/

[Edit 7/20/2011: A lot of girls were telling me that they got bf%’s in the low 30s when they knew they were around the 20s. Thanks for the call out. For whatever reason that calc seems to be very off. Try this one instead? Although, this is not as accurate as a caliper measurement by a fitness professional!]

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

Remember, this will not be completely accurate so proceed with caution!

What am I?

In the picture above, I am 17.5% body fat and 118.4 lbs. I’m 5’5”.

Finding a balance…

Don’t get too sucked in by the numbers. What matters is how you look and feel at the end of the day. I know a lot of young girls just want to be 105 lbs and will do anything to get there. (I get so many emails about this…) But remember, if you want to get thin, take into consideration your health as a whole. Think of it as getting FIT not as getting skinny. I love that through my workouts, not only have I achieved a more toned body, but I also have gotten so much stronger!

Some of us want the skinny actress look, others want bigger butts or bigger boobs, while a select few fancy looking like body builders on steroids (see 1st photo). Whatever it is you want, I encourage you to follow through with you goals as long as you feel strong and healthy doing it. Okay? Also, remember to be happy with the journey too. Because what happens when you get to your goal weight and you don’t experience an instant burst of joy like you had always dreamed? Well, that’s why you gotta embrace your healthy lifestyle. Keyword: lifestyle. It doesn’t end when you reach your goal…it becomes your life. So love it now.

To anyone who’s ever questioned my abs, this is your chance to see them. If you want to see a picture of me in a bikini then reblog, like this, and write a comment if you don’t have a tumblr account (will count those too, but you can do all 3). Once the notes ticker hits around 1,000 I’ll show you my before and after photos from 8 weeks ago until today. Then I’ll tell you exactly what I did to get my bikini body. This is scary for me because I am highly self-conscious, but you gotta do at least 1 thing a day that scares you right!? (Taking a deep breath…) Posted!

To anyone who’s ever questioned my abs, this is your chance to see them.

If you want to see a picture of me in a bikini then reblog, like this, and write a comment if you don’t have a tumblr account (will count those too, but you can do all 3). Once the notes ticker hits around 1,000 I’ll show you my before and after photos from 8 weeks ago until today. Then I’ll tell you exactly what I did to get my bikini body.

This is scary for me because I am highly self-conscious, but you gotta do at least 1 thing a day that scares you right!?

(Taking a deep breath…)

Posted!

Figure out EXACTLY how many calories you need to eat and burn in order to LOSE WEIGHT!!! This post is inspired by a message I got from an anonymous member of my Pilates class and I thank her (assuming, it’s a her) for it. First off, I’m going to say that I am not a nutritionist (although now that I’m thinking about it…maybe I should go back to school and get a masters in nutrition…hmm), so please don’t assume that everything I say is suitable for your own diet plan. Consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes. However, I will put out there that I am well-read in the topics I write about, so my posts and videos are backed by heavy research from trusted sites and books. I spend a lot of time reading and understanding before I publish anything. This is for my own personal knowledge gain and for the safety of my readers. I link to where I got the info on the bottom of each post if you’re ever curious. Okay…so now that that’s all said and done, ready to figure out exactly how to lose weight? Once you do the following, there is no reason why the pounds won’t come shedding off: 1. CONSUME LESS CALORIES THAN YOU BURN AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. 2. Know that you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb 3. Know your basal metabolic rate 4. Know your daily energy requirement 5. Keep a food and exercise journal Okay, now let’s get to the details. 1. CONSUME LESS CALORIES THAN YOU BURN AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. This means eat less calories (energy) than you burn. But I think a lot of you may be confused as to how you can actually “burn” the calories. You don’t just burn when you workout. You burn calories throughout the day even if you don’t workout. Do you know that it requires energy to “just live”? That’s right. Even if you stayed in bed all day and did nothing, you’d still burn calories. (That’s called Basal Metabolic Rate) When we workout, we are burning EXTRA calories by engaging ourselves in highly intensive activities that will torch our energy stores quicker, therefore leading to quicker weight loss. So when I say “consume less calories than you burn” I need you to consume less calories than it takes to “just live” + “workout” (Daily Energy Requirement). See Basal Metabolic Rate and Daily Energy Requirement definitions below. 2. Know that you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb You can create a deficit of 3500 calories in one week by cutting 500 calories out of your life each day. The best way is to burn 250 calories through exercise and eat 250 calories less. 500 cals x 7 days a week = 3500 cals per week = 1 lb loss per week. 3. Know your basal metabolic rate Your BMR is the amount of calories you need to just live. Or, in more technical terms, the amount of calories needed to keep you alive at rest. This is based on factors like your sex, age, weight, and height. Use the calculator below to find your number. Remember, this is the amount of calories you need to consume to stay in bed all day, do nothing, and maintain your current weight. Do not use this number to plan your meals around!!! http://allnutri.com/bmrcalculator.aspx 4. Know your daily energy requirement This is the number you want to pay attention to. The calculator I mentioned above will also shoot out your daily energy requirement to maintain your current weight based on factors like age, sex, weight, height, AND activity level. The more active you are, the more calories you’re going to need. Here are the options you can choose from: Sedentary - Little or no exercise Lightly Active - Light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk Moderately Active - Moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk Very Active - Hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk Extra Active - Hard exercise/sports/job daily Now, I know most of us reading this probably are looking to LOSE weight, not maintain. So, take that Daily Energy Requirement number and minus 500 cals from it if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Minus 1000 cals from it if you want to lose 2 lbs a week.  I do not suggest losing more than 1-2 lbs a week. http://allnutri.com/bmrcalculator.aspx 5. Keep a food and exercise journal Finally, keep a journal! You’ll never know how much you’re burning or consuming unless you write it down! My favorite tools to use are MyNetDiary.com, MyFitnessPal.com, or Loseit.com. If you have an iPhone or smart phone, download the apps, they’re free, and logging in food and exercise is EASY!!! It will even break down how many grams of fat or carbs you took in that day based on the foods you ate. It goes way beyond just calorie counting. There’s even a feature in there where you can tell it your goal weight, your date of goal weight achievement, and it will spit out how many calories you should be eating per day and how many calories you should be burning. It’s so easy, you don’t have to calculate anything! Oh and side note, if you’re wondering how many calories Pop Pilates or Pop Cardio burns - choose calisthenics for Pop Pilates and choose circuit training for Pop Cardio. With your age, height, and weight, you’ll be able to pretty accurately gauge how much you burned doing my videos. Good luck guys! Cassey References: nothing to link to as I compiled this post from previous knowledge.

Figure out EXACTLY how many calories you need to eat and burn in order to LOSE WEIGHT!!!

This post is inspired by a message I got from an anonymous member of my Pilates class and I thank her (assuming, it’s a her) for it.

First off, I’m going to say that I am not a nutritionist (although now that I’m thinking about it…maybe I should go back to school and get a masters in nutrition…hmm), so please don’t assume that everything I say is suitable for your own diet plan. Consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes. However, I will put out there that I am well-read in the topics I write about, so my posts and videos are backed by heavy research from trusted sites and books. I spend a lot of time reading and understanding before I publish anything. This is for my own personal knowledge gain and for the safety of my readers. I link to where I got the info on the bottom of each post if you’re ever curious.

Okay…so now that that’s all said and done, ready to figure out exactly how to lose weight? Once you do the following, there is no reason why the pounds won’t come shedding off:

1. CONSUME LESS CALORIES THAN YOU BURN AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT.

2. Know that you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb

3. Know your basal metabolic rate

4. Know your daily energy requirement

5. Keep a food and exercise journal


Okay, now let’s get to the details.

1. CONSUME LESS CALORIES THAN YOU BURN AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT.

This means eat less calories (energy) than you burn. But I think a lot of you may be confused as to how you can actually “burn” the calories. You don’t just burn when you workout. You burn calories throughout the day even if you don’t workout. Do you know that it requires energy to “just live”? That’s right. Even if you stayed in bed all day and did nothing, you’d still burn calories. (That’s called Basal Metabolic Rate) When we workout, we are burning EXTRA calories by engaging ourselves in highly intensive activities that will torch our energy stores quicker, therefore leading to quicker weight loss.

So when I say “consume less calories than you burn” I need you to consume less calories than it takes to “just live” + “workout” (Daily Energy Requirement). See Basal Metabolic Rate and Daily Energy Requirement definitions below.

2. Know that you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb

You can create a deficit of 3500 calories in one week by cutting 500 calories out of your life each day. The best way is to burn 250 calories through exercise and eat 250 calories less. 500 cals x 7 days a week = 3500 cals per week = 1 lb loss per week.

3. Know your basal metabolic rate

Your BMR is the amount of calories you need to just live. Or, in more technical terms, the amount of calories needed to keep you alive at rest. This is based on factors like your sex, age, weight, and height. Use the calculator below to find your number. Remember, this is the amount of calories you need to consume to stay in bed all day, do nothing, and maintain your current weight. Do not use this number to plan your meals around!!!

http://allnutri.com/bmrcalculator.aspx

4. Know your daily energy requirement

This is the number you want to pay attention to. The calculator I mentioned above will also shoot out your daily energy requirement to maintain your current weight based on factors like age, sex, weight, height, AND activity level. The more active you are, the more calories you’re going to need. Here are the options you can choose from:

Sedentary - Little or no exercise
Lightly Active - Light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
Moderately Active - Moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk
Very Active - Hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
Extra Active - Hard exercise/sports/job daily

Now, I know most of us reading this probably are looking to LOSE weight, not maintain. So, take that Daily Energy Requirement number and minus 500 cals from it if you want to lose 1 lb a week. Minus 1000 cals from it if you want to lose 2 lbs a week.  I do not suggest losing more than 1-2 lbs a week.

http://allnutri.com/bmrcalculator.aspx

5. Keep a food and exercise journal

Finally, keep a journal! You’ll never know how much you’re burning or consuming unless you write it down! My favorite tools to use are MyNetDiary.com, MyFitnessPal.com, or Loseit.com. If you have an iPhone or smart phone, download the apps, they’re free, and logging in food and exercise is EASY!!! It will even break down how many grams of fat or carbs you took in that day based on the foods you ate. It goes way beyond just calorie counting. There’s even a feature in there where you can tell it your goal weight, your date of goal weight achievement, and it will spit out how many calories you should be eating per day and how many calories you should be burning. It’s so easy, you don’t have to calculate anything!

Oh and side note, if you’re wondering how many calories Pop Pilates or Pop Cardio burns - choose calisthenics for Pop Pilates and choose circuit training for Pop Cardio. With your age, height, and weight, you’ll be able to pretty accurately gauge how much you burned doing my videos.

Good luck guys!

Cassey

References: nothing to link to as I compiled this post from previous knowledge.

Pilates versus Yoga - what’s the diff? Read through the diagram, really good breakdown of the differences. Here’s a text breakdown of the major contrasts just in case you can’t see the words in the enlarged photo: 1. Histories: The origin of yoga is somewhat unclear, but evidence shows that it may have been practiced as early as 3000 B.C. in areas that are now India and Pakistan. Yoga has been developed mainly through the religious practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. Pilates has a much shorter history, being developed by Joseph H. Pilates after he served as a nurse in World War I. 2. Philosophies: Both yoga and Pilates embrace the importance of the mind in controlling the body. There is a difference in that yoga seeks to achieve a balance between body, mind and spirit, coming from its religious roots. Pilates maintains a mind-body approach to improve physical fitness. 3. Poses: Many of the core poses of Pilates and yoga are the same or very similar. And the intent of the poses is the same in Pilates and yoga, which both use the poses to focus the body and mind — and spirit in yoga — so they are in union; this, in turn, allows a person to perform the movement or pose in the best possible way. The intent differs from many traditional exercise routines that focus on the completion of an exercise or movement and not on the performance of the movement. 4. Equipment: Yoga requires very little equipment. A yoga mat is the only essential piece of yoga equipment, with yoga blocks and belts being nice additions for beginners. Yoga balls are sometimes used, as well, to help develop better balance. Pilates equipment is much more frequently used. Although several Pilates exercises can be done with only a mat, Pilates machines allow for a much wider variation of poses and movements. 5. Benefits: The poses used in yoga and Pilates improve flexibility, strength and body control. Most practitioners also claim stress relief as a major benefit of both exercises. Information from: http://www.pubarticles.com/article-understanding-the-benefits-and-differences-of-yoga-and-pilates-1285628789.html

Pilates versus Yoga - what’s the diff?

Read through the diagram, really good breakdown of the differences. Here’s a text breakdown of the major contrasts just in case you can’t see the words in the enlarged photo:

1. Histories: The origin of yoga is somewhat unclear, but evidence shows that it may have been practiced as early as 3000 B.C. in areas that are now India and Pakistan. Yoga has been developed mainly through the religious practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. Pilates has a much shorter history, being developed by Joseph H. Pilates after he served as a nurse in World War I.

2. Philosophies: Both yoga and Pilates embrace the importance of the mind in controlling the body. There is a difference in that yoga seeks to achieve a balance between body, mind and spirit, coming from its religious roots. Pilates maintains a mind-body approach to improve physical fitness.

3. Poses: Many of the core poses of Pilates and yoga are the same or very similar. And the intent of the poses is the same in Pilates and yoga, which both use the poses to focus the body and mind — and spirit in yoga — so they are in union; this, in turn, allows a person to perform the movement or pose in the best possible way. The intent differs from many traditional exercise routines that focus on the completion of an exercise or movement and not on the performance of the movement.

4. Equipment: Yoga requires very little equipment. A yoga mat is the only essential piece of yoga equipment, with yoga blocks and belts being nice additions for beginners. Yoga balls are sometimes used, as well, to help develop better balance. Pilates equipment is much more frequently used. Although several Pilates exercises can be done with only a mat, Pilates machines allow for a much wider variation of poses and movements.

5. Benefits: The poses used in yoga and Pilates improve flexibility, strength and body control. Most practitioners also claim stress relief as a major benefit of both exercises.

Information from: http://www.pubarticles.com/article-understanding-the-benefits-and-differences-of-yoga-and-pilates-1285628789.html

Pushed my own limits today! I ran 26 minutes on the treadmill and did sprint intervals. I have never ever EVER put the speed past 8.0 mph and today it hit 10.0 mph! Now that is REAL FAST. I felt like I was flying. I am NOT a cardio person, so today’s treadmill workout was a personal achievement for me. I’m getting ready to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in LA in September with my sister. So excited. Anyone else doing it? If you click on the picture above, it will take you to the treadmill workout I did today. It’s a series of speeds that goes 5 mph to 8 mph to 5 mph to 9mph to 5 mph to 10 mph etc etc. Each interval lasts about a minute. I got it from FitSugar. The one I did is called “Sprint Intervals”. There’s 4 different options. Try one today and PUSH YOUR LIMITS. I didn’t think I could, and I did! YAY!!! Good luck! Cassey

Pushed my own limits today! I ran 26 minutes on the treadmill and did sprint intervals. I have never ever EVER put the speed past 8.0 mph and today it hit 10.0 mph! Now that is REAL FAST. I felt like I was flying.

I am NOT a cardio person, so today’s treadmill workout was a personal achievement for me. I’m getting ready to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in LA in September with my sister. So excited. Anyone else doing it?

If you click on the picture above, it will take you to the treadmill workout I did today. It’s a series of speeds that goes 5 mph to 8 mph to 5 mph to 9mph to 5 mph to 10 mph etc etc. Each interval lasts about a minute. I got it from FitSugar. The one I did is called “Sprint Intervals”. There’s 4 different options. Try one today and PUSH YOUR LIMITS. I didn’t think I could, and I did! YAY!!!

Good luck!

Cassey

Reasons why you should try the Pilates Reformer

Okay so I am about to start teaching Reformer! Eek! this begins in January at the Watertown BSC. Nervous, excited, yes, but still learning it and loving it. If you haven’t tried reformer yet…check it out. It will really help bring your mat work to perfection.

For those of you that aren’t really sure what the heck a refomer is…here’s a quick rundown from livestrong.com!

The Pilates Reformer is an exercise machine used to incorporate the Pilates exercise technique for a challenging and intense workout. Springs, leverage and body weight are used as resistance while performing movements targeting specific muscle groups. Workouts consist of controlled, flowing movements working your muscles through a full range of motion. The reformer adds increased resistance to the movement. By working to overcome this resistance, training results in increased fitness levels.

Benefits of using the Pilates Reformer:

1. Increased Muscular Endurance

Muscles exert force to overcome resistance. Training results include increased muscle fiber endurance, size and strength along with increased connective tissue strength. With increased muscular endurance, your muscles are able to exert force for extended periods. Increased endurance enables you to perform everyday tasks without fatigue. Additional benefits include improved muscle tone as muscles are lengthened and strengthened without appearing bulky.

2. Increased Core Strength

Exercising on the Pilates Reformer requires proper form and technique. The focus of proper positioning is within the core, your abdomen and lower back muscles. By conditioning the core muscles, they will contract with all movements to stabilize and align your spine. A strong core will increase the effectiveness of all exercises due to your ability to maintain proper alignment. Core strength increases your ability to generate power to your muscles and decreases the risk of injury.

3. Improved Posture

Workouts on a Pilates Reformer will improve your spinal alignment. With improved alignment, your muscles will strengthen to improve spinal support and stability. Improved posture will lengthen your joints giving you a taller appearance. Muscular imbalances will be corrected decreasing the risk for injury, especially to the lower back. Awareness of proper posture during exercise will carry over to awareness of proper posture when performing everyday movements.

4. Increased Flexibility

Flexibility is the range of motion of your muscles and connective tissue. Workouts on a Pilates Reformer require your muscle groups to move through a full range of motion. Improved flexibility decreases strain and stress on your joints and muscles. Muscles contract with increased efficiency, and workouts are more effective. Improved flexibility reduces stiffness, soreness and the chance of injury. You can perform everyday movements with less strain and fatigue.

5. Improved Breathing

Pilates workouts emphasize proper breathing. Breathing becomes deeper and less frequent, resulting in improved relaxation. Benefits include increased lung capacity and breathing efficiency during workouts and at rest. Your lungs are better equipped to supply your body with increased oxygen during workouts. Energy levels increase during exercise and at rest.

6. Reduced Body Fat

Exercise increases your metabolism, your body’s ability to burn calories. Increased muscle mass increases the number of calories burned. When the amount of calories burned is more than the amount of calories eaten, excess body fat is burned and used for energy to meet the increased demand.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/261676-what-are-the-benefits-of-pilates-reformer-exercise/#ixzz18L01h4xr

8 MINUTE ABS

As obviously dated as this video is, this abs routine still challenges my core! I first did this routine 7 years ago everyday for 4 months straight (was toning up for a pageant) and didn’t revisit again until today. Man, I missed my gang in their awesome spandex gear. I don’t know who this guy is and what he’s doing now, but this is one of the best full-length ab workouts you can get for free on youtube. I always get a sweet burning sensation in my upper abs afterward. 8 Min abs is a real classic. I think I’m going for round 2 tonight!

Oh and totally new discovery…I had no idea there was a whole 8 Minute series! When I searched for 8 Min Abs, I saw 8 Min Arms, Legs, Buns, and Stretch! No way! I smiled and almost died. I can’t wait to try these out. Here’s the playlist of the whole thing if you’re interested: 8 Min Workouts from the 80s

Good luck! Let me know how you like it.

Cassey