HEALTH & MEDICINE :: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007
The Scale Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
“I want to lose weight” might be the top reason women say they want to start an exercise program or change their workout program. Forget about the scale, at least for awhile. Fixating on those digits can lead to frustration and may even have some people ditch their fitness goals in despair.
While it’s obvious you don’t want to totally forget about the scale and meeting a healthy weigh goal entirely, it’s important to remember there are other ways to measure progress, particularly if you’re practicing an exercise style like Pilates, Gyrotonic® or Gyrokinesis®. These programs focus on the core muscles, those very deep inside the center of your body, girdling the abdomen and back.
With Pilates, you’re working from the inside out, to develop a strong core for stability, mobility and flexibility. What that means is that when you’re training your core muscles, you’re apt to notice that you’re body is becoming a bit longer, a bit narrower around the waist or abdomen, even though the numbers on the scale aren’t tumbling downward. You may become aware that your clothes aren’t as snug and you feel more toned. That means you’re moving in the right direction. One of the main components of Pilates, as well as Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis®, is the mind/body connection. What does that mean in terms of results?
It means that in addition to training your body, you are also training your mind to focus on the muscles you’re using and the task at hand. That ability to focus will transfer outside the Pilates studio to other aspects of your life: being more mindful of making health food choices, noticing when you are full, so that you’re not overeating and also becoming aware of when you need to increase physical activity.
Pilates is a complex exercise program, and with a skillful trainer, nearly every individual exercise can be modified to be easier, if you need it, or more challenging as you become familiar with the moves. Pilates can also be practiced on a mat with no equipment at all. Some Pilates mat classes are based on classical movements, but many Pilates instructors bring in small apparatus, including balls, weights, foam rollers or disks, to keep clients interested and challenged. During a private session, a trainer is able to incorporate Pilates exercises, strength training and cardiovascular activity to offer the clients maximum benefits in minimum time. However, clients can’t reasonably expect weight loss and toning from an hour’s exercise session each week. As Dr. Phil says, “Get real.” The real benefits, first toning and perhaps eventual weight loss come from long-term, consistent commitment to a lifestyle that includes healthy food choices and active participation in strength and cardio activities. Working with a skilled and experienced trainer to master Pilates can help keep you on track to achieving your goals. Pilates has been recognized as an exercise program that benefits both body and mind, often in ways that are not measured on the bathroom scales.
Nancy Hawkins Rigg is the founder and owner of Forever Fit Foundation, a personal training business specializing in Pilates, Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, Yamuna Body Rolling and sport specific training. Forever Fit Foundation accepts clients at three sites: Dover and Lewes and Mendenhall Station, Pa., just over the Delaware line. A certified athletic trainer, she earned her bachelors degree from the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in exercise science and sports medicine from Miami University in Ohio. Please call (302) 423-1816 or (302) 698-5201 to schedule an appointment or for more information.
Publisher’s Note on Forever Fit Foundation:
It has been two years since I started taking Pilate's with Forever Fit, and I couldn't be more satisfied with a program. Each session is something new and challenging. My posture and flexibility have improved unbelievably. If you have ever thought of trying Pilate's, but haven't, then you owe it to yourself to at least try it once. Because once you do, you will never want to stop.
