Note: To fulfill my exercise resolutions, I am trying every single workout program that Netflix Instant Watch has to offer. Join me each week as I try out a new program.
Pilates seems like a very popular form of exercise. However, I have never tried it before. I thought that this would be a good time to try it out. I was surprised to find out that pilates is actually very similar to the warm-up exercises I did in ballet and gymnastics when I was growing up.
This video has three different 10-minute segments: standing, side-lying, and mat Pilates. The standing segment involved lots of lunges and squats. The side-lying segment involved a lot of leg exercises, as well as core-strengthening exercises. The mat Pilates involved push-ups and crunches.
I chose this particular pilates video because it was the highest rated and because it it included a beginner level. As you can probably tell by looking at the cover picture, the video offers three different levels of difficulty. At first, I thought they would be separated into several programs. However, it turns out that they are all in one video. The video features three women showing the moves in different levels of difficulty. Each move starts out at the beginner level, then advances to the intermediate level. You have the choice of staying at the beginner level or following the intermediate instructor to do the move in the next level of difficulty. It then becomes more difficult, and the video shows the third woman doing the move at the advanced level. Then the video split-screens so that you have a good view of all three women and you can choose which one to follow.
I'm realizing as I'm writing this that I'm making this sound a bit confusing and complicated, but it's actually very easy to follow.
The nice thing about having all three levels in one video is that you don't have to do the entire program at one level. If you're feeling up to the challenge, you can move on to the next level, or if you're feeling tired by the end of the video, you can stay at the beginner level.
I actually thought the beginner level was too easy and mostly performed the exercises at the intermediate level. The second time I did it, I tried a few moves in the Advanced level. I probably could have done them all at advanced, but as I'm fairly out of shape, I wanted to stay a bit cautious, as I didn't want to hurt myself.
I loved this program. This was probably the first one so far that I looked forward to doing a second time. My body felt really good after doing the workout. Well, maybe my body didn't feel good, as I definitely felt it the next couple of days, but my body ached in that way that makes you feel good because you know you just did something good for your body, you know what I mean?
I would absolutely do this again. I'm actually thinking about incorporating it into weeks when I'm trying out a program that is mostly cardio. The program is also nice for busy weeks, as it's only 30 minutes long.
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