Pilates craze sweeps through Central Texas

The Pilates movement has finally made its way to Central Texas. For years athletes and celebrities alike have extolled the virtues of Pilates. Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts are disciplined students who credit Pilates for their outstanding bodies. Basketball
player Jason Kidd, golfer Tiger Woods and Boston Red Sox ace pitcher Curt Schilling are just a few athletes who have discovered the benefits of adding Pilates to their training routines.

Pilates is no longer seen as only for the rich and famous. Many gyms locally are now offering classes in this form of exercise that was first developed in World War I to help wounded and injured personnel recover quicker. Anatasia Dewald Of Copperas Cove, attends at Ace Athletics. " When I look in the mirror now I see an hourglass shape, before I started classes it was more like a 24 hourglass shape". Dewald has been practicing for a little over 4 years. After the birth of her twins she says her body recovered much more quickly than it did after her other children were born. "After sitting at a desk all day, a class is a great way for me to relax and decompress. I've also noticed more definition in my muscles and a big increase in overall body tone and flexibility".

"Pilates is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work. You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance, ability to perform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run or travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strain." Joseph H. Pilates

Pilates focuses on building the practitioners "core", which are the muscles in your abdomen, lower back and buttocks. Pilates conditions the body from head to toe with a no- to low-impact approach which is suitable for all ages and abilities. It requires patience and practice, but results will follow.

"The first three weeks, I was really disappointed," says Schilling,who incorporated Pilates into his off-season training program. "I wasn't sweating. I wasn't winded, which is what I associate with true exercise. "Then in the fourth week I started to understand the Pilates terminology, the idea of working from your center. By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I'd lost 15 pounds."

The benefits are not limited to physical appearance of the body. "I no longer have back problems, my back just doesn't hurt anymore. I also sleep better because it relieves stress" says Ann Hatfield, also a student at Ace Athletics in Copperas Cove.

Since Pilates is based on using your body in the most effective manner, the only equipment you need is yourself and a mat to lay on. Some advanced classes incorporate small hand weights or resistance bands. Similar to Yoga, Pilates focuses on breathing, concentration
and flow of movement.

There are beginners classes as well as a combination of Yoga and Pilates, known as Yogilates. For more advanced students there are Power Pilates classes, also called Pilates 2. Regardless of your experience or current level of fitness, you can find a local class that works best for you at Tree of Life Yoga in Harker Heights, Gym-X in Killeen or Ace Athletics in Copperas Cove.