If you're highly informed or even if you're one of those people that just stay home, no doubt you've heard of the pilates exercise. The purpose of pilates Exercises is to stretch and to strengthen your body. That is why pilates is so popular with most contortionists and ballet dancers.

But just because people are using pilates for physical improvement, and weight loss, it doesn't mean that a pilates exercise is a cardiovascular exercise. Pilates is basically a low intensity exercise. Most instructors recommend pilates with aerobics and other forms of exercise for best effects.

The pilates Exercise was invented by Joseph Pilates, a German National, as a self exercise. Pilates was born a fragile child, sickly and asthmatic, so he took to exercise to improve his body. When he was a bit older, he was living in France, and was arrested as an "enemy alien.' During his internment, he was assigned in the medical facilities of the prison and this is where he put pilates into use, as rehabilitation exercises for the sick.

Since then the pilates exercises has gained its reputation for helping improve the overall physical state of the body. Pilates exercise is a series of breathing techniques combined with stretching and a simple machine. Pilates exercises designed to improve the body's core. This includes the muscles in the abdomen, back, and buttocks. Some say it is better than yoga overall because it strengthens the body through improving posture strength and flexibility through stretching. The machines used in pilates, are there to challenge the body, by making it stay in certain positions while moving the other parts in differing directions, thereby training the body to endure strain, thus increasing strength.

The basic Ideology of the pilates Exercise is the use of the body's mental ability to improve movement, efficiency and muscle control, which is also why they say that Pilate exercise somehow improves one's mental state. Pilates also makes you aware of proper posture. Due to the exercises that you do, it also develops the muscles in the back and abdomen, further promoting good posture.

Pilate exercise also uses breathing techniques, which further increases mental focus. And probably one of the greatest focuses of pilates is flexibility strength of the muscles. It is this ideology that made pilates popular among dancers in the begining.

Many pilates enthusiasts and users have testified to the effectiveness of this program. With regular classes, the bodies become well balanced and stronger. Some say that after each workout, you can instantly feel the difference it has made to the parts of the body, mainly the legs back and abs.

Aside from increased strength, weight loss is what many people aim for when they do pilates exercises. Other benefits of pilates include increased energy levels, higher endurance, better flexibility, great abdominal workouts, and overall physical well being.