WILL PILATES HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT?

We often get asked about the benefits of Pilates and one of the most common questions is, ‘Will Pilates help me lose weight’? The short answer is yes!

But we all know that there is the magic balance of diet and exercise to keep the happy medium in our weight loss journey and that one component alone cannot be solely responsible for a full body transformation.

Research shows that the average woman can expect to burn up to 360 calories in a Pilates class, this depends on the intensity of the class, the style of instructor and the individual effort in the session. In terms of cardiovascular exercise, Pilates is certainly won’t burn the most calories, however, a varied exercise routine and a balanced diet is your number one way to sustainable weight loss.

Let’s take a look at the reasons why Pilates should be a vital part of your fitness regime to tighten, tone and trim your whole body.

What do you really want?

While a lot of people feel that their end goal is weight loss, they are often mistaken. When speaking to clients and getting a little more information about their specific goals, we find that most people want to look and feel more toned and athletic. If this is the case, then often weight loss on its own will not have you feel like you’ve achieved your goal and this is where Pilates can really give that edge in your health and wellbeing journey.

Move and Shake!

While you’re not going to drop a dress size in a week (actually nothing should make you drop a dress size in a week), Pilates is a brilliant way to get moving and up your physical activity. It’s also a really fun and enjoyable way to exercise which is a key ingredient in exercising consistently. Adding a Pilates workout (or three) to your week is a fantastic way to add a little extra calorie burn to your routine. We all know the maths for weight loss is pretty simple – energy in versus energy out – so Pilates is a step in the right direction towards your goals!

We’ve got the classes for you!

Our dynamic and athletic approach to Pilates, means our classes promote weight loss and deliver a higher calorie burn more than the traditional, lower-intensity Pilates classes.  We’ve specifically designed higher intensity options like, VIVA HIIT and 3XB to help with weight loss, calorie burn by building heat in the body and upping your heart rate to improve cardiovascular fitness.

As Reformer Pilates is resistance based it’s a brilliant way to increase lean muscle mass without adding huge muscle bulk. An increase in lean muscle mass is a sure fire way to improve the overall look of your body create long, lean and lengthened limbs, taut tummy and a defined waistline.  And let’s face it ensuring you achieve the lengthened, strengthened and toned look we’re all chasing!

The Pilates Effect!

It’s a real thing! Step into a Pilates workout and you’ll be forced to lift your abdominals in and up, retract your shoulders and lengthen your neck. Often what you find when practising Pilates is that you become more conscious of the way you are holding and moving your body making you focus more on the recruitment and isolation of muscles groups. This recruitment and isolation means that throughout the day your core is constantly activated and working to hold you and support your body in your day to day movements!

A house is only as good as it’s foundations!

Pilates is not only a brilliant tool for lengthening and strengthening but it also works to stabilise the body for functional movement. Strength and stability are the baseline of Pilates practice and this is so important when ensuring the longevity of any exercise routine.

We all know the importance of ensuring that a house or structure has a solid foundation and when it comes to your body, you home for life, it’s no exception. Practicing Pilates regularly will mean that you can continue you doing all of those big calorie burning workouts like running, jumping, climbing and other high-intensity options for longer.

The 80/20 approach to weight loss!

We’ve all heard that what we put in our mouth is the single biggest factor when it comes to losing weight. Weight is lost in the kitchen, right? With this in mind, we promote an all-encompassing approach to diet at VIVA and encourage you to adopt our nutrition mantra in order to promote overall fitness and wellbeing.

NOURISH YOUR BODY. EAT FRESH AND WHOLESOME FOODS. LOCALLY SOURCED WHEN POSSIBLE. PROTEIN & VEG. BALANCE FAT & CARBOHYDRATES. GREENS DAILY & PLENTIFUL. NIX  REFINED SUGAR. ALWAYS HYDRATE. CITRUS, SPICES AND HERBS ARE THE FLAVOUR OF LIFE. WE EAT FOR OPTIMAL ENERGY & WELL-BEING.  FRESH FOOD AND FITNESS IS OUR WAY OF LIFE. AT VIVA, THIS IS OUR NUTRITION MANTRA WE CHOOSE TO LIVE BY.