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“Does Pilates help you lose weight?” is a fairly common question among curious women who are interested in this relatively unassuming form of exercise.
While Pilates has increased in popularity in recent years, it isn’t typically associated with weight loss. But did you know Pilates is better for more than just flexibility and mindfulness?
Believe it or not, Pilates is a low-impact workout that helps you tone your body, build lean muscles, improve your posture, and maintain a healthy weight.
What is Pilates and How Does It Work?
Initially developed in the 1920s by the physical trainer Joseph Pilates, Pilates is both an aerobic and non-aerobic form of exercise.
Pilates introduced what later became known as Pilates to help injured athletes and dancers in America maintain their fitness levels while rehabilitating. Since then, many, especially women in their menopausal years, have turned to Pilates as their go-to exercise, and for a good reason - it works!
Focusing more on the precision of movement than working yourself out to exhaustion, individualized Pilates sessions can last up to 90 minutes and require nothing more than a mat. However, specialized equipment is sometimes used for added resistance.
Pilates vs. Other Workouts for Weight Loss
Losing weight primarily boils down to how much fewer calories you can eat compared to how many more calories you can burn.
Based on the logic of burning more calories than you consume, Pilates, a low-intensity exercise form, might not be as effective. But you’d be surprised at how effective Pilates is for weight loss.
Pilates’ emphasis on strengthening and toning muscles increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolism, so you burn more calories in less time and throughout the day! Also, a side benefit of Pilates exercises is that you develop a leaner physique with more definition, which is arguably better than having a gym body vs a pilates one.
Finally, Pilates exercises engage your core and lower back the most, improving your overall strength while contributing to weight loss.
As a bonus, Pilates is a low-impact exercise. If you’re going through menopause, it’s perfect for you. It’s less stressful on your joints and muscles, making it a safer, more sustainable, and arguably more enjoyable approach to weight loss.
Can Pilates Really Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, Pilates can help you lose weight.
In fact, Pilates can be more effective than other exercises for weight loss. How so?
By maintaining a consistent Pilates practice, you enjoy a more holistic approach to your fitness that targets multiple muscle groups, makes you more flexible, tones your body, engages your core muscles, and tons of more benefits that pilates offers.
Understanding Calorie Burn with Pilates
Pilates might not feel as engaging as other forms of exercise, but enough evidence shows that it’s just as effective at burning calories and helping you lose weight.
Pilates’s mind-body connection combines physical movements with improved overall well-being, helping you lose more weight than more conventional methods.
However, the underlying principle behind weight loss is still a calorie deficit. For best results, combine Pilates with a healthy meal plan.
Pilates for Muscle Toning and Metabolism Boost
Pilates’ ability to tone and strengthen your muscles is one of its biggest advantages.
By focusing on breathing, balance, concentration, and flexibility, Pilates simultaneously works out the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks, which are the body’s core muscles.
Unlike weight training, which adds muscle mass, Pilates creates long, lean, toned muscles with arguably better definition and as much strength.
Imagine feeling stronger and more limber than ever in your menopausal years - that’s what Pilates can do for you.
How Pilates Contributes to Overall Weight Management
Pilates is particularly effective with overall weight management because it’s easier to add it to your routine and stick to it because it’s a low-intensity exercise with minimal recovery time.
Because it doesn’t require as much commitment, you’re more likely to take the classes regularly, allowing you to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Eventually, once your resistance and stamina start building up, you can start combining Pilates with other forms of exercise, such as walking, swimming, running, cycling, and weight training.
Pilates even works well with another mindfulness practice like yoga!
Benefits of Pilates Beyond Weight Loss
Improving Flexibility and Posture
Maintaining good posture and proper body alignment becomes more difficult during menopause as years of aches and pains accumulate, along with the effects of these transitionary years on your body’s physiology.
Pilates helps turn back the clock by strengthening your core muscles, improving your flexibility, and correcting slight muscle imbalances.
Enhancing Core Strength and Stability
Pilates exercises target your core muscles, helping you become stronger without necessarily adding more mass to your physique. Stronger core muscles provide better support and stability to your body, with the added benefit of helping you get rid of belly fat that often appears during menopause.
How to Maximize Weight Loss with Pilates
Combining Pilates with Cardiovascular Exercise
Because it’s a low-entry and low-commitment form of exercise, you can use Pilates as your gateway to healthier lifestyles.
According to the American Heart Association, adults should do at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity weekly. You can achieve this by practicing Pilates multiple times a week. The best part? The more intense forms of Pilates yield similar benefits to strength training, which the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends doing at least twice a week.
When combined with a high-impact cardio workout like swimming, for example, exercises commonly recommended for adults dealing with joint pain or who can’t participate in more strenuous activities provide the best benefits.
Studies have also shown that swimming benefits mental health just like Pilates.
The Role of Diet in Weight Loss with Pilates
Diet always plays a key role in weight loss, Pilates or not.
If you want to lose weight, you need to examine what you’re putting into your body.
However, as a mindfulness practice, Pilates encourages healthy changes to eating habits as you become more aware of what happens to your body based on what you do and, by extension, what you eat.
Luckily, there are several kinds of science-backed diet plans you can follow based on preference.
Setting Achieveable Weight Loss Goals with Pilates
Half the challenge of losing weight is finding motivation and a good routine.
You might find this in Pilates.
However, Pilates isn’t a magic bullet. It can help you lose weight, become stronger with more defined and toned muscles, and enjoy other health benefits, like fighting off that dreaded menopausal brain fog. But you still have to put in the work.
Pilates alone won’t help you lose weight. Instead, successful weight loss requires a combination of diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.
Realistic Expectations: What Results Can You Expect?
Short-Term Benefits
Have you ever felt better just by pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath? Now, imagine doing exercises that pretty much involve doing this for an hour.
Pilates’ emphasis on breathwork stimulates your body’s production of feel-good hormones and encourages blood circulation and oxygen flow, leaving you feeling more energized after a session.
You rarely feel fatigued after Pilates, yet you enjoy all the benefits of exercise on your body.
Long-Term Fitness Gains
Practicing Pilates long-term yields several benefits.
For starters, Pilates is good for core strength. The center of the body is where all of our movement comes from. It’s the foundation of your movement, supporting the surrounding muscles. A stronger and more flexible core decreases back and hip pain and issues, which is particularly crucial as we age.
Studies also show that Pilates can help you sleep better at night.
Pilates heightens your awareness of bodily functions, emotions, and spatial awareness as a mindfulness practice. This enhanced proprioception means you respond better to stimuli in your day-to-day activities, minimizing falls and accidents while preventing injuries.
Also, since you’re more in tune with your body, your ability to listen to your body’s hunger signals improves, which can help you develop better eating habits.
Finally, how many exercises do you know can tone and work out your entire body? Very few. Pilates is one of them.
Conclusion: Is Pilates a Good Option for Your Weight Loss Journey?
From an outsider’s perspective, Pilates isn’t the most active type of exercise, and this is partly true.
If you don’t know much about Pilates, you wouldn’t think it would help you lose weight, let alone get a more defined physique. It’s a low-impact workout, after all. But that’s also the beauty of Pilates.
With Pilates, you won’t feel like an hour has passed, and you’ve already spent so much time building core muscle strength, improving your posture, and putting yourself on track to start losing weight. You won’t even feel like you’ve put in an hour’s worth of workout afterward!
So, the answer to the question, “Does Pilates help you lose weight?” is simple—it does!
While Pilates is never anyone’s first choice of physical activity for weight loss, it could very well be what finally helps you shave off pounds and keep them off!
FAQs
How effective is Pilates for weight loss compared to other exercises?
Pilates can be effective for weight loss, especially when combined with a healthy diet and other forms of exercise. While it may not burn as many calories as high-intensity cardio workouts, Pilates helps build muscle, improve posture, and increase overall body awareness, which can contribute to a more toned appearance and support long-term weight loss.
Can beginners use Pilates to lose weight?
Yes, beginners can use Pilates to lose weight. Pilates is adaptable to all fitness levels, making it a great starting point for those new to exercise. Beginners can start with basic Pilates exercises and gradually increase intensity as their strength and endurance improve, leading to potential weight loss over time.
What specific Pilates exercises help with weight loss?
Certain Pilates exercises, like the Hundred, Plank, and Leg Circles, are particularly effective for weight loss. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups, increase heart rate, and build core strength, all of which contribute to burning calories and toning the body.
How often should I do Pilates to see weight loss results?
To see weight loss results with Pilates, it’s recommended to practice at least 3 to 4 times per week. Consistency is key, and combining Pilates with other forms of exercise, such as cardio, can enhance results.
Does Pilates help with toning and strengthening muscles?
Yes, Pilates is excellent for toning and strengthening muscles. It focuses on controlled movements and resistance, which help build lean muscle mass and improve muscle definition. This muscle toning can contribute to a more sculpted appearance, even if weight loss is minimal.
