As a Pilates instructor, I get often asked: "How much Pilates is necessary to loose weight?". First of all, bodily autonomy is a thing: if you’re happy in your body, good for you. Enjoy it and stay active. If you’re not completely comfortable in your body and you would like to change something, good for you too.
However, Pilates shouldn’t be the initial action to shed those extra pounds. The following 4 things should have priority: Nutrition, Sleep, Stress and Daily Movement.
These factors plus an exercise routine you love must be taken into account when you like to loose weight in order to achieve long-lasting success. Just one example: Many people try to fight the extra pounds with as much exercise as possible: more Pilates sessions, daily visits to the gym, an extra hour on the treadmill. Additional exercise usually increases our appetite, which leads to extra food intake and unhealthy in between-snacking, which contradicts our efforts to eat less. Which causes extra stress because we’re not sticking to our diet plan, which can have a bad impact on our mood and night sleep… it becomes a vicious cycle.
Right, Pilates doesn’t help with weight loss? I wouldn’t say it like that, exercise is the closest thing we have to the elixir of live. It reduces the risk of disease, strengthens bones and muscles, improves your ability to do everyday activities, it makes you happy and it helps to manage your weight. If you follow physical activity guidelines and if you maintain a healthy lifestyle it reduces all-cause mortality by 55%.
If you love Pilates: go for it, the more and the more intense the better.
And if you want to loose weight and you love Pilates: go for it too! Because of all the benefits mentioned above. But spend some more thought on your diet, sleeping habits, stress levels and how you can move a bit more during the day.