Hey all, I want to incorporate pilates into my workouts, I hear (and see) amazing things about it. I'm not the most flexible person in the world, and I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of a great beginner's pilates DVD, or equipment, etc. Thanks!

Here are some good dvds for beginners:

~Denise Austins Pilates Matwork dvd

~Pilates For Dummies

~Leslie Sansone You Can Do! Pilates


These are all beginner level workouts, for those new to Pilates.

I am a big fan of Pick Your Spot Pilates. It's broken into 3 ten minute segments, each targeting a specific area (stomach, butt, legs), so you can start with the first then add another when you're ready, or if you only have a few minutes you can just do a quick, effective ab workout and go.

I have that one, too. I think that certain exercises in it though, are a little more intermediate. It would probably be the next step after one of the three I mentioned first, to advance intensity just a tad.

Thank you, ladies, that helps a lot! I hope you both had a productive day!

I had Exercise TV on On Demand with my cable company. For 2 months I did a 10 minute pilates routine that was a segment from Gaiams Pilates for Abs. This is a great beginner routine that helped me get strong enough to do Winsor Pilates that I bought years ago. I stopped doing pilates for a couple months, but I went to my local health food store one day last week and found the Gaiam Pilates for Abs DVD. I bought it right away and have been doing the 10 minute routine these last few days, and will increase to the other remainder 20 minutes. I like the fact that it has a modified exercise, and that I can break it up into segments. I like Pilates for my Core--abs, hips, and lower back, which I've been suffering from Sciatica and hip pain on my right side, and lower back pain since having children. I know I must add cardio for weightloss, but I am very motivated to continue with Pilates. You feel stronger instantly without the discomfort of doing a lot of crunches.

Good luck with your decision.