...and if so, what did you think of it?

Does it work?

And is it really hard to do? Especially for someone who has the flexibility of an octogenarian?

Janey

I went to a class once, and do a dvd from time to time. You don't need to be as flexible as for yoga (good job, as I'm not particularly flexible at the best of times), and if it's done properly you can definitely feel it in the abs. Unfortunately I'm not sure I did it properly

I did it for six months in a class. My instructor was quite harsh- it was a bit more like boot camp pilates than anything else. It helped me relax but I didn't really feel any gains in flexibility or my (well padded) abs. However, there were some really bendy 70 year olds in the class so I'm sure there were gains, just not the instant results I tend to want, so after 6 months I figures it was not for me!

I find it quite beneficial.

It tones though rather than causes weight loss so it depends what you want

All I know is Fern Brittan does it so it must be suitable for all sizes. She has a dvd and everything!

Yeah its really low impact if you do a gentle class. you feel the pull on stomach muscles but its not like yoga when you can't move for a week after it.

It makes me sit up straighter! But as for calorie burn you can forget it!

That's OK, I wasn't wanting it for fat burning, I was wondering whether it works to increase suppleness and flexibility - I've got an old back injury (dating back to 1987), and whilst it doesn't give me any pain it's left me with a really stiff spine. By the time I'm 50 I won't be able to tie my shoelaces!

So I was hoping Pilates might make me a bit more bendy, and help to tighten up the ol' abs too as an added bonus.

Janey

I've done both yoga and pilates and found that yoga is geared more towards making you more flexible whilst strengthening muscles. Pilates is all about strengthening and toning your "core" muscles: your abs, sides and back. It does help improve posture but gives very small calorie burn. I took a class for both, preferring that over the DVD because I wanted to make sure I was doing the poses correctly whilst having a teacher there to make sure I didn't hurt myself .

Woo I love pilates. There are LOADS of women there who have been going for ages and are really strong and flexible. I prefer body balance though which always makes me feel more chilled. Both are toning but I reckon there is too much fat on me to see.

Dip it will be great for you then! It's very relaxing! Go ahead and try it!

My friend is about a size 20 and she does pilates and noticed her tummy tightened up alot.

It can be beneficial. Its def more stable than yoga I have a back injury and found that my old yoga teacher was quite a vigourous teacher and it made it a bit worse. Pilates less bendy and its more about keeping the core solid

Thanks for all the input, ladies. I'm taking the plunge and going to my first class tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on...

Janey

So how did it go?

I've booked a beginners workshop session for next weekend - it is basically a 2 hour intro for complete beginners.

I'm hoping Pilates will help me improve my posture and help me to learn to relax a bit - I know it isnt going to help me to lose weight.

DOH , we had a rush deadline at work and my boss asked me to work through lunch so I couldn't go. I took my kit into work and everything! And it would have been a good week to start too because there were four other newbies . Next week I'm going and nothing's going to stop me!

Janey