Email dated: 11/14/07

Rober Sallis, MD, FACSM/President ACSM

Dear ACSM Member,

Last week, the American College of Sports Medicine facilitated the launch of a landmark program: Exercise is Medicine™. Exercise is Medicine™ is a new program designed to encourage America's patients to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily routine, specifically calling on doctors to prescribe exercise to their patients.

I am pleased to report that our launch was a resounding success; the news conference generated a significant amount of media coverage, led by a terrific feature announcement in USA Weekend. (View the news conference video here; read the news release.) The event luncheon was highlighted with supportive remarks from the Acting Surgeon General of the United States, Rear Admiral Steven Galson, M.D., MPH.

This program has set in motion a historic partnership for ACSM. Co-leading Exercise is Medicine™ with the American Medical Association will truly help us meet our goal to encourage and work with physicians to record physical activity as a vital sign during patient visits. ACSM is uniquely equipped to integrate into our own health and fitness community, and help implement "the prescription."

It is time, too, to mobilize our membership and use our multidisciplinary strength to support this physical activity program. One way you can help is to write a Letter to the Editor of your local or community print media. A grassroots campaign of this nature can have great impact in creating an expectation with patients that they should have a conversation about physical activity with their doctor.

We have released to the media a five-point action plan that will carry Exercise is Medicine™ into its next phases. These five points outline how ACSM and AMA will work with national and state leaders to continue building on our momentum.

If you have not already, please visit our new Web site— www.exerciseismedicine.org—to learn more about the program and the resources ACSM and AMA have made available.

Thank you in advance for support of Exercise is Medicine™. I hope you will take the opportunity to communicate this physical activity program within your own networks.

Sincerely,

Robert E. Sallis, M.D., FACSM, President

401 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
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Email: publicinfo@acsm.org
© 2007 American College of Sports Medicine

NEWS RELEASE
June 1, 2005
For immediate release

PILATES AND YOGA PROVIDE WELCOME BENEFITS
Exercises lead to flexibility, relief of menopause symptoms and less back pain

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Pilates and yoga, often referred to as â€œmind-body activities, show promising benefits which include increased flexibility, improved quality of life, relief of the symptoms of menopause, and some reduction of lower back pain. The findings came from two studies presented today at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn

One study looked at the effects of yoga on quality of life and flexibility in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Researchers at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona studied six women, ages 44 to 62, who participated in a one-hour-long yoga class twice a week for eight weeks. Participants were also given a home exercise program, and instructed to practice on the days when they were not in class. The yoga program used in the study was lyengar, which focuses on a specific sequence of poses that address menstrual disorders, menopause and pregnancy.

Five of the six women who participated in the yoga program had an increase in low back flexibility, and five out of six had reduced menopause symptoms, said M. Alysia Mastrangelo, Ph.D., PT, lead author of the study. Those who experienced menopause relief had a decrease in hot flashes and night sweats.

Mastrangelo points out that a benefit of increased flexibility is that this often helps reduce lower back pain. In addition, more flexibility can one to more easily perform activities of daily living such as housekeeping, gardening and shopping.
The study that looked at benefits of Pilates-based mat exercises involved 22 people over a 12-week period. All participants had experienced some lower back pain. Fifteen participated in an hour-long Pilates-based mat exercise program, while the other seven continued their normal daily activities but did not participate in Pilates. At the end of the study, both groups had a decrease in lower back pain, but those who participated in the Pilates program had a greater reduction in pain.

We also saw that the lower back pain was significantly decreased in certain areas of the lower spine, said lead researcher, Susan Graves, Ed.D. The study really raised a number of questions, and we would like to study Pilates exercise further, with larger groups, and be able to look at how different age groups do with this type of exercise as a method to control back pain. We know that many exercises are effective in helping reduce lower back pain, when done in a controlled setting. Clearly we need to understand more about why, and if there are particular techniques that provide greater benefits.

ACSM 52nd Annual Meeting is going on now at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. For more information on the event, or to speak with ACSM Communications and Public Information staff, please call (615) 458-0996.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.

NOTE: The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.

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November-December 2007 Fitness Journal
- Ryan Halvorson

The old belief that hard work reaps grand rewards may not be entirely true, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology (2007; 103, 432-42). The study followed 240 sedentary and overweight subjects assigned for 6 months to one of four groups: nonexercise control: high-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise; low-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise; or low-amount/moderate-intensity exercise. The purpose was to dertmine which of the three methods of exercise would have the greatest impact on low-density lipoproten (LDL) and high-density lipprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. At the end of the study, researches discovered that the low-amount/moderate-intesity exercise group experienced "sustained reduction in very-low-density lipprotein" during 15 subsequent days of detraining, whereas the more vigourous groups showed imporvements only in HDL levels. This may come as a breath of fresh air to exercisers who shy away from high-intensity workout programs, as it means these people can still acquire health benefits without pushing the limits.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Heart defibrillators now required in gyms by law
By BLYTHE BERNHARD
The Orange County Register
SEAL BEACH – Tom Morgan bought a heart defibrillator for his gym, Tru II Form, about a year and a half ago. He checks the battery every morning when he gets in. "The only thing you can hope is that you never have to use it," he said Sunday as a dance class grooved in the Main Street studio.

As of Sunday, all health clubs and fitness studios are required by state law to have an automated external defibrillator and employees trained to use it. Not everyone met the deadline.

Gil Yurly, who owns BodyWise Fitness in Newport Beach and Holy Spirit Gym in Costa Mesa, said he hasn't yet bought defibrillators, which cost about $1,500. He gives the law a thumbs-down "from a gym owner's standpoint who's still looking to get over the top." "They're a good thing for the big clubs, but at the small personal training facilities the odds (of needing them) are greatly minimized."

Sudden cardiac arrest causes 325,000 deaths nationwide each year, but how many occur at gyms is unknown. In a two-year study of 3 million members of large health clubs, 71 deaths were reported, according to the American Heart Association. The law requiring defibrillators at gyms was enacted in part because physical activity can trigger heart stoppage, particularly in people with blocked arteries or heart abnormalities. If someone collapses, defibrillator pads attached to their chest can determine whether they are in cardiac arrest. A phone book-sized machine then instructs the user to send an electric shock to the person's heart, restoring its normal rhythm.

Survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest are very low, but can reach 90 percent when a defibrillator is used promptly. Brain death can occur within four minutes after a heart stops functioning. One man was revived with a defibrillator used by another gym member at a 24 Hour Fitness center in Irvine last year. Bally Total Fitness, with eight locations in Orange County, installed defibrillators in January. Santa Ana-based LA Boxing has mandated the machines in all its gyms. Gold's Gym and LA Fitness did not respond to queries on whether their local gyms have defibrillators. The response in Orange County has been mostly disappointing, said Rhea Jones, vice president of HeartCharger, a Santa Ana company that sells and maintains defibrillators. Jones says many gym owners are either ignorant of the law, or opposed to it.

While every health club is required to register their defibrillators with the county, only 12 out of about 200 have done so, said Dr. Sam Stratton, medical director of Orange County Emergency Medical Services. Stratton said he's supportive of the law, but concerned it doesn't go far enough. "There's not a lot of authority that we have over compliance," Stratton said. "There's no funding to go out and survey the clubs to make sure they have them." Even without laws requiring them, hundreds of defibrillators are scattered throughout the county at stadiums, airports, courthouses, golf courses and beaches. Many of the public defibrillators have been installed by the Ray of Life Foundation, named for San Clemente emergency room doctor Ray Jacobson, who died in 2001 of sudden cardiac arrest at age 39. "I do work with a lot of fitness trainers," said Jacobson's widow, Helena. "Their fear that somehow they're going to be liable should be gone now that there are Good Samaritan laws that protect them."

Defibrillators are simple to use and success stories are seen regularly in local emergency rooms, said Dr. Richard Haskell, medical director of cardiology at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. "We had one a few months ago, the guy collapsed on the 18th hole," Haskell said. "(A defibrillator) can make a difference between having a brain that is working or not working."

Contact the writer: 714-796-6880 or bbernhard@ocregister.com

Partially taken from: Understanding the Benefits:
Cardiovascular and Strength Circuit Training

By Terri Magrans, M.S., C.S.C.S., A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer - Life Fitness Academy Trainer

In today’s busy society, many fitness centers are seeking ways to provide their members with a time-efficient, yet effective workout. Cardiovascular and strength circuit training programs enable facilities to do this as they are designed to move participants through a sequenced order of exercises for a total-body workout that can be completed in less than 30 minutes. Therefore, this format of circuit training allows fitness facilities to help busy people fit exercise into their day.

Cardiovascular and strength circuit training is a total-body workout that involves performing a series of different exercises in one training session, alternating between intervals of strength training and cardiovascular exercise (1). Because the workout includes both strength and cardio training, exercisers will realize the benefits of both types of exercise.

Some of the benefits of total-body strength training include increased strength, lean body mass, improved posture and muscle balance and increased bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis.

Unlike circuit programs, traditional strength training allows for heart rate recovery during the rest period between strength training exercises. Because circuit program exercises quickly alternate between strength and cardiovascular, the exerciser’s heart rate remains elevated and sustained above a resting level throughout the workout. This promotes cardiovascular conditioning and reduces the need for a separate cardiovascular component in the workout. Benefits of cardiovascular conditioning include improved energy levels, lower blood pressure, increased HDL (good cholesterol) levels, reduced risk of heart disease and improved endurance.

Circuit training programs are also proven to burn more calories compared to traditional strength-training programs (2-3) due to the maintenance of an elevated heart rate. By keeping the heart rate up throughout the session, more work is performed in less time resulting in greater caloric expenditure during the workout. (4). The addition of cardiovascular exercise between strength exercises also increases lean body mass, which results in a higher resting metabolism (4). This means more calories are burned throughout the day.

The end result is that circuit training improves general conditioning, body composition, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and cardiovascular fitness (5).

Excerpts taken from:
Pilates Exercise: Does it Burn enough Calories?
By Vanita Gautam

In recent years, Pilates exercise has rivaled yoga as one of the best forms of exercise for women, and while no one can argue that point, what is known is that, because the activities involved are slow and controlled, the amount of calories burned might not be enough to consider using this form of exercise alone.

Pilates exercise leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to cardiovascular improvements and weight loss, so before you jump into the “Electric Chair,” find out what Pilates exercise is all about and whether or not it’s a sound class for you.

Heart improvement lacking

While it’s true that Pilates exercise does improve the stabilizer muscles and may even leave you with a six-pack (you must be thin to begin with, however), it’s also true that the series of exercises you’re doing in the class aren’t doing much in the way of improving your cardio health or eliminating fat.

In a recent study conducted by Auburn University Montgomery in Alabama, results proved that the calories burned during a Pilates class equated what one would burn after mild stretching.

Of course, it isn’t all bad. The more advanced Pilates students managed to burn nearly 500 calories (based on a 165-pound person), while the beginners burned only 276 calories.

The point is that doing Pilates exercise every day of the week may work wonders for your core muscles, but it won’t benefit your heart very much. For that, you will need to perform cardiovascular exercise for at least 3 hours a week.

Cardio Pilates

Believe it or not, Pilates trainers have picked up on the fact that their classes do not offer the heart-pumping challenges that traditional cardiovascular exercise do. They have therefore begun to offer Cardio Pilates exercises.

In the midst of strengthening your core, trainers will get you up and moving to elevate your heart rate, thus resulting in the best of the worlds. Of course, dedicated Pilates trainers may not enjoy these classes as much, especially if they’ve become accustomed to the serene, controlled traditional classes.

But if you want to kill two birds with one stone, Cardio Pilates may be the best alternative to help you get your heart rate up, increase your core strength and save time.

Pilates and Breast Cancer
Partial Article from Healthy Living Newsletter - Summer 2006

How can pilates help individuals with breast cancer?
Following breast cancer, individuals may fear returning to exercise. Pilates can provide a gentle reintroduction to movement at any stage of recovery. If you can lie on your back and breathe, you can start pilates! Like personal training, the right Pilates instructor creates an individually based program and progresses you slowly.

Being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing invasive treatments can make survivors feel detached from their bodies. Pilates can mend this mind-body separation by encouraging "mindful" movement, focusing on movement quality rather than repetitions.

Due to reduced activity and physical effects of surgery, many breast cancer survivors may notice their posture has deteriorated, with rounding of the upper back and slumped shoulders. Focusing on posture and alignment, Pilates first teaches your body how to resume your previous erect posture and then, through back strengthening exercises, gives you the strength to be able to maintain that posture.

Shoulder movement may be restricted following bresast cancer surgery. Pilates slowly increases range of motion by teaching good shoulder blade alignment at rest and then encouraging gentle movements from this stable base. The focus is always on the quality of movement rather than the end point.

The aim is not to get from A to B, but to start at A, move towards B and always think about how you are getting there. This makes Pilates different from other forms of exercise where you may be forced to attain a certain position by any means necessary.

Joseph Pilates emphasized a uniformly developed body. Recognizing that even healthy bodies can have asymmetries, he devised exercises to build strength and mobility on both sides of the body, making the exercises ideal for individuals who have undergone surgery with residual, one-sided weakness or stiffness.

Before Beginning - consult your doctor!
As with any exercise regime, consult your designated health professional before commencing Pilates. Because there is still no regulation within the Pilates industry, it is up to the individual to ensure that the Pilates instructor is well qualified. Make sure they haven't completed just a one-day course, which is surprisingly common. Also, for those who are doing Pilates for rehabilitation, you should start with individualized instruction before moving on to group classes. If you do progress to group classes, make sure there are no more than 10 participants in your class to ensure you are adequately supervised. Finally, don't be afraid to speak up if something hurts or feels uncomfortable. Pilates exercises should never cause pain and a well-trained instructor should be able to modify an exercise to suit your body.

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Pilates for Fibromyalgia

By Gabriel Sherier

According to the National Fibromyalgia Association, Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is an increasingly recognized chronic pain illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances. While the cause and etiology of FMS is unknown, the disease affects 6-12 million people in the United States: most commonly women (at a ratio of 9:1) between the ages of 25 and 50 years old.

Obtaining a true Fibromyalgia diagnosis is difficult since no objective diagnostic tests currently exist. The American College of Rheumatology established a tender point palpation diagnostic criteria in 1990. The presence of pain occurring in 11 out of 18 tender point sites and present for at least 3 months is required for diagnosis.

Common symptoms of FMS include:

Sleep disturbances

Morning stiffness

Headaches

Irritable bowel syndrome

Painful menstrual periods

Numbness or tingling of the extremities

Restless legs syndrome

Temperature sensitivity

Cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as ‘fibro fog’)

Traditionally, physical therapy has been shown to be helpful with the treatment of FMS and is best used with interdisciplinary therapeutic applications. The goal of physical therapy with FMS is education of the syndrome with instruction on limits and management. Exercises are important to maintain and improve function and assist in managing pain, therefore it is crucial to establish an independent home exercise program. Muscle energy techniques (MET) have been shown to be highly effective.

In a research study completed by Mary Silva, MET showed a noted 50% or more decrease in pain levels in 60% of patients, a decrease in the medications required, and improvements in quality of life. MET includes gentle stretching of the musculature with gentle contraction of that muscle. From this we can conclude that Pilates, based on its principles, can be very helpful in treating this population.

The benefits of the Pilates Breath... Lower your blood pressure
Article from USA Today, October 2006

http://www.resperate.com/usa_today_pop.aspx

Excerpt from the IDEA Newsletter, January 2007
Bust Stress With Pilates Principles
by C. Romani-Ruby

The mindful characteristics of Pilates make it an ideal way to remain placid in the churning ocean of life.

Life constantly presents changes and challenges that promote learning, growth and optimal function. Individuals respond and adapt to these trials differently. When people lose their capacity to cope successfully, they can experience negative stress. This form of stress has been identified as an influencing factor in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, immune system problems, poor wound healing and musculoskeletal pain (Rozanski, Blumenthal & Kaplan 1999; Pickering 2001; Krantz 2000; Goetsch et al. 1990; Surwit & Schneider 1993; Glaser et al. 1999; Rozlog et al. 1999; Lundberg, Dohns & Melin 1999).

The Pilates method is a successful tool for self-management of the stress reaction. In fact, in 1920 Joseph Pilates (founder of the Pilates method) defined his work with six principles that are remarkably similar to today’s proven methods of managing stress: relaxation, breath, concentration, guided imagery, heightened body awareness and mindfulness. When combined with strong Pilates cueing skills, these methods can help clients successfully reduce the negative stress in their lives.

Osteoporosis is epidemic in the United States.
One in every 2 women and 1 in every 4 men aged 50 or older will suffer an osteoporosis-related hip, spine or wrist fracture during their lives (National Osteoporosis Foundation [NOF] 2005). Among women over 50, 1 in every 2 who walk into your classes has low bone density and is at risk for fracture (NOF 2005). And research has shown that given the fragility of the osteoporotic vertebrae, most fractures are caused by the stresses of everyday life (Cummings & Melton 2002; Keller 2003). As the disease progresses, bones can become so vulnerable that fractures can occur spontaneously or through such mild trauma as opening a stuck window, lifting a light object from the floor with a rounded thoracic spine or even just coughing or sneezing.

The importance of weight-bearing exercise that loads and strengthens bone cannot be underestimated. In fact,research has shown that physical exercise alone can halt the progression of bone loss (Smith & Gilligan 1987). And according to the Surgeon General’s Report, “Health and Fitness professionals can play a major role in . . . identifying and advising high-risk individuals and those who have osteoporosis” (HHS 2004).

One program that is often suggested for building strength is Pilates. For most people, this is a great idea. But, despite the media hype, is Pilates safe for clients whose bones are compromised? To teach safe and effective programs, all Pilates instructors should be educated about osteoporosis and know the precautions that apply to clients at risk for fracture. What instructors must know─if they are to help rather than harm these clients─is who is at risk and which moves are contraindicated. Without such knowledge, their clients may end up breaking a bone even as they’re exercising to build bone strength.

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Pilates may give relief for Parkinson's patients
Controlled movements can reduce symptoms, improve balance
Partially taken from:

Updated: 8:13 p.m. ET Nov 27, 2006
PORTLAND, Ore.
Movements in Pilates exercises are controlled — sometimes moving the body only inches — but those small motions are making a big difference to some people with Parkinson’s disease. No research has been done to prove Pilates’ effectiveness in reducing Parkinson’s symptoms, but a growing number of patients say they are finding some relief. “I love it, it’s great,” said Karen Smith, 62. “It exercises muscles that otherwise don’t get exercised.”

Parkinson’s, a degenerative disorder, inhibits a person’s ability to control movement. Its most common symptoms include tremors, slowness of movement, rigidity and poor balance.

Smith is part of a group that meets twice a week at the Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. The center held a Pilates pilot program earlier this year, and after it found improvement in the participants’ rigidity and balance it launched a twice-weekly class open to the public. The center already has a waiting list for its next round of classes.

A few Pilates instructors elsewhere around the country also are offering classes specifically for people with the disease.
Instructors say the basic principal of Pilates — increasing core strength and improving flexibility and balance — is extremely helpful in countering the effects of Parkinson’s in some people.    “I never dreamed of trying to do Pilates or anything like that,” said Greg Moore, 59, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 17 years ago and just started practicing Pilates. “Now I realized how stiff and boxed up I am.”
Boosting confidence
There are studies that show exercise can ease the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms, said Michael S. Okun, national medical director for the National Parkinson’s Foundation. However, it needs much further research, he said.   “I tell my patients that exercise is like a drug — if they exercise religiously or stretch religiously, they do great,” Okun said.

Pilates participants say the exercises aren’t a strain, which makes the program more approachable for patients who don’t exercise at all. Additionally, they say, it’s supportive to be in a positive environment with other people with Parkinson’s.
Many Parkinson’s patients struggle with depression and some say the exercise has helped them.   “A lot of times exercise is as much for the head as it is for the body,” said John White of Corvallis, Ore. “To feel like you can help yourself in some way is really important.”

Article from FitnessUniverse.com
The Power of Pilates

An estimated 6 million people across the country are now strengthening their bodies and minds, and losing weight, with the help of pilates exercises, the fastest growing fitness trend in decades. Among the Hollywood celebrities publicly touting its benefits, Goldie Hawn, Candace Bergen, Brad Pitt, Ben Afleck and Matthew Broderick.

Thanks to the Method’s popularity, a growing industry has emerged. More than 11 thousand people in the U.S. now claim to be pilates instructors, but according to the Pilates Method Alliance, (PMA), the international, not–for–profit, professional association that establishes certification and continuing education standards for Pilates professionals, at least 25 percent of them have not been properly trained.

“If you are working with an instructor who doesn’t have adequate training, you run an incredible risk of getting hurt,” says Kevin Bowen, co-founder of the PMA. “Pilates isn’t something you just start doing one day. You have to make sure you have an instructor who understands the Method and how to make the exercises work for you.”

If done correctly, pilates exercises strengthen, tone and stretch the body, encourage proper breathing and facilitate good posture. Here are 10 important questions you should ask an instructor before signing up for their class:

#1 What kind of training did you go through and where?
#2 How much time was spent in your original training?
#3 How long have you been teaching?
#4 Did you only learn the mat work or was your program comprehensive in nature, teaching you pilates exercises on the pilates equipment?
#5 Do you understand the body, have basic knowledge of kinesiology and understand fundamental biomechanics?
#6 Do you understand the aging process?
#7 Do you pay close attention to safety and guidelines?
#8 Does the facility where you teach practice safety standards for group classes?
# 9 Do you have a commitment to continuing education?
#10 Are you affiliated with a professional organization like the Pilates Method Alliance?

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Excerpt from the January 2007 IDEA Newsletter
Pilates Effective for Low-Back Pain
By Shirley Archer, JD, MA
Low-back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Among neurological ailments, only headache is more prevalent. As a mind-body exercise professional, you no doubt encounter numerous clients with varying degrees of low-back discomfort.

Recent research supports the effectiveness of Pilates exercise for low-back pain, notes Shirley Archer, JD, MA, IDEA member since 1988, certified yoga and Pilates teacher and award-winning author based in Palm Beach, Florida and Zurich, Switzerland. According to a small, randomized, controlled study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (2006; 36 [7], 472-84), participants who practiced Pilates over a 4-week period experienced more relief from their symptoms than those who went through typical treatment programs.

In light of the growing popularity of Pilates in therapeutic settings, researchers from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, decided to test whether Pilates exercises were effective in improving the condition of patients. The investigators randomly assigned 39 active adults ages 20-55 with chronic low-back pain to either a Pilates training group or a control group. The experimental group exercised on Pilates equipment, while the control group received the usual care provided to individuals seeking medical help for low-back pain. (“Usual care” included consulting with a physician and other healthcare professionals and specialists.)

Post-testing revealed that the Pilates participants had significantly lower levels of functional disability and pain intensity than the control subjects. A year later, the Pilates participants had maintained their physical improvements.

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PILATES
Source: wikipedia GFDL
Pilates classes help to build strength and flexibility, with an emphasis on lengthening the body and aligning the spine, rather than on building muscle mass.
The focus of Pilates is on the "powerhouse" region of the body which includes the muscles of the abdominals and the lower back. Because of its focus, Pilates has become popular not only in the field of fitness, but also in rehabilitation. It can be used to progress individuals through movements that represent their day-to-day activities.
The focus on strengthening the core/powerhouse muscles and improving postural awareness are especially well indicated for the alleviation and prevention of back pain.
Principles
Pilates follows principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation. It is not merely a collection of exercises but a method, developed and refined over more than eighty years of use and observation. While Pilates draws from many diverse exercise styles, there are certain inherent ruling principles that bring all these elements together under the Pilates name. One interpretation of Principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing Movement.
Mind over matter
The central element of Pilates is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it you will move with economy, grace, and balance; using your body to the greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The goal is this: to produce an attention-free union of mind and body, the method requires that you constantly pay attention to your body while you are doing the movements. Paying attention is so vital that it is more important than any other single aspect of the movements or the method.
Breathing
Joseph Pilates believed in circulating the blood so that it could awaken all the cells in the body and carry away the wastes related to fatigue. For the blood to do its work properly, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates exercise. Pilates saw forced exhalation as the key to full inhalation. “Squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet towel dry,” he is reputed to have said. Breathing, too, should be done with concentration, control, and precision. It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each exercise is accompanied by breathing instructions. Joseph Pilates stated, “Even if you follow no other instructions, learn to breathe correctly”.
Centering
Pilates called the very large group of muscles in our center – encompassing our abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks – the “powerhouse.” All energy for Pilates exercises begins from the powerhouse and flows outward to the extremities. Physical energy is exerted from the center to coordinate one's movements. Pilates felt that it was important to build a strong powerhouse in order to rely on it in daily living.
Concentration
Pilates demands intense focus. For instance, the inner thighs and pelvic floor may be accessed when doing a standing exercise that tones the triceps. The beginner learns to pay careful attention to their body, building on very small, delicate fundamental movements and controlled breathing. In 2006, at the Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland , the concentration factor of the Pilates method was being studied in providing relief from the degenerative symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Control
Joseph Pilates built his method on the idea of muscle control. That meant no sloppy, uncontrolled movements. Every Pilates exercise must be performed with the utmost control, including all body parts, to avoid injury and produce positive results. It's not about intensity or multiple repetitions of a movement, it's more about proper form for safe, effective results.
Precision
Every movement in the Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is vitally important to the success of the whole. To leave out any detail is to forsake the intrinsic value of the exercise. The focus is on doing one precise and perfect movement, rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually this precision becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life as grace and economy of movement.
Fluidity
Pilates mat exercises are supposed to be performed fluidly. There are no static, isolated movements. Concentration and body awareness replaces the quick, jerky movements of other exercise regimes. Grace of motion is emphasized over speed; ultimately the movements are meant to feel as fluid as a long stride or a waltz. Uniformly developed muscles are then developed to compliment good posture, suppleness, and natural grace. However, with the usage of the apparatus, clients will need to take at least some time to adjust their equipment settings and props.

USA Today - August 17, 2003
Male athletes get no pain, big gains from Pilates

By Jill Lieber, USA TODAY

Celebrities Madonna, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone have done it. So have golfer Tiger Woods, basketball star Jason Kidd, pitcher Curt Schilling and offensive lineman Ruben Brown. What they all have in common is Pilates, one of the fastest growing fitness activities in America, according to SGMA International, the trade association for sports equipment manufacturers.

Golfer Charles Nardiello works on a knee stretch, a Pilates exercise intended to improve his game.
By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Designed to increase flexibility and improve posture, balance and coordination, Pilates focuses on strengthening the body's core or midsection. Once favored by rock divas, actresses and supermodels, the stretching and strengthening exercise method developed by Joseph Pilates (pih-LAH-teez) has become the latest training rage for male professional athletes. "Since I've done Pilates, I'm much better looking and 4 feet taller," says Rich Beem, winner of the 2002 PGA Championship. "Seriously, I'm now so stretched out and have such great posture that I look and feel like a different person."

Developed in the early 1900s, Pilates consists of 500 exercises, all initiating from the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, hips or buttocks. The cost of a private Pilates session with a properly licensed instructor is comparable to or slightly more expensive than a personal training session. For athletes, the benefits include more efficient movement as well as better endurance, speed and quickness.

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No longer just for women
As mainstream as the Pilates method of developing core muscle groups has become, male professional athletes interested in adding it to their training programs still must get past the stigma that this is largely a women's exercise. Kidd, the Nets superstar point guard, gave his wife, Joumana, a longtime Pilates devotee, a hard time when she told him it might help in his rehabilitation of a broken ankle a few years ago. After weeks of making fun of Pilates, Kidd finally tried it. "I immediately discovered how tight I was," Kidd recalls. "After one session I was energized. From that point on I was convinced it was a great workout." For Kidd, Pilates is all about finding the edge. He estimates 30% of his strength and flexibility training comes from Pilates. "Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive," he says. Rich Dalatri, the Nets strength coach, has been instrumental in introducing the exercise method to the entire team.

"Pilates is rejuvenating, restorative, invigorating," he says, "maybe because it gets the blood flowing through every inch of the muscles. It's so internal. It puts you in tune with your body. It puts you in a different state." The Nets have invested in Pilates equipment for their weight room. The players are so dependent that throughout the NBA playoffs in 2002, a leading Pilates company shipped special equipment to the team's hotel on road trips. Patience pays off Pilates' founding father always proclaimed, "In 10 sessions, you will feel the difference. In 20, you will see the difference. And in 30, you'll have a whole new body." Schilling, the Arizona Diamondbacks star pitcher, agrees. "The first three weeks, I was really disappointed," says Schilling, who incorporated Pilates into his offseason training program last winter. "I wasn't sweating. I wasn't winded, which is what I associate with true exercise. "Then in the fourth week I started to understand the Pilates terminology, the idea of working from your center. By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I'd lost 15 pounds." Hannah Gallagher, Schilling's Pilates instructor, says, "He's a man. He's used to hard-core workouts, where you throw up afterward. Pilates is not that. It is an equal balance of stretch and strength." After years of the no-pain, no-gain school of thought, male professional athletes say they appreciate the kinder, gentler, holistic aspect of Pilates. For Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl offensive guard Ruben Brown, Pilates is all about preventing injury.

"I'm a big guy with a gut," the 6-0, 300-pound Brown says. "I was always battling back strain. Plus, I'm 30 years old now. I'm tired of lifting weights, taking the pounding." The last two offseasons Brown has done Pilates three times a week. "My first session, it shook me up," Brown says. "It shook everything up. It still does. "And man, those Pilates women are competitive. They want to see if they can get the big, strong football player to wimp out. I told myself, 'Hey, ladies, I can do that, too.' " How has his body responded to Pilates? "I came out of the season injury-free," he says. "I used to feel like crap after practice and games but not since Pilates. "I learned how to breathe through my muscles. My posture is better. I can run more fluidly. And I increased my bench workouts." 'Profound impact' on Mediate For PGA Tour pro Rocco Mediate, Pilates is all about strengthening his back — and prolonging his career. After major back surgery in 1994, Mediate says he wasn't the same. He couldn't bend over for long periods of time to practice his putting, and his back always went out after lengthy plane trips.
Enter Pilates in November 2001
"After a week I was turned around," he says. "After two I felt like I'd never felt before. "Mediate has since sold his weights and has completely outfitted the workout room in his Ponte Vedra, Fla., home with several pieces of Pilates equipment. "Pilates never compromises your back," he says. "I've got more motion in my shoulders, midsection and legs. I can repeat my basic swing more often. Pilates is going to add five, six, seven ... years to my career." Caroline Schmid, Mediate's Pilates instructor, says, "The golf swing is a little one-sided, which can create imbalance in the body. Pilates helps to balance out the body against the forces of the swing. It helps to create less torque in the spine because you learn to swing from your center and not from your limbs." Mediate's wife, Linda, also has had success with Pilates. She has overcome injuries suffered in three car accidents as well as giving birth to three children: "I couldn't walk unless I put my hand on my back." She gives Pilates credit for major improvements in her husband's game. "He used to avoid putt