Will Pilates Help You Lose Weight?

Pilates is a repertoire of whole-body exercises. It uses a mat and sometimes specialized equipment, designed to help improve one’s daily activities and livelihood. As a low-impact exercise, it aligns your body’s structure and supports its joints to develop your flexibility, mobility, muscle balance, and strength. 

Pilates is the type of exercise that has something for everyone. Regardless of age, ability, size, fitness level, and lifestyle, Pilates can provide a lot of benefits for you — one of which is weight loss. It’s a great way to lose weight and stay fit. It can shape you through toning and improved alignment and posture, helping you appear slimmer and taller. Plus, you get to work up a sweat, making Pilates a unique kind of “cardio” in its own right.

Along with a balanced diet and quality sleep, Pilates can support your weight loss goals through the mind-body connection. It regulates your nervous system, leading to decreased stress levels and increased energy for other fitness activities.

Let’s explore more specifically the ways that Pilates can help with your weight loss goals. 

Much of the focus of Pilates is improving core strength, and this is vital to how well you’re able to exercise. Think about it: Your core is what connects all of your limbs, as well as your upper body to your lower body. It’s involved in literally everything you do, including sitting, standing, and walking. Without a strong core, you literally can’t exercise safely and see results.

Pilates has proven to improve core strength and function. As these exercises focus on the center of your body where all movements originate from, it helps strengthen your muscles and thus, stabilize the whole body. Plus, there’s a huge emphasis on breathing, which enhances core strength all on its own.

But it goes further than that. With a stronger core, you’ll experience less pain and dysfunction in the back, hips, and pelvic floor. Additionally, you develop functional and sustainable movement patterns throughout your body. Some athletes don’t realize that the root cause of their discomfort is actually weakness! A stronger core means a stronger and fitter body overall.

Mobility is the active range of motion within a joint. But why do we need to care about this? Well, mobility is important in preventing injury. There’s a reason why people who live a sedentary lifestyle deal with so many nagging injuries and strains: Excessive sitting leads to tight and weak muscles — in other words, poor mobility! If you experience constant discomfort in your hips, back, or neck, this could be why.

Improving mobility means both loosening and strengthening the muscles. With dynamic stretching exercises, you’ll decrease your chances of injury, activate and strengthen your muscle groups, and extend your range of motion — all leading to better mobility. 

The practice of Pilates focuses on smooth transitions between precise and controlled movements. They are a combination of stretching and strengthening exercises, which improve your flexibility, mobility, and strength. All of this, importantly, can keep you safe and healthy, protecting you from injury, especially as you age.

When it comes to using fitness to lose weight, mobility is non-negotiable. You have to have it, plain and simple.

Muscles that are too rigid, tight, or weak can make the body more prone to injury. And as we already discussed, this is especially prevalent for people who sit a lot. (Did you know that Americans sit almost 10 hours a day? The human body doesn’t like this!)

Pilates exercises can help with that by balancing and toning the muscles of the body. They also focus on developing strength which allows you to better support and stabilize your joints while moving. In fact, one study notes that Pilates enhances your muscles and is an effective way to reduce the risk of injuries in sports and highly physical activities.

Other research notes that Pilates helps improve bone density, aiding in relieving pain and increasing your quality of life. Having strong bones prevents conditions like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis that affect people of all ages and lifestyles. This will play an even more significant role as you collect birthdays since aging often leads to weaker bone density, increasing the likelihood of breaks and fractures.

Because it’s low-impact, a lot of people mistakenly think that Pilates, by default, won’t be that challenging for their hearts and lungs. You need battle ropes and heavy deadlifts and miles of running, right? Well, not necessarily.

In reality, Pilates can enhance cardiorespiratory functions, boosting your blood circulation, feel-good hormones, and oxygen flow. Plus, as a low-impact exercise, it leaves you feeling more active and energized without putting too much strain on your body, which is helpful in your weight loss goals.

In addition, studies show that Pilates helps improve cognitive functions after training. In particular, the exercises facilitate blood flow to the brain, enhancing your executive thinking, learning, and memory.

Just because it isn’t high-intensity doesn’t mean that Pilates won’t leave a lasting impact. Mind, body, and soul, it offers a number of benefits in keeping you active, lean, and happy.

So many of us have terrible posture. We have our desk jobs to thank for that, not to mention the hours we spend looking down at our phones. This even has a name: Text neck! Do you notice that your head automatically “juts” forward? That could be because you spend much of your day hunched over, staring at your phone or computer screen.

Poor posture is more damaging than we think. It’s not just about “sitting up straight.” Poor posture can lead to back pain, joint degeneration, dysfunction of the spine, and — wait for it — a potbelly. Yes, poor posture can get in the way of your weight loss goals.

Good posture helps improve weak and imbalanced muscles, headaches, and shoulder and back pain. Maintaining good posture regularly and mindfully enables you to sit and stand tall with ease throughout the day. And, because sitting up properly encourages you to better engage your core muscles, it’s going to improve your strength, too. Proper posture might not be your default at first, but remember: Slouching is a habit, and so is sitting up straight. Keep at it, and proper posture will eventually become automatic.

And guess what? Pilates exercises can help with your posture. It focuses on the full body’s alignment, the ideal range of motion for the joints, and the right balance of all opposing muscles. It brings awareness to your alignment and strengthens neglected postural muscles, thus improving your posture. Pilates will teach you how to pay better attention to your body and listen to what it’s telling you — something we’ve lost sight of in the craziness of everyday life and our many responsibilities.

As if this wasn’t enough of an advantage already, we encourage you to think about how this can further extend to your workouts. Imagine trying to get fit and stay active with poor posture and alignment. Not only will this impact how effectively you’re able to train, but it can increase your risk of injury. Everything is connected. Performing any exercises, Pilates or otherwise, on an unstable foundation is a recipe for disaster.

Can Pilates help you lose weight? With the right approach, yes! So, how can you take the next step in using Pilates to hit your weight loss goals, get stronger, and feel better throughout the day?

One thing we love about Pilates is that it’s a holistic approach to fitness and wellness. It’s not just about getting stronger or losing weight or feeling good. It’s all of the above! How can you take advantage of the amazing benefits that Pilates has to offer?

➤ Home fitness is here to stay, and with the right technology, you can hit all of your biggest fitness goals without a gym membership and rows of fancy equipment. With Tempo, you can work on your weight loss goals with Pilates — right at home, when it’s most convenient for you.

➤Tempo Studio uses 3D Tempo Vision to learn about your body and goals to deliver customized workout options for you. We provide you with the tools and guidance you need to progress with your training. The studio also comes in an all-in-one design to give you the freedom to create your workout space without ever needing to leave your home.

Tempo Studio offers various packages to suit your fitness level. The Starter package offers all the technology, classes, and equipment you need to get started right away. If you’re more advanced, the Plus package comes with heavier weights and more equipment to optimize your training. If you’re on the Pro level, you get the complete package with pro-level weights and accessories.

➤ Tempo Move also uses 3D Tempo Vision to offer real-time feedback and turn your space into a home gym. It scans and recognizes Tempo’s smart weights for accurate tracking and rep counting, so all you have to focus on is moving your body.

With Tempo Move, you get guidance through workouts, from your form to rep targets, and the smart home gym system lets you know when it’s time to level up — just like having a personal trainer. Plus, it keeps track of your performance to tailor your training plans as you progress. This means that you get a more personalized experience. Compared to Studio, Move is designed to fit anywhere.

➤ When you train with Tempo, you’re never really alone. We provide the guidance, support, and resources you need to get through your workouts safely and effectively. Every class is led by one of our knowledgeable instructors, who have years of experience in their respective fields. Have fun, improve your body composition, and improve your overall wellness with Pilates.

Remember that getting fit is a multi-faceted process. Pair your Tempo workouts with a nutrient-dense diet, plenty of sleep, and minimal stress, and you’re going to get the best results.

Ready to get to work? Join Tempo today and get started with your weight loss and fitness journey!