exercise and fitness

This book is a great home guide...but I recommend taking some classes to learn the correct form. I've been taking classes in conjunction with doing the book workout. Mari gives good descriptions of exactly how to do each movement, but sometimes it's a little difficult to understand EXACTLY what you should be doing from a book...this is where some classes can help. One thing about the book that's BETTER than the classes is that Mari divides the positions in to beginner, intermediate, and advanced....which sometimes is not explained in a class. I know that pilates class are expensive and the book is cheap....but you can really get a whole lot more out of the book by taking a few classes to learn proper form & understand how the exercises flow together and THEN continue at home for your workout (and money savings).

Pilates was hard for me to 'get'. I think that Pilates exercises should really be taught (in person) by a certified experienced instructor. The exercises would be impossible for me to properly learn via book, owing to their very precise nature. I could easily do them incorrectly without my trainer's assistance.

I've been looking for a book to use at home, as a guide for a mat workout. This book is the best I've found for using in conjunction with classes. It outlines a whole mat workout, and differentiates exercises by beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The photographs of Mari are clear. The exercises sometimes are explained on two pages so you have to turn the page while you're working, which interrupts the flow a bit.

Pilates works, but it must be done properly. Mari Winsor knows her stuff and provides an enthusiastic and warm guide for home use.

This book contains black-and-white photographs to demonstrate how to use the Pilates system pf exercise at home, Pilates really only requires a met, and a few props such as a stick and one of those exercise balls. The exercises rely on the "powerhouse" or the abdominal muscles, truly the center of one's balance and required for every activity from holding one's back upright to walking.

However, the small movements using the legs and arms that are typical of Pilates (which takes less than an hour a day and is reputed to produce dancer-style elongated muscules) are best demonstrated by a video or DVD. So if you are serious about doing Pilates and don't have a studio to attend, combine this book with a DVD to get better instruction. On its own, this is probably not sufficient for a beginner, though the experienced would enjoy reading it.