Whether you’re doing Pilates to tone up and lose weight, increase flexibility, or lose weight, there are a few things to keep in mind and add to your regimen to help you get the best results. In the case of weight loss, it is important to make sure you watch your caloric intake. While any form of exercise burns calories, not all of them burn the same amount. For example, 30 minutes of Pilates can burn just over 200 calories, while 30 minutes on a spinning bike is close to 300.

To lose weight, you will also get the best results from Pilates if you incorporate it with another fitness regimen that focuses on cardiovascular exercise. Go for a run a couple nights a week or take an aerobics class. Even 30 minutes on an elliptical or treadmill a couple of days a week will greatly increase your weight loss. At the same time, Pilates work will help increase your endurance when doing cardiovascular activities.

With diet in mind, there are also certain foods you can eat to make sure you get the flat stomach you’ve been working for and help keep it that way once you start your Pilates regimen. These foods include almonds, various berries, yogurt, and fish that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids and are excellent for reducing bloating and abdominal fat accumulation. Many health experts believe that the best way to eat to lose weight and maintain energy throughout the day is to eat six small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. This is especially beneficial for Pilates work because you never have to wait long after eating to do your workout and improves regularity in digestion, helping to keep your abdomen slim and ready for abdominal workouts.

Maintain proper posture even when you are not doing your Pilates exercises. You can do this while driving, sitting in your office, going for a walk, or even sitting on the couch watching TV. Practice Pilates breathing and keep your belly button up and inward. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make and hold with just a little concentration. It will soon appear that it does not require much concentration at all. You will also find that this helps improve your posture, which can decrease back pain.

Stay relaxed and adopt proper Pilates breathing methods. Pilates exercises are designed to complement your breathing. This means that if you focus on your breathing while doing the exercises, the breaths will help make the exercises easier for you. Proper breathing during Pilates also ensures that oxygen flows to all muscles and penetrates into tissues as they function. This helps reduce the chance of injury and helps the muscle get stronger and longer faster.

While many people see results after just 10 Pilates sessions, you will probably start to feel better after the first few. People who tend to see results within the first 10 sessions generally do a 30-40 minute Pilates workout twice a week. This means that if you work hard and do 4 or 5 of these sessions each week, your chances of seeing and feeling the results will likely increase. You may start to see significant changes after your first two weeks of Pilates practice.

Keep building your routine. Often people continue to stay at the introductory or intermediate level in their Pilates work. As you continue to do Pilates, you will notice that the exercises become easier or simply stay at the same level of effort. To get the most out of your Pilates workouts, you will need to incorporate more advanced movements and perhaps even visit a Pilates studio where you can work on the machines or other apparatus under the instruction of a certified Pilates instructor.