Last Updated on July 23, 2017
I am really grateful for YouTube for I was able to find very good videos on Pilates. Last Wednesday, I tried out Pilates for Abs from YouTube while watching TV. The exercises were a bit tough and some I could not do (such as lying down and getting up using only the abdomen muscles). Still, if you were read the comments by folks who have downloaded the video, it seemed effective.
After that, I felt the strain of the muscles deep inside my tummy. Hmmm… that’s interesting… must be a deep core abdomen muscle being worked on. Even on Friday while at the gym, I could feel that muscle working when I was doing abdomen exercise.
The problem area for most of us, even my slim friends, is the tummy area.
Well, today, I decided I am formally gonna try on another self-experiment and see if it help to reduce my tummy size. My normal workout routine (if I did not go for yoga class) is as follows which I will incorporate the new exercise in blue:
- about 1/2 hr till 1 hr of cardio– normally I want to burn at least 400kcal per single workouts. Sometimes, when the songs are right, it can go right up to 700 and the cardio is more than an hour.
- in between the cardio, I will do the abdomen crunch (weight machine) for about 25- 30 repetitions using about 20kg weights. Sometimes, I also use other weight machines as well.
- Doing about 30 sit-ups on the stability ball (really strain your abdomen muscles)
- Then stretch down
I have learned how to use the stability ball (finally) from a video posted in YouTube. Actually, if you cannot afford a personal trainer, you can scout around at YouTube for more exercising tips.
There is something about Pilates that helps strengthen your core muscles. Like tai chi that mentions the ‘than tien‘, center of life energy located 2 inches below your belly button, Pilates focuses on developing the core. The core stability improves our health and ability to counter diseases and illness. It’s a good exercise to explore and like yoga, Pilates greatly compliments your cardio and weight training.
I will monitor and see if my hypothesis will work.
I will end with a very meaning quote from Joseph Pilates himself:
“I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.” – Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86
Next in Project ‘Tummy’: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
