Pilates anyone?

**Smokey** · 12-13-2007, 03:33 PM

I want to do Pilates, but a bit scared it might cause me to flare up. has anyone tried Pilates?

**Jill CA** · 12-13-2007, 05:56 PM

I haven't tried pilates, but I have tried yoga and currently take a spin class. Exercise seems to make me feel better not worse.

**mimimama** · 12-13-2007, 10:50 PM

i did Pilates for a year before I had IC symptoms. It is the best overall workout and tones EVERY muscle in your body. I felt so strong and fit.

I want to start up again and told my URO that and he cautioned me saying that Pilates will tighten things up down there too much. He advised Pelvic Floor Therapy first and once I get my muscles relaxed, maybe then i can venture back to my awesome Pilates.

It is a hard workout and should be done with a trainer who is certified. It is very easy to do the poses and exercises wrong and you need someone who knows how to correct you so you do it right. GREAT exercise and this is coming from someone who HATES physical exertion of any kind,

Yoga would probably be a better fit. Again, I really recommend taking a class so you don't hurt yourself. The DVD's are great once you've worked with a teacher.

**Anjita** · 12-13-2007, 11:31 PM

hi mimimama,

just wanted to say that your son looks so cute....
i used to do pilates and i havent done it for a while because every time now i do it my muscles down there do tighten up and i get vulvodynia pain!!! i will try yoga instead.
maybe for someone who hasnt done pilates should start with yoga. And yes i totally agree with taking a class before trying at home.

I LOVE PILATES and hope that one day i can do it again.

All the best..
Hi from the Kangaroo Land....

**dverba** · 12-14-2007, 02:08 AM

I do pilates 3x a week. I love it. It is slow and relaxing.

**Tracie** · 12-14-2007, 02:58 AM

I have have never done pilates but I love yoga. I take a "relaxing" yoga class and notice so many things about my body that I never paid attention to before.

**Smokey** · 12-14-2007, 10:26 AM

thanks for all your responses.

**glassd18** · 12-15-2007, 12:55 PM

Good post. I stopped in at the health club one night because I wanted to start pilates again, but wasn't sure if it was a good choice for IC. I think I'll try the walking on treadmill, and yoga first, and move up to pilates after.

**RAS6** · 12-16-2007, 04:23 AM

I LOVED pilates, did it for almost a year at home before my diagnosis. In my case I can't handle Pilates anymore. Too much lying on my back and tightening pelvic muscles. This may not be an issue for you if you have IC alone, in my case, it made my PFD much much worse. I do Kripuli Yoga (except for two back poses) Very simple, very invigorating (feels like waking up from a good night's sleep, what ever that is, LOL!) and very easy on my sore body! I can't afford clases anymore, I did take two intro classes and found great info in a magazine article and online. You do need to be careful not to do the poses wrong b/c you could hurt yourself, I agree that classes may be a good idea, or a good video along with exercising LOTS of caution. Kripuli is considered one fo the simplest and most gentle forms of Yoga, at least to my somewhat limited knowledge. I found I did need a mat for Pilates and Yoga so I would not slip and to have proper back support. I bought my mat at Walmart for $14 and do yoga barefoot b/c socks still slip. The mat is slightly sticky and bare feet work well on it. My balance is off due to lots of meds and I have to be careful not to fall. Even when I hurt too much to walk beyond the front door (walking and biking as exercise is OUT for me right now, OUCH!), I can still do my simple standing & side lying poses, and often use my bladder support cushion to do the sitting poses.
Good luck to everyone and hope you find something that works for you lorenab.

**jen48446** · 12-21-2007, 01:10 AM

I have a DVD from Wal Mart that I was using a while back, haven't used it in over a year though. I did benefit from it when I did it though. I am considering adding Yoga right now. I do meditate every night & have for nearly 3 months & feel so much better already!!

I've used a Pro Form Air Walker for 10 years, I do 5 minutes on it every morning, it tones me with out any impact. I also do 5 minutes on my husband's Recumbent Bike 5 minutes every morning, it helps too.

**ICNJess** · 01-09-2008, 05:01 AM

There is no way I would have been able to do Pilates when I first got dx'd. But now I do them every morning for about 20-40 minutes...depends on how bad off my Fibro is. I feel amazing after wards...very energized and the stretching actually makes me feel better. I don't do rigorous Pilates and you can feel the stretch in all of your muscles.