Good morning and welcome to a brand new week, my Pilates peeps!
These last days of February remind me of all things March MATness, so enjoy the brand new 10-minute Pilates Mat workout for you at the end of this post.
In just 10 minutes you’ll add a few more exercises to the workout (including the infamous “Ab Five”) and still finish quickly, and put a zip in your step all day long.
But first I have to gasp at an upcoming milestone for my business:
September 2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Pilates Andrea blog.
What? Wowza…
Thank you so much, dear readers, for all your support, connection and sweaty workouts over the last decade.
Today’s post highlights a handful of goodies from the past that you may have missed.
So say hello to a few old favorites and ‘deep tracks.’
The Fan Favorites
On the Order of the Pilates Reformer Exercises and her elder sister On the Order of the Pilates Mat Exercises.
Thank you for giving these 2 signature posts SO much love. They’ve each got nearly 10k views!
You’ll play Pilates Detective right along with me as I wind my way through Joe Pilates’ order of exercises.
What was he thinking?
How did he progress the workout from the beginning to the end?
How do earlier exercises help you to achieve those complex exercises at the end of the workout?
How It Started
I’m currently enmeshed in a new title from Chuck Klosterman. In his newest book of essays, The Nineties, he trains his critical eye toward culture-defining artists and events that shaped the decade.
His expert ability to dissect and distill his topics was the inspiration for this blog.
I talk about my desire to be the Klosterman of the Pilates world in one of my earliest posts. I was thrilled to note that I wrote this post on my birthday in 2012… interesting…
The Return of JoJo
Recently you’ve been seeing more of my beloved sidekick JoJo.
Please know that I refer to him as JoJo to distinguish all the important Joe’s in my life.
JoJo è il mio amore, and ‘Joe’ will always refer to the inventor of the Pilates Method.
Teaching Joe Pilates is one of his first appearances on the blog. And he appears in many incarnations of Mat workouts in this Daily Mat Workouts playlist.
JoJo also makes a brief appearance on the Reformer in this video on Pilatesology.
(Not a member of Pilatesology? Use my promo code ANDREA30 for a 30-Day free trial.)
My Faves
Why do you feel good after a vigorous Pilates workout? There are many answers, of course.
Moving improves blood flow and digestion, it increases lung capacity and flexibility. Your stamina and endurance are put to the test. You get a full-on ‘internal shower’ to keep all the body systems neat, tidy, and working optimally.
I also feel invincible, powerful, and up for any task or endeavor.
Coincidence?
As an actor, I learned the power of the term ‘psychological gesture.’ The shape and posture the body takes on correlates directly to the state of mind and the emotional life of the character.
Curl yourself up in a ball and you may feel the world closing in around you.
Open your arms wide overhead as in “Touchdown!” and your spirit soars as your posture takes up all the space in the room.
Joe Pilates put everything into his exercise system.
It’s in there! Find even more value in all your old favorite exercises in this post.
What does it take to become a proficient practitioner of (anything really) the Pilates Method?
How do you set yourself along the path to mastery of any discipline?
Mastery of the Pilates Method is not a destination, but rather a continued dedication to diligent practice.
The Path to Mastery highlights the ongoing periods of plateau and the occasional growth spurt “A-ha!” of knowledge that accompanies you on the Pilates Path.
The Birth of the Pilates Project
A Pilates Project is my way to harness the power of the Pilates System. Joe Pilates never leaves us unprepared.
Complex exercises can benefit from a myriad of “helper exercises” you learn in the basics.
Also in the not-so-basics.
Over the last decade, I’m sure I’ve hit a few of your favorite complex exercises (to hate).
Check out the helper exercises in each project to see how they serve you.
- One Sure-Fire Way to Backbend in Pilates This one’s nearly 10 years ago but super relevant today.
- 5 Exercises to Perfect your Open Leg Rocker
- 5 Basics to Tackle the Tendon Stretch
- Pilates Projects: The Holy Shit Edition
- 10 Smart Tools to Master the Snake This post was my very first Pilates Project and one that I still work on today.
Daily Pilates Mat Workout in 10
There’s nothing like even a few Pilates Mat exercises to get your day started.
Join JoJo and me for just 12 exercises and finish feeling fabulous!
Watch the video.
Do you know I also teach online classes?
Bring your Pilates workout to an online class near you 🙂
You’ll do your own workout in the company of other online and in-person practitioners.
Need help learning your order of Mat exercises? No problem. Use this list and keep it with you as you work.
What about apparatus? Yes, if you have any Pilates apparatus, you can use it for your workout as well.
Build strength, stamina, and independence in your Pilates workout.
4 Responses
Andrea – Your husband Joe (you can call him Jo-Jo, but that seems too endearing for me to do as a complete stranger) is such a good sport! I remember watching and working out to your morning videos with him many years ago. He looks younger now than he did in those early videos! All the best, Mary Beth
Hi Mary Beth!
JoJo thanks you so much for the kind words 🙂 He’s getting used to seeing himself in Pilates videos again and I thank you for your lovely words of encouragement. I hope you and yours are safe and healthy and maybe we can see each other in the greater Pilates world in the future. Keep up the good work! xox
I spy’d the JoJo!! Love it!
Awww… thank you so much for reading and cheering for JoJo 🙂 See you soon. xox